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Firebombed publishing house
launches new line in comedy
GIBSON Square, the Islington publishing house fire-bombed after it announced its intention to publish a political book about Islam, has changed direction – towards humour.
The company is planning a raft of humour titles this Christmas for the first time ever, releasing five comedy titles aimed at the gift market, starting next month.
Gibson Square has overcome the worst aspects of the arson attack that followed its interest in Jewel of Medina, the tome by American journalist Sherry Jones, which all the major British publishers refused to add to their lists. Now it is laughter time.
First up are Closet Reading and Whose Side Are They On?, which are both £9.99 hardbacks.
Written by Phil Norman, Closet Reading is a history of toilet humour.
Whose Side Are They On? by Alan Pearce details the excessive legislation passed by government in the past 10 years, which has resulted in scenarios such as an £80 fine for dropping crisps on the pavement, and a baby being refused a passport because the photo was “topless”.
Health & Safety Gone Mad, also by Pearce, is due out on October 1 in the same price and format, as is Everything is Bad for You, a collection of the “best scare stories” compiled by Private Eye co-founder Richard Ingrams. The final title, Annus Horribilis, which was a last-minute acquisition, is due out on November 3, and is by Ann Treneman, political sketch writer for The Times.
Gibson Square managing director Martin Rynja explains that he decided to branch into humour after noticing a trend in which sales of the firm’s more serious books tailed off in the festive season.
“I spotted that one of our books, The Art of Always Being Right, by AC Grayling sold something like 15,000 copies over Christmas,” he says. “I thought maybe that was something we should do more of.”
Gerald isaaman |
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