record is none too good.'
'It isn't?' said Piper who had never thought of such mundane things as sales.
'They're naturally old-fashioned and if they do take Search and that's still not entirely certain are they going to be the best people to push it? That's the question.'
'But I thought you said they'd agreed to buy?' said Piper uncomfortably.
'They've made an offer, a good offer, but are we going to accept it?' said Frensic. 'That's what we have to discuss.'
'Yes,' said Piper. 'Yes, we are.'
Frensic looked questioningly at Sonia. 'The US market?' he asked. Sonia shook her head.
'If we're going to sell to a US publisher we need someone bigger than Corkadales over here first. Someone with get-up-and-go who's going to promote the book in a big way.'
'My feelings exactly,' said Frensic. 'Corkadales have the prestige but they could kill it stone dead.'
'But...' began Piper, by now thoroughly disturbed.
'Getting a first novel off the ground in the States isn't easy,' said Sonia. 'And with a new British author it's like...'
'Trying to sell fireworks in hell?' suggested Frensic, doing his best to avoid Eskimos and icecream.
'The words from my mouth,' said Sonia. 'They don't want to know.'
'They don't?' said Piper.
Frensic bought another round of drinks. When he returned Sonia was into tactics.
'A British author in the States needs a gimmick. Thrillers are easy. Historical romance better still. Now if Search were about Regency beaux, or better still Mary, Queen of Scots, we'd have no problem. That sort of stuff they lap up but Search is a deeply insight '
'What about Pause O Men for the Virgin?' said Frensic. 'Now there's a book that is going to take America by storm.'
'Absolutely,' said Sonia. 'Or would have done if the author could go to promote it.'
They relapsed into gloomy silence.
'Why can't he go?' asked Piper.
Too ill,' said Sonia.
'Too reserved and shy,' said Frensic. 'I mean he insists on using a nom de plume.'
'A nom de plume?' said Piper amazed that an author didn't want his name on the cover of his book.
'It's tragic really,' said Sonia. 'He's having to throw away two million dollars because he can't go.'
'Two million dollars?' said Piper.
'And all because he's got osteo-arthritis and the American publisher insists on his making a promotional tour and he can't do it.'
'But that's terrible,' said Piper.
Frensic and Sonia nodded more gloomily than before. 'And he's got a wife and six children,' said Sonia. Frensic started. The wife and six children weren't in the script.
'How awful,' said Piper.
'And with terminal osteo-arthritis he'll never write another book.' Frensic started again. That wasn't in the script either. But Sonia ploughed on. 'And maybe with that two million dollars he could have taken a new course of drugs...'
Frensic hurried away for some more drinks. This was really laying it on with a trowel.
'Now if we could only get someone to take his place,' said Sonia looking deeply and significantly into Piper's eyes. 'The fact that he is prepared to use a nom de plume and the American publisher doesn't know...' She left the implications to be absorbed.
'Why can't you tell the American publisher the truth?' he asked.
