Better Living Through Xeroxography or BLTX is a small-press expo now on its second incarnation, the first one a success by indie standards: 30 small press publishers and 200 buyers on a rainy December day in 2010.
The goal of BLTX is simple. Bring together independent self-publishers from Metro Manila (hopefully from elsewhere, too), in a one-night event that will allow them to sell their wares: books, yes, but also zines and other printed materials like shirts, postcards, posters, and this year, CDs from musicians more indie than indie. It’s about selling, but also about meeting like-minded individuals who believe in literature and creative work that might not ever get into the mainstream of commercial bookstores and galleries, but for one night is the star of the show.
You can also just imagine BLTX to be the coolest meet-and-greet between writers and readers, one that involves beer, some music, and plenty of creativity you rarely see.
This year though BLTX will also be space for productive discussions on the making | marketing | selling of the self-published book, where practical aspects of actual independent book production will be shared by those who have survived it with sanity intact. BLTX Talks will happen the day after the BLTX small-press expo, a full six hours of four different panels that will answer central questions about PRINT PUBLISHING, ONLINE / WEB PUBLISHING, RETAIL & DISTRIBUTION, and COMMUNITY. All necessarily in light of the industry of independent self-publishing, and all against the traditional forms of cultural production as we know it in these shores.
This year BLTX will happen at Ilyong's, Kalantiaw, Project Four, Cubao from 8:00pm until Tomorrow at 8:00pm.
Since we do support Earth Hour for its contribution in saving electricity that will in turn conserve a lot of natural resources that are quickly vanishing even up to this date, the campaign of switching off lights at home and establishments has become a very successful one especially here in the Philippines. But the war is still not yet over as many are still rely on these resources for energy and livelihood.
