The One Hundred Shadows Book Launch

So we did it. We officially gave One Hundred Shadows its London book launch on Thursday 20 October, and we couldn't be happier about it. The London Review bookshop provided the perfect setting (and free wine) for the event, creating an intimate and welcoming atmosphere for all.

Rounding off a whirlwind book tour that saw Deborah and Hwang in four cities in as many days, talking shadows in Sheffield, Manchester and Dundee, we're pleased to say that we ended on a high! Despite having a poorly publisher (all that book promoting takes its toll), Deborah hosted a fantastic evening that saw Hwang talk about her motivations for writing the book as a response to the horrific Yongsan tragedy that she witnessed in her hometown in 2009. Hwang said she felt compelled to restore some humanity for the victims without pretending to understand the depth of their pain, so incorporated 'warmth and an element of fantasy' in her telling. It was fascinating to hear her speak about the personal importance of One Hundred Shadows and talk so openly about her personal anxieties of not being listened to whilst holding the audience completely captive, irrespective of language!

We at TAP are very proud to have published One Hundred Shadows as our second title and are very grateful to each of you that attended the tour dates and launch. To echo the sentiments of the brilliant Fiametta Rocco on National Translation Day, we believe in publishing less, but publishing better; and we hope that those of you who read the book and heard Hwang talk, will agree that we're doing a pretty darn fine job of it so far.

If you haven't got your copy of One Hundred Shadows yet, click here!

Getting things started at the LRB

All the lovely people who came out to support us!

Hi from Sabeena – the new Tilted Axis intern

Well the search for an intern is finally over and I’m happy to announce that the kind folk at Tilted Axis chose me! So let me tell you a little bit about myself.  I’m Sabeena, I blog about books by PoC and I’m passionate about books. But not just books for books sake. I believe that Anglophone readers deserve international literature, including beautiful, creative translations and nuanced representation. In part, it’s why I’ve wanted to work within the publishing industry for a long time, and as a publisher (perhaps rather patronisingly) once told me, ‘be the change [I] want to see.’

Simon and Sabeena with the first copies of One Hundred Shadows.

As a young mum however, the opportunities to do so always felt few and far between. Like so many, I couldn’t afford (in any sense of the word) to offer 6 months’ unpaid time to a publishing house and didn’t have any meaningful contacts to get a foot in the door.  Instead I focussed my passion for books into a number of volunteer roles within the publishing industry and as a book blogger. As a blogger, I’ve attended many events often to be congratulated on ‘mastering English’ or my personal favourite, to mistakenly be welcomed with open arms as Ayisha Malik, author of ‘Sofia Khan is not Obliged’ (and yes, that’s happened more than once!) Publishing’s lack of diversity and international authors only further fuelled my desire to join an original and inclusive publishing house.

 Definition screen shot from my friend's dictionary!

And now, thanks to Tilted Axis’s paid internship, I have.  So much of the publishing world is closed off to people like me and if publishers are sincere about diversity, they should follow TAP’s suit. After all we cannot be 'the change we want to see' if we can’t get access. I’m looking forward to my time at Tilted Axis, traditional books have for too long felt parochial and typecast; it’s time to say goodbye to universality and exoticism and I hope to play a small part in promoting creative and innovative books. In Arabic the word Muharrir, meaning writer, is the same word for liberator and I’m hopeful that Tilted Axis might just help me take a step towards finding liberation in literature. 

Paid Internship With Awesome Digital Training!

We're hiring! One of our main aims has always been to improve access to the publishing industry, by paying proper rates and operating without unpaid interns. Now we're excited to be able to take that a step further and offer a 3-4 month internship, 1 day per week, paid at the Living Wage. Applicants from backgrounds under-represented in the industry are particularly welcome. 

We don't actually look this weird. 

Main focuses will be Admin, Production and Marketing, with experience available in Editorial and Publicity. Digital training provided. By the end of the internship, you'll have been taught everything you need to do an entry-level digital job at the average publisher.

Main tasks:

• producing marketing newsletters / press releases

• commissioning, editing & uploading online content inc video & audio

• updating metadata, wikipedia etc

If and when (providing that the candidate is willing / these tasks fit within the allotted time):

• assisting with events and promotions

• mailouts

• copy-editing & proofreading

Required:

• strong literary tastes

• excellent copy-writing skills

• social-media savvy

Bonus:

• An Asian language

Digital training will include:

• ebook creation and distribution

• Photoshop

• InDesign

• advanced search patterns (inc. regular expressions)

• metadata and SEO (inc. ONIX)

• web design (inc. buying domains, hosting, and FTP)

Schedule can be flexible around work / study arrangements – digital training would be evenings or weekends, regular evenings preferred.

Applicants accepted until 24th June. Please send CV and cover letter to deborah@tiltedaxispress.com