A trip to the coast

Last week, after over a year of editing, production, sales, publicity and other miscellaneous work we finally got to meet Rhyll McMaster. Who is lovely. As is her daughter with whom she was travelling. So lovely in fact that we decided that they could not stay in the 'grubby london' of Rhyll's novel a moment longer than she had to and so whisked her off up the coast to Suffolk. Specifically to the Ways with Words Festival in Southwold where Rhyll was to appear alongside Sadie Jones in the curtain raising event.

Southwold, which achieved fame recently as Gordon Brown's chosen location for his summer holiday, is a pleasantly grey seaside town with beach huts, stone houses and its very own brewery. Once there we met the wonderful Kay and Steven Dunbar. They founded and still run the Ways with Words festivals with that mix of easy efficiency, intelligence and genuine warmth that characterises the very best literary events. We also met the equally marvellous Rosemary, manager of the Orwell bookshop in Southwold, who runs the festival bookshop and who will forever have a place in our hearts for declaring our show card the 'best she had ever had.'

After being treated to an amazing dinner the night before, we reconvened the next day at the Tardis-like St Edmund's Hall (the size of the theatre is not at all apparent from the outside) where Rhyll and Sadie (who is also fantastic) gave a talk ably chaired by Kay. The topics included the melancholy fifties, the writing process, feminism, the unpredictability of readers' responses, (especially Austrian ones) humour, the probability that everyone 'knows a Redmond' and much mutual admiration. The audience, which had a pleasing number of people who had read both books, seemed to enjoy it and then asked some excellent questions. And then, far too soon, it was time to go back to grubby london.

But not without asking everything to vote for Feather Man at the Spread the Word competition please, please do!

Kit

Round ups

I expect that it's true of working in most small offices that one occasionally finds themselves feeling isolated and worried that nothing they're doing is making much of a difference. I think that this is especially true on Monday mornings in small publishers, when one scours the major book reviewing publications hoping that a title with your moniker at the bottom will jump out at you. Preferably with some kind words attached.

It's nice then, at the times when nothing has appeared, to get an email like the one we received today from our American publicist, the excellent Meryl Zegarek (info@mzpr.com):

Marion Boyars

Bold = New as of this report.

Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster – September 2008 (978-0-7145-3148-9)

• Literaturechick.com – September 29, 2008 – “An interesting and moving story that is reminiscent of works by Margaret Atwood and Harper Lee.”
• Genre Go Round – September 5, 2008
• Nashville Is Talking – August 15, 2008
• Monsters and Critics.com- “Abuse of any kind is challenging subject to write about yet McMaster manages it with a deft touch.”
• Literarily.com- - “McMaster is an amazing writer. Her prose is pitch-perfect- in the whole of this book, there is not an extraneous word. This story has a very substantial feel, due primarily to McMaster's painstaking character development. From the first page, the reader is truly inside Sooky's head, and comes to know her intimately.”
• ForeWord Magazine – “…Sooky’s unflinching eye and sense of humor imbue the book with complexity and vitality.”
• Medieval Bookworm – “What an interesting character study…I really liked this book.”
• Book Room Review-– “if you’re looking for a book with real substance and excellent character development, I think you’ll enjoy Feather Man.”
• IndieBound September Indie Next List
• ww.chikune.com/blog, and LibraryThing,

The Streets of Babylon by Carina Burman – May 2008 (978-0-7145-3138-0)

• Literarly.com – Review and will post an interview with Carina Burman

• I Love a Mystery-August/Sept. 2008- “This is a tongue-firmly-in-cheek romp through London …this is the first in a trilogy planned for translation, and I look forward the lady’s return.”
• You Are What You Read- Sept. 9^th, 2008 “…the makings of an absolutely delightful ‘who done it’…This book was seamless.”
• The Washington Times – rave review, Sunday, August 17^th “Ms. Burman offers a hilarious version of all the wrong things to do in Victorian Londonm and draws the reader into the fun with her carefully proper writing style.”
• The Midwest Book Review- July 2008- “The Streets of Babylon is and excellent historical mystery that makes the time and place seem so alive…Carina Burman provides an exhilarating mid-nineteenth century kidnapped thriller..”
• Eclectica.com July/August 2008 rev.- “ There is a lot to enjoy in The Streets of Babylon, from the wonderful job Burman does of creating the physical and social atmosphere to the delight of her protagonist…I was quite pleased to discover the work of Carina Burman, with Streets of Babylon and look forward to more books with this wonderful character.”
• Medieval Bookworm.com - July 24, 2008 - “…A good time and pure escapism….an entertaining read.”
• Library Journal - June review - “…first volume of an engaging new historical trilogy”
• Genre Go Round Reviews.com – May 20, 2008 “An excellent historical mystery that makes the time and place seem so alive.”
• Kirkus Reviews- May 15, 2008 “…packed with Victorian flavor.”
• The Mystery Gazette- May 2008
• Reviewing the Evidence “The descriptions of the streets and alleys of the city are so breathtaking, one seems to be there. London of 1851 lives again.”
• Blogcritics – April 29, 2008 “The story takes us on a captivating trip back in time with interesting – and at times quirky – individuals, who quickly come to feel like friends.”
• International Noir Fiction.com-June 9, 2008

