Music to Eat Cake By: Essays on Birds, Words and Everything in Between

Today’s reader has choices. Books about love; books about death; books about Sheffield.

Books about love, death and Sheffield.

The variety is overwhelming, bewildering.

But what if readers want to choose the subject they’re reading about? What if they want to play their part in producing something different, something not just about love, death and Sheffield, but about everything, about nothing, about everything and nothing at the same time?

What if the reader could tell the writer what to write about?

Music to Eat Cake By is that book. Or at least it will be. The concept is simple: you suggest – I write – you read.

Music to Eat Cake By will comprise a number of chapters, containing within them forty sections, from short (100 words) to long (4000). Each of these will be commissioned by a reader – you will decide both subject and length. From that I will run with the subject as far and wide as I can, hoping to entertain, provoke and enlighten, and aiming to encompass everything (why do we love?), nothing (what happens when we die?) and all the stops in between (how do you get to Sheffield?)

If you have a more restricted budget, or just want to make me suffer in a very specific way, you can commission individual words for me to shoehorn into the final text in any way I can. Or you could just support the book with a simple pledge, in the usual Unbound way, so that the book gets written.

However you choose to support Music to Eat Cake By, you’ll do so knowing that you’ve helped produce something different.

And if you want me to write about love, death or Sheffield, well, here’s your chance to make me.

All commissioning slots for the book are now SOLD OUT, but do please see the new and exciting pledge levels on the right.

Q&A

Who are you?

Hello. I’m Lev Parikian and I’m a writer and conductor. That’s about it, really. Oh, I’ve never been to Uzbekistan, if that’s of any interest.

What have you written?

This is my third book. I self-published the first one, Waving, Not Drowning, in 2013. It’s a monstrously silly work that purports to demystify the Noble Art of Conducting, but does no such thing.

The second book, Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear?, was crowdfunded through Unbound, and will be/is being/was published (delete according to when exactly you’re reading this) on May 17th 2018. You can buy it through Unbound – just search ‘Why Do Birds’.

What is Music to Eat Cake By about?

You tell me! You can commission one of the pieces or just individual words. If you want to support it, just click ‘pledge’ and all will be revealed.

Can I really suggest ANY subject or word?

We will have to give any suggestions the once-over to check that they’re suitable, and to make sure the spread of subjects makes for a balanced read in the finished book. We might want to tweak ideas and/or titles, but will always discuss any changes with you. I am basically up for writing about anything, and we wouldn’t want to restrict you. Do bear in mind, though, that current affairs (a) aren’t my strong point, and more importantly (b) won’t be current by the time the book is published. Otherwise, go for it – make me miserable.

What do you need money for?

Unbound is a small publishing house, employing brilliant editors, designers, proofreaders, publicists and an old man who sits in the corner reading Moby Dick out loud on a loop to nourish the workforce. They’re the ones who will turn my words into a physical thing, and they are really really good at it.

All the money raised goes straight into the production of the book. By pledging, you're helping to make this book happen. So, you know, thanks.

What do I get?

Supporters of physical Unbound books get a copy of the Subscribers’ Edition. For Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? this was well posh – a creamy front cover with debossed bird tracks tracing across it, bronzed titles, delicious endpapers. These copies are produced as a limited edition – once they’re gone, they’re gone – so while the trade edition that will appear in the shops is a fine thing in itself, there’s an advantage to signing up at this stage, not least because by doing so you’ll help make the book exist.

There are limits to what we can do to an ebook to make it more gorgeous, I’m afraid, but we do throw extra gratitude out into the ether, and in all cases you get the satisfaction of bringing something into being. Think of it as ‘patronising the arts’ – believe me, we artists love to be patronised.

When do I get the book?

Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? started crowdfunding on May 25th 2016, it reached its funding target exactly three months later, I submitted the ‘final’ manuscript on February 20th 2017 and publication date is/will be/was May 17th 2018.

So at least two years, basically.

What can I say? That’s basically how long it takes to make a book, especially one that the author hasn’t even started writing yet. It’s not the most efficient way to buy a book, but it is, in my experience as both writer and supporter, the most fun.

Where do I sign up?

Just click ‘pledge’ and all will be revealed. Pick the level that suits you (adding a further contribution should the fancy take you) and follow the instructions from there.

How do I tell you which word or subject I’d like to give you?

Once your payment’s been received you’ll receive an email with a link to a document where you can fill in your word(s) or subject. So do check your inbox (and maybe your spam folder if you don’t receive anything immediately).

And if I have more questions?

There should be a ‘Q&A’ tab just below this text. Click there and send me your questions and I’ll try to answer them as soon as I can.