Publication date for Eminent Parliamentarians – the volume of the Speaker’s Centenary Lectures – is Monday, 15 October. I have already received advance copies. It has been produced in a quite handsome format by the publishers, Biteback Publishing, who have also done an excellent job in terms of the speed by which it has gone from proof stage to finished product. It is published in hardback at £22, though I see you can get it at a 15% discount on Amazon.
The chapters offer reflective overviews by the authors. Peter Tapsell on F. E. Smith offers some hilarious asides and John Whittingdale recounts some very funny stories about Margaret Thatcher, not least how she came to use Monty Python’s ‘dead parrot’ sketch in one of her conference speeches.
Highly recommended if you are thinking ahead to Christmas gifts…
Have you noticed an upsurge in sales of your works since your
shameless self-promotionworthy efforts to inform the general public here, and elsewhere?ladytizzy: Your use of ‘since’ may imply that my shameless, sorry, my worthy efforts are of recent origin!
In fairness, it has already leapt to 192,367 place in the Best Seller listings as a result – surely the breaking of the 200,000 barrier deserves some form of commemorative event.
A lot of lip-biting before Christmas, then.
Neil M: In that case, I hope there will be occasion for several commemorative events…
ladtizzy: I know, will it reach the No. 1 slot for best collection of lectures on eminent parliamentarians?
I regret to report that in the last 24 hours it has slipped back to 255,930 place. But take heart – it being October there has probably been a glut of fly by night celebrity autobiographies coming out for the Christmas market. I suggest re-titling yours to “The Only Way is Westminster” to capitalise on this.
I also noticed that Amazon estimate a 2 – 5 week dispatch time – do they print individual copies to order?
Neil M: I am assuming the time it takes to dispatch will come down markedly once they take receipt of the books. I notice, though, that one can already obtain ‘used’ copies from a couple of booksellers!
I suspect it will shoot up in the ratings, not least once it has been promoted at some forthcoming parliamentary events.
Neil M: Someone who ordered it received their copy today, so feel free to join the rush.
And it is now at just over 43,000 in the best seller list….
I wonder if Santa will be sending me one….
macarthurmutterings: I am sure that if you ask Santa nicely you may find he obliges. Indeed, to test how helpful Santa is, why not get your friends to do the same? I gather Santa’s sleigh may take time to reach Australia, so you may need to get your requests submitted in good time for Christmas.
One fears for this trader:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Eminent-Parliamentarians-Norton-/370658246365?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item564cf3fedd
Indeed – if they manage to sell any of the 10 at that price, my signed copy of Conservative Dissidents must be worth a small fortune. Thank goodness – given the current state of the economy, I need some store of value to keep me in the retirement to which I aspire.
This is the effect that demand has….