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Source:
www.mda.gov.sg |
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First-Time Writers and
Illustrators Publishing Initiative |
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The First-Time Writers & Illustrators
Publishing Initiative enters its second edition with an expanded
scope following the success of its launch last year. |
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Opening up more opportunities for
aspiring writers and illustrators to get their works published, a
new category, Comics and Graphic Novels, has been included in
addition to Children¡¯s Books. |
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The announcement of the Initiative¡¯s
second edition was made this morning at the grand opening of the
Page One Flagship Store by Minister for Community Development,
Youth and Sports, and Second Minister for Information,
Communication and the Arts, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. |
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Organised by the National Book
Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) and the Media Development
Authority of Singapore (MDA), the Initiative awards S$8,000 to
each successful recipient for the publication of their first book. |
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Furthermore, selected applicants in
the Comics and Graphic Novels category will also be able to see
their works published in a six-issue anthology series produced by
top local comic publisher, Chuang Yi Publishing. |
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Explaining the decision to expand the
Initiative this year, Mr Seto Lok Yin, MDA¡¯s Director of Industry
Development said: "Media companies in Singapore are now taking
advantage of the increasing global demand for comics and graphic
novels. For example, local companies such as Creative MediaCom,
Mojeu, Illustrated Orchids, and Imaginary Friends Studios, have
ventured into developing original content for the world market." |
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"Graphic novels have the potential to
be adapted into animation, games, and movies. This will provide
opportunities for homegrown creative content to reach world
audiences through a range of medium such as books, comics, movies,
TV shows and mobile content. It will also open new opportunities
for our local players to co-produce with international partners.
For example, the published works of last year¡¯s recipients were
promoted at the recent Frankfurt Book Fair which generated
interest from international publishers and editors. This is a
testament to the growing global interest and we hope to achieve
greater success with the upcoming round of applicants," added Mr
Seto Lok Yin. |
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Executive Director of the NBDCS, Mr R
Ramachandran believes that increasing efforts need to be taken to
discover more hidden talents in the local market. He said: "The
last year has shown us that there are many aspiring writers and
illustrators who have enormous potential to pursue a career in
publishing. We are committed to encouraging the creation of new
content from these talents and create a pipeline of potential
works that can be exported internationally." |
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Mr Cheng Eng Teck, Director of Chuang
Yi Publishing, has high hopes for the new round of applicants. "We
are looking out for works with the potential for mass appeal;
something that everybody can appreciate, be it the art form,
storyline or style. As for the recipients, they will get a chance
to experience first hand how it is like to work closely with a
publisher, and gain a deeper understanding of the workings of the
industry. This will be a good learning curve for those who are new
to this field, and acts as a stepping stone for creators who wish
to pursue their craft on a long term basis," he said. |
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For its inaugural year, the Initiative
saw the successful launch of 14 children¡¯s books, most of which
are now available at major bookstores such as Borders and
Kinokuniya. The range of talent uncovered has impressed the chief
judge for the Children¡¯s Books category, Ms Serene Wee. "The
response from last year has shown us that there is great interest
in this area of writing and illustrating for children's books,"
she said. |
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Ms Serene Wee, who is also President
for the Society for Reading and Literacy has some advice for this
year¡¯s applicants: "While there is interest which we must
encourage, it is important also for our participants to be aware
of and work towards internationally recognised standards. The
judging for this year will therefore be even more challenging than
last year. As all good writing competitions go, this year we will
only accept quality work submitted that are print ready copies." |
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The Initiative is open to all
Singaporeans or Permanent Residents. Applications will be assessed
on originality and quality, potential for intellectual properties
right optimisation, and the applicant¡¯s ability and commitment to
deliver the project. |
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Applications for the Initiative should
reach MDA and NBDCS by 16 March 2007. More details are attached at
Annex A and on the MDA website at
www.mda.gov.sg. |
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The First-Time Writers & Illustrators
Publishing Initiative is also supported by the National Library
Board (NLB), Association of Comics Artist (Singapore), Bookaburra
Books, EarShot and The Society for Reading and Literacy (SRL). |
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It is among a slate of MDA initiatives
to develop fresh talents in the local publishing industry. The
publishing industry is a key sector contributing *$836 million to
GDP and employing more than 6,000 people in 2004. |
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* These figures exclude the printing
sector. |
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(Please visit the
MDA website at www.mda.gov.sg
for Annex A and application forms) |
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Source:
www.mda.gov.sg Media Release 8
Dec 2006 |
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Important
Notice |
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Our FrontPage
Editions are a historical record of our Web site and reflect
the changing of the times, and also of our Web site through
time. We do not and will not update the links and stories on
these FrontPages even if they have become obsolete. |
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FrontPage Edition: Sat 9 December 2006
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