June 8, 2013. BillyFish Books wins best first book (nonfiction) for The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth, presented by Howard Fisher at the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) gala in New York last week.
Massive congratulations to managing editor Tammie Stevens for believing in the story and working tirelessly to bring it to publication. Two years ago no one wanted the manuscript. After turning down a six-figure advance from one of the big six for their crummy ghostwritten version, I’d been rubbished by mainstream publishers: “He’s too difficult to work with. Doesn’t do what he’s told.” Well, I’ve got news for you fatheads. Sometimes it takes a little time, love and effort to produce something with quality. Quality underpinned the expedition journey from the beginning: from Chris and Hugo’s attention to detail in Moksha, the boat that withstood the world’s biggest oceans; to hitting two pairs of antipodes en route, thereby completing a true circumnavigation as delineated by Explorers Web and Guinness World Records; to telling the story right.
A journey isn’t over until it’s told, and Tammie helped me do just that, and to do it right!
Check out the upcoming BillyFish Books title on Lazarus, the dog who came back from the dead. Sure to be another award winner.
BRILLIANT, Congratulations all. Next : same for book two and the film!! J Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, and Today is a Gift: that’s why we call it – the Present.
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Well done my friend.
I am inspired.
Fantastic! Congratulations to both you and Tammie – quite the honor!
Congratulations, Jason. That’s fantastic!
We really enjoyed your talk. It was so fresh. It was as though you were reliving the experience. I loved the psychological angles of what land smelt like and how the colours looked.
We would love to come to tea with you and Tammy and your Mum in September. And I’d love to get in your boat if poss and see what it was like to pedal!
I d.k. if your Mum mentioned it to you, if you end up looking for a museum in the UK, there is the Horniman Museum in London. It is not quite as little as it sounds. It has over half a million visitors a year and a lot of them are very young! Education is one of it’s prime things. It sits on a hill and there is a great view over a sweep of the Thames in the distance. Dad says that everything that goes into the museum has to be fumigated and he is not sure your boat would fit in the fumigator. Also as they are only allowed to charge entry to special exhibitions, getting it there would probably need a sponsor. They are good at arranging that. Anyway, despite these difficulties if you were really keen, I could pick up the phone to the Director. But I know that you really want to get Moshka to the USA and I would think winning a Benjamin Franklin prize has made that a reality so very well done again.
Sarah H
>________________________________ > From: Jason Lewis >To: sarah.horniman@yahoo.co.uk >Sent: Saturday, 8 June 2013, 17:48 >Subject: [New post] BillyFish Books wins Benjamin Franklin Award > > > > WordPress.com >jasonexplorer posted: “June 8, 2013. BillyFish Books wins best first book (nonfiction) for The Expedition, Dark Waters: True Story of the First Human-Powered Circumnavigation of the Earth, presented by Howard Fisher at the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) gala in ” >
Thanks, Sarah. Please see separate email to your live.co.uk account re: museum idea.
Hi Bean and Tammie Congratulations to you guys for the award – amazing but not surprising!! Thanks for phone call re spam. I think we have sorted it out. Speak soon! J xxx
Great reading of Dark Waters, looking forward to Book 2, no sooner I can’t wait…