My book was published yesterday

[free spirit]

oh yes, I returned to this thread to say that the book arrived, and so far it's very readable and I've not found anything I disagree with so far, which is about the only time that's happened with a book like this other than Altered States.

 

[catinthehat]

http://www.atss.org.uk/site/custom_index.php
If you contact ATSS with info on the book they may review it and that is a way into college booklists. To be honest its more academic than it looks from first glance (and when you plough through new titles all the time its often first glances or remembered reviews that get the orders). It would appeal to my students - last years most used text was Gang Leader for a Day, just about the only thing the serial non readers read. Have ordered a copy for our library. If you were available to speak at student conferences you would be able to sell quite a few copies on the back of a half hour talk.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I've bought a copy too...waiting for it to arrive....

 

[free spirit]

I just read the bit about stapleton road. I must be a bit odd or something as I lived on stapleton road for 6 months 3-4 years ago and quite liked the area and never had any hassle at all.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I just read the bit about stapleton road. I must be a bit odd or something as I lived on stapleton road for 6 months 3-4 years ago and quite liked the area and never had any hassle at all.

Does it borrow from Tony Thompson's nonsense?

 

[free spirit]

Does it borrow from Tony Thompson's nonsense?

sorry, I'm not aware of tony thompson.

It discusses around gangs selling crack & smack around stapleton road, which probably does happen, but unless I was just totally oblivious, it maybe exagerates the scale of it a bit (or it's referring to a different bit of the road - maybe a little further into town than I was, where it did seem to get a bit more dodge).

 

[DaveCinzano]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tony-Thompson/e/B001HOI0QY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/tonythompson?INTCMP=SRCH

Stapleton Road was indeed a main open air dealing strip in the 90s/00s, as was the Frontline in St. Paul's. Avon & Somerset, despite pleas from residents, publicly denied there were gun-toting Yardie gangs involved, and refused to do anything unless locals would let them set up OPs in their homes for surveillance purposes.

It subsequently was demonstrated that the Police had lied with regard 'there are no Yardie gangs here', and were at that time engaged in the covert part of what would be called Operation Atrium. A number of shootings took place (including the shooting by police of a suspect in disputed circumstances), the police put out a well-crafted narrative (which now placed Yardie gangs centre stage) which Tony Thompson and others lapped up, and then mounted an extensive and long-lasting paramilitary operation throughout inner city Bristol.

 

[maximilian ping]

Reading it at the moment - good book!

(You nicked the title off Mareck Kohn though )

yeh feel bit guilty. i had read the amazing Dope Girls, but never his others. came up with name, realised Marek had done book called that, read it and it was way different from what we were writing so thought, 'fuck it'

 

[maximilian ping]

http://www.atss.org.uk/site/custom_index.php
If you contact ATSS with info on the book they may review it and that is a way into college booklists. To be honest its more academic than it looks from first glance (and when you plough through new titles all the time its often first glances or remembered reviews that get the orders). It would appeal to my students - last years most used text was Gang Leader for a Day, just about the only thing the serial non readers read. Have ordered a copy for our library. If you were available to speak at student conferences you would be able to sell quite a few copies on the back of a half hour talk.

good idea....& i would happily speak at student conference.

 

[maximilian ping]

I just read the bit about stapleton road. I must be a bit odd or something as I lived on stapleton road for 6 months 3-4 years ago and quite liked the area and never had any hassle at all.

My co-author Steve spent a fair bit of time hanging out with Vernon as his guide in Stapleton Road area, all his descriptions are real, certainly was a murder at the time. Maybe if you are with someone who is taking you on a drug trade 'tour', it all becomes apparent

 

[seeformiles]

yeh feel bit guilty. i had read the amazing Dope Girls, but never his others. came up with name, realised Marek had done book called that, read it and it was way different from what we were writing so thought, 'fuck it'

Finished it - have passed it on to a mate. He's well into it now!

(Upon reflection, lots of titles get re-used - see this pre-Pink Floyd effort:

 

[Spanky Longhorn]

Just thought I would post to say, doesn't look like my cup of tea but it does sound like a decent example of the genre and I will forward the link to people.

