Chinese Whisperings was always intended to be a series of anthologies. Through creating the website and through choosing the colour scheme the volumes were re-christened “books”.

The Red Book is the first Chinese Whisperings anthology to be produced and will be available in traditional and electronic press as of 1st December. It follows the lives of ten different characters as their lives intersect at minor and major cross roads.

“It seems so obvious,” says Cleghorn. “Paul referred to Volume One as the Red Book and it stuck. In creating the books and the corresponding colours we’ve set up an evolving look for the website and the books. Paul’s already designated the colour for the second book.”

Originally titled The Jade Book, it was evenutally changed to The Yin and Yang Book and slated for a 2010 release, with Cleghorn and Anderson planning to play with the format and eventually split Chinese Whisperings into a Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere edition.

“Trying to manage writers across different time zones when your co-editor is on the other side of the world is one of the many challenges we faced with the Red Book, so dividing into hemispheres makes it more manageable for both Jodi and myself,” says Anderson. “It also allows us to produce anthologies that are simultaneously complimentary and rival to each other, reflecting duality. North and South writers, male and female editors – yin and yang.”

The underlying linking principal has yet to be decided for future anthologies, but both Anderson and Cleghorn are keen to continue the sense of connection created in the first anthology.

“In The Red Book we followed intertwining narrative threads that connect the characters to each other,” says Anderson. “But in further anthologies we may follow the same character, object or location, or even re-imagine the same events from different perspectives based on the feedback and ideas shared by some of the writers on The Red Book. We’ll find a boundary and see how far we can push it and our writers.”

The Writers

The Red Book show cases the talents of writers from Australia, Europe and North America with Anderson and Cleghorn in the roles of contributing editors.

“Paul and I were writing collaboratively on a number of projects together and decided we’d invite writers we either knew or had worked with previously as a way of assembling our cast of writers for the first anthology,” said Cleghorn. “I’ve always had this idea of growing a business from the inside out, starting with those you most trust and then allowing it to spread outwards through those first few trusted business partners. In this respect Chinese Whisperings is no different.”

Both Anderson and Cleghorn were keen from the outset to make an investment in the promotion of the writers involved and provide new ways to reach readers and potential fans. Based on this commitment, each writer has two dedicated pages on the site to supplement other online presences.

“One thing that marks the difference between publishing in the 21st Century and publishing in the 20th Century is how authors now have to promote themselves,” says Anderson “You can’t simply rely on your publisher to place adverts in the press. Twitter, Facebook, blogs – an author has the ability to connect directly with their audience in ways never possible before, and I think that possibility places a responsibility on authors to use these tools.”

“But there is also an onus on the publisher which many are no longer honouring, whether due to cost, or the recent difficulties the big publishers are facing. Or simply because many traditional publishers simply don’t know how to use these tools. While they are trying to figure out their response, many great writers are being left at a disadvantage.”

With plans to grow Chinese Whisperings in 2010 Cleghorn and Anderson are looking forward to welcoming new writers into the Chinese Whisperings cast in the near future.

“At this stage we’ll probably elect to accept submissions from new writers on one advertised day. Both Paul and I have full time jobs outside of writing and publishing so we will be making it as easy as possible for ourselves to expand,” says Cleghorn. “We also have a small group of writers who wanted to participate this time but for various reasons could not commit in the beginning or had to pull out part of the way through the creation of the anthology. We’re hoping they are able to come back for future books.”