Sunday, March 15, 2009

When Publishing Needs Must

From Chris Mullin's diaries, 31 January 2003.
The phone rings. It is Simon Walters from the Mail on Sunday. his editor has seen the piece in The Guardian and wants to know if I would write a piece for his loathsome rag about asylum seekers in Sunderland. he must be joking.

What a difference six years make. For the newspaper serialising Chris Mullin's diaries is ... you guessed it ... none other than the Mail on Sunday.

However, before those on the left accuse him of selling out, perhaps I should explain that he wouldn't have had any say over the newspaper his publishers picked to serialise the book. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall, though, when he was informed of the deal which had been struck. Much sucking of teeth, I suspect.

10 comments:

Chris Paul said...

I would have thought that a credit and a link for Hugh Muir might be appropriate at this point Iain?

Iain Dale said...

Er, why? I spoke to Chris Mullin about this when I interviewed him on Thursday, as he would happily verify. Seeing as I dont read Hugh Muir, I don't owe him a hattip.

Desperate Dan said...

So Chris Mullin was too much of a coward to comment on the suitability of Sunderland, a depressed area with an unemployment rate of nearly 7%, to bear the economic and social burden of accommodating illegal immigrants. Clearly his constituents are well rid of him as he's never had any intention in defending their interests.

Plato said...

Mr Paul

Since when did you become the hat-tip tzar?

Please go wag your finger elsewhere - Labourlist perhaps.

I seem to recall their Editor happily using images without attribution.

*goes back to having a life*

Trumpeter Lanfried said...

In recent years the Mail has become the THING lefties have to hate. (The PERSON to hate is, of course, Margaret Thatcher who, over the last twelve years, has destroyed this country.)

My complaint about the Mail is that it is full of silly stuff aimed at its female readers; endless pix of celebs who are breaking up/getting together, too fat, too thin, wearing the wrong clothes, etc. etc.

But it's still better than the tax avoiding Guardian.

Plato said...

Indeed it was Mrs T what done it (fill in blank here).

Simon Gardner said...

Trumpeter Lanfried said... “In recent years the Mail has become the THING lefties have to hate.”

Nothing “recent” about it at all. The “Hurrah for the Blackshirts” Mail has been a fascist organ since the 1930s.

Its new(ish) line in rampant (‘it’s all women’s fault’) misogyny is a wonder to behold - what with all those female readers.

The Grim Reaper said...

Sir Iain of Saffron said: "I should explain that he [Mullin] wouldn't have had any say over the newspaper his publishers picked to serialise the book."

Why? Is this just standard procedure when it comes to book publishers and serialisations?

The Grim Reaper said...

Oh yes, one other thing.

Chris Paul = Dollybot.

Iain Dale said...

Grim Reaper, it depends on the contract, but in this case I know it was the publisher's choice.