Arse About Face

[Sly-Fox]

What I did after the big trip? Cried a lot, then pulled myself together and wrote a book about it...and why not!

Well, I say wrote a book about it, what I've actually done is write a huge pile of papers that are currently sitting on my desk under a week old cup of coffee, but my intentions are to get someone to turn it all into a real book. Somehow, possibly using magic or bribery.

My big trip was a couple of years back now, 44,347km in 9 months around Australia, visiting the four most extreme points of the continent and the dead centre as well. Two years, blimey, seems only like a few weeks ago. (The original forum post is here: http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ay-round-29847)

Anyway, writing about it has helped keep me sane and provided a welcome respite from what many might term "real" life. I've also knocked up a nice shiney new website in the hope of generating a bit of interest from publishers and agents. Arse About Face - 44347km (27556 miles) around Australia by Motorcycle - Book coming soon! is the place to be for that. (all my own work y'know)

So really, other than a bit of self-publicity, I'm looking for a few opinions on the site from people with an interest in motorcycle travel, and what better place to come? (I apologise in advance for the videos)

So, take a peek at Arse About Face - 44347km (27556 miles) around Australia by Motorcycle - Book coming soon! and let me know what you think. Good, bad, indifferent, I can ignore all opinions. Also, if anyone's got any pearls of wisdom with regard to anyone worth contacting re: getting the tale published, then definitely drop me a line. Any help gratefuly recieved!


Arse About Face - 44347km (27556 miles) around Australia by Motorcycle - Book coming soon!

[Quandary]

Hey Sly Fox

Loved the video, lots of work in that. Have you tried White Horse Press. They are dedicated to publishing books about motorcycles/for motorcyclists.

Good Luck with the venture

Cheers
Marty

[Sly-Fox]

Hey Marty,

Cheers for the tip on White Horse, hadn't come across them on my research up til then, so nice one. I'll add them to the list of people I have to send the "boys" round to.

[Quandary]

Hope you get it on the market, would love to read someone elses travels about the country I live in.

Her in Oz there is a book shop dedicated to motoring. They sell nothing but books associated with motoring. The Pitstop Bookshop I know that they are a book shop and not a publisher but maybe some contact with them might give you a direction to follow.

Cheers
Marty

[wakold]

Hey mate, quickly checked your website and your video, and I must say there seems to be a lot of work put into all that! All of this reminded me a lot about my own trip in OZ that ended last year. I spent 2 years down under, mostly living here and there and traveling the rest of the time.

What is your favorite place you've been? I must say of all the places I've been, southwestern Australia is definitely up there in the most amazing places I've visited, along with the awesome beaches of Esperance in WA too.

Good luck with your book!

Sam

[TurboCharger]

Bump (for all the effort)



Oh yeah and I found these guys in UK Rollo Turner of Panther Publishing who are dedicated to motorcycle press and publications

[TurboCharger]

In Oz I also came across these guys, no idea if they do books though...
Motorcycle Publishing Pty Ltd

Publishers--Magazines & Periodicals - Warners Bay, NSW



(02) 4956 9820

Address
U4a/ 321 Hillsborough Rd, Warners Bay NSW 2282, Australia

[Sly-Fox]

Cheers for all the info, some good tips there to follow up on there. Keep em coming!

@Wakold, can't say it'd be easy to nail down a 'favourite' place, but Cape York definitely ranks up there, simply because of the insane things that happened and the people I met up there. The central deserts were definitely an eye opener too. One of those places where if you're there alone, it really makes you realise how ludicrously insignificant you are. An experience I think more people should have

@TurboCharger, thanks for the info. Liking your site too by the way, some great photos on there. I remember the 'wetsuit twist' pose very well myself! Always used to stop raining once I'd finished though!

[TurboCharger]

Originally Posted by Sly-Fox

@TurboCharger, thanks for the info. Liking your site too by the way, some great photos on there. I remember the 'wetsuit twist' pose very well myself! Always used to stop raining once I'd finished though!

Cheers Mate, as you'd know it's always a work in progress... and a lot of work I might add. It could always be better but time = money as they say. I do very much like the layout of your site, it's got all the good stuff right there where you need it so kudos!

The 1-piece water-proof overall (aka wetsuit) is a necessity in Europe, it also helps keep the wind out, just bloody hard to get on and off...

I have a couple of off topic questions:

Do you use a tripod?
What video camera do you use?
How did you design the logo, what program?
Regarding the book, how would you describe your narrative style?
Got any tips for video editing? ie Finalcut studio, iMovie


PS I love the credits in the video re asking for reuse rights to the song.

[Keith1954]

Hi Christian

You could do well by contacting a young chap called Nathan Millward – a Yorkshireman (.. ee bye gum!) - who rode a little Honda CT110 step-thu 'Postie bike' overland from Sydney to London throughout 2009. He's just finished writing a 280-page book about the whole adventure, which is due for launch down under - in Oz (Sydney) - in three weeks' time, on the 1st February. Publishers are HarperCollins Australia.

You can find out more by visiting Nathan's website (his contact details etc) - link: Sydney Australia to London England on a moped. The adventure travel blog of Nathan Millward | The Postman

Nate should be able to offer some valuable advice & info. Please give him my regards if you manage to hook-up (we enjoyed a meal together, plus a pint or two, during a September evening last year in Peterborough.)

Good luck. Very impressed with your website layout BTW.

Cheers

KEITH

.

[Sly-Fox]

Cheers Keith, I'll drop Nathan a line and see if he knows of anyone worth getting in touch with. Funnily enough I'm sure I read something somewhere about his trip before. chug

Glad people are liking the site, the book and that thing took more bloody time to do than the actual expedition! Still, kept me off the streets for a while at least.

@TurboCharger:

Used a 'Gorillapod' rather than a normal tripod, it's one of those bendy things that you can wrap round anything the comes to hand. Packs down nice and small as well.

The video camera wasn't a video camera at all, it was just the video mode that my digital camera happened to have. It's quite an old Canon Powershot A710 I think.

Logo wise, it all started out on a bit of paper with a pencil, very low tech stuff. Afterwards though it was all finished up in the ubiquitous Adobe Photoshop. It went through quite a few changes though before I finally made my mind up!

As for the style of the book, good question actually. I wanted to avoid it just being a regurgitated collection of journal entries or cliched autobigraphical tosh, and instead have tried to craft it into something that you could probably call a 'factual novel'. Beginning, middle, end and all that. A ripping yarn based on first hand experience. But then I would say that.

Tips wise for videos, not much I'm afraid. Mine were mainly done with the free Windows Move Maker. Wish I'd taken more video to be honest, but it's a bit tough when there is no-one else around to hold the camera for you!

[EarlIV]

That is a great website and fun video. I, too, hope the book gets published as some point. Sounds like a fun read.

[STG06]

Seems like more people are using Blurb.com

Have seen some nice cookbooks and family stuff coming out of their service.

Just a thought....

S