As regular readers have probably noticed, I’ve been bothered for some time about the general lack of zing in publishing get-togethers, and the massive disparity between the hunger, excitement and inspiration generated at events like FOWA and SXSW and the drab reality of book fairs and similar events.
Moreover, I believe this situation is bad for publishing, bad for books, and bad for literature in general. As I’ve argued many times, if we don’t talk to each other, and talk about the future, the massive changes that are coming are going to damage us, and prevent us from doing what we love and believe in: finding great work, and getting it into the hands of readers.
Also, I quite like beer. And pizza.
So, I’m launching Slow Fire, a networking group for publishers, booksellers, agents, reviewers – anyone professionally involved with books, who’d like to meet new people, talk about what they’re up to, and perhaps learn a little. You probably need to live in London, or nearby, to take part. A major model for this is the regular barcamp and minicamp informal meetings held by tech professionals: open, friendly, unstructured and inspirational.
Check it out. Tell me what you think. Join the mailing list. Come along.
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