Saturday 5 June 2010

A Catty Comment on the Biography Market

On the rights pages of The Bookseller this week, the announcement of another major celebrity autobiography acquisition. 'Who could it be?' you ask. 'Who's left, given that we're now on the second volume of autobiographies by such stellar scribblers (dictators?) as Peter Kay, Russell Brand and Chris Evans?'

Well, Ebury Press has acquired the story of Aleksandr Orlov, that's who.

Who?

The answer is, quite simply, 'Simples!' Aleksandr Orlov is the meerkat in the TV adverts for Compare the Market.

I'll give you a moment to absorb that.

Apparently Orlov has 750,000 followers on Facebook (do people have nothing better to do with their time?). Senior editor Andrew Goodfellow says 'Aleksandr's moment is now and he's a dark horse for the autumn.' (But wait, I though he was a meerkat!) Curiouser and curiouser. 'The team here just love him and believe we can make A Simples Life a second Christmas number one in a row for Ebury Publishing. ... the British public have been clamouring to hear his story.'

OK, Andrew, if you say so.

All of which is hugely encouraging to those of us who are flesh and blood examples of homo sapiens, trying to write stories and memoirs and sell them, via publishers who are clearly sensible, feet-on-the-ground, rational channels existing to facilitate communication between author and public.

It'll be the twiddly-moustached opera-singer from Go Compare next. You mark my words.

8 comments:

Fiona Mackenzie. Writer said...

No, no, no, no...say it's not true?

Lane Mathias said...

Oh my word. That is just sad.

How could they???

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

Oh God, that tub of lard that sings the Go Compare song - I can't get to the mute button fast enough. Thank God for Sky + - I rarely have to watch an ad these days.

I could understand the Meerkat characters being turned into a TV series for children but a biography?! Cllearly there must be a market out there given the numbers of people that follow the facebook page but I would have thought their target market would have preferred something like a pop-up book with lots of pictures sans too many complicated words, or any for that matter!

Jean said...

Oh, no!! 'Memoir of a Meerkat'. What can I say? And I can't get that awful 'Go Compare' song out of my head. Each time I hear it, it lingers in my mind and sends me crawling up the wall.

Lorna F said...

Well, girls, there's some comfort in knowing you all feel as I do about this!

Karen said...

Surely that can't be true?? Good heavens. I can't imagine who on earth would buy it!

Glynis Peters said...

Excuse me one moment. Thanks, that's better, I had to wipe the coffee off of the laptop screen. Bad mannered I know, but it was you who made me spit it out.*giggle*

You what? What? Nawww, nooo, not true.

Jeepers, I am lost for words!

There was I all clever. I was going to say about the UK's ex prime minister's wife. ;0

Lorna F said...

Karen, you mean you can't think of twenty deserving people you can give it to at Christmas? :)

Glynis - thanks so much for visiting. I'm so sorry I drove you to use coffee as a screenwash!