Odds and sods

Ach well, they did not bad, but as Chick Young (football pundit) kept repeating 'Another glorious defeat' .

Yesterday I read an article painting a realistic picture of what being a full-time writer entails. It is equally relevant for publishers trying to get books out into the market. And it was confirmed later in the day with the news that for the first time in two years HarperCollins had the number one bestseller spot:

HarperCollins has secured its first overall number one for almost two years, with Irish writer Cathy Kelly's Once in a Lifetime hitting the top spot this week after the publisher promised its biggest ever marketing campaign for the author it regards as the heir to Maeve Binchy. It ends a lengthy dry spell for the publisher which had not had a Top 50 number one since Josephine Cox’s Journey’s End in October 2006 (Bookseller).

Note those words biggest ever marketing campaign for the author. Sad to say but this is how you get books into bookshops and then into customers' hands. Publicity is great, author tours are great but they are never going to be as effective as a well-funded marketing campaign.

As long as we all understand that, we won't end up disappointed. But read Robert Weinberg's article, it is spot on.