Category: The Book
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For One Week Only, Get The Kindle Edition Of Janapar For Just 99p
It has been really rewarding to be able to share for free (in serialised form) the entirety of my first book, Janapar, on this blog over the last few weeks. In particular, the comments from readers who the story has resonated with have been a keen reminder of my motivations for penning this complicated tale. Because I did not write this book in order to become rich and successful. (Trust me, there are far easier ways of doing that.) No – I wrote it to be read and absorbed; to catalyse journeys that I don’t expect I will ever hear about. I also wrote… Continue reading →
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Starting Next Week, Janapar Will Be Serialised For Free On This ‘Ere Blog
It’s really quite lovely being a self-published author. I can do absolutely anything I like with the words that have emanated from my fingertips, without restriction from contractual obligations to publishers or agents, without the pressure to squeeze sales out of my readers in the hope of a royalty cheque that’ll do more than just pay for next week’s food shopping. I am grateful for this luxurious freedom to do anything at all with what I create. Such as, for example, serialising the entirety of my first book, Janapar, here on TomsBikeTrip.com. The book tells the story of the time… Continue reading →
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Lessons learned from a DIY film & book tour
So I’m back in Yerevan, my Iranian visa application is filed, and I’ve a week to kill: a good opportunity to look back before the madness of travel descends. It’s been an eventful few weeks with much food for thought. I’ve toured all over the UK and Ireland, attending 12 dates between the book launch in London a month ago and the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival last week. I’ve travelled 2,627 miles by train (yes, I was bored enough to figure this out), taken 3 ferries, cycled a few hundred miles, and only encountered a single rail-replacement bus service. I’ve stood on… Continue reading →
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‘Janapar’ is now available in paperback and eBook editions
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/58449502[/vimeo] On the 17th of June 2007 I cycled away from my parents’ front door on a mission to cycle the world. I’d called my project ‘Ride Earth’. I was a cocky 23-year-old and I thought I knew it all. I could not have been more wrong. Continue reading →
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Book Launch: Saturday 26th, central London. All welcome
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tom Allen (@tom_r_allen) Just a quick note to let you know that there’s a free meetup happening in central London a week on Saturday. Officially it’s the book’s ‘launch party’ (because every book needs one) — the date after which the paperback will be on general release. But it’s also a good excuse for a get-together in a cracking central London venue. Entry for this evening event is free, as is the first drink for everyone who comes along. The programme of events is to show the film first, followed by… Continue reading →
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More on honesty and deceit in travel writing
I remember reading an early draft of Andy’s book some years ago and complaining that events I witnessed alongside him were sometimes retold in a slightly different order. I was annoyed because he’d deliberately altered aspects of the truth, however tiny, to suit the telling of his story. Having now written my own book, I can understand very well why he did this. (Sorry, Andy!) Since my last post’s unintentional controversy I’ve been thinking more on the topic of honesty and deceit in travel writing. I can think of at least two big motives for the reworking of selected events in… Continue reading →
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Truth and lies in narrative non-fiction
I have no idea whether it is a good idea to be putting the finer details of my personal life up for public scrutiny in a 400-page book. I am worried. Things exist in this story that a big chunk of my ego does not want anyone to know. And I know I’m going to be judged for things I did and decisions I made. Continue reading →
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A quick update on Janapar, the book
At 2am this morning I completed my last run-through of the edited manuscript, which I received on Friday night, and — all being well in the proofread — it is the last time that the text will change for this first paperback and hardback edition of Janapar that Kickstarter has made possible! At the beginning of the project, I posted my draft version of the opening chapter, so I thought that now would be a good time to share the edited version of the same chapter. Download and read the PDF This is not quite how the text will appear in the finished… Continue reading →
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Calling All Adventure-Loving Clubs & Societies From Gibraltar To The Urals
With six days left to go, the Kickstarter campaign is going from strength to strength. After the stressful two-year process of creating the book and the film, flying by the seat of our pants throughout, James and I are now in the slightly more comfortable position of being able stop and to look a little further ahead. Continue reading →