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News 29 February 2008
NEW ACQUISITION:
Mainstream is delighted to have acquired KITCHENER'S LAST VOLUNTEER the autobiography of Henry Allingham who, at 111, is the oldest man in Europe. It follows the huge success of various Great War titles recording the lives of the few remaining survivors, but Allingham’s differs in that he is Britain's oldest surviving volunteer. He has survived 6 monarchs, and 21 prime ministers during his long life, and will be the focal point of the many 90th anniversary commemorations of the Great War this coming November. It was acquired by Mainstream’s new Associate Publisher, Iain MacGregor, who commented, ‘His memories are priceless, proving a last link to the Edwardian age and the Great War.’ Allingham will discuss his life, with key chapters on his part in World War One, where he fought on land, sea, and in the air. He has dictated his own story, so we have not needed to use a ghost writer, which makes this book a unique historical document. It will be published in hardback in October this year. World rights are available.
RIGHTS SALES:
We are delighted to have sold THE PALACE DIARIES to Russia which brings the total rights sales to ten territories.
Serial rights for BOUNCERS AND BODYGUARDS was sold to The Sunday Sport with a full page extract on 24 February followed by a full page in The Sport 
on Monday 25th.
PUBLICITY:
February has been another great month for publicity, with Jan de Vries' EMOTIONAL HEALING and Douglas Skelton's DARK HEART receiving fantastic coverage. On 15th February, Jan appeared on RTE1's Late Late Show over in Ireland - a great climax to a fantastic publicity campaign throughout the new year. Jan is still awaiting a date for his appearance on ITV1's Alan Titchmarsh Show, which had to be rescheduled.
DARK HEART has also proved a success, with The Scotsman dedicating an entire double-page spread to the book of tales from Edinburgh's town jail on 18th February.
Following reviews in The Financial Times and The Economist an interview with the author of RUPERT'S ADVENTURES IN CHINA Bruce Dover, will appear in The Big Issue next week.
Publicity for BOUNCERS AND BODYGUARDS has got off to a fantastic start. In addition to serialisation in The Sunday Sport, Robin will be on Nuts TV's live spot on 28 February, which will be a full half- hour interview. The book is also going to be featured on Land Rovers’s website Go Beyond. Its focus is on adventure, discovery and exploration and Robin will be writing a story about working as a bodyguard in Moscow. A review in Maxim's April edition hits the shelves next week, and Radio Europe Mediterraneo (Spanish station broadcasting to British ex-pats) are interviewing Robin next week, too. You may have spied Robin Barratt on stage at The Baftas - he was one of the Spartans that escorted Jonathan Ross on stage. Let's hope he got to keep the costume!
Things are also beginning to hot-up for our Spring titles, with Andrew Pritchard's URBAN SMUGGLER generating a lot of attention ahead of publication on 3 April. With interviews confirmed in Nuts, Pick Me Up, Pride, The Voice and the New Nation - and further interviews being discussed with a leading music magazine and with the national press - URBAN SMUGGLER looks set to become a Spring publicity hit.
SEX, LIES AND HANDLEBAR TAPE will be featured in Procycling Magazine in April, and they are also going to run a feature in their Tour de France supplement which they produce in June. Cycling Monthly, Cycling Weekly and Cycling Sport are also going to feature reviews.
And our paperback publication of the New York Times bestseller, THE ICE MAN by Philip Carlo, will be marked with a spectacular interview in The Scotsman Magazine with Richard 'The Ice Man' Kuklinski's ex-wife, Barbara Kaye. She will talk candidly and emotionally about what it was like to live with one of America's most notorious hit-men.
EVENTS:
The Random House Sales Conferences take place in London next week. Ailsa Morrison has been working hard to get powerpoint presentations together for highlights presentations to International (Monday 3 March), Key Accounts (Monday 3 March) with WHS (19 March) and UK sales reps (Wednesday 30 March) still to come.
AND FINALLY…
Lots of personnel news this week. We bid farewell to Publicity Assistant, Paula Fleming, send our best wishes to editor Paul Murphy and his wife Rachel on the birth of Max (or Matt as Ailsa Morrison announced to the company when she misheard his original phone call!) and congratulate Amy Mitchell on her promotion to Rights Executive with specific responsibility for Greece, Italy, Hungary, large print, audio and film and TV.
Paul and baby Max
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