HarperCollinsUK you should be embarrassed!

Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper. — Francis Bacon

Last week we forgot to mention Paulo Coelho’s brilliant new book Aleph. — HarperCollinsUK

HarperCollinsUK can you hear us? Aleph needs a better launch. — Paulo Coelho

Any publisher would have done a better job than HarperCollinsUK with the distribution and marketing of Aleph. — Priya Sher

Let’s wait and see if HarperCollinsUK is aware that they are the publishers of Aleph in England. — Paulo Coelho

How could HarperCollinsUK have forgot that Paulo Coelho had a new book Aleph out on the first of this month? But forget they did.

– Paulo Coelho in Waterstone’s and the author the publisher forgot

Is Paulo Coelho the only person whose phone News Corp has not hacked?

How can a publisher forget that one of their most important writers has a new book out? A writer most publishers would be fighting tooth and nail to sign.

How could a publisher forget a book that has proved to be an international best-seller?

Go into most bookshops and you will be very lucky to find Aleph on display. I thought this problem was resticted to Waterstone’s that is was simply an illustration of their low pay staff on minimum wages. Yesterday I found not so.

I visted One Tree Books in Petersfield, selected as official bookseller to the Guildford Bookfestival 2011, Independent Bookshop of the Year 2010. It was depressing. They did not have a clue what was Aleph. I had to spell it for them twice. They had a copy they said, after looking it up on their computer system. It goes without saying no window display, no in store display. They told me yes, they know who Paul Colelho was, they had a selection of his books. Not true. They had a single copy of The Alchemist. As for the Aleph which their system told them they had a single copy, they did not know where it was.

In Istanbul I found Elif on display in every single bookshop. They knew what it was, who the author was. Probably explains why it was No One within days of publication.

This failure of bookshops not to know of the existence of an international best-seller is in part a reflection of the bookshops themselves, but it also has to be down to the publisher Harper Collins UK failing to ensure they know.

Aleph is No One in all countries of publication, bar one, UK. Could this be because the publisher HarperCollinsUK forgot to tell the bookshops?

Maybe News Corp has more important matters to deal with, like how to keep the Murdochs out of prison.

HarerCollinsUK is owned by News Corp.

The Day the Sky fell on Murdoch

Shame on politicians that courted Murdoch for decades, and in one week decided he should be stoned. — Paulo Coelho

Yesterday was the day the Sky fell in on Murdoch.

For at least a decade Murdoch has had a corrosive and toxic influence on British culture and politics. Yesterday was the day his creatures, the fawning politicians, lost their fear and turned on him.

Ten days ago it was a foregone conclusion that the Murdoch-controlled News Corporation, the world’s largest media conglomerate after Disney, would sieze control of BSkyB. It was all done and dusted, all that remained was for Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt MP to rubber-stamp the deal.

Yesterday, Wednesday 13 July 2011, was the day fawning politicians lost their fear of Murdoch. They were his creatures, but they turned on him. It was their Tahrir moment.

The House of Commons were unanimous, Murdoch should not be allowed to take control of BSkyB. Murdoch pre-empted the debate by pulling out of the deal, but it made no difference.

Politicians may think they took the lead. They did not. The lead was taken by the people, all the politicians did was follow. But that is how it should be in a democracy.

The revolt was organised on twitter with the hashtag #notw

News International controls 38% of the print media in the UK. If you think that is bad, in Australia Murdoch-controlled News Ltd owns and controls 68%!

Media control, cross-media control. No one person, no one company, should control a major sector of the media, they should not own and control print and televison.

The limit should be one daily, one Sunday. If you own print media, then you cannot own TV.

The cross-media ownership has looked at print and BSkyB, but we should not forget that Murdoch owns HarperCollins, Fox TV and a film studio.

In the press, a book is promoted that just happens to be printed by HarperCollins, a film is promoted that just happens to come out of a Murdoch film studio, a TV programme has a good review that just happens to be shown on BSkyB, the BBC is slated, it just happens to be a global competitor to BSkyB.

Reputable writers, for example Paulo Coelho, should be asking themselves do they wish to continue with HarperCollins.

In the UK, a Judicial Inqiry is to be launched into police bribery and the behaviour of the media. In Australia, an inquiry is to be launched into Murdoch-controlled News International. In the US, the FBI and Justice Department have been asked to launch investigations.

A tsnami, with its epicentre in London, is now travelling around the world.

– Murdoch, savaged in parliament, pulls British TV bid
– GOPer wants FBI probe of Rupert Murdoch
– Former Wall St Journal owners: ‘We wouldn’t have sold if we had known’
– How Twitter tracked the News of the World scandal
– News Corp shares go down the toilet
– Church of England investment in News Corp
– Good riddance News of the World
– News of the World sinks to new low
– Phone hacking: MPs summons Murdochs
– More calls by US senators for News Corporation inquiry
– Hacking fears ‘spilling over into US’

News Corp shares go down the toilet

news corp down the toilet

News Corp shares are in a free fall.

Murdoch plans to buy back News Corp shares in a desperate attempt to stop them going into free fall.

Shareholders fear massive claim for damages following News of the World phone hacking scandal, and further scandals that are rocking the Murdoch Empire on a daily basis.

Questions are now being asked in US and Asutralia about Murdoch.

It is highly unlikely that Murdoch will be allowed to buy BSkyB, which has forced News Corp to withdraw its bid.

Where now without the BSkyB cash cow? BSkyB shares have fallen by 20%!

– News Corp withdraws bid for BSkyB
– Church of England investment in News Corp
– Good riddance News of the World
– News of the World sinks to new low

Church of England investment in News Corp

The Church of England lacks any moral authority when it holds investment in the toxic Murdoch News Corp. No way can this be classed as an ethical investment.

$6 million investment in Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

Today we learnt a corrupt Royal Protection Officer had been passing details of the Royal Family, friends and contacts to the now closed News of the World.

The Church of England has to show moral leadership which means it has to sell its shares in News Corp.

It would be a pragmatic move to ditch the investment. Murdoch paid over the odds for the Wall Street Journal. Murdoch is highly leveraged. He needs BSkyB as a cash cow. News Corp is likely to go into free fall.

– Church of England threatens to pull News Corp. investment
– NoW ‘paid royal protection officer’
– Good riddance News of the World
– News of the World sinks to new low