To support the Office of Letters and Light which makes NaNo happen each year, (including the very important Young Writers program), we have decided to donate the publishers share (20%) of each sale of our eBooks through this site to the Office of Letters and Light, from today (the official donation day) until the final whistle on the 30th November. Triple the power of your dollar by supporting emerging writers, independent press and the wonderful work of National Novel Writing Month program.

Go direct and purchase any of our titles in one of five different currencies.

The Red Book

The Yin Book

The Yang Book

The Yin and Yang Book

I don’t normally make appeals on behalf of myself on this site, but this appeal is rather urgent. I was hoping to make this post later in the month, and tie it into some giveaway freebies, but sadly time and circumstance has forced my hand.

On October 10th, the very day that the Yin & Yang Books will be launched, I will be running the Royal Parks Foundation Half Marathon on behalf of mental health charity Mind.

This is a subject very close to my heart. I’ve suffered from mental health problems for most of my adult life, including serious bouts of depression that have, at times, impacted on my ability to edit stories for both The Red Book and The Yin Book. The fact that I’m still here, and still able to edit, is testimony to the support of my family and friends, but also the work of mental health professionals.

When I needed them most, organisations like Mind did not let me down. Now I don’t want to let them down. I have set a fundraising target of £500. However, I only just noticed this morning that if I don’t raise £200 by tomorrow(!) then I may lose my place in the race. Nothing like the pressure of a deadline to get you focused.

So, if you feel you can afford it, please do pop along to my fundraising page at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/panderson1979. If you are a UK resident taxpayer, then please fill in the Gift Aid declaration, which allows Mind to reclaim the tax on donation, which amounts to an extra 28p in every pound.

With the global recession, times are tough, I realise that. Tougher still for charities, and their ability to continue with their work. No matter how big or small, your donation will be appreciated. And if you can’t give money, then please give some publicity. Let others know, perhaps they’ll feel like donating.

As an added incentive, there will be two giveaways. Every person who sponsors me will be eligible to receive free ebooks copies of not only The Yin & Yang Books, but also The Red Book. Not only that, but the person who gives the largest sum of money will receive a paperback copy of The Yin & Yang Books when they are available.

Just mention Chinese Whisperings in the comments section when you make your donation, and you’ll be entered into the draw. The winner will be selected at random after the race on 10 October.

So what are you waiting for? Spread the word, and please donate!

The following preview has been rated “A” for “Awesome Anthology”…

The video trailer was created by our own Tina Hunter – thanks Tina!

While there is a lot to say, in a rather disjointed fashion, none of it is really appropriate to dedicate a blog post to – much better suited to twittering. We recommend for at least the next month you follow our comings and goings  there. If you do you’ll see some sweet tasters of what is to come in 2010 – from narrative arcs, new whizz fangled literary dilemmas for our writers, a brand new direction for the anthology and sneak peak as to who our new 12 writers will be.

You can also follow Paul @panderson1979 and Jodi @JodiCleghorn for more insights into the behind the scenes working of Chinese Whisperings. We can be quite amusing to ‘watch’ in the early hours of the morning – especially when we’re line editing via Skype. Or so we’ve been told.

Tweet us and say hello!

As a sweetener – we’ll send the first five new followers the limited edition electronic Red Book Reversed (yes it is almost finalised and ready for distribution!)

Paul’s article  The Year of ‘E’ discusses the place  and future of eBooks, eReaders and books in what is touted to be the year the eBook rises to prominence. Paul writes:

… whatever prominence eBooks gain this year, they will never replace physical copies of books. But we are not Luddites who dismiss eBooks and eBook Readers as a mere flash in the pan, doomed to failure. I see value in the eBook, and the eReader. I see a way to revitalise a flagging industry and change the game. But I see it as a supplement to, not a replacement for, the book.

Jodi’s article The Price of Pleasure challenges readers to readjust their expectations of what to pay for an eBook and how The Red Book came to be priced at AUD$12.00. She writes:

What I did readily identify, as I got lost in the Amazon/Kindle electronic miasma was the number of books listed at $3.99 and the fact that my time and effort, along with Paul’s and the other eight writers we’d worked with, was worth more than $3.99. It seemed like highway robbery.

Anyone, anywhere can join in.

You can leave a message of support or congratulations, post a photo of yourself ‘attending’ or if you’re truly brave, a video message.  The party kicks off at midnight Australian time and runs through until 11:59pm New Years Eve, meaning regardless of where you are in the world, you can party with us.

Let your words whisper into the night.

The Bookshop will be live midnight on the 1st January, Eastern Standard time in Australia (GMT+10). At this point we only have digital copies of The Red Book for sale. You have the option of downloading, after payment, either a PDF or a MobiBook which is PDA, Kindle and Smart Phone ready.

You will notice when you go to the Bookshop, you can purchase The Red Book in a number of different currencies. This reflects the diversity of writers who have written for this project and our committment to being ‘local’ in a global market. There is nothing more aggravating as a consumer than trying to muddle through your head the conversion rate when it comes to buying something online. At Chinese Whisperings you don’t have to do that. We have purchasing options in five different currencies – Australian, Canadian and US dollars, the Euro and The Pound Sterling.  All are set on a base rate of $12.00 Australian and are updated each month to reflect shifts in currencies.

What of an actual paper version of The Red Book?

The paperback will be available mid March. Unlike digital publishing the traditional route is the equivalent to the slow boat to China, and while we’d love to wave our magic wands and utter, “A la peanut butter sandwiches” it isn’t that easy.

Michell Plested who wins the limited release (electronic) Red Book Reversed for commenting this week. The random name pokie machine jackpotted on your name.  Thanks to everyone else who commented or tweeted across the week.

Remember you can comment or ask questions on any or all the blog posts here to go into the running – not just the story of the week.

The Prize

Each week we are running a competition to win an exclusive ebook edition of the first anthology. The Red Book – Reversed will contain all the same stories as the regular book, but in reverse order. Events and characters will fade in and out with a completely different emphasis than in the regular book. It will also feature exclusive cover art and a new introduction. This edition will not be for sale.

So how do you win this fabulous prize?

Simple – leave a comment on the blog. The contest will run each week from Sunday to Friday, with winners announced on a Saturday. Any comment on the blog added in that week will be eligible for entry to the draw, meaning that the more you comment, the greater your chance of winning. Your comments can be on any post, but only those made in the particular competition week will be eligible for the prize that week.

As no prizes were awarded last week (booooo!) we are giving away TWO ebooks this week. One for a commenter on the blog, and to anyone on Twitter who retweets or otherwise promotes Chinese Whisperings through their Twitter account.

Twitter contest

Speaking of Twitter, we are also going to introduce a second giveaway, starting from Sunday 27 September. Simply tweet about us (including retweets) and you will be eligible to win a copy of the ebook. Make sure to include the hashtag #cwproject to make it easier for us to find your tweets! And if you want to follow us on Twitter then our account is @ChineseWhisAnth.

Good luck to everyone, and keep your comments coming in!

LAST WEEK’S WINNERS: CAROLINE MUSPRATT AND CHRIS CHARTRAND.

Lizzy Hoad who took up the gauntlet not to just comment this week but to fire an insightful question at the proudly irreverant Jason Coggins. Lizzy wins a copy of the limited edition Red Book Reversed.

To go into the running to win next week, just stop by and leave a comment or question, when we show case Annie Evett’s Kraepelin’s Child. The more comments you make/questions you lever, the more chances you have to win.  Good luck.