The Noobs: New Adventures in Literature

by Simon Groth (Editor), Romy Ash (Contributor), Caroline Baum (Contributor)

Change your tools for storytelling, change your routine, learn a new form, engage with parts of the wider industry you have never had to previously. See what happens and report back. This was the challenge taken up by contributors to The N00bz: New adventures in literature, a joint project between if:book Australia and digital first publisher Editia.

The book is a collection of writing about writing that documents pure curiosity and the quest to continually improve amidst rapid and constant industrial change. The results are by turns insightful and amusing if, just occasionally, a bit harrowing.

Sean Williams deprived himself of sleep and observed its effect on his creativity. Sophie Masson established her own independent press. Emily Stewart gave away her library. Greg Field closed his bookshop and joined Wattpad. Romy Ash tackled Twitter storytelling. James Bradley tried his hand at creating a graphic novel. Carmel Bird digitized a title from her backlist. Benjamin Law braved the squiggly world of shorthand. And Jeff Sparrow wrote something that’s definitely not a book.

Setting up your own press, leaving your previous career behind, and giving away your books are not experiences that can be undone as easily as Command-z. But the intention of The N00bz was to encourage writers to step outside their typical routines and find new perspectives … perspectives that stay with you long after you finish reading these essays, even if you don’t end up encoding your own ebooks.

Paperback

First published June 11, 2014

About the author

Simon Groth is a writer, editor, and long-time observer of publishing, technology, and creative industries. He is a contributing editor for the Writing Platform and his books include Off The Record: 25 Years of Music Street Press (with Sean Sennett, UQP, 2010), Hunted Down and Other Tales (with Marcus Clarke, if:book, 2016), and Infinite Blue (with Darren Groth, Orca Book Publishers, 2018).

With if:book Australia, Simon created a series of award-winning experimental works including the 24-Hour Book, live writing events at writers festivals around the world, and a city-wide challenge to write stories for digital billboards. His reporting on digital publishing has seen him travel the globe to discuss and explore the challenges and opportunities for writers and readers in a digital world.

Reviews

[Lefa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be biased considering my own contribution to this book, but in my opinion this collection is a thoughtful collection of stories from writers out of their comfort zone. It raises questions about how writers and readers use technology, the habits we form in our work and the benefits of trying to stretch creative practices.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find out more about this book at http://www.futureofthebook.org.au/the.... It's available now via Tomely, Amazon, Google Play and direct from the publisher at editia.com