MOOSE on TOUR

I had a great time selling books in The Hebden Bridge Bookshop, even cajoled two unlikely browsers to purchase THORN by Michael Dean and The Hardest Climb by Alistair Sutcliffe, two of the latest Bluemoose titles. The Moose was on tour over the weekend, going down to Waterstone's Chelmsford on Saturday for the book signing of THORN by Michael Dean. It was a great success, good to meet Michael and have a chat to Marissa, the very passionate book lover and manager of the Wats store. Michael will be giving a talk and signing copies of his book at Colchester Library this forthcoming Saturday 24th September. And we've just had some exciting news about films and one of our titles but I can't say too much as blood has yet to be spilled in negotiations and we're trying to keep the lawyers at bay. Toodlepip book lovers.

Moose loose in a bookshop

This morning I am to be let loose on the unsuspecting book buying public of Hebden Bridge. Gillian and Ross, the proprietors of The Hebden Bridge Bookshop have left the county for the day and have given me the keys. Now I have been a sales rep for myriad publishers from pension stealing and spy Robert Maxwell to the Earl of Donoghmore's son, Tim Hely Hutchinson, but I have never sold books directly to readers. I'm also a publisher at Bluemoose books and the simple deal is that we publish great stories that engage and inspire. Well today, I'll find out how inspiring our books are. I have threateend to turn the bookshop into a shrine to the moose, and I may. Photographs will follow. But the great thing about bookshops is the browse factor. You can't get that with your Amazon online brief perusal nonsense. You have to pick ip a book, feel it, smell it and read the first page. At Moose Towers we pride ourselves on production and our jackets. We have noticed that potential purchasers when picking up one of our books find themselves stroking it. You can't stroke online, well you can but it is an arrestable offence.
Well, I'm Off to put some Eau De Biblio on, that should entice the book buyer public into the shop. That and shouting at them should do it.

THORN signing

Michael Dean, author of THORN, will be signing copies of his new book at Waterstone's in Chelmsford on Saturday between 11am - 1pm. Award winning writer, David Nobbs, creator of Reggie Perrin, amongst others, has called it an, 'astonishing and powerful novel.' Come and meet Michael, myself and Hetha as we bring news of Bluemoose to the southern climes and educate those that have been in darkness for so many years.

The art of being dead.

The head of big words at Leeds Metropolitan University contacted me yesterday and said that one of our titles, THE ART OF BEING DEAD ,was now being studied as the main text on their MA in Contemporary Literature. The hallowed walls of academia are trembling. A bit. Great news for Stephen Clayton, the author and Bluemoose of course. Toodlepip, off to dust down the ermine and mitre board.

Happy Birthday to us!

I have baked a cake for everyone at Moose Towers today because the Moose is five years old. It is five years since we started publishing here in Hebden Bridge and we have come a long way. Moose titles have been translated into Russian, Hollywood production companies have got excited and readers from Australia to the US have read our titles. Great stories have legs and find their natural homes amongst readers who are ready to engage and get inspired. I have ranted and raged and waved a clenched fist at the fiefdom of publishing that is run by the posh people in the Metropolis. We have had national reviews, sold rights abroad, been on local and national radio and last weekend, international radio. But the most important aspect of it all is that we have found great stories that have been beautifully written that otherwise wouldn't have been published because men with graphs and red pens didn't think they would sell. How wrong they were. Long live the Moose!

Worldwide Hit

Since Leonora's interview on Radio Netherlands worldwide we have seen sales of her book come in from the United States of America and Australia. That's the beauty of stories. You find them, or they find you, you polish them up with a bit of editorial shine, wrap then up in great covers and send them out into the world all on their own, and then wait. And you know you've succeeded when people email you with great comments. One lady, a vicar, has said that 'The book has changed her life.' Another from Australia can't believe that the authorities in this country have behaved in such a draconian fashion. Neither can I. The truth has a way have catching up with those that have manipulated a system for their own means. Watch out officials, the story is coming to get you.

Moose Summer Offensive

Leonora Rustamova, author of STOP DON'T READ THIS is on the award winning radio show THE STATE WE'RE IN, this afternoon at 14.00hrs. It is broadcast by Radio Netherlands and can be heard in the USA, Canada, Australia, South Africa and all of Europe.

The Bluemoose Summer offensive is bearing fruit. First Russia, then Bulgaria, Holland today and before you know it Col. Gaddaffi will be surrendering to all at Moose Towers. Let us hope the international community are generous with their support.

Sofia , so good.

It's been a busy week in Mooseland. Our foreign rights people have been meeting European Agents. Sounds all very James Bond, but the deal is, prior to Frankfurt, the biggest rights fair in the world, the agents are told about all the new titles that are to be published in the next 12 months and some books they may have missed that we recently published. This year we have already sold two of our books to a Russian Publisher AZBOOKA-ATTICUS, who are based in St Petersburg. They bought GABRIEL'S ANGEL by Mark Radcliffe and KING CROW by Michael Stewart. Yesterday we sold KING CROW to a Bulgarian Publisher called ARTLINE. Extremely pleased. The book is out with at least another 10 European publishers, so no doubt we'll have more good news soon. I phoned Michael to impart the good news that KING CROW would soon be hitting the bookstands of Sofia. He was suitably pleased but the line seemed a bit distant and as he only lives near Bronte country just over the hill I asked why? 'I'm still stuck in New York courtesy of Hurricane Irene.' He said. He was on his mobile and I was on the Moose landline. I did a quick calculation and ended the call. He's back on Saturday and we'll have a proper chat. I don't want to be wasting too much money on transatlantic phone calls when I should be investing the hard stuff in new writers. Wasn't there an incident on London bridge many moons ago about a Bulgarian diplomat being killed by an umbrella to the leg? Still the wall is down now and we're all chums, especially when it come to reading the same books.