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The "literary nightclub" BookSlam is to venture into publishing, releasing an anthology of new material inspired by music from the likes of Irvine Welsh, William Boyd and Simon Armitage.
One for the Trouble—The BookSlam Annual will be published in late November. BookSlam said the title will feature a mix of household names and "exciting newcomers like Sophie Woolley, Kate Tempest and Luke Wright". Each writer was asked to take inspiration from a favourite song. Simon Armitage's poem uses Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" to explore lead singer Ian Curtis' suicide, Hari Kunzru selected "New Gold Dream" by Simple Minds while William Boyd chose Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' "Tears of a Clown".
The book will be available as "a beautifully realised, limited edition hardback", priced £30, which will be signed by the contributors. It will also be simultaneously released as an e-book, multi-platform app and audio download, with each author reading their own piece. The stories will be able to be purchased individually. The e-book is tentatively priced £2.99 and the individual stories priced 79p.
Angela Robertson, BookSlam's programmer and publicist, said: "Publishing is going through its Wild West phase, with booksellers, agents and tech companies all trying to get in on the action. We may not have their resources, but we do have a reputation for excellence.
"The Book Slam Annual will give readers the opportunity to discover new talent, and fans of the bigger names a chance to read exclusive new material without having to wait for the next book—in any format they choose. And we have cut the most generous deals possible with all contributors."
BookSlam was founded in 2003 by the author Patrick Neate and musician Ben Watt from Everything but the Girl. Its monthly night features readings from authors and live music.
The list of contributors and their songs are:
1. "Grave Architecture"
(Pavement, 1995)
by Richard Milward
2. "New Gold Dream"
(Simple Minds, 1982)
by Hari Kunzru
3."New Dawn Fades"
(Joy Division, 1979)
by Simon Armitage
4. "Comeback Girl"
(Republic Of Loose, 2005)
by Irvine Welsh
5. "I'm Going Slightly Mad"
(Queen, 1991)
by Bernardine Evaristo
6. "The Bed's Too Big Without You"
(Sheila Hylton, 1981)
by Kate Tempest
7. "When I'm Sixty-Four"
(The Beatles, 1967)
by Joe Dunthorne
8. "Tears Of A Clown"
(Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, 1967)
by William Boyd
9. "The Message"
(Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five, 1982)
by Paul Murray
10. "Ascension"
(John Coltrane, 1966)
by Roger Robinson
11. "Violet Stars Happy Hunting!"
(Janelle Monáe, 2007)
by Helen Oyeyemi
12. "I read my sentence..."
(Radka Toneff, 1982)
by Don Paterson
13. "Let Me Entertain You"
(Robbie Williams, 1998)
by Patrick Ness
14. "Bank Holiday"
(Blur, 1994)
by Luke Wright
15. "I Am The Walrus"
(The Beatles, 1967)
by Sophie Woolley
16. "That Summer Feeling"
(Jonathan Richman, 1984)
by Jon Ronson