Author needs your help

[mortalcoils]

Sorry if this is the wrong place (or, indeed, thing) to post, but I'm after some advice. I'm perhaps best known as an author of slightly edgy/very edgy teenage novels, e.g. Hellbent, Henry Tumour and The Knife That Killed Me. Over the last couple of years I've also written 4 books for younger children, beginning with The Bare Bum Gang and The Football Face-Off. All 4 books are about the same group of children, and are aimed at 7-10 year olds. They are published by Random House, and got really nice reviews from all of the broadsheets. However, they haven't exactly set the world on fire, commercially, and I've been told it's because the titles, which all feature the dreaded words 'Bare bum Gang', have been putting people off. I've been told as a fact that book clubs won't have them because of the 'bum'. The books are really quite sweet, albeit rather rude, in a fart/poo kind of way. So, what do you reckon - should I ditch the bum, or keep on trying?
Regards
Anthony McGowan
(apologies again if this isn;'t the kind of thing that belongs here.)

Oh, and would you mind using more paragraphs when you post.

I find it difficult to read long posts otherwise.

Thank you.

Don't take it to heart Anthony, we haven't. We're just joshing with you. Good luck with your books.

There's a difference between banter and just being insulting.

what was the tweet, anthony?

i don't understand why you were so rude, tbh, it came out of nowhere a bit, afaic everyone was really pleasant and helpful on the thread. btw i am currently reading to four year old dd from a roald dahl box set bought from The Titchmarsh People, and her head doesn't seem to have turned to marshmallow. agree that their adults books are shite, but you're way off the mark with their kids stuff, imo.

Tell you what - mumsnet - what a bunch of harridans. Went on there for some advice, and you'd have thought I'd tried flash them.

aaaah. here it is...

"Tell you what - mumsnet - what a bunch of harridans. Went on there for some advice, and you'd have thought I'd tried flash them." 15 hours ago.

what a peculiar snapshot of the thread at that time. i take it that 'i camped it up a bit' is mcgowan for 'i am an ungrateful wee bawbag'?

thanks, mme. and ooooh, you're a blonde. i do not tweet. it would be the virtual end for me.

'a bunch of harridans' = 'they didn't tell me what I wanted to hear'

I think the correct collective noun for harridans is 'horde', no? Much more appropriate, surely.

Good gracious!

Poface - which bit struck you as angry - I've been rather enjoying myself - did that not come across?

MmeLindt Sorry if I appeared rude - was just trying to match the tone of the other posters here - reread them if you don't know what I mean.

That paragraph short enough for you?

Aitch - scratching my head here - and it's not just that I've caught my daughter's nits. I gave fulsome praise and gratitude to the many helpful posters - did you not read that? I then replied robustly and, I hoped, humorously to the 'your book sounds crap paedophile porn' brigade - who are, of course perfectly entitled to their views. I usually try to express myself in interesting and graphic ways - don't you? Really sorry if my language genuinely offended you or anyone. But did it? Really? No, honestly, you were actually offended and hurt? No, of course you weren't - you're just saying it to make a point.

You still sound angry Anthony. Sorry. I think you're being a bit disingenuous to say otherwise.

Crikey - do you think he had a pre-set agenda?
He was given perfectly good advice and suddenly we are a bunch of harridans.
How nasty.

Aitch - flattered that you've been googling me. But wouldn't it have been fair to quote all my mumsnet tweets, in which I state how useful and informative it was, and how I enjoyed the robust views expressed, as well as criticising myself for an earlier snap judgment.

Selective quotation is really very close to telling fibs, wouldn't you agree?

If you feel some posters were insinuating you were a paedophile then of course you've a right to be angry. I didn't see that in any of the posts. But I will re-read later. Have to do things with children. So annoying.

Oh I see - we should have realised the stuff that came out of the blue about elasticated knickers was ironic.

lol, anthony. you don't really get this web chat thing, do you? of course i was saying what i was saying to make a point, the point being that i don't understand why you were suddenly and for no apparent reason so rude to The Very People You Hope Will Buy Your Books. you big dummy...

Haven't read all the thread (looks like there's been a punch up).

I would/will in fact - buy some bare bum books for my 8 year old. He's a good reader, but will only read fact books through choice. Will happily read books for adults if they are factual. Can I get him to read fiction? Barely - drives me mad. But he might read one with bum in the title.

Oh I think I have the same child as drosophila.

christ, you are creepy and arrogant, mcgowan.

new media training course required here, stat, mr random house.

After a quick skim of the thread, I think there was one or two references by what you call the 'your book sounds crap paedophile porn' brigade.

Most of the posters said that the name of the book and the graphics on the book jacket would put them off buying the book, which was what you asked advice on.

Your books may be wonderful - if they are it is a damn shame that the covers are putting people off buying them.

Po - don't understand about the anger - I am genuinely having a nice time. I'm a writer. I sit all day in a small room and stare at a screen. Then I make dinner for the kids. Then I put them to bed. Then I read a book. Having a bit of a barney with a bunch of clever opinionated women is like a holiday for me.
The down side is that someone who has never heard of me - Katisha - will now boycott the books that she wasn't going to buy anyway. But here's a challenge. If any of you buys one of my books or gets it from the library, and doesn't like it, I'll give the cover price to a charity of their choice. Fair?

In the interest of full disclosure, here is Anthony's second tweet this morning:

Was slightly rude about mumsnet - actually got some very helpful comments about cover design, titles etc. But still, they are an angry lot.

And the answer to my tweet (where I expressed my surprise as I had read the thread earlier and found it all quite supportive:

@mmelindor There were some robust views expressed - but perhaps I camped it up a bit. On the whole, very instructive.

Although there are one or two who have said the name would encourage them to buy the books! People with reluctant fiction readers in the main.

I will feedback once ds2 has read them. If it gets him reading fiction rather than another bloody british bird or history book I will be happy.

Because insults usually come from a place of anger Anthony, not having a nice time. Must go.

not just the covers, now, MN's a highly indexed site, anyone googling the "bare bum gang" or "anthony mcgowan" will bring up this thread as well.