NEWS re the ONE WORLD ANTHOLOGY

Followers of this blog will recall that I joined a group of international writers about nine months ago, working together on the internet to explore 'Third World' issues through short fiction.

We had nineteen stories from some very accomplished writers from many different countries, the majority African. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie contributed a story. (author of Orange Prizewinning novel Half of a Yellow Sun.

We started sending out the collection to publishers, and had some good feedback, then an acceptance, far faster that I'd ever imagined possible.

The project is fascinating. We have edited, critiqued hard, revised again, substituted one or two stories that the publisher felt weren't quite right. But the team of nineteen writers has stuck together through some amazingly rough waters... and are still together.

We have had contributions from some very well known writers. And started the process of obtaining permissions, then handed that job to the publisher.

We now know the running order of work, and are looking at titles subtitles and covers, before again handing that over. We all feel very proprietorial!

Contracts are almost ready for signing. We have all agreed to waive our royalties, and give them to a charity furthering international harmony.

When all is signed sealed and delivered, I will reveal our publisher, who is publishing/distributing in UK, Europe, North America. other negotiations are under way for African rights, and Asian.

No, I will not be rich from this. But to be the only Brit in the project has been amazing.

Some info on THE ONE WORLD WRITERS HERE

(Update on the bios: Molara Wood has relocated to Nigeria from London, where she is to edit the cultural section of a new publication. And Petina Gappah has signed a two book deal with Faber.