As a group of avid readers in the LRP team we are very happy to have recently expanded our book offering online and in the showroom. We get a number of our books from a wonderful publishing house, Blacksmith Books, in Hong Kong run by Pete Spurrier. All books have a Hong Kong theme whether it be written or illustrated by someone who lives here or is about the city, the stories and the history of the place so many of us call home.
About
I’m from London but I’ve been in Hong Kong since arriving overland as a backpacker in 1993. I spent my early years here doing all the typical backpacker jobs: working in bars, doing house removals, delivering sandwiches, acting in movies etc. Then I found that I could string words together, often in the right order, and that publications would pay for this, so I started contributing articles to local newspapers and magazines. Writing at a desk was easier than hoisting the same desk up the side of a walk-up building with ropes, which was what I had been doing with the house moves. I ended up writing three guidebooks to Hong Kong and writing chapters for several others about southern China and the wider region.
How did Blacksmith Books start?
For five years I ran a free magazine with a friend I had met here, but then Sars came along and killed it off, so I decided to publish some book ideas that some of the magazine’s contributors had come up with. I thought this would occupy me for a year or so before the economy would improve and I could start another magazine. But the books sold unexpectedly well so I stuck with it. I’ve now been publishing books about Hong Kong for more than 20 years.
Where do you find your authors?
Occasionally I commission authors to write books, but more frequently their manuscripts arrive in my mailbag or inbox unannounced, and I have a look to see if I think they will work. For local publishing, it’s mainly books with a Hong Kong theme of some sort that will sell. I follow the traditional publishing model, in which the publisher covers the production costs and takes the financial risk, and after a long time doing this, I usually make the right call. About two thirds of the books I publish take off and sell well enough to go into reprint. But even in the case of the ones that only reach a smaller readership, I’m still proud of bringing them out.
Your inspiration
It’s great to work with authors, artists, photographers and other creative people. And I’m pleased to be part of bringing Hong Kong stories out in print and helping them reach a wider audience. A lot of the books I’ve published may not have seen the light of day otherwise, as the writers were not keen on approaching overseas publishers or getting involved in self-publishing themselves.
Favourite thing to do or see in Hong Kong?
I love hiking in the mountains, so I try to do this every week, favourite spots including Pat Sin Leng, Sunset Peak and Tai Mo Shan. Night hiking in the forest reveals a totally different set of sights and sounds. I take all visiting family and friends to Kadoorie Farm in Tai Po. A tram ride on Hong Kong Island or a ferry out to the outlying islands is always fun.
Next projects/books you are looking to publish - a sneak peek!
This month I’ll be publishing Destination Macao, an anthology of stories about well-known people who visited the city in the past. Next month, A Murder in Yunnan, an investigation of an unsolved crime that took place on the border of China and Burma in the 19th century.
Later in the year I’ll bring out Ferry Tales, a guide to exploring Hong Kong’s islands, and updated editions of two hiking guidebooks I originally wrote years ago. And more on the way: there are about a dozen books in the pipeline.
