Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Progress?

If you have requested a free book or two, please be patient. I am working my way through the requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Not everyone will get their first choice, I'm afraid, and I may run out of books altogether -- but in either case I will let you know.

How long can it possibly take to parcel up a few books and send them off? Ha! You would be surprised.

*
I have long, long, long since given up expecting English schoolteachers to be able to spell. But one does have this vague, lingering hope that people who work in the book trade might be able to do a bit better. No chance, sadly.

Publishers Lunch offers quite an interesting story about a UK-based wholesaler who, because of various kinks in the exchange rates, and odd contractual quirks about who can sell what where, is able to sell books dirt cheap, more or less anywhere in the world. (And no, I don't think that should be dirt cheaply, thank you, despite various attempts to convince me that it should.)

But suppose we go to the web site of said exciting new wholesaler. What do we find on the front page? We find this:

'Broadwater will provide all book business’s with the ability to source from worldwide stocks, giving huge choice and the quickest delivery times.'

I spent some of the best years of my life teaching English to small boys. I don't know why I bothered. Nobody cares any more.

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I have discovered, more or less by accident, that Vanity Fair is the equivalent of what Esquire used to be fifty years ago, i.e. the home of some of the very best journalism around. On the shelf it looks like just another glossy magazine for women to leaf through under the hairdryer. But it ain't. Read the latest editorial and see.

Also, don't miss Dominick Dunne on the Phil Spector verdict, and O.J.

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Now here's a novelty: a short-story competition with a generous prize and no entry fee. But then it is organised by an eccentric outfit.

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Eric Walker seems to think that only Americans object to taxes. This cannot be true, surely?

30 comments:

Katherine said...

Mr. GOB,

The book I requested has just arrived. Many, many thanks for the generous giveaway. I look forward to reading your short stories. . .

-Cheers from Berlin

Rachel Green said...

I received my copy of 'Truth about Writing' dear sir. Thank you kindly indeed.

Maxine Clarke said...

I love Dominic Dunne's books - I've read everything he's published. Excellent.

And thank you so much for the books, which arrived yesterday. You are very generous. Have you read any of the superb Peter Temple, I think you would like him? If you would like me to send you one, please let me know.

Best wishes, and thank you so much again
Maxine.

Anonymous said...

Wealthy Americans object to taxes. The rest of us are resigned to paying them and getting nothing in return.

Anonymous said...

I received you "King Albert's" short stories.

Also received Stephen King's "Best American SS's of 2007."

Glanced at both. Yours appears more worthy of reading first.

Kapil Sood said...

Hi!

How can I request for Free Books?

Kapil

Anonymous said...

With already known titles being offered cheaper and cheaper throughout the country, what chance independent bookstores to survive?
And with big business, boosted by TV celebrities, almost dictating what is read by aggressive and expensive marketing, it stands to reason that there will be less 'room' for those outside of the system.
I wonder how many of those who read this comment go out and buy Jo Blogg's latest book because it has been constantly flashed at them? Or because Dick and Harry have boosted it on the TV chat show?
I guess I would have to mortgage my house, and work 24 hours a day to sell my books in numbers that would turn a constant deficit into a halfpenny profit!

VP said...

Michael - as I said in my email, thank you very much for my copy of Scrooge and the Widow of Pewsey. It was the perfect antidote to Monday's gloomy day.

In view of this week's weather, I'm currently writing an article for my Blog to appear later this week on the 'booklog' I've managed to read this week, so I'll also Link through to here from there again...

Mary Strachan Scriver said...

I suspect that your "cheap books of all kinds" vendor is an "English as a second language" person. He sounds very much like the spam people who can operate a computer but not a grammar. Though I don't know how they can successfully Google anything with spelling like theirs.

As for Vanity Fair, I quite agree with you. When it comes, I leaf through every page, then tear off all the advertising in the front (esp. the thick pages, the perfumed pages -- I put them in my underwear drawer -- and the foldout pages). That leaves me with a much reduced but often quite valuable set of reading adventures. I esp. appreciate the essays about the art world and about politics. I skip the movie stars and musicians.

Prairie Mary

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Sooner or later, all the books will turn in to ebooks which can be online or similar to apple ipode.
-mark
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Anonymous said...

i have no copy of that. hope i could get one

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@ uk book

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