Commons first for book launch



How to be an MP

Published by BiteBack

 

Tomorrow evening my new book will be launched in the sumptuous state rooms of Speaker's House, in the House of Commons. This is a break with tradition and believed to be the first book launch in these marvellous rooms, by kind permission of Mr Speaker, Rt. Hon. John Bercow MP

The book is a greatly enlarged and updated version of 'Commons Knowledge: How to be a backbencher' covering the parliamentary transformation of the Wright reforms, expenses scandal and the Bercow Speakership.

 

'The single best thing ever written about being an MP, full of humour, insights, wisdom' 

said Professor Phillip Cowley who will speak at the launch.

 

Speaker Bercow will also speak. He said in his foreword to the book, 'Paul Flynn  tackles many of the challenging issues head on such as his sections on How to Restore Trust, How to Switch on Young Voters and How to Deal with Disaster. But perhaps his greatest skill is to convey the complex, infuriating, exhausting but ultimately compelling life that is that of an MP. I thoroughly recommend this book bar one small section because a Speaker cannot possibly commend a chapter entitled: “How to be a hooligan”! I trust you will enjoy what should be a stimulating and rewarding read'.  

 

Paul Flynn will say 'This is revolutionary moment in parliamentary history.  Great reforms are emerging from the work of the Speaker, the Leader of the House and most rebellious MPs for a generation. The power of the executive is being stormed by the legislature which is determined to be, in Jacob Rees Mogg's words a Tiger not a Bagpuss'

The book is dedicated to the memory of the late David Taylor MP. 'The best of us'. His widow and 2 of his daughters will be present.

 

* The event is at nil cost to the public purse and all the author's royalties are paid to charities.

 

 

 

Comments

[HuwOS]

Congratulations on getting your book published Paul, although you are presumably well used to doing so now.

Will it be being made available as an ebook also, and if not, why not?

If so then what would be the pricing of the ebook compared to the paperback and how do you feel about the fact that VAT is payable on electronic books unlike the physical format?

[Paul Flynn]

Thanks Huw. I cannot answer the question but I will press BiteBack to make it as widely available as possible. That is my purpose in writing the book. I want to disseminate the message of the good MP. the next book which will be published in August is a biography of David Taylor who is a wonderful example to follow.

I have no financial interest in maximising sales but an overwhelming interest in maximising the total of readers.

Paul Flynn

Twitter: @paulflynnmp

www.paulflynnmp.co.uk

[HuwOS]

Well, if you can, try and get them to be daring with the price of the ebook.
The lower the price gets set, the larger the likelihood of people choosing to have a look. Publishers tend to want to price the ebook at the same level as the physical product for fear of cannibalising those sales, not seeing them as extra sales with almost no costs comparatively.

But still, VAT will be charged on the ebook, when it will not be on the book itself.
Do you think, as I do, that ebooks should have the same exemption?
The government does after all already get vat on the purchase of the hardware, so central coffers are already better off, shouldn't they be happy enough with that?

[HuwOS]

Ah well,

Your book Paul is available for the kindle on Amazon priced at £7.88 and the paperback selling there for £9.74 discounted from the list price of £12.99.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-MP-Learning-Commons-Knowledge/dp/1849542201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327098894&sr=8-1

It doesn't seem to be available in any other ebook format anywhere else.

While the publisher is no doubt to be praised for taking on a relatively low volume book and all that jazz, I cannot help but be disappointed by their lack of daring in the ebook pricing, which compared to the print edition bears practically zero cost.

Still, someday people will start getting their act together and the good news is it is still something we can look forward to rather than having to suffer the less exciting situation of it being here already.

I don't know if it's good or bad news that the Waterstones website declares themselves out of stock.http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/paul+flynn/how+to+be+an+mp/8918152/
as does WH Smith
http://www.whsmith.co.uk/CatalogAndSearch/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=9781849542203
although their representation shows a different cover from the others, which seems odd.

Did you have a special print run for them?

[HuwOS]

To be fair, of the £7.84 cost for the kindle ebook version, that does include vat at 20%.
The price without VAT would therefore be closer to £6.50

There is no good reason why ebooks should not have the same VAT free status as printed books, if anything, of the two, ebooks should have first call on such an exemption.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/114

My own point of view is that there is no good reason for ebooks to be priced above £2.00 and I believe there would be a lot of rewards in dropping to £1

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110308/02510113396/cheap-ebook-authors-realize-even-cheaper-is-even-better.shtml

[Harry]

You say you have no financial interest in maxmising sales. Will you therefore disclose full details of your contract with Biteback, how much you have been paid so far, and how much expect to be paid for this book in the future? Afterall, you criticise those who use their position as MPs/Peers for financial gain, but if you have any financial benefit from this book, that is exactly what you have done here.

[HuwOS]

"* The event is at nil cost to the public purse and all the author's royalties are paid to charities."

What part of that did you not understand Harry