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News 31 January 2008
NEW ACQUISITION:
Mainstream is delighted to have acquired world rights to URBAN SMUGGLER, a memoir, reminiscent of Catch Me If You Can, which chronicles the rollicking life story of Andrew Pritchard who as a teenager ran some of the biggest warehouse raves of the acid-house era and later moved to Jamaica where he learned how to smuggle everything from cars to cigars. With corrupt UK customs officers in his pocket it seemed that nothing could go wrong. But then someone in his network used his supply chain to start shifting industrial amounts of cocaine and Pritchard was arrested. Following two controversial trials, Pritchard was acquitted after 18 months on remand. In his book he makes the worrying claim that if he was able to arrange the import of shiploads of contraband, terrorists and paedophiles could be using the same methods for much more sinister aims.
URBAN SMUGGLER is fast becoming a major brand. Leonardo di Caprio’s film company have optioned film rights; a TV documentary by Donal Macintyre called URBAN SMUGGLER is regularly repeated on Channel 5, Bravo and on Al Gore’s Current TV and a multi-player online computer game called URBAN SMUGGLER will be launched on the internet in September 2008. The book will have a massive advertising budget, which will concentrate almost entirely on new media – You Tube, viral marketing and on-line community forums.
RIGHTS DEALS:
We are absolutely thrilled to have sold WAR CHILD (see wonderful review below) to Kensington Publishing. Michaela Hamilton bought the book for Kensington from Fiona Brownlee at Mainstream.
Further afield THE END OF TIME has been sold to Japan (Gakken Publishing) which brings the total rights deals for END OF TIME to 11 territories.
Ahead of the Olympics in Beijing, Rebis have bought Polish rights to the official history of the Olympic Games, ATHENS TO BEIJING. Rights have also been sold to Harbin Publishing in China.
Having had great success with HOOLIFAN in Germany, Trolsen Communicate! have taken the unusual step of acquiring world Polish rights. They know their market so I’m sure they’ll do well.
PUBLICITY:
2008 has got off to a great start, with some fantastic publicity for our January titles.
Juliet Lac's WAR CHILD was rated number 3 in Eve magazine's list of 'Five Stories to Sob Over', as well as being reviewed in the Independent on Sunday and in this weekend's Saturday Telegraph. Helen Brown, for the Telegraph, writes:
'Lac deals honestly with the fallout from her childhood: the depression and repression. She struggles reconciling the traditional "submissive" role of a woman within Vietnamese culture with her new life in America and France, kicking out against custom and striding out on her own. And for all her modesty about her difficulty expressing herself in a strange tongue, she writes with poetry, passion, pace and self-knowledge" and calls War Child "a gripping personal account that takes in sights, smells and emotions.'
Tony Hannan's BEING EDDIE WARING has also been getting plenty of media coverage over the last couple of weeks.
The Independent on Sunday this week had BEING EDDIE WARING as their Sports Book of the Week. Reviewer Simon Redfern called Tony's book an 'impressively researched biography' which 'rightly rehabilitates [Waring] as far more of a pioneer than a mere musical-hall act.'
This follows a massive serialisation in the Yorkshire Post, extensive regional coverage, a huge feature in Rugby League World, and an ongoing run of BBC regional radio interviews for Tony. Dave Hadfield of Rugby League World said, 'If [Tony Hannan] doesn't become the first writer to have a Rugby League book shortlisted for the Sports Book of the Year there truly is no justice.' Naturally, all at Mainstream second that!
Jan de Vries' January blues-busting book, EMOTIONAL HEALING, has also proved popular with the media this month. As well as slots on BBC Radio London's Late Show and BBC Radio Manchester (both scheduled for 4th February), Jan has done interviews on BBC Radio Ulster, Cambridgeshire and Cumbria, plus Colourful Radio and REM Radio. He has also been offered slots on ITV1's Alan Titchmarsh Show and on RTE1's Late Late Show. A great start to the year for Jan!
RUPERT'S ADVENTURES IN CHINA, How Murdoch Lost a Fortune and Found a Wife by Bruce Dover has been promised blanket coverage with reviews confirmed in the Financial Times, The Economist, The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Spectator and an interview in The Big Issue.
And finally, Max Arthur's THE BUSBY BABES: Men of Magic is much in demand as the 50th anniversary of the Munich Air Disaster on 6th February approaches. The Daily Mail will serialise the book next week, and the Mail on Sunday have already given the book a great plug. Patrick Barclay of the Sunday Telegraph will write about the book in his column next week, and reviews have already been confirmed in Four Four Two football magazine (March issue, on the shelves early February) and in the Metro. The Guardian Unlimited will also be including the book in their coverage of the anniversary, and Max has a full day of radio interviews on 6th February, as well as a host of other broadcast slots confirmed for the surrounding days. Key interviews include BBC Radio Five Live's Weekend Breakfast Programme (to be broadcast Sunday 10th February), RTE1's Pat Kenny Radio Show (Wednesday 6th February) and Off the Ball on Newstalk national radio (also broadcast 6th February).
AWARDS:
RIPLEY’S WORLD by Andy Ripley and BLACK FARCE AND CUE BALL WIZARDS by Clive Everton have been short listed for the British Sports Book Awards. The award ceremony will take place at the Café Royal in London on 18 March.
EVENTS:
16th January - BEING EDDIE WARING launch at Headingley Carnegie Stadium in Leeds. Eddie's son was there, author Tony Hannan signed and sold books.
19th January - Follow up book signing in Philip Howard Books in Leeds.
27th March - SEX, LIES AND HANDLEBAR TAPE launch at Offside Bar and Photo Gallery (sports theme bar photography) in Islington. 6pm-8pm
27th March - URBAN SMUGGLER launch and script read- through provisionally booked at Shoreditch House
AND FINALLY…
Our best wishes to the lovely Lindsay Ankers who gets married on 16th February, pictured here, centre left, with her three wannabe bridesmaids. Her hen night is this weekend, Edinburgh be warned!