Book bites BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER

FEBRUARY 2007

Terry Pratchett Down Under

On the eve of his tour Down Under as guest of honour at the inaugural Australian Discworld Convention, Jessica Broadbent put a few questions to bestselling authorand creator of Discworld itselfTerry Pratchett.
What did you read as a child? As a young man? I read hardly anything until I was about 10, and then read anything I could get my hands on. Science fiction was a major component in my early teens, and the nice thing about good SF and fantasy is that it can open the door to other areas of interestin my case astronomy, folklore and social history. Has your reading broadened now that you are older, or have you stuck to the same genres you enjoyed when you were younger? I hardly read in genre at all these days, other than to keep up with how its developing. In fact I rarely read fiction at all, except on long-haul flights. The pile of books by my bed right now include volumes on poisons, the history of salt and the British diplomatic service! How did it feel when you decided to leave journalism and write full-time? Exciting? Scary? Did you worry about the mundane things like What if I cant pay the bills? or were you already caught up in writing a new book? Mostly exciting. I had a multiple book deal, so I knew I had a good chance of staying solvent for the next three years. That was enough to take the danger out of the leap. Audiobooks: have you listened to any of Tony Robinsons readings of your books? What do you think of them? Do you ever advise him on the pronunciation of some of the odder words? I took him through a few! Im pretty pleased, and he does some wonderful voices. Stephen Briggs, who does the US and UK unabridged versions, is pin-sharp on names because he adapts the books for the amateur stage. A good test of an audiobook reader is whether they can make me laugh at my own stuff. Are you looking forward to the Australian Discworld Convention? Is this a trick question? Do you like the way that the readers seem to have taken over your books? Fans have created such things as Discworld websites, message boards and conventions, as well as figurines, jewelry, newsletters, magazines, even a Discworld Beer Bash (an event I think the Aussie fans would be happy to adopt for the Melbourne convention). Its fan activity! Thats what you get. Its friendly, small-scale stuff. You should see some of the costumes fans have displayed at convention masqueradesthey are amazing. Thats fans for you; they get an extra dimension out of the books, and thats fine by me. But beyond the fans there are the readers, lots of them, wholl buy the books but would never by a t-shirt, and I write for them as well. How do you feel about the TV adaptation of Hogfather, which aired in the UK in December 2006? Is there anything that you have resolved to do differently for the film version of Wee Free Men? I feel pretty good about Hogfather. It was true to the book and got good viewing figures. But it had a 5 million budget, which is small! The Wee Free Men will have a much bigger budget and, on the downside, I doubt Ill have the same free access to the studio and personnel as I did with Hogfather. But as far as I can see, Sam Raime and Pamela Pettler (the scriptwriter) get it. Are you worried about the future of books,and reading? Some people believe that with the introduction of the virtual reader, books as we know them will become obsolete. Like clay tablets did. I have some books I really treasure as things in their own right, but a book is its content. Im worried about the storage capabilities of electronic media, but you find me a handheld reader that can be as easy on the eye as a page of text, and a nerdproof way of making sure authors dont get robbed, then Im ready for it. There is something very intimate about reading a book, which is why Id want an e-book that mimics a paper one, hopefully with intelligent paper. I believe it will happen. I wont sell my library, though!

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How do you feel about the hype over the past few years about such books as the Da Vinci Code and Harry Potter? Do you think that people are loosing the ability and inclination to read for pleasure, and that books are becoming a fashion statement, like having the latest brand of sneakers, or mobile phone? You have chosen a mismatched pair! The Harry Potter series had a very strong following in the world of childrens books before the hype (and, indeed, the hype about the hype) began. Im not sure whether the books are uniquely responsible for bringing many more children to reading, but they certainly raised the profile of childrens literature overall, to the benefit of readers and authors alike. Perhaps some kids got the book because they were part of the current playground craze, but I cant see that as a bad thing. As I recall, the Da Vinci Code seemed to go into hype orbit from day one. But there have always been books, for one reason or another, that have caught the public imagination and made the lucky author extremely rich. Its part of what happens when you have a publishing industry. While you might think hype is a bad thing, at least its books that are being hyped. The people I do feel sorry for (well, a bit sorry for) are new authors who are picked up on the strength of a promising new novel and get both an advance and a publicity budget that more traditional authors have to work for years to achieve. But that means the pressure is on them to do the same trick twice and not all of them manage this. Im glad I had the chance to start small and build, out of the eye of publicity and without too many expectations to live up to. The Inaugural Australian Discworld Convention will be held in Melbourne from 6 to 11 February 2007 (www.ausdwon.org). Following the convention Terry Pratchett will be touring to Melbourne (12 February), Sydney (13 February) and Brisbane (14 February).

Cooking up a storm
As we prepare for the traditional harvest season, a host of new cookery titles vie for attention. From seasonal fare to peasant food and from decadent cakes, pies and slices to the best of Australian country cooking, theres a title for every palate. Rob Campbell reports.
While many people prepare for the coming winter by stocking up on provisions of baked beans and canned soup for the long chilly nights, a good cookbook is inspiration to cook up a storm in the colder months. March and April will see a flurry of food titles hit the shelves around the nation. Courtesy of Murdoch Books comes the second release from young Sydney chef Jared Ingersoll, Sharing Plates (March). Following the success of his 2006 collection Danks Street Depot, Ingersoll has compiled another 64 recipes for drinks, nibbles, desserts and shared plates. The book is separated into the four seasons, with many recipes introduced by Ingersoll with a personal recollection or historical verity. In contrast to these metropolitan delights is Loukie Werles Cucina Povera:Italian Peasant Cooking (Media 21 Publishing, distributed through Random House, March). Though traditionally one would be wise to avoid the food of peasants, Werle derives inspiration from the old Italian proverb: The more you spend, the worse you eat. The title loosely translates to humble food, which the author denes as the real food of Italy: The true Italian cuisine is more likely to be found in humble trattorias, homes and farmhouses than in upmarket restaurants. Despite the odd image of a sky blue Vespa or a suitably divine Florentine vista managing to nd its way between the pages, Werles collection is a testament to the ancient virtues of seasonal ingredients, affordable recipes and slow cooking techniques. For readers after something a little more geographically relevant Lantern released Mix & Bake by the perennial Belinda Jeffery (March). The book features the authors 100 all-time favourite baked-good recipes, from cakes, slices and pies to tarts, mufns and biscuits. One is left amazed that Jeffery has managed to maintain such a slender gure when presented with such articles as her gooey butterscotch peach cake or mocha cake with shards of coffee bean brittle. As Jeffery remarks in her introduction Baking has been my thing. After decades of experience in both the television and radio industrycombined with her successful caf proprietorship, we can at least give her that. Finally, Viking and The Country Womens Association of Australia have come together to release a second edition of Country Classics: A Collection of 500 Classic Recipes (April). Originally devised in 2001 to commemorate the centenary of Federation, the book is an anthology of recipes sent in by CWA members around the nation. As editor Peter Flaherty writes, These recipes have stood the test of thousands of meal timesThey are published with the same spirit of goodwill with which they were sent. The recipes success lies in their simplicity, and is a tribute to the hard-working country cooks around Australia.

BOOKSELLER + PUBLISHER
FEBRUARY 2007

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