Book marks
The race to break into print about Mrs Margaret Thatcher is hotting up. Last month I revealed that two seasoned politicos were each hoping to earn a penny or two from forthcoming biographies of Conservatism's First Lady. Former Ipswich MP Ernie Money had a book coming from Messrs Leslie Frewin in September at £4.95, while the honourable member for Reigate, George Gardiner, had his book ready for publication by Messrs William Kimber in October at £2.95.
Now the running order has changed. Mr Money's book has slipped back to October; Mr Gardiner's book has slipped forward to September. But while all this has been going on a third biographer has moved up quietly on the rails. He is Mr Russell Lewis, until recently director of the Conservative Political Centre. His own version will be published by Routledge and Kegan Paul on September 1 at £2.95. Smart work.
Money for old dope
"Mix Business With Pleasure" runs the cheery exhortation on the first catalogue of Gordon Cremonesi Ltd, a new publisher whose "aim is to please". The firm's initial offerings do indeed promise multifarious pleasures — even, if that is how you get your kicks, an item called Legacy of Death, "the chilling true-life story of seven generations of public executioners". But why is Cremonesi holding out on us? Why is there no mention in the catalogue of that really mouthwatering source of pleasure published by Cremonesi this month? It is called Memoirs of a Revolutionary and it is written by Sean MacStiofain, former chief of staff of the IRA Provisionals.
Give and take
I thought you might be cheered to know that in these depressing economic times one large .company has a bit of money to invest. Marshall Cavendish the part-work people are hoping to spend around £1 million on the acquisition of Britain's "second largest independent publisher". Meanwhile, in another part of London altogether, one well:known corporation peer is telling people that ne would not be sorry if someone took his publishing interests off his hands.
If at first . . .
Mr David Farrer, respected editorial director of Secker and Warburg, has just had his umbrella stolen by a young turk at Michael Joseph but that is not why I bring his name up. Writing in last week's Bookseller Mr Farrer offered a piece of advice to publishers' editors which all aspiring authors would do well to note. "If, by however small a margin, you reject a first novel, don't ask to see the author's next. It is — I don't know why, but it is a fact — invariably worse than the first."
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