A Mumsnet thread about a book about a Mumsnet thread “Under the Duvet of Darkness” written by the women of Mumsnet

[Boiledbeetle]

For once we can do a thread about a new book where all the writers are actually on this very board!

Some of you know what I have been up to recently, when I can tear myself away from posting twaddle, gifs and sweary words in bigly letters on here, but for the rest of you…

Over Christmas and New Year after the passing of the GRR (Scotland) Bill a thread was started by TerfranosaurusVagina on the Mumsnet FWR board with a poem about Nicola Sturgeon. Eventually on that thread (and a couple of other threads) over 80 poems were written.

Ramblingnamechanger suggested we do something with them to raise funds to help the women of Scotland and whilst Dodecaheidyin was tempted to write to Poetry Please on Radio 4, and ask them to do an extended special for Hogmanay about our poems, in the end it was decided to make the thread into a book.

After much procrastination by me “Under the Duvet of Darkness: Poems written by angry women for angry women because WOMEN WON’T WHEESHT” went live on Amazon on 31st March

https://amzn.eu/d/98aEnJy

If searching on the site you need to:

Select BOOKS as the department and UNDER THE DUVET OF DARKNESS in the search box.

Currently it doesn’t show up in the main all departments search (I don’t know why or if it will, it takes a while for everything to work properly according to Amazon).

Theres also a QR code below which should take you right there (hopefully the attached works)

MONEY FROM SALES:

In honour of Magdalen Berns, who co-founded the Scottish campaign group For Women Scotland, 100% of the profit from the sale of this book will be donated to For Women Scotland.*

*Please note that whilst the profit will be donated to For Women Scotland they are not involved, nor are they responsible in any way for the themes, contents or publication of this book.

“It’s not hate to defend your rights, and it’s not hate to speak the truth.”

Magdalen Berns (1983 – 2019)

There's still some being processed, books that is not reviews, although hopefully there is some of then as well!

After a lot of hassle , finally getting two copies sent to Uk . Looks as though it is going to get a bit of money for FWS. Well done everyone!

💐Thank you for making the suggesting we do this! And for buying some copies.

Obviously there was the ones processed before today as well. So we've actually got nearly £230 raised so far! and everyone gets nice?!? Poetry to read!

And another nice review had gone up

Indeed! It's instructive to compare the "Verified Purchase" 5 star reviews for Helen Joyce's Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality on Amazon with the unverified purchase ones.

Erudite....nice word choice. Mystery reviewer. And no! I didn't have to go and look it up!. Honest I didn't!

Of course you didn't, you're the editor of, and a contributor to, Amazon's best-selling slim volume of poetry, Boiled.

Have you seen how many times i write fur instead of for!

So, did you know, and if you didn't you are about to, a 130 page black and white paperback costs £2 to print in the UK, £2.16 in France and £2.40 in the US.

Then Amazon take the postage and packaging money off you.

Then they give you 60% of what's left.

So it works out roughly about £2.50 profit on a £7.50 book.

But, for that £5 Amazon gets they do have to print out an actual book and deliver it so that we can all sit and read it. And we get and actual book out of it.

And please note that the one bad review was written by someone who didn't actually buy the book, so not sure how they can judge...

Well said this book reviewer!

What a fantastic thing to have done @Boiledbeetle ! I've posted it as a fundraiser on the Ovarit activist board. And bought a copy of course!

https://ovarit.com/o/Activism/316109/under-the-duvet-of-darkness-written-by-the-women-of-mumsnet

4 stars showing now!

So much better.

The lived experiences of women are an education in their own.

I'm on my second read through 😁

@Vebrithien Let me know when you've read them all about 200 times! I mean I love you all dearly, but you have no idea how sick of poems I was by the end of March.

@ChristinaXYZ thank you!. In a very strange moment then I clicked on your link. Then clicked on the link there and I was back where I started!

It's funny thinking about our one star reviewer.

Back on the original poem thread. 2 poems in, so the point the book stops in the Amazon preview we got our first visitor to the thread. Of course their disparaging remark, well remarks- so good they appeared twice, ended up in the book.

Maybe Lola was reading the thread and wishes to emulate her friend?

Really looking forward to this, somehow completely missed the original threads so excited to read the poems.

Why, it's as if FWS read my mind!

@ExiledElsie

As long as you don't mind sweary words. There are a lot!

But let's be honest would you expect anything less?

Someone is still at work at Amazon!

Will I need a glass of sherry to cope with the shocking language?!

Better make it a large one! There are men with penises in there!

I dunno when they get added to your spreadsheet but mine (ordered about 24 hours ago) has just this minute popped up as dispatched. I thought that might help give you an indication of where amazon are in the queue?

I'm not sure how instant it actually is. So I've no clue if it's updating as they print or if they wait and do them in batches. The delivery periods are all over the place as well!

I also have one delivery, in London that has been missing in action since 9.24 this morning!

This is since it went live, (currently on 88 today), but we've sold over 100 copies!!

I have mine! Fantastic. Well done to you for going this and for all the women of FWR who contributed, very happy to support this

Excellent.

I keep having this wave of reality hit me that there is a book of poems written by Mumsnetters now out there in people's houses.

Then I get the giggles!

OK whichever Amazon van driver finished their shift and didn't deliver the book of poems that was in their van....why???????? Why didn't you deliver it?