The National Book Development Board (NBDB), the government agency whose heart is the development of the book industry in the Philippines, will release the first issue of Bookwatch 2018 in July this year. Bookwatch is the official publication of the NBDB and features industry updates as well as NBDB’s projects.

For its first issue in 2018, Bookwatch’s theme is on memory and Philippine books, broadly construed. The article line-up includes memoir writing in the Philippines, a reading of Filipino-authored works through the perspective of memory studies, remembering the differently abled as represented in creative non-fiction, and books that challenge historical narratives whose way of portraying the Philippines is primarily Western-centered.

Since NBDB supports not just writers but all creators, we are opening a space to illustrators, graphic artists, and artists who work on traditional media for the said issue. Our aim is to feature one of your works related to the mentioned theme above, as well as your email address and your professional social media or website.

In case you are interested, please submit one (1) of your artworks related to or on the theme for possible inclusion to the issue. When submitting your work, please supply the following information:

1. Name
2. Email and contact details
3. Social media account or website featuring your other works
4. Title of artwork submitted for consideration
5. Three-sentence description of the work
6. Medium
7. Size/ dimensions
8. Date created

Please submit a high-res image, as well as the information outlined above, to [email protected]. Please cc [email protected]. Deadline is on June 10, 2018.

Please be informed that no monetary compensation will be given in case your artwork is selected for the issue as Bookwatch is a free and non-profit publication.

We would also like to encourage artists to register with NBDB to enjoy many or all of the following incentives:

1. Eligibility to apply for the National Book Development Trust Fund grant (for authors).
2. Assistance in publishing- and copyright-related concerns.
3. Publication in the NBDB Online Registry of Accredited Industry Players.
4. Access to surveys, research materials, books, and other information provided by NBDB.
5. Participation in milestone activities led by NBDB such as National Book Awards and National Children’s Book Awards.
6. Priority invitation to NBDB-sponsored activities, seminars, and lectures on selected authorship, copyright, and publishing and other related topics.
7. Participation in campaigns related to the promotion of reading.

Again, we would like to clarify that as the government agency mandated to support the development of the book publishing industry, the NBDB will not profit by featuring your artworks.

For your reference, kindly see previous Bookwatch issues at http://books.gov.ph/book-watch. Please follow our Facebook page (fb.com/nbdb.phil) and Twitter account (twitter.com/NBDB_PHIL) to get news and updates on other projects headed by the NBDB.