Which makes one feel rather better about life.

Even nicer is when one of our books is on the long list for World Book Day's Spread the Word
prize. Please, please do vote because if Feather Man isn't a book to talk about I don't know what is.

Kit

Spread the Word & Feather Man

Rhyll McMaster has just arrived here from Australia to do some publicity for Feather Man. It just happens to coincide with the long listing of her book by Spread the Word.

http://www.spread-the-word.org.uk/

So, please, please go to the site, register (it only takes a minute) and vote for Feather Man so that it reaches the short list! To date a good number of people have voted for books on the list, but it could be higher - no idea how many Feather Man has had, but we do know that the people who read it rate it very highly indeed.

The first chapter is quite hard - but only quite - to read and the book rewards readers in spades - language, plot (dastardly!), characters, and outcome.

Please go to the site - note it is spread - hyphen - the -hyphen - word not Spreadtheword which belongs to someone else (how glad I am that my mother chose to spell my name a slightly different way to everyone elses - I have not yet met another Catheryn despite there being four Catherine's or Katharine's etc in every class I was in, and as for mothers at school - zillions! For late fifties children, Catherine was the Sophie or Georgia of today....

And Rhyll will be at the Ways With Words Literary Festival in Southwold on Thursday 6th November, appearing with Sadie Jones who wrote The Outcast. So it will be packed and we hope lots of Feather Man will sell to people who have read Sadie's excellent book. Rhyll is also recording an interview for the BBC World Service on Friday evening, so look out for that - I am not sure when it will be broadcast but you will all be able to listen to it online next week, for sure.

Vote! Vote! Vote! Thank you!


Catheryn

A quick catch up here so you know what's going on and who will be doing it. Kit has just gone to Barcelona on a publisher mission to look for Spanish books. We already have one for 2009 - See How Much I Love You by Luis Leante - so let's see if he finds another.

Our new 2009 catalogue will be delivered on Monday, in time for Rebecca to take it to the Frankfurt Book Fair. I have had fun being her travel secretary and meeting arranger. She has a packed schedule.

Final edits on Sadomasochism for Accountants are still ongoing - it is a fast paced book so we have to make sure the devil is in the detail. Charity Shopping is taking shape, with most of the text written. Any journalists interested in an extract should call - the research for this book has been meticulously done by Lettice Wilkinson, our intrepid author who went all around the UK to find the best places.

And we had builders for the last two weeks. The front is painted outside which it needs every three years as we get the sun full on. Marion's office is now pristine - we are just organising new carpets (our stair carpets have holes in them - I once did not give a girl a chance at an editorial job as she came for her interview wearing stillettoes - I knew it would end in tears when she fell down the stairs). It will be nice and novel to conform to health and safety on this issue. But working with Virgin Classics blaring out from the builders' radio was difficult, to say the least. They were very good humoured, lovely blokes, so we let them have their music, hoping they would work faster if happy.

Weekend Reading

Always seems to be a lot of it around, doesn't there?

but you could do a lot worse than following the Barnes and Noble Book Explorers' discussion of Feather Man, which has been going on this week. A great volume of fascinating questions and answers (the latter from Rhyll, mostly, although Catheryn also contributed with a note about the cover) has amassed in a fantastically short period of time, and has led to some great insights about the book, its author, its readers and where the combination has lead thus far and might go in the future.

Imagine the kind of exchanges we might have had if the technology had been around earlier:

'Dear Herman (The internet is a strictly informal zone),

Although I very much enjoyed your recent novel, as a whale enthusiast I was rather troubled...'

etc.


There's also the first of what should be a fascinating series of blog posts on the art of translation by Daniel Hahn over at the Booktrust website.

