It's not often your Managing Director goes giddy. Feverish, yes. But only really when it's directed at we poor stafflets, chugging along, publishing books at a rate of knots for public consumption and collective enjoyment, susceptible to the occasional fluff. Note: occasional. We're a very 'together' bunch, mistakes don't happen often. Mainly because we fear the wrath of The Big Cheese and his big, manly, man hands which could crush you at the drop of an ISBN number.
But at the Frankfurt Book Fair The Big Cheese lost his cool. Yet we hirelings weren't the ones under fire. He was a victim of himself. With all the excitement of a sprite with newly sprung wings, Iain Dale whipped around the Fair looking for books to acquire.
After a few hours he arrived back at the Biteback stand positively giddy: "Look at THIS!"
Katy: "A Guide to Becoming a Domestic Goddess, that sounds... good. What do you think James?"
James: *painful silence*
Iain: "It's a lovely format and it's beautifully produced?!"
*Tumbleweed*
Sam: "Ah Iain, I think you're suffering from a little of the Fair fever. Don't worry, happens to the best of us."
Savage.
What do you do? Granted, it was an interesting format. It was square. But does that mean we could sell it? Bossman and all-round sales guru, James Stephens, was unenamoured and unconvinced and the fledgling project was shelved. Iain, needless to say, was crushed. So off he bound again, returning hours later with more suggestions: "Here's one on Parkinson's Disease, and a MISERY MEMOIR."
I smiled, told him they had potential, I know my place - I am the caresser. Good cop, you might say. I left it to James to remind him that we're a political publisher...