Bruce Thomas` On The Road Again - ordering info.

[johnfoyle]

Bruce Thomas`sequel to The Big Wheel is due to be
be published `at the end of July` , according to it`s
publishers , Bentwyck Henry Publishers. They have
quoted me a price of £12.99 and say they can take
direct orders.

Contact details are:


Bentwyck Henry Publishers Ltd.,36 Hart Street,
Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 2AU. Tel: 01491
413100 e-mail: bentwyckhenrybks@aol.com

[johnfoyle]

When I placed my order for this with the publishers I asked if they could get Bruce to sign my copy. They have replied that he will - yippee! I`m not saying they will do it for everyone but there`s not harm asking. The book is still due to come out `late in July`.

Incidentally Amazon are still listing incorrect publication data for it - it refers to a cancelled publication from last year.

[johnfoyle]

Bruce Thomas``follow up` memoir On The Road Again
has been delayed. Below is the e-mail I received today
from his publishers. They are still promising me a
signed copy - that doesn`t mean all copies ordered
will be signed , but you might as well ask anyway.

------------------------------------------------------
BentwyckHenryBks@aol.com
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2003 10:55:22 EDT
Subject: Pre order- On the Road Again



Dear Mr Foyle,

Due to some unforeseen delays On the Road Again will
not be published until September. We will send your
signed copy as soon as it has been published. We
apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Kind regards

Cathrin Kihl
Bentwyck Henry Publishers
------------------------------------------------------

[HungupStrungup]

Dear Mr Foyle,

Due to some unforeseen delays On the Road Again will
not be published until September. We will send your
signed copy as soon as it has been published. We
apologise for the inconvenience caused.

Kind regards

Cathrin Kihl
Bentwyck Henry Publishers

I just love corporate-speak. Shall we parse "We apologise for the inconvenience caused" then? "We apologise" seems pretty straightforward, but I wonder, did the personnel at Bentwyck Henry Publishers vote on whether to apologise to you, johnfoyle? Is a simple majority sufficient to generate this message, or is two-thirds required, or even three-quarters? Did Cathrin Kihl herself have to agree that an apology was warranted, in order for the email to be sent? Perhaps it even had to be unanimous, as "we apologise" does make it sound as though some concensus were reached. If so, what if one disgruntled mail clerk or editor's assistant decided to throw a spanner in the works: viz. "All right then, apologise to everyone else who's ordered the book if you want, but not that punctation-free git johnfoyle. He can just kiss my arse." And speaking of disgruntled mail clerks and editor's assistants, why is it "disgruntled" anyway? Does that mean "not gruntled"?

"For the inconvenience caused" is the truly mysterious part of this missive. The passive voice is suspect: "caused" by whom? I'd certainly like to know! And it's not as though johnfoyle is being singled out for inconveniencing, after all. They're not publishing the book and yet holding onto johnfoyle's copy out of some pique over his insolence at asking for an inscription. How can one be truly inconvenienced if a book is not published on schedule? (While we're at it, is that SHED-yule in the English fashion or SKED-yule as here in the Colonies?) It's not as though johnfoyle had only one window of opportunity in which to read the book, but now that it's delayed, there's simply no point in issuing it at all. He had rearranged his life in order to have the time available for reading, but now that time so carefully set aside will go to waste, there being nothing else to read, or do: johnfoyle will spend much of August simply staring into space. And finding time for reading in September or thereafter will be absolotely impossible.

Come down off that ledge, johnfoyle, before you do something drastic. I know it seems there's no reason to go on living without your Bruce Thomas book, but we'll all help you get through it, I swear. And please, no one should mention or play Willie Nelson's song, "On the Road Again" in the meantime, or you'll have johnfoyle's racking sobs to deal with .

[johnfoyle]

I wonder what the `problem` was ? Legal? Taste?

------------------------------------------------------
From: BentwyckHenryBks@aol.com
Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 07:22:04 EDT
Subject: Re: Pre order- On the Road Again





Dear John Foyle,

Thank you for your email regarding On the Road Again.
I'm afraid publication has been delayed until end
October - we should definetely make that date as the
problem has been ironed out. Your copy is at the top
of the list and will be sent out immediately on
publication.

Thank you so much for your interest and patience -

Best regards



Mary Seddon
Marketing Manager