BookMachine Publishing Now event is happening soon, is basically Terminator 2
A ruthless corporation which seemingly controls everything. The rise of the machines. The rebellion. Yes, it’s an exciting time for publishing, especially if your benchmark for excitement is Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Logically, then, it doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch to suggest that BookMachine’s forthcoming conference Publishing Now 2011: The Golden Age Of Innovation will be more thrilling than James Cameron’s entire filmography combined. At the very least, it’ll definitely be better than Avatar, which was rubbish. You can quote me on that.
Taking place at City University, London, on December 2nd and 3rd, the event aims to take stock of where publishing’s at, and where it might be headed (hint: awesome lasers, cyborgs and catchphrases. Look, that’s just what I heard, and I’m not saying that’s definitely going to happen, but I’m also not not saying that’s definitely going to happen).
On Friday December 2nd, it all kicks off with a debate pitting the wits – sharp, half and otherwise – of publishing’s best and brightest against each other, with additional goading from a potentially inebriated audience (drinks will be available, although obviously being members of the local temperance union we would heartily discourage such activity) and a further audience of drunks the world over via a live Twitter feed.
Having thus gotten to know each other by horribly embarrassing themselves in one way or another, attendees of the event can really get down to business on Saturday December 3rd, with a range of speakers, exhibits and other information on both print and digital publishing. There’ll be mingling, there’ll be freebies – including entry to the event if you bought a ticket for the night before – there’ll be awkward silences when you realise you’re in way over your head on a subject about which you know very little (or, as I like to think of it, just another day at the office).
There are plenty of speakers still to be announced, but those confirmed so far include Joanna Rahim of The Galton Lab, Alastair Horne of Cambridge University Press, Anna Lewis and Oliver Brooks of, respectively, CompletelyNovel.com and ValoBox.com, and some guy Summers something or other, whose session we might as well rename ‘toilet break’.
All information, including details of how to sign up and buy tickets, is available on the Publishing Now Eventbrite page. Bring a friend. Bring two, even. Bring an ill-advised third, then try to regain some credibility by bringing Christian Bale as your fourth. With your support, hopefully this time next year, we’ll be back. Hasta la vista. And so on.