Sports Books Blog

In an attempt to avoid this blog becoming just a rant I have to dish out some praise. While England’s thumping victory over the West Indies has to be taken in the context that the tourists are so undercooked as to be as raw as can be, Matt Prior deserves high praise.
I’d long been of the opinion that Geraint Jones was only in the England team to keep up the numbers of former coach Duncan Fletcher’s required ex-Colonial quota and that Chris Read was the best keeper in England. And when new coach Peter Moores brought in another overseas born player in Prior I was turning purple.
But while Prior is not as good a wicketkeeper as Read, he looks a proper batsman whereas Jones blew hot and cold. Of course we have to see what happens when he meets a properly prepared team but he made very few mistakes.
England’s record though for repaying the countries we robbed and pillaged in the past shows no sign of relenting. Andy Flower (Zimbabwe) is the new assistant manager while Alan Donald (South Africa) is now the fast bowling coach.
Donald should feel at home because there are, of course, three South Africans in the England team – Andrew Strauss, Kevin Pietersen and Prior, although Strauss and Prior came over as boys and Strauss sounds as if he listened to the BBC in the 1950s.
But maybe I should lighten up. After all we stole Colin Cowdrey from India and Ted Dexter from Italy.

If you live in the first part of the 21st century and you write a book about a sport up until 1914 then the chances are you have found out about it only from books.
Which is what John Major must have done when writing “More than a Game”. Yet there is no bibliography in the former Prime Minister’s book. Astonishing when you realise the publishers are as prestigious as HarperCollins.
It may not seem to matter, but I feel if you are drawing on other people’s work the least you can do it credit them in a bibliography. And the authors who deal with our tiny publishing house feel the same.
For instance there are 75 books credited as well as numerous newspapers and periodicals in “Colin Blythe – Lament for a Legend” by Chris Scoble which we published last year. And in “George Lohmann – Pioneer Professional”, Keith Booth mentions 72 books as well as other printed sources.
Keith’s book has only just been published so Major could not have borrowed from that, but Blythe was a star in the years leading up to the First World War and the most famous cricketer to die in the conflict. So did Major borrow from the book? As I haven’t read John Major’s book and I was warned in advance that it would be on BBC Radio 4 I don’t know but it would be good if HarperSport included a bibliography should they bring it out in paperback.

It’s a weird trade in which we publishers work. Soon a sure-fire best seller will be published but it will be discounted to an inch of it’s price and no bookshop will make any money. Does that make sense? Of course not but that’s what will happen when the seventh and last Harry Potter book is published.
It’s such a ridiculous situation that certain independent booksellers I know find it cheaper to buy copies at a supermarket than from a book wholesaler. Some independent shops will not stock it because it’s not worth it.
Bloomsbury, the publisher, finds the excessive discounting “distressing” but can’t do anything about it. The problem is the entry into bookselling of supermarkets. They often use popular items as loss leaders and it seems they are prepared to do this with Harry Potter or at least make very little profit..
The answer is for Bloomsbury to insist on a them paying a higher price but I can’t see that happening.
Bring back the net book agreement!