A certain book

Oh, no concern or guilt about breaking the law in your family then?

My daughter has just sent me a PDF copy of the book, apparently it was leaked from a supplier and is going out via WhatsApp. So no payment at all.

I read the first chapter all soft focus and syrupy and won’t read any further.

Seconded. How it happens is irrelevant.

The brilliant doctor and epidemiologist, John Wright, worked on the Covid ward of Bradford Royal Infirmary from the start of the epidemic. He somehow managed at the same time to do a regular podcast for the BBC in the form of a journal, documenting those dark days from his own experience. From that he’s written a book, The Coronavirus Doctor’s Diary, and it states on the first page that All proceeds from the sale of this book are donated to the Against Malaria Foundation who provide simple bed nets to help protect children and parents from malaria. All proceeds.

Exactly GSM.

I don’t suppose posters are looking at the niceties of accounting practices. H has received income amounting to millions of dollars by way of an advance and H has paid out of that income a relatively pitiful sum to charity. Accounting practices are irrelevant to the principle that has been the subject of comment.

Germanshepherdsmum

The payments to charity are reported to have been made out of the advance. So as regards H’s receipt and his payments, not apples and oranges. I haven’t seen any assertion that the publisher will donate to charity. The advance is clearly H’s profit from ‘writing’ the book at this stage.

I see Harry has said the $1.8m will be a donation from him. I’d never looked before having zero interest.

I now have no idea why people are wittering about profit, when an author’s advances and royalties are, for tax and accounting purposes, income.

Is there any other?

You mean this one?

The payments to charity are reported to have been made out of the advance. So as regards H’s receipt and his payments, not apples and oranges. I haven’t seen any assertion that the publisher will donate to charity. The advance is clearly H’s profit from ‘writing’ the book at this stage.

My DD is currently reading it. She is inquisitive -- nosy-- like her mother! Not that we are particularly bothered, you understand. DD thinks the book is a mixture; that Harry has rather "enjoyed" telling the juicy bits (as if he is the only person alive to have experienced x, y, z), that he might have gained some satisfaction closure from opening himself up, and that he is having a good laugh at his readership.
The book will be coming my way shortly, though I may have to disinfect it first. DD has covid you understand!
PS she rather likes Meghan and thinks a lot of the book is "written" by her.

It has been reported that H received a $20m advance for his book and has paid £1.5m to two charities (in total)

Apples and oranges. Advances are against royalties. They are a pre-profit cost.

Profits are made by publishers. People in this thread are asserting that the charity donations are from profits, not from the author’s royalties,

If that is true (I have no idea and I suspect neither does anyone else here) then whether the sum paid is a large or small percentage of those profits depends on volume and price of sales.

Publishers aim for a pre-tax profit margin of 10 - 12%. They rarely realise that.

I wouldn’t buy it, but if I got it free I would read it. I’m mildly curious.

Didn’t see anyone buying it yesterday in my Sainsbury’s. I’m sure on TV they said he has been signed up for four books! What on earth is he going to write about. Won’t be reading or listening to his whinge.

Siope

I understand that a fixed sum is going to charity, so whether it’s a small percentage of overall profit depends on how many are sold, and at what price.

It has been reported that H received a $20m advance for his book and has paid £1.5m to two charities (in total).

Happy Valley was definitely a good choice for me, I’m fed up with his poor me bleating, it’s hard to get away from, plastered as it is all over the paper and tv. Some of the things I’ve heard and him say are quite frankly disgusting, the way he talks about women, vulgar, bad mouthing his own father and step mother, his brother, who suffered just as he did, he is a self pitying man, who will be welcomed back by the people he is rubbishing one day. I hope tgey don’t respond to him and soon we can listen to the real news not look or hear this grumpy, hard done by billionaire.

I am reading the book in the picture in the middle of Spare books posted earlier.

I understand that a fixed sum is going to charity, so whether it’s a small percentage of overall profit depends on how many are sold, and at what price.

All profits? No, a very tiny percentage!

No maggiemaybe only a small proportion of the money is going to charities, unless it now changes.

Well, I'm a bit miffed with our library service (particularly as our two nearest libraries have been shut down recently). They aren't listing Spare on either of the online services they offer, the one for audiobooks or the one for e-books. I do want to read it, but I feel I can wait till it's in one of the local charity shops.

All profits are supposed to be going to charities though, aren't they?

I won't be reading it, Harry is a disgrace I'll give him ten years with the Meghan.

Saw it being put on the shelves at Tesco's, I said ... no need to buy it as everyone knows what's in it !

I’m pretty sure I just saw a Tesco for £9…. wouldn’t interest me if it was 9p..

TerriBull

I think to be fair many books go on sale half price, I bought The Ink Black Heart half price, I'm hoping the new Elly Griffiths will be half price. Talking of which someone posted recently that they were no 350 something in line for that at her library as opposed to number 15 upthread for Spare.

I was the one 15th in library queue for ‘Spare’.

Am also in the queue for Elly Griffiths’ latest, but am 11th for that.

My little local library comes into its own for popular books obviously.

I very rarely buy hardbacks waiting until the paperback comes out, so won’t buy this, but am glad that a percentage is going to charity.
I think part of the attraction for people is a glimpse behind the facade of the very secretive RF.