Columnists
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December 06, 2016Ask & Answer Post-Tour
By Vivek Shraya & Illustration by Karen Campos CastilloIn the spring of 2015, I became aware that fellow multi-disciplinary Toronto artist, Chase Joynt, was publishing his first book, You Only Live Twice. A long time admirer of Chase's work, I immediately ...
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November 03, 2016The Art of Giving Feedback
By Vivek Shraya & Illustration by Karen Campos CastilloIn 2009, after I had finished an early draft of my first book, God Loves Hair, I gave some of my closest friends a copy of the manuscript for their feedback. It was a vulnerable experience, especially ...
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October 05, 2016How To Make a Great Book Cover
By Vivek Shraya & Illustration by Karen Campos CastilloThe most important lesson I learned when I self-published my first book was that readers do judge a book by its cover. This is often framed as negative but as author and illustrator Annie Mok recently ...
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September 06, 2016September: My Season of Jealousy
By Vivek Shraya & Illustration by Karen Campos CastilloSeptember marks the beginning of award announcements and big fall book launches. In recent years, September has also marked the beginning of my season of jealousy. I feel apprehensive typing these words ...
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July 07, 2016How to Plan a Book Tour
By Vivek Shraya & Submitted by KevinAs grateful as I am for the vast reach that the internet provides artists, every time I tour I am reminded of the value of real life human connection and interaction. Being able to travel with my art ...
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June 17, 2016Revenge of the Indie Bookstore
By Vivek Shraya & Submitted by KevinIn 2014, when I began booking my Crushes and Mountains US book tour with fellow Toronto-based writer Elisha Lim, I Googled “gay bookstore” or “independent bookstore” in cities we were planning ...
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May 25, 2016How to Get Your Book Published (No, Really)
By Vivek Shraya & Submitted by KevinWhen I asked friends what they would want to know about the literary world, the consistent response I received was: How does someone get published?A quick Google search reveals that many, many articles ...
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April 05, 2016How to Give Good Read
By Vivek Shraya & Submitted by kateburgessIn a month, I will be hitting the road to tour my new book of poetry, even this page is white. In addition to trying to manage the general anxieties that arise when putting art into the world, I have ...