Christchurch

How Google Will Use Balloons to Deliver Internet to the Hinterlands (Wired) Not much happens in Geraldine, a small farming community in the interior of the South Island of New Zealand, about 85 miles from Christchurch. So when Hayden MacKenzie, a fourth-generation farmer there, picked up the phone last Tuesday and got a request to [...]

The post Weekend Roundup: 3 Essential Books You Should Read in Every Major Genre appeared first on TeleRead: News and views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics.

My first fiasco happened years ago with a London publishing house. My draft manuscript was accepted at a time when literary production was conducted over glasses of sherry and lunches fortified with Bordeaux. I was immediately attracted to the civilised, genteel culture of the industry. I was flattered that my work was being carefully cosseted by a team of editors and art directors, honing typefaces and imagery - naturally, between more sherry sessions - leaving me believing it was a pity the rest of the world didn't operate the same way.

Here’s an interesting press release.  Once again, small, innovative companies are challenging the dominance of the big publishers:

Pear Jam Books celebrates its worldwide launch on 14th December 2011 at Auckland’s planetarium, with authors and illustrators mingling with stars including Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes. A new publishing company aims to take on traditional publishers to [...]