Last time I did one of these, I quoted Ferris Bueller’s words on life moving pretty fast. Then I allowed three years to pass until I sat down to write this one, kind of proving his point.
A lot has changed in that time, not least the fact that I’ve had two kids since then. But the main thing I wanted to talk about today is Main Characters, my third book, which publishes in the UK today after a whirlwind pre-publication run-up.
It’s been a lot of fun already. And it’s only the beginning…
Main Characters was a Book of the Month pick
Probably the coolest way to kick off my publication journey was receiving the news, a couple of months ago, that Main Characters had been selected as a Book of the Month pick for their subscribers in June.
For those (i.e. Brits) who don’t know about Book of the Month, it’s a book subscription box which has been running in the US for over a hundred years, and which connects thousands of readers with a curated selection of new books each month.
And because they selected Main Characters for their June box, BotM subscribers actually had the sneaky privilege of reading the book before anyone else – as it didn’t hit stores in America until this Monday, June 29th.
It was featured on NBC’s Today Show
As an obsessed viewer of The Morning Show, American morning television occupies a kind of fantastical, otherworldly place in my imagination. So to see my book on it was an incredibly surreal experience.
Luckily, the wonderful Isaac Fitzgerald had a glowing review to share about Main Characters, describing its “fantastic structure” and “complex, complex characters.” He said (and I quote): “It’s a wonderfully dreamed-up concept for a book, and the way he executes it, Bobby Palmer just does such a good job. It’s a very emotional book, it’s a very real book, and I love, love, loved it.”
Not sure I will ever recover. And the fact that the episode aired live at the very beginning of publication week was just the icing on the cake.
…And chosen by Amazon as one of their best books for July
That’s right, the Amazon editors selected Main Characters as one of their biggest books for July, which means that – for a month at least – I get to rub shoulders with Colson Whitehead.
Seriously though, how cool does that look? You can find the book on Amazon here – or Audible have also been recommending the audiobook as one of their top picks, read brilliantly by Sofia Oxenham.
I kicked off my UK book tour
It’s not just in America that Main Characters is winging its way into readers’ hands and onto their bookshelves. It’s out in the UK today, and I’m already on the road to celebrate that fact.
On Tuesday, I appeared at the legendary Bert’s Books in Swindon with the even more legendary Mike Gayle. And last night, at Waterstones Trafalgar Square, I had the honour of launching this book off into the world with my dear friend and ex Book Chat co-host Pandora Sykes.
Tonight, I’ll be in Maldon with Kate Sawyer. Next Tuesday, it’s Simply Books in Stockport with Claire Daverley. And there’s even more than that – so here’s a link to all my upcoming events, and tickets to each of them. I hope I’ll see you at one of them!
…And cooked up a special publication day treat
I’ve been working on this book for over two years, and this companion piece for just as long. Whenever I write a book, I maintain a constantly changing playlist of music to get me in the zone. And because Main Characters is so rooted in the indie sleaze era of mid-2000s London, the music was more important than ever before.
For your listening pleasure, I’ve streamlined that playlist to be the perfect accompaniment to the book. An official playlist, with a twist: Main Characters features 82 different viewpoints, one per chapter – and this playlist features 82 different songs, ordered to match each chapter perfectly as you read.
I hope you’ll enjoy listening to it while you read the novel. But more than anything, I hope you’ll enjoy the novel. I loved writing this book, and I hope you love reading it, too.
B