Another Hugo Award nomination for Dan Djurdjevic

Dan Djurdjevic has just received his second consecutive Hugo Award nomination - this time for the best science fiction novella in "A Hazy Shade of Twilight"!

"Five stars.  Loved it!" - William O'Brien

Paperback only $14.95: 

Kindle only $3.68:           

Nights of the Moon in proofing stage

Dan Djurdjevic's new novel "Nights of the Moon" is now in the proofing phase!

Nights of the Moon to be published by Pikkeljig

The novel "Nights of the Moon" is now complete.  It is a relationship-based drama/mystery set on a remote island in Western Australia's far north.

The novel was written over 28 separate (though not consecutive) nights and published online in a serialised format on the night each chapter was written.

The synopsis is as follows:


Leila is a dreamer.

    She dreams of a successful career, a house in the suburbs with a white picket fence, a "half-decent partner",  a couple of kids and maybe even a dog thrown into the bargain.
    She dreams of writing poetry.
    But she lives on remote mining sites, working eleven hour days in the fierce desert heat - in a not-so-distant future where there are few, if any, other options on the table.
    Most recently, Leila finds herself dreaming of a brief halcyon time on Irwin Island in the far north of Western Australia - and Edin: a quietly charming but complex and often inscrutable man with a troubled past.

    "Nights of the Moon" is a bittersweet drama and mystery, exploring the challenges and realities facing modern relationships - and just what it takes to find fulfilment and meaning in life.

The novel will remain online for approximately 1 week after which it will be taken down for publication by Pikkeljig Press.

To start reading, go here.

Essential Jo DVD published

A year after the publication of  Dan Djurdjevic's bestselling martial arts textbook Essential Jo (and more than 5 years after the book was written and photographed), Pikkeljig Press is proud to announce the publication of the long-awaited companion DVD of the same name.

Essential Jo, the DVD, covers the same ground as the book, along with some very useful bonus material, notably a detailed analysis of "Jusan" - the 13 count form - both in single person and two person form.

The jo - the Japanese 4-foot staff - was originally taught with the ken (sword) in the samurai arts.

This two hour video is arguably the most comprehensive on the subject to date, offering a course of study from white through to black belt in this practical, yet elegant, art.

While it is intended primarily for students with experience in weapons arts, particularly jodo, the book can also be used by beginners for home study.

The art of jodo makes an excellent addition to any martial art system.

(Also direct download from Amazon - USA only)

2015 - what a year!

As editor-in-chief a new publishing house, I often feel quite dejected: progress seems so slow, the obstacles sometimes seem insurmountable. Then it's important to look at the statistics for 2015:

• 6 books published;
• 3 DVDs published;
• an international award nomination;
• 1 national release involving an ABC radio interview of the author;
• 1 Amazon bestseller;
• Sales in the tens of thousands.

Not a bad year at all!

The year started with the publication in February of Dan Djurdjevic's long-awaited martial arts text "Essential Jo".  That book went straight to Amazon's "Hot New Release" list where it stayed for 3 months.  And it seems from Amazon's statistics that it has been on its martial arts bestseller list for a solid 3 months, periodically rising into the 30s or higher!  Given that Pikkeljig is about to release the companion DVD, this book (one that others felt "wouldn't sell") seems set to stay on that bestseller list for some time to come.

At around the same time, we also introduced the world to two bold new authors - Kari Enes and Guy McGowan - and their groundbreaking Socratic dialogue "She said, He said".

Speaking of introducing new talent, Pikkelig was also proud to publish "Slab Huts to Commuter Country" by Dr WL Macdonald in March.  This social history of Tasmania has proved to be an important text that has made the Tasmanian community sit up and pay attention (it even garnered the author an ABC radio interview and national coverage - see the above photo).

Pikkelig's publication in June of the Memoirs of the late John O'Dwyer also provided another foray into social history, this time of country New Zealand.

Of course, in May we released the sci-fi thriller "A Hazy Shade of Twilight" by Dan Djurdjevic which has followed that author's previous work "The Mirror Image of Sound" (which was nominated for a prestigious award) in its pattern of successful sales.

Then in latter part of the year, Pikkeljig finally completed its translation and publication of Ivana Kuzmanovic's Serbian self-help bestseller "From Pain to Love".

Finally, in December we diversified and published 3 instructional martial arts DVDs by Dan Djurdjevic - with another (Essential Jo) set to be released this month.

So there you have it - 9 publications, 6 authors, one year.  Not bad for a little house on the vast prairie that is the internet.

In 2016 Pikkeljig plans to introduce the world to more texts on popular philosophy, to poetry, to cookbooks, to poetry, to audio books, to hardcovers... not to mention some amazing new writers.

Because that's what we do at Pikkeljig: we break the rules.  We think outside the box and deliberately colour outside the lines.  We take risks others don't want to take.  And we think it pays off.  After all, the world is already full of conformists.

Have a wonderful new year!

Wonderful new 5 star review for Essential Jo

We've received an absolutely wonderful New Year's Eve gift from Dr Arnold Rosenstock in the form of a 5 star review of Essential Jo.

Thank you Arnold!

Essential Jo - an official Amazon bestseller!

After making an entry several times this year into the "top new release" list (but languishing in the top 200 generally), last night Pikkeljig Press' "Essential Jo" finally cracked Amazon's Martial Arts Bestseller list overall, reaching at least 46. [Edit: as of 31/12/2015 it is at 33!]

Given that the sales have steadily been increasing from month to month - and the fact that we are about to release the companion DVD in the next week or two, we have no reason to suspect the situation will change except for the better.  Every single month brings increased awareness and sales.

Either way, our author Dan Djurdjevic is officially a bestselling writer!

So much for the publishers who rejected this text as "not commercially viable"...  Their loss is our gain.

Keep a lookout for the companion DVD - out soon!