This is interesting, thoughtful stuff. I like Peter's thought that 200 is a
lot in one segment of market, although pitiful in another conception of
readership. I remember Pinter saying he'd like to burst into a TV studio
with a flamethrower and burn the balls off politicians discussing Vietnam.
Maybe Prynne was echoing him. When I was in publishing it was all about
subscription to bookshops; there was something called a hero dump bin, and
champion sales persons got bonuses if they managed to unload a few of these,
preferably blocking the door of the shop. It could be a bit odd working with
people who seemed to want to restrict access to their work, on the one hand,
and on another, a sales team member who thought that Larry Rivers' portrait
of John Ashbery was ruined by the fact that he was wearing flares. I
wondered how Chris managed to get around what I hear (from another small
publisher, although a traditional one) is the hostility of bookshops to
print on demand and internet based publishers? or has that subject been done
to death around here?
all best
John
John
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