He’s not a thug, he doesn’t trust his celebrity friends, and he’s definitely not a pornographer. Over a cigar delivered on a silver platter, the self-appointed king of Express Newspapers lays into scruffy booksellers and sets the record straightRichard Desmond held a party at Claridge’s in Mayfair this week to launch his autobiography. “Everybody” was there – “Jacob Rothschild came, Katie Price came, Barbara Windsor came. It was a whole cross-section of everybody. Lovely.” One person who was not there for long, though, was the man from Waterstones staffing the book stand.“I walk in, and I see this bloke, this scruffy bloke. He’s in like a real old sweater with holes in it, jeans with holes in.” Desmond’s nose wrinkles. “I said to him, ‘Look, mate, you’ve got lords and ladies coming here, and international celebrities, and my friends and family. I don’t really want to see you look like that. Have you got a suit?’ ‘No.’ ‘Would you go out and get a suit?’ ‘No.’ I said, ‘Well then, mate, fuck off.’ I got one of my advertising girls to sell the books instead.” He turns to his PR. “Was I harsh?” The PR demurs respectfully. “Oh no, it was about principle.” It all worked out for the best, Desmond agrees happily, because the man “learned a lesson”, will tell everyone, “Oh, this guy was so aggressive to me, he threatened to kill me,” and thus “another myth” about the media tycoon’s violent temper will be born. “Well, that’s the point.” Related: A reading from the Book of Desmond:... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2015-06-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
The media tycoon’s outlets often give voice to ardent deniers of climate science, backers of fossil fuels and opponents of net zero. Is that all about to change?Get our free news app; get our morning email briefingNews Corp Australia, seen by many as the nation’s most enduring purveyor of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-09-08 06:21:19 UTC ]
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In the seven years since The Bookseller began its annual selection of publishing’s influencers, The Bookseller 100—which, along with the Rising Stars, attempts to show an image of publishing through its people—how has the sector reshaped itself to meet the future? The answer is a long one. In... Continue reading at The Bookseller
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Newspaper revenue in the UK, the US and Australia is down despite a rise in the company’s overall revenue thanks to book publishing and real estate divisionsDeclining sales, advertising and subscriptions hurt revenues at Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper business in the final quarter of last year, News... Continue reading at The Guardian
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Books by Katie Flynn, Katie Price, Carol Ann Duffy and the Top Gear presenters are among the... Continue reading at The Bookseller
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