I just got back from a two-week holiday (from my day job) during which I read all of the submissions for the Expat Women in Asia anthology. If you happen to follow me on Instagram, you will know I drank way too much coffee and ate a few too many baked goods while I worked. There were 85 submissions set in 17 Asian countries for a total of 263,541 words. Needless to say, there are more good essays than we will be able to accept, and I'm currently working on narrowing down my "yes file" to a publishable size. The draft manuscript will need to be approved by the publisher before I can notify the authors of my final decisions, but I wanted to keep you all updated on the process.
Despite all the time I spent in coffee shops, I didn't spot as many books during the holiday as I usually do during my commute. My fiance pointed out a woman reading a book by Arthur Miller at Holly Brown. We went for a foot massage in Soho where, in addition to celebrity gossip mags, they had Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddess and Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. Last night, the Women in Publishing Society had an event on the evolution of the publishing industry, and there was a table of books being given away for free. I took home Nick Hornby's About a Boy. This morning, I spotted a schoolgirl carrying an English YA novel under her arm that had a blue and silver cover.
What are people reading in your town? Are you working on any exciting projects at the moment?
That's so exciting about your submissions! What an enviable position to be in. All of us who submitted are honored to be part of the process. I can't wait to read the finished product! It will be amazing.
ReplyDeleteI saw a woman reading at a coffee shop this morning, but couldn't get close enough to make out the title. This week I'm reading a friend's manuscript; it's been a real treat.