Monday 11 December 2017

Remembering Shanghai...And How To Publicize A Book

Remembering Shanghai: Trailer

This post has nothing to do with travel photography, but has a lot to do with 1930's Shanghai; an era and a city that has kindled my imagination for quite some time, and recently influenced me to produce a couple of my 'fashion' themes stories such as The Red Qi Pao and The Girl of Nanjing Road.

However, this post is more about how to publicize a book...in this case, a memoir not a photo book, albeit with illustrations and photographs. 

The joint memoirs are by Isabel Sun Chao and her daughter Claire, and tell of their recollections. As Claire says:  "My ancestors were a cast of eccentrics who lived in tumultuous times, and thankfully my mother did not resist writing an insider tell-all. There’s a bank heist, a kidnapping, a feud with Shanghai’s top gangster, a trek across China and a date on a Harley-Davidson. In between the adventures, we learn about mahjong, calligraphy, silkworms, Beijing opera and Shanghai dumplings."

I was very impressed by the extremely well thought out Remembering Shanghai website which is publicizing the memoir. It's well designed, includes tantalizing tidbits and lovely illustrations...as well as old photographs. This is how to do it!

I wish I had seen this website ahead of my own Hau Dong: The Spirits of Viet Nam, since it would have inspired me to up my game.

In any event, I will keep it mind for my future book production.


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