Book of the month

The Moose has the blogging rights at www.incwriters.com for the month of January as a part of their Save Our Presses campaign. Two of our authors, Stephen Clayton and Anna Chilvers have already given us their words of wisdom and I have ranted on apace about the shennanigans and practices in the bookselling high street. Publishers 'buy' space for their books. This is achieved with bigger discounts and one off payments. Nothing illegal in that, but when a store publices their book of the month , I think the public should know that a large sum of money has passed between publisher and bookseller for that book to have a prominent position within the store. It is a financial decision not a literary one.

Wholesale Mugging

Getting the book to market is one of the hardest things to do for an independent. There is no point in publishing a book if your readers don't see it on the shelves. This is where the wholesalers come in. They do a great job in distributing titles to every indie bookshop in the country. However, this comes at some significant cost. Discount. A lot. Now, one of them has decided not to stock our titles unless we give them an extra 5% discount. On a £7.99 pbk, that's an extra 20pence off the bottom line. No discussions. Give it us, or we don't stock it and we will only order it on special order. The noose gets tighter and tighter. I could always kill them. Rather radical. Perhaps holistic knee capping will suffice. I may even try and talk to them, but these days speaking to anybody in a big organisation is proving more and more difficult. Our website is the answer. www.Bluemoosebooks.com Go directly there and do not stop at Amazon. If you do, your soul will blacken and my children will starve.

Moose Tour Starts tomorrow

Great launch party last night for Anna Chilver's debut novel, FALLING THROUGH CLOUDS. Despite a few cancellations from people heading from the metropolis and other such snow bound places, the Trades Club was full and everyone was well watered and fed. Great buzz and excitement. Fellow Bluemoose authors were in attendance, Stephen Clayton and soon to be published writer Michael Stewart. Many books were sold and signed by Anna and now the world tour starts off in Halifax on Tuesday and all points North, South, East and West. I will place the link to the Yorkshire Post Podcast next Saturday of Anna reading from her novel,
The Moosemobile is MOT'd today for it's long and arduous adventures. To the Moose Cave and away!

Five, Four, Three, Two, One...It's PUBLISHED

Anna Chilvers' debut novel 'Falling through clouds,' is published today and the reading public are in for a fine old treat. Award winning author Lesley Glaister loves it, and Waterstones are promoting it as an' erotically charged literary thriller.' Even the weather can't dampen our spirits. Once the tsunami of reviews reaches those blinkered old lit eds in London, perhaps they will be able to see a little farther than their Amis's and review a great book by a very gifted writer. Toodlepip, off to make some vol-au-vents!

The Moose and beyond

Yesterday Anna Chilvers was interviewed by Nick Ahad, Literary Editor from the Yorkshire Post. It will appear in The Culture Section of the newspaper on Saturday 16th January. Anna also appeared in The Halifax Courier and Hebden Bridge Times talking about her debut novel FALLING THROUGH CLOUDS. Today she will be appearing on The BBC RADIO Leeds Janothan I'Anson programme at 10.15am , again talking about her novel. It's all about building momentum, to get the word out about what a great read it is. Word of mouth is everything, and so far we have had nothing but excellent reviews.
The launch of the book is tomorrow. There is nothing The Moose can do about the weather, so we just hope that everyone who said they are coming, do, and enjoy what will be a wonderful event.

Moose News

The Moose has contacted the Metereological Authorities and the weather for Saturday the 9th January will be fine and all roads to the launch of FALLING THROUGH CLOUDS by Anna Chilvers at The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge, will be open. Tomorrow, Anna is being interviewed by Nick Ahad, the literary editor of The Yorkshire Post. There will be a two page interview and podcast. Anna is also appearing in The Halifax Courier in The THursday issue and she is taking part in a half marathon at the end of February. The Moose model is to start local, build the momentum, and the wave of enthusiasm will finally get to those who shoul knnow better a few months down the line, but then isn't that how it ever was?

That was the week that was

It's book launch week....Falling through clouds is launched at The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge on Saturday 9th....Anna Chilvers will be doing an interview with The Yorkshire Post today, plus a Podcast where she will be reading from her book. This will be downloadable from their website. www.yorkshirepost.co.uk All the media interviews will be scaled out at the end of the week for maximum exposure.
Bluemoose is also blogging on the Incwriters, Save Our Presses site. Our first blog will be by Stephen Clayton, author of The Art of Being dead. It is witty and erudite, as you would expect. I will be having my say midweek and then Anna Chilvers, Michale Stewart and Mark Radcliffe will be talking about their writing and being published by an Independent Publisher. It's all about getting the word out about what we're trying to do at Bluemoose. Publishing beautiful stories that are wonderfully written. To promote and publish new writing that engages and inspires the reader.

In with the new.

The review pages have been full of,' the best books of the decade,' 'books of 2009,' and what we can expect from the next year. One name was worryingly high on the list for 2010 and already the lit eds are foaming at the mouth. Mr. Amis has his next 'oeuvre' out and the fawning will begin. Martin will create several new words, talk about etymylogical half siblings, go on and on about his teeth, tennis and his father. There, that's his autobiography sorted. Teeth, tennis and father. Heaven forefend. What we should be talking about is all the great new writers, producing magnificent new work, like Anna Chilvers, Mark Radcliffe and Michael Stewart. Out with the old and in with the new, especially when the old have nothing new to say.

World Tour and Book signings

World Tour for Falling through clouds by Anna Chilvers: January 2010

Saturday 9th January 2010 - Launch at The Trades Club Hebden Bridge @ 5.30pm

Tuesday 12th January - Halifax Central Library @7pm

Thursday 14th January - Saltaire Books, Saltaire @6pm

Saturday 16th January - Waterstones Bradford @1pm

Wednesday 20th January - Littleborough Library @2pm

Saturday 21st January - Waterstones Leeds @1pm

Wednesday 27th January - Blacwells Sheffield Hallam University @6.15pm

Thursday 28th January - Brighouse Library @2pm

Saturday 30th January - Waterstones Nuneaton @ 12.30pm

Saturday 30th January - Nuneaton Library @2.30pm


That's all folks.

Year of The Moose

Greetings and felicitations....The Moose has been somewhat indisposed, I will point the finger at computer viruses and cyber hackery....but I'm back in 2010 and we have a very busy start with the launch of FALLING THROUGH CLOUDS at The Trades Club in Hebden Bridge next Saturday 9th January and then the Moose World Tour starts again, taking in several Waterstones for book signings, including Leeds, Bradford and Nuneaton, where Anna Chilvers heralds from. From then on it's libraries and Lit festivals all the way. There will be newspaper coverage coming up in The Yorkshire Post next week along with the local press. Pre pub sales have been fantastic so far and it all bodes well....I have sent review copies to Londinium but don't hold out too much, but to be honest it's such a great read that word of mouth will make it a success....and then we move on to our next publication, GABRIEL'S ANGEL by Mark Radcliffe, another Bluemoose treat. One of our authors, Stephen Clayton has a special birthday on Sunday 3rd January and I wish him well.
So here we go, the year that the Moose goes global....Hahahaha, what fun we'll have. Get to the bookshops and invest in a Bluemoose title, you'll not be disappointed. There, that's the sales plug.
www.Bluemoosebooks.com

Toodlepip readers.