I’d written a crime short story under one of my pen names for a collection to be published by Macmillan (Writers tell couple who remove ‘filth’ from books where to stick their app, 28 March). The late Lord (George) Hardinge of Penshurst was in charge of their crime fiction at the time and he rang me one day pre-publication to say in his magnificently polite voice that he might be able to persuade Agatha Christie to contribute a story. He knew her from when he worked at Collins. He said it would be good for sales, and therefore good for all of us, if she agreed. I said this would be great. But he added that Agatha hated bad language and that there was some of this in my story. He said he didn’t like to think of her coming into her drawing room and picking up the book with this tainted story in it alongside hers. I asked what we’d better do. He said I should take out the offending words. I asked which. He said all of them, “from piss to fuck”. I went silent. He must have gathered I was shocked. He said that if Agatha didn’t come up with the story I could put all the words back in at the proofs stage. I was young in the trade and weakly consented. She did provide a tale. I saw no surge in sales.James TuckerSully, Vale of Glamorgan• Your article about the Clean Reader app reminds me of WH Smith’s dirty books cupboard, which I inherited when I took over responsibility for the company’s book buying in 1974. It was in the days of moral rearmament and a paternalist attitude that... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-04-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
James Daunt launched his first indie bookshop in London 33 years ago. The Barnes & Noble CEO is now bringing the lessons he learned to the biggest bookseller in America. If you’re strolling down the Marylebone High Street in London, you’ll stumble across a popular bookstore called Daunt... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-02-28 04:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Amazon, the biggest bookseller in America, is also famously one of the most tight-lipped. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2013-03-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this