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Francis Plug #1
Francis Plug: Cómo ser un Autor Público
Francis Plug es un inadaptado entrañable, un alcohólico empedernido, un jardinero desequilibrado, un tipo desastroso, caradura, una caricatura de sí mismo. Lo que lo diferencia del resto de hombres de estas características es su obsesión con los escritores. Concretamente, con los ganadores del Premio Booker, cuyas firmas se ha propuesto conseguir a toda costa. Irrumpe sin reparo en una presentación tras otra y hace pasar vergüenza a autores de la altura de Salman Rushdie, Hillary Mantel, Kazuo Ishiguro o V. S. Naipaul. Además, él mismo también está escribiendo un libro: un manual de autoayuda para escritores noveles. En una deslumbrante sátira al más puro estilo inglés, Paul Ewen reflexiona sobre la soledad, el ansia de encajar y los escabrosos entramados de la industria editorial. Esta novela es un retrato despiadado de lo que significa ser un autor en el siglo xxi.
384 pages, Paperback
First published September 25, 2014
22 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Paul Ewen
9 books20 followersPaul Ewen is a New Zealand writer based in south London. In NZ his work has been published in Landfall and Sport, and in the UK his stories have appeared in the British Council’s New Writing anthology (edited by Ali Smith and Toby Litt), and also in the Times Higher Education Supplement and Tank magazine. He has written for Dazed & Confused, and is a regular contributor to Hamish Hamilton’s online magazine Five Dials.
His first book, London Pub Reviews, was called ‘a cross between Blade Runner and Coronation Street’ (Waterstones) and ‘a work of comic genius’ (Dan Rhodes).
Francis Plug—long-time companion of Paul’s, if only in a parallel universe—is a key figure in the British literary scene, regularly found in the company of today’s highest profile authors. Based in Tufnell Park, London, he also works as a residential gardener (with very competitive rates). According to Francis, How to Be a Public Author, his first book, was written with the assistance of his amanuensis, Paul Ewen.
His first book, London Pub Reviews, was called ‘a cross between Blade Runner and Coronation Street’ (Waterstones) and ‘a work of comic genius’ (Dan Rhodes).
Francis Plug—long-time companion of Paul’s, if only in a parallel universe—is a key figure in the British literary scene, regularly found in the company of today’s highest profile authors. Based in Tufnell Park, London, he also works as a residential gardener (with very competitive rates). According to Francis, How to Be a Public Author, his first book, was written with the assistance of his amanuensis, Paul Ewen.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
June 7, 2018
Plug (a fictional alcoholic and slightly autistic part time gardener and aspirational author) decides to write a book to prepare authors for their increasing requirement to appear in public at book readings, book signings and literary festivals by attending such events. The book is themed around Booker Prize winners – with Plug’s story of his interaction with the winner to get his book (actually his banker employer’s first editions of the book) signed and dedicated and the short surreal conversations he has with the authors.
Not a book which completely worked for me - and I would like to claim (and did at first) that it was because the book was a little too lightweight and repetitive.
However - as someone who queues up every year to get the Booker shortlist signed and (literally) dines out for the rest of the year on the resulting 1 minute conversations with each of the authors who I then like to pretend are my best friends ("well as Ali said to me ..." etc.) - on reflection it is more that I simply don't want to admit to how much of this may ring rather too close to home!!!
Not a book which completely worked for me - and I would like to claim (and did at first) that it was because the book was a little too lightweight and repetitive.
However - as someone who queues up every year to get the Booker shortlist signed and (literally) dines out for the rest of the year on the resulting 1 minute conversations with each of the authors who I then like to pretend are my best friends ("well as Ali said to me ..." etc.) - on reflection it is more that I simply don't want to admit to how much of this may ring rather too close to home!!!
December 29, 2014
“Perhaps, with his literary credentials, together with his wild rock ‘n’ roll ways, Nick Cave is the perfect blueprint for the novelist of the future; quiet, solitary and disciplined, yet loud, crowd-pleasing and mental.”
How To Be A Public Author by Francis Plug is the first novel by New Zealand-born author, Paul Ewen. Gardener and would-be author, Francis Plug has decided to share knowledge he has gleaned from attendance at author events of Booker Prize-winning writers, collating “a rich mine of information pertaining to the public skills of our most noted authors. Stage etiquette, audience questions, book signings, wardrobe, performance”, declaring it “invaluable knowledge for those of us forced to become public authors too.”
In thirty-two chapters, each enhanced by an image of the (in most cases, signed and dedicated to Francis Plug) title page, Francis describes his encounters with these writers at various author events in bookshops, libraries, theatres and at book fairs, giving the reader a unique perspective. At the same time, he relates events in his everyday life as it slowly descends into chaos.
Francis gradually reveals himself to be an earnest, if rather sad and lonely figure, often drunk, self-deluded and perhaps even a little psychotic. While Francis is certainly an unreliable narrator, both his observations and his activities at these events are a source of much humour. The reader will cringe, wince, groan and laugh out loud at what Francis says to those he meets, at his comment s and asides and at his (often bizarre) behaviour.
As well as usually consuming a staggering amount of alcohol at these author events, Francis manages to somehow include dirty nails, smelly clothes, Royal horse poo, little bunny rabbits, a wrestling ring, sneaking into fire exits, shouting obscenities, wee-stained trousers, a smuggled microphone, a bucket of eggs, advertising fliers, the rumour of a murdered author, a black bin cover and several fire extinguishers. It becomes apparent that the title of his book could equally be “How To Be A Public Author’s Nightmare”. A hilarious debut novel.
How To Be A Public Author by Francis Plug is the first novel by New Zealand-born author, