"The Best Available" - Sussex Drinker Review (extract)

In the Autumn 2006 issue of CAMRA's "Sussex Drinker" magazine, by Pete Coppard:

"One could not review this book without first commenting on the great effort that has been spent in tracking down some of the drinking establishments therein. The layout is very clear and the good quality photographs break up the text, making for an easy read."

"I think this would be a valuable document for new residents in the city wishing to find their way around and, given the lack of an up-to-date local real ale guide, probably the best available."

"A Foreword by Atilla the Stockbroker extolls the virtues of our Sussex Pub of the Year, The Evening Star!"

"It's well worth a look if you see it at a pub, beer festival or bookshop."

The Big Time

The book is now on sale in HMV (both Brighton branches). It should also be for sale in the Tourist Information office and the Pavilion Shop.

It should also soon be available in Waterstones, who have ordered it.

With any luck it will also soon be for sale in Borders, Virgin, WHSmiths and British Bookshops (Sussex Stationers).

If you want to do me a favour, go into one of the last ones and ask if they have it/order it there!

Other places the book is available....

Also now available in Resident record shop and the Shopper's Paradise Gallery, both in Kengsington Gardens. And in City Books on Western Road.

Books Selling....

Okay so the book is now also available in Barnet's barbers on the Old Steine (near the bottom of Trafalgar Street).

It seems to be selling fairly well, at least in "Custard" in the Lanes, where I re-supplied the shop after they sold out!

Otherwise, I am waiting to hear from City Books, whose managers are on holiday, and got favourable responses from HMV and Virgin, who might stock the book. Also awaiting responses from the head offices of Birthdays and Clinton Cards shops.

Books on Sale in Brighton Shops!

Well theres been no time for blogging since I got the books. First I had to send all the contributors a copy, then get the book on Amazon and Ebay. Since then I've been doing some things I should probably have got done while I was waiting for the books: getting business cards (with the book cover on) printed, getting posters printed, getting display stands for posters/books, finding out about events that I can go to to sell/promote the book, etc.

Then this week I went out to some non-bookshops and non-mainstream bookshops to try to get them to sell the book. The mainstream bookshops will only sell it when it has gone through the book systems (Nielsen, then their own systems) and then they can stock it. Pen Press are supposed to take care of promoting it to them. Anyway, so I had quite a lot of success getting shops to take the books and they are now available in the following shops: Dave's Books (Sydney Street), em space (Sydney St), Wax Factor (Trafalgar St), Sussex in the City (Lanes), Custard (Lanes), Kemptown Books (Kemptown!) and Cardome (St James St). Hopefully they will also be sold out of some other shops too, but I have to speak to the managers/owners first.

Since all this had eaten into my initial allocation of books I nipped down to Pen Press and got another 100-odd books to sell. I'm hoping to shift a lot of these on Sunday on a stall in the Hanover Day mini-festival. If you want to come along and meet me and buy a copy then I'll be on the end of Coleman Street, near the Geese pub. Cheers!

Book Now Available to Buy!

Wow! Yesterday the publisher contacted me and told me the book had arrived. I rushed down there and it looks great. I picked up 100 copies which I will be giving to the contibutors, friends and family. Some will be left for sale. If you are interested you can buy it here:

Amazon

or here:

Ebay

The book will probably be available in the shops sometime during September (it has to go through various book sales processes, ISBN number, register with Nielsens, into the retailer systems, etc)