Good luck with it and well done!

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Well, it's arrived! Took longer than usual so I hope that's an indication of brisker sales than they imagined. It's very readable as well as informative. I've learned stuff already and I'm only about halfway through the first chapter.

 

[8115]

Nice article in the Guardian yesterday. M-smack Sounds appealing, probably not much fun in reality.

 

[maximilian ping]

Thanks Mrs Magpie. Yes the meph injecting is horrific, some serious problems in Dublin with that too. VICE mag interviewed my co-author here http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/narcomania-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-the-drug-trade

 

[free spirit]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tony-Thompson/e/B001HOI0QY/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/tonythompson?INTCMP=SRCH

Stapleton Road was indeed a main open air dealing strip in the 90s/00s, as was the Frontline in St. Paul's. Avon & Somerset, despite pleas from residents, publicly denied there were gun-toting Yardie gangs involved, and refused to do anything unless locals would let them set up OPs in their homes for surveillance purposes.

It subsequently was demonstrated that the Police had lied with regard 'there are no Yardie gangs here', and were at that time engaged in the covert part of what would be called Operation Atrium. A number of shootings took place (including the shooting by police of a suspect in disputed circumstances), the police put out a well-crafted narrative (which now placed Yardie gangs centre stage) which Tony Thompson and others lapped up, and then mounted an extensive and long-lasting paramilitary operation throughout inner city Bristol.

Maybe it'd improved by the time I got there in 2009. Not that there weren't dodgy characters knocking around most of the time, or maybe I was just pretty immune to it all after a decade living in Fenham / Newcastle.

 

[DaveCinzano]

Maybe it'd improved by the time I got there in 2009.

It had by then changed significantly from what it was like in the 1990s and early 2000s.

 

[free spirit]

ah well, that'd explain it then.

There was some guy chopped to death with machetes by triad types 20 yards from my house in Newcastle though, and we had regular spates of crack related violent muggings going on every so often, so I suppose stapleton road probably wasn't that much different to newcastle's west end at it's worst.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

Well, I'd like to say I've finished it but Very Tall Lodger saw it on the kitchen table and started reading it, got engrossed and then asked me if he could take it to work so he could read it on the the long night bus journey home after his night shift. I'm an accommodating landlady.

 

[TheHoodedClaw]

I have to say, getting your book extensively quoted in a Home Affairs Select Committee report is some pretty damned good marketing

 

[mog1976]

Very good book

 

[pogo 10]

It's been a long haul (about three years) but yesterday my book was published. It was great to hold the book in my hands 4 weeks ago, and I'm happy with it, but a day that I thought would be a big one was bit of a damp squib. Surprise surprise the (mainstream) publishers have done bugger all marketing and have a policy of not funding any kind of book launch. Anyone else had this kind of experience and have any tips for DIY publicity?

Congratulations.

 

[cupid_stunt]

How's this for a quote?

For a sober, reasoned assessment of where this country stands with regard to the many and varied problems of drug abuse, read Narcomania, which has the courage and the integrity to talk to dealers, addicts, policemen, and others at the sharp end.

get that on your website, pronto...

Funny enough, that quote [BIB] is on the back cover of the 2013 edition* I am currently reading.

Not finished reading it yet, but brilliant so far, I hadn't realised one of the authors was an urbanite, so was surprised to see comments from the editor in it & mention of u75.

* 2013 edition had a slight change to the sub-title: Narcomania - how Britain got hooked on drugs.

Up to date Amazon link -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Narcomania...=Narcomania+-+how+Britain+got+hooked+on+drugs

 

[editor]

It's been a long haul (about three years) but yesterday my book was published. It was great to hold the book in my hands 4 weeks ago, and I'm happy with it, but a day that I thought would be a big one was bit of a damp squib. Surprise surprise the (mainstream) publishers have done bugger all marketing and have a policy of not funding any kind of book launch. Anyone else had this kind of experience and have any tips for DIY publicity?

Congrats on winning another big award today!