Kit

Faith

England has been basking in sunshine, so I've snatched some hours the past couple of weekends to read in the garden. I've found my book of the year - The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa. And if you're quick, you can find the hardback overstocks on sale at Dada in Chiswick High Road, opposite the green...and there are lots of other good fiction titles there. The non fiction is definitely at the laddish end of the market - unsurprisingly our household has most of them already due to my husband's serious book buying habit. Not to mention his CD habit with 6 parcels from amazon arriving here some weeks.....

A Veritable Hurricane of a Review

Today you can find a blistering review of Banquet of Lies over at Vulpes Libris, by a celebrity no less: Jay Benedict.

It's a fine example of a reader taking a book on its own terms and getting swept away, 'ask not what a book can do for you...' indeed.

There have also been reviews in The Independent and the Daily Mail for DIY: the rise of Lo-Fi Culture by Amy Spencer. The Daily Mail one doesn't seem to be on the website but it said good things like 'entertaining and informative.'

Which is exactly what we try to do.

Kit

Old long tail and new gadgets

Yesterday I printed out a submission and read it - I was really keen to see it as I have known this book was coming for over two years. Now, I could have read it on my computer screen, which is a large, matt Apple G5 screen, perfect for, well anything, like writing this blog on. However, I couldn't face two hours reading from a screen. It is just the case that screens reflect light and are tiring on the eyes.

A few days ago I read that Jan Dalley, literary editor of the Financial Times, likes the Sony Reader. She is influential, and I began to worry, a lot.

Today, I am not worrying, because I bet she has picked up and read more books since her experiment with the electronic gadget.

We are currently looking for front list - including comedy plays. But at the same time, I know front list is a huge risk. We've been lucky in so many cases - but many months, it is our backlist that pays the salaries - a sprinkling of sales over 200 titles. Some are doing well just now - Last Exit to Brooklyn is in a banned books promotion at Borders, which is a huge help, and Borders are also promoting The Concubine of Shanghai, as are Waterstone's. But lots of front list does not get picked by the large retailers, and we can work as hard as we like gaining publicity, if they think a book is not going to sell, it does not get a chance. I do feel for the buyers - they have so many books to choose from, and they have to use gut feeling, just as I do. But the thrill when publicity and sales come together, as well as loving working on books, means we do more risky things than anyone with any sense should. Sadomasochism for Accountants with your Kindle, Sir? That'll do nicely.

Attention span?

I've seen two dramas on the box recently, both with high profile, excellent actors, and both of which received damning reviews from the main TV critics. I found the first engrossing and memorable, and worth sitting still for over an hour to see to the end, and the second surprising in the reaction it produced and not as heavy or dark - a story made for a Sunday evening audience who like something to ponder while they wind down before the new week.

The first was a David Hare play with Uma Thurman and Jonathan Price. and Paddy Consadine. When I looked in The Guardian the following morning, I saw that Lucy Mangan had written a damning review, saying how bored she was. I felt like telling her to spend the rest of her life reading her beloved Enid Blyton.

The next play was on last night, with Gina McKee, Fiona's Story. This was a very clever play about a husband who has been looking at child pornography online, and is in line for a trial. When he tells his wife, she has to lie to social services in order to keep their family together, despite the fact that their sex life has been non existent for many years. Her disapproval, fear and lack of trust make the audience start rooting for the sad man who looks at the bodies of children in order to light some kind of a sexual reaction in his body, when all else has failed. His children also blame Mummy for being unkind to Daddy, and they want to stay overnight with him.

So, why the lack of appreciation by the Telly Critics? I think they are just young and have been seduced by the ease of obtaining entertainment. The internet is quick, and drama with only a few actors is slow and demands attention. Kathryn Flett did become engrossed in My Zinc Bed, and good for her. Michael Hann in The Guardian called Fiona's Story 'middle-class misery' and thought it was too dark to tell who Fiona had her affair with (utter bollocks, I am afraid).

The other thing that continues to perplex me, is how and where in the heavenly spheres of those who make the decisions about what gets televised and adapted for the small screen, is it decided that child pornography is suddenly OK. I have spent a good deal of this year banging my head against a brick wall trying to get people to read Feather Man. The main story in Rhyll
Mc Master's novel is about the VICTIM, Sooky, of child abuse which does not result in consumation, but is nevertheless damaging. The book is the story of her trying to stop being a victim. In Fiona's Story, we are drawn into feeling sympathy for someone who has admitted enjoying looking at naked children - surely as bad as someone who has interfered with one. Yet, one story gets broadcast to the nation with some excellent acting, and the other gets a chorus of - oh no, it's too dreadful, we cannot read on. Which leaves me completely at sea.

Maybe I should just publish Enid Blyton.....

