Who says that tech conventions are without their own drama and intrigue? SXSWi 2012 might not have espionage or gunplay, but a publishing freeze on a potentially plagiaristic book title is about as close as it gets.
Author Kevin Nguyen, and his blogging cohort at The Bygone Bureau, were slated to present their latest writing endeavor at the upcoming SXSWi book reading panel, but they are currently dealing with a little legal snafu.
The Bygone Bureau launched in 2007 and is a self proclaimed ‘Journal of Modern Thought’, that publishes articles about travel, humor, cultural criticism, etc.
“The Bygone Bureau is a passion project. It’s profitable, but just barely so — not enough to make a living on. But I like it that way. It keeps the entire thing pure in my mind, and free of any pressure to put up an article just because I think it’ll be popular. In fact, I think I’m encouraged by pieces that I think are wonderful and I know will never connect with a large audience,” explains Nguyen.
The blog was met with acclaim, so the editors decided to give print work a try.
“A long time ago, Andrew Sullivan linked to a funny Venn diagram with one circle that said “people who want book deals,” one that said “people who think publishing is dead,” and the intersection labeled “bloggers.” It’s totally true. I think a lot of bloggers see a book as a form of validation. And it certainly is, but it can’t be the only reason to write a book. The first step is to recognize why something might work better in print than it does online,” said Nguyen.
Making the jump to print meant finding a topic that would translate well to a universal audience, come from a place of personal passion, and was something that could be profitable to appease publishers.
“I was tired of reading [New York Times] pieces about how crappy the recession is for graduates. What I was seeing, among friends and peers, were people doing remarkable, daring things with their lives that they might not have otherwise attempted if the economy wasn’t so shaky–working at nonprofits, starting businesses, moving abroad, etc. And no matter how much college debt you have, you will not starve to death. That’s a good lesson, too. We wanted the book to illustrate the breadth of the modern post-graduate experience. And most of all, we wanted it to be earnest.”
What they came up with was, “Oh, The Places You’ll End Up Hanging Around: Advice For Today’s Graduates.” Which sounds like a fun, interesting, and fresh take on the thousands of young adults with college degrees that haunt them as they lay suspended in the ectoplasm of the recession.
However. The inspirational words and unexpected success stories in Nguyen’s book are on hold because the title of the book apparently sounds too much like the title of another book. Another book written by someone whose name rhymes with “Boctor Teuss”.
I guess publishing companies simply don’t want to confuse children who are learning their alphabet if a parent buys the post-grad version by mistake.
Hopefully the issue with the title can be resolved, because Nguyen, The Bygone Bureau, and their little book of insight seems to hold some much needed positive spin regarding higher education and the success of young adults in the mess of the modern day economy.