Gordon Brown's book of speeches

On 1st April, I recorded my surprise that a publisher had (a) thought it worth publishing a 300 page book of Gordon Brown's speeches The Change we Choose: Speeches 2007-2009 and (b) decided to publish it on April Fools Day (HERE).

So I suppose I shouldn't really have been quite as surprised as I was by the news of of how many copies of the said book have been sold since then, as revealed in this week's Private Eye - which reports that it 'has sold a grand total of 31 - yes thirty two - copies' (Private Eye,1268, p. 25).

Bad news, perhaps, for publishers still competing to sign up any remaining memoirs by former Labour cabinet ministers - but very good news for less well-known authors like me, who can take heart from the knowledge that, compared with Mr Brown's latest tome, our own books have all been outstanding best-sellers!



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3 comments:

  1. Simon Lancaster5 August 2010 at 11:18

    If this is true (which I doubt), it is quite sad. Like him or not, he was British PM for three years and his speeches are part of our history.

    PS I was one of the thirty two...

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  2. Max Atkinson5 August 2010 at 13:16

    Simon: You're probably right in doubting the numbers reported in Private Eye - as your comment has prompted me to do a bit more research.

    Its Amazon placing at the time of writing this is 27,064th overall and 13th in books on 'Government & Politics' - which, if my experience of Amazon rankings is anything to go by, means it must have sold rather more than the 32 reported in the Eye: http://amzn.to/dq32Os

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  3. E. J. Frogster8 August 2010 at 11:14

    Labour politicians from the House of Commons telephoned me to say this song of mine was entertaining:

    'Gordon Brown be my Angel'

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCEWhEuhRoo (lyrics annotated)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znUtocdwnYw (BETTER SOUND QUALITY)

    Brahms Lullaby

    Gordon Brown! Gordon Brown!
    Will you be my angel?
    Guardian angel is what I meant
    Will you rescue my soul?

    For you are in charge
    Of these people I wrote to
    Stephen Timms, Jack Straw
    Let me place my trust in you

    Gordon Brown! MP’s!
    Let me sing out loud
    For what you do, for my country
    For my reproductive system

    You right wrongs! My right’s been wronged
    I am desperate for you
    Not just you! There’s Jon Herring
    I’m a violated woman

    Gordon Brown, help me sleep!
    Help me sleep like a baby
    Will my babies ever come out?
    Maternal desires!
    I lost my womanhood
    In a sinister curse
    Gordon Brown! Bring it back!
    You are perfect for that!

    ReplyDelete