Search Amazon.com for “Taiwan” and you will find almost nothing other than guidebooks, academic histories and political studies.
“It’s a tragedy that so few books have been written about Taiwan,” says New Zealander expatriate John Ross, author of Formosan Odyssey (reviewed in the Taipei Times on July 7, 2002). “The country has such an interesting history, geography, political situation, and culture … You could spend a lifetime writing about Taiwan and not run out of material.”
To remedy what he sees a dearth of literature, Ross has organized an English-language book festival, which takes place this weekend at Alleycat’s Pizza in Taipei’s Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914).
Photo Courtesy Steven Crook
The aim is to “provide a place where authors and readers can sell and buy books and, hopefully, encourage more foreign residents to write about Taiwan,” Ross says.
Presentations and group discussions will be led by established authors in Taiwan, such as Jerome Keating (Islands in the Stream: A Quick Case Study of Taiwan’s Complex History and Taiwan: The Search for Identity), Syd Goldsmith (Jade Phoenix), and Steven Crook (Taiwan: The Bradt Travel Guide, Do’s and Don’ts in Taiwan and Keeping Up With the War God).
The focus of the presentations will not be on how to get work picked up by publishing houses, but on self-publishing. “Other than textbooks, the market for English-language books is very small,” Ross says. “Self-publishing, however, is becoming easier, and Taiwan is a great place to do it.”
Several of the festival’s featured authors have self-published books. Other speakers include prominent bloggers, such as Carrie Kellenberger (freelance writer and editor and owner of www.MySeveralWorlds.com, currently one of the most successful travel blogs in the world), Craig Ferguson (professional photographer and blogger at www.CraigFergusonImages.com), and David Reid (freelance writer and blogger at www.blog.taiwan-guide.org). There will be discussions on citizen journalism and how to make money by writing online.
Though this is the festival’s first edition, Ross has high hopes. In the future, he aims “to broaden the focus of the festival to include Taiwanese book lovers, get publishers involved, and invite some foreign guest authors to Taiwan for the event.”
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