Well, Krusanov’s publishing history so far hasn’t been exactly a soaraway success so far. This bit made me laugh.

“The often-philosophical debate was first published in a magazine called “Yo” that the participants put together in the mid-1990s. Unfortunately, there was only one issue.”

I wonder why?!

Re the debt: they’ll have bought it off the original creditor for a fraction of the original cost. I’d love to know at what percentage discount consumer debt is usually sold. So even if I only make a third of those payments, they’ll have made money. Also several hundred of the debt isn’t actually debt, but amounts they’ve added to it for things like letters at 20 quid a pop, a bounced direct debit (12 quid) etc. so that they can bump up the figure at which the debt is sold.

I’m hoping they’ll get a bit bored with collecting it after a while. There was a bit of a mix-up a while ago when I accidentally stopped paying the instalments on another debt and (fingers crossed), that was several months ago, and they seem to have given up on it.

Even if they don’t charge any interst, you won’t complete the payments until 2058, if you *coughs genteely into hand* survive that long, which quite honestly doesn’t seem that probable, considering your exceptionaly active love life.

I’d buy a copy of the blue book, but I’m afraid it will never be published.
The publisher will either:
A) take one look and dump on the discard pile
or
B) Think it’s an absolutely great idea, get it translated and then send you this letter.
Dear Mr. looby,
I’m sorry but we won’t be publishing “The Blue Book of the Alcoholic” as we read it last night and it was so good we all got completely pissed and we can’t remember where we left the only manuscript. This may be providential, as I am writing this letter from the airport in Kirkwall Airport in the Orkneys and have absolutely no idea how I got up here, or why I’m wearing a fur coat(bloody useful seeing what the weather’s like up here) and a pink PVC suspender belt.
This just proves how dangerous this book is,and in the interests ofhumanity I ask you to forget the whole idea.

PS Please send money so I can get back to civilization, or at least England, as the locals are beginning to give me very funny looks.

Pearl