The Moose Is Loose

The art of being dead by Stephen Clayton has been let loose on the book buying public of London courtesy of a promotion being organised byLegend Press. The promotion of new writers and new publishers to Independent Booksellers is being funded by The Arts Council, and gives an opportuntiy for smaller publishers to get shelf space and compete with the big boys with new writers. Do not get worried. This will not be an assault on the southern sensibilities from Northern Publishers with worrying novels filled with difficult vernacular. Visigoths and Barbarians we are not. The art of being dead has been heralded as 'a brilliant book from a significant writer and should be hailed as such.' We still haven't had a review from The Guardian, The Observer, The Times or The Independent but perhaps that it is now in bookshops near where they live, they will think it really does exist. If they don't like it, that's OK. It's that level playing field thing and having read all the reviews in the quality papers this weekend it is hopelessly apparent that they don't really give a fig for anything that's not published by the well known publishers. I came across a wonderful quote from Irvine Welsh about Creative Writing Schools. He likened them to the Intensive Salmon Farming Industry. Now there's pause for thought. Come on Lit Eds pull your fingers out and tell your paper buying public what is happening with smaller publishers as well as the London publishing houses. You never know if you do something different you may actually hang on to your jobs.