Fat Cats

[Barrie Yates]

I am sure that I saw the other day that Mrs Brown - can't remember her name so she must be a really striking personality, is being paid a 6 figure sum for her memoirs of her time in 10 Downing St.

After Coyote Blair another PMs wife wants to cash in on her husband's brilliant occupation of the position of Prime Minister.

Why are they all so greedy?

I do accept that Tory PMs spouses may also have ridden the gravy train - just can't think of any.

[steeljack]

I've never understood the economics of book publishing , they pay out millions in advances to politicians for their memoirs, yet most books by politicians costing £25 + retail are usually piled high on the knock-down "remainder' table within a few months going for £5 or less, and very few are issued in paperback. Must be lots of creative accounting and favourable tax laws for in the book publishing business

[DaveinGermany]

Originally Posted by steeljack

I've never understood the economics of book publishing , they pay out millions in advances to politicians for their memoirs, yet most books by politicians costing £25 + retail are usually piled high on the knock-down "remainder' table within a few months going for £5 or less, and very few are issued in paperback. Must be lots of creative accounting and favourable tax laws for in the book publishing business

I think SJ, that the publishers use the same accounting methods as the Politicians. Somehow they come out of it alright.

[MargaretR]

So it will be like an authorised biography = a biased version of history.
An unauthorised biography is more likely to contain truth.

[Ken Moss]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

So it will be like an authorised biography = a biased version of history.
An unauthorised biography is more likely to contain truth.

Actually Margaret, I have to disagree here.

I read a lot of biographical books and have found that unauthorised biographies are usually written by enthusiastic fans who barely have a bad word to say about thier idol. Bad points or events which the subject matter would probably prefer to see forgotten are given a new spin to generally paint them in a better light.

Authorised biographies are generally scrutinised by family members before publication, more to make sure that things are accurate than to prevent anything that might be considered defamatory. The books still aren't completely free of the 'fan' element but they generally come out in a more balanced way.

Autobiographies are naturally the best option as you get it straight from the horse's mouth.

[garinda]

Can't really see the problem.

Free market economics, and all that.

If a publisher wants to pay Sarah Brown a six figure advance, more fool them.

I won't be buying it, but they must think somebody will, and that it will make them a profit.

Norma Major cashed in whilst being the PM's wife, writing a book about Chequers.

She'd probably have got greater renumeration still, if she'd not been kept in the dark about her husband fertilising Edwina's eggs, and vented her spleen in print about that sordid affair..