 |
|||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
News 3 December 2004
Mainstream
is delighted to have acquired the rights to ALIVE AND KICKING:
CRIME, ADDICTION AND REDEMPTION IN GLASGOW'S GANGLAND by
David Bryce. A respected 'hard man', Bryce was in prison throughout
most of the '60s and '70s before an epiphany in 1977 made him realise
that he was a hopeless alcoholic who needed help. A five-year battle
followed, during which he sank into the abyss of heroin addiction
before finally getting clean. In 1985, in an effort to help others
who were struggling against substance abuse, Bryce set up Calton
Athletic, a football team and social group made up solely of recovering
drug addicts. Reformed gangster Jimmy Boyle was one of the first
to have faith in Bryce and Calton Athletic, but the club eventually
won the respect of many in Glasgow, not just the do-gooders but
also the gangsters and the police. Chancellor Gordon Brown, then
a young MP, was so impressed that he wrote an article for The Observer
about Bryce and Calton Athletic that led to a TV film starring
Lenny Henry and Robbie Coltrane. In the '90s, Ewan McGregor, Irvine
Welsh and the Trainspotting crew sought Davie's advice and friendship
while making the internationally acclaimed cult film, while Robbie
Williams begged to switch nationality and play for Calton Atheltic
in an 'England v. Scotland' celebrity charity match. Bryce's memoir
will be published in May 2005, celebrating the 20th Anniversary
of Calton Athletic which is still 'alive and kicking' in spite
of numerous setbacks.
On the rights front we have had offers for three books from an Italian publisher and have heard that an offer for another book is imminent from a Portugese publisher.
We
have just heard that DANCING IN THE SEA by Catherine
Hill has been long-listed for THE J R ACKERLEY PRIZE FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHY
2005. The shortlist will be announced in February 2005 and the
winner in late March.
Looking
to 2005 we have just heard that LAST CHANCE TO EAT (McClelland
and Stuart Canada, Norton USA and Random House Australia) has been
selected by The Bookseller as a Spring highlight in their Food
and Drink section.
SHELL SHOCK (proofs in this week) has also been selected as a highlight in the current affairs section.
The launch for THE FASHION OF FOOTBALL on 30th November went well. The Times attended the launch and ran a full page feature on the book on 2 December referring to it as 'a bible for the fashion-conscious football fan.' Paolo Hewitt appeared on the Simon Mayo Show, Radio 5 Live at 1:30 on 3 December. The book received additional publicity when George Best was interviewed on This Morning (ITV) last week.
A two-page article on UNTOUCHABLES appeared in The Express last weekend. This follows a major review in The New Statesman.
NOT
WAVING BUT DROWNING made front page news in The Irish
News, which has caused widespread interest throughout Ireland.
Bookshops are having real problems keeping their shelves stocked
with the book
Roy
Evans, author of GHOST ON THE WALL, made headlines
for a different reason altogether last week. Former Liverpool manager,
Evans, has just been appointed as assistant to Wales boss John
Toshack.
Signing sessions continue in the run up to Christmas:
Dave
Mackay will be signing THE REAL MACKAY at the
Spurs Store, Harlow on 16 December (5.30pm) and at the Spurs Megastore,
White Hart Lane, on 18 December (11.30am).
Wensley
Clarkson, keen to beat Carolyn Soutar in the glamour stakes, has
notified us that he had two incredibly successful book signings
for KILLING CHARLIE on the Costa del Sol last
week. More than 100 people turned up to each event.
And Finally...
Congratulations to Publicity Manager, Lindsay Farquharson, who has just been voted 'Publicist of the Year 2004' by book distributors, www.parallel.net. She received a vast selection of wines and champagne and will no doubt have finished them by the time you read this!