We have often admitted that Marion Boyars Publishers are essentially four people working out of a terraced house in Putney. Of course, our circle of creative contributors is far larger - authors, agents, sales representatives, distributors, translators are just a few, reviewers and bloggers are also vitally important. But unless we have good ideas, and find great people and authors to work with us, our books would be unlikely to see light of day elsewhere. We publish to make a living and to be able to continue this rather strange, but interesting life.

But as August ends, I will admit I have spent a good deal of the month thinking of projects for the future. The really bizarre thing is that a good many of them could become TV shows or the authors turn into TV personalities.

And if we had not worked closely with the authors this just would not have happened. Now for the reality check - we have actually been contacted by Granada TV and a new production house, Red House, about Victoria & Lucinda for a cookery programme based on their book, Victoria & Lucinda's Flavour of the Month. We continue to talk to the development team at 2waytraffic about Lawrence Potter's This May Help You Understand the World, and we are persuading Lawrence to apply for Carol Vorderman's job on Countdown (his book on maths, Mathematics Minus Fear, continues to sell really well - now in batches of 48 so some classes are obviously having to buy it in bulk). And I have just written a marketing plan for Sadomasochism for Accountants which includes Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead...) playing Alan the accountant, with Tamsin Greig as Luda the transvestite (yes, I know she should be a man but I think Tamsin would do the part wonderfully). Ever since Black Books came onto our screens I have thought there should be a TV show about a small, independent publishing house, but maybe we do not need to go on TV - we are too busy inventing it. Yes, four people in a terraced house providing ideas for the TV mega rich and powerful. Something is a little out of kilter here.

Catheryn

From CBGB to the Roundhouse

We've been quiet here, mostly because it's August and although we aren't French we do publish a lot of French books.
Which doesn't really follow as we're getting busier and busier. That, come to think of it, is a far better explanation for the lack of blogging.

I, for example, having been working on a new book that's sooo much fun.

From CBGB to the Roundhouse is all about music venues across the world - concentrating on those that show popular music.... well, the blurb is on the web page.

I'm helping with research and have also just begun receiving the first few chapters from our author Tim Burrows, who's got kind of a Jarvis Cocker vibe to him. Although it may just be the glasses. Whatever it is, he's getting some fantastic material together including interviews with all sorts of people who have been, are and will be instrumental in running, playing at, cooking/bouncing/engineering/miscellaneous in and going to some incredible spots for live music. Even at this early stage, I'm boggled by the stories I'm hearing.

Just doing a bit of research has been pretty great, I've learned some glorious things. Like what a hipster is, or where the best place to listen to blues is in Austin, Texas.

The only downside is that by eleven o clock in the morning I'm currently tending to feel very much like donning tight jeans, combing my hair messy, grabbing a cold bottle of beer and jumping up and down.

Which I'm sure can't be very professional.

Kit

A fruitful review filled day

Yes, the week continues in a flurry of photocopying, letters and emails. This is what we do when we get new publicity.

Today we saw a nice big feature in the September issue of Tatler, all about Victoria and Lucinda:

'You heard it here first: Victoria Cator and Lucinda Bruce are the new Trinny and Susannah – but their mission is to reinvent the way we entertain rather than how we dress...The real hero of the book is photographer Mark Cator whose sumptuous images bring V and L's succinct tips and recipes to life.'

(We were also called a 'dream collaborator', which is nice.)

and then found that Harper's Bazaar had recommended the book for 'Party Queens' this month.

But that's not all. We also found, thanks to our trusty press cuttings service, that last week, in The Week, Jeffrey Deaver had recommended Heinrich Böll's Billiards at Half Past Nine as, I think, one of his best books ever:

'In addition to recounting a tale of lives torn apart by war, this novel stands as a masterpiece of character. I read it years ago but still recall how each of the characters comes to life. The story, set in post-WWII Germany is both understated and wrenching - a true accomplishment.'

All setting us up nicely for the weekend.


Kit

Lovely bloggers

We've had a blogospheric start to the week, with two very fine reviews:

Firstly, Dovegreyreader posted her excellent review of Feather Man

whilst

Simon Appleby enjoyed The Flea Palace, and was even kind enough to post his review whilst on holiday. A holiday well deserved, following the bookgeeks excellent remodelling of the Faber website.

Many thanks to the both of them!




Kit

Trumpet Blowing

A fanfare in praise of Feather Man rang out from Dovegreyreader yesterday when she hoped, like Lisa Glass, that it would make the longlist of the Booker prize:

'Marion Boyars have been urging me to read this and I kept saying 'but the first chapter is too upsetting'...'carry on, persevere' they said and assured me it would be worth the effort. I've read it this weekend and how right they were, I would love to see this book on the longlist. '

Unfortunately, the announcement later that day disappointed these hopes. Oh well.

