Writer Peter Urpeth is seeking funding from enthusiasts to publish a biography of Evan Parker with an introduction by Stewart Lee.
Urpth writes: “The aim of this book, as Evan Parker approaches his 70th birthday, is to not only record the fascinating life and musical history of the saxophonist – and to provide an accessible point of entry to the history of free jazz and improvised music in the UK and beyond – but to establish Evan Parker’s place at the very forefront of the radical and alternative new art that flourished in the UK and Europe in the 60s and beyond, and in the context of Parker’s life, connections and influences, the contemporary world of culture and social and political events.”
£10 gets an e-copy of the book when published, £20 gets a hardback copy, and there are also higher categories of donor. From the data on the Unbound site, there have so far been at least 50 backers, but it also makes clear that the (undisclosed) target is currently a long way from being met. The rules by which Unbound operates suggest that backers are protected in the event of the project not reaching its target: “if the target isn’t met you can either get your pledge refunded in full or switch your pledge to another Unbound project”. Please feel free to add more info in the comments!
Here is a link to book’s page – with more detail – on the Unbound site.
Urpth writes: “The aim of this book, as Evan Parker approaches his 70th birthday, is to not only record the fascinating life and musical history of the saxophonist – and to provide an accessible point of entry to the history of free jazz and improvised music in the UK and beyond – but to establish Evan Parker’s place at the very forefront of the radical and alternative new art that flourished in the UK and Europe in the 60s and beyond, and in the context of Parker’s life, connections and influences, the contemporary world of culture and social and political events.”
£10 gets an e-copy of the book when published, £20 gets a hardback copy, and there are also higher categories of donor. From the data on the Unbound site, there have so far been at least 50 backers, but it also makes clear that the (undisclosed) target is currently a long way from being met. The rules by which Unbound operates suggest that backers are protected in the event of the project not reaching its target: “if the target isn’t met you can either get your pledge refunded in full or switch your pledge to another Unbound project”. Please feel free to add more info in the comments!
Here is a link to book’s page – with more detail – on the Unbound site.
Categories: miscellaneous
As another Unbound author, I can confirm that if a book doesn't meet its target, the money is refunded. Also, you're not only backing the book – you're buying it in advance, as many readers in the 18th & 19th centuries, when books were often published by subscription, did.
The difference between Unbound & many other crowd-funding sites like Kickstarter & Wefund, is that Unbound is a proper publisher. So, once written, the books are properly, edited, designed & marketed. Hardback editions are available only direct from Unbound, & paperbacks are sold through booksellers.
Hope that helps!
As someone who subbed to Peter's book some time back, I can say that Unbound is an entirely kosher and laudable enterprise that has produced books by established authors such as Terry Jones, Jonathan Meades and many others.
I signed on because I think Peter's biog of Evan Parker would be a fantastic addition to a rather thin canon of books on contemporary European jazz. It also comes with the imprimatur of, and an intro by, the laconic Stewart Lee. Time is running out – eleven days left in fact – to crowd-fund this admirable project, so tell your friends, and soon. They'll have Stewart Lee on their case if they don't, and you wouldn't want that…