More cheering is the copy of Country Life that's just arrived on my desk. Its review of Victoria and Lucinda's Flavour of the Month begins thus:

'This book is such a clever idea I'm amazed it hasn't been done before.'

and goes on

'The recipes are just right for a grand but unpretentious dinner party...(they are) interior designers, and their table settings show the attention to detail comes with the job.'

Also, a couple of very fine websites have been silly enough to let me sully their pages - firstly with an article on editing Banquet of Lies at Vulpes Libris and today, a piece on Julio Cortázar on Readysteadybook.

It's a privilege and an honour to have been allowed to contribute to both.

Kit

Syncronicity

I like to think that there is book we publish for each and every one of my artistic heroes.

And I'm very glad to be able to add Jarvis Cocker to that list. His current radio show ties in rather well with our new edition of DIY by Amy Spencer. Indeed, most of the people he interviews are featured in Amy's book.

So, zine fans are all sorted...*

Kit



*I couldn't think of a better allusion. Sorry.

And more excitement!

Yes, it's turning out, unusually for summer, to be a thoroughly eventful moment here at Marion Boyars. As well as the attention bubbling around Feather Man:

Victoria and Lucinda appear in this evening's Evening Standard, looking pretty in pink.

The Concubine of Shanghai was much appreciated by Twomanyshoes.

And our translation by Leila Vennewitz of The Clown by Henrich Böll was acclaimed as one of the best literary translations of the last half century by the Society of Authors AND Maureen Freely also made the list for her translation of Snow by Orhan Pamuk.

It's getting too hot for all this, would anyone like ice with their publicity?

Kit

Excitement!

In the last few days we've had more than our fair share of excitement.

We have a Book Sense Indie Pick for our fiction title, Feather Man by Rhyll McMaster. This means it will be displayed in most independent book stores in the US with a bookseller review and 'shelf-talkers' - little displays about the book on the shelf.

As this is the book I have had the most trouble getting noticed in the UK, this is wonderful news. It just feels like, well, satisfaction, since Rhyll's book is the one that did the talking, although having the Literary Ventures Fund send out nearly 300 advance copies, and the efforts of two sterling publicists certainly helps.

Let's hope the UK picks up on the US interest in Feather Man - it is already a prize winner in Australia.

Our launch at Christie's for Victoria & Lucinda's Flavour of the Month was phenomenal with two Tatler photographers, a starry guest list including Trinny & Susannah, and Alexander Bath of Longleat, our hippy Lord. We'll endeavour to put some photos up when the press ones have appeared. Over 300 people! And lots of book sales also!

Catheryn

Preparations...

A despatch from the Kilgarriff household, where food is being prepared for this evening's launch of Victoria and Lucinda's Flavour of the Month.

Before:


















After:

Rainy miscellany

Well it's horrible outside today, so time for another post.

Tomorrow is the launch for Victoria and Lucinda's Flavour of the Month and aside from host's pre-party jitters, we're very much looking forward to it.

Feather Man is getting some more press:

Here and here, and soon there will be a (very good) review of it in the fine American magazine Foreword.

You can also visit Rhyll's new website. And you should.

The joys of publishing: I have spent a significant portion of my time today researching Northern Soul and now my head resounds with half remembered and slightly imagined great soul tracks (It strikes me that up until now, we haven't explained exactly why I'd be doing that. I'm afraid that that'll be another postergated explanation, I've got to get the web page up.) I was, however, slightly perturbed by the high percentage of seventies soul venues in the north of England that seem to have burned down. A pyromaniacal conspiracy? Possibly involving irate folk singers? Who knows.

I've also been pondering (whilst updating our new onix message creating system, see posts passim) whether the possession of an intimate knowledge of the entire backlist of a small but prestigious independent publisher will ever be regarded as an Important Life Skill. Probably not. Sigh...

Kit

sporting failure, one revelation and news

I never went any further with my European Championship predictions, for which apologies to those who said that they enjoyed them, I never seemed to have enough time at the computer. It could only have gone downhill after the spectacular success of the first one anyway.

Now that the football is behind us it's worth mentioning that we have an author called Rafael Nadal. An expert on Lorca, apparently...

In other news, Rhyll McMaster had her Tuesday Top Ten put up on The Book Depository today, it being a Tuesday.

And

The wonderful Complete Review has done a very good review of Banquet of Lies.

It's far far too nice outside to say any more right now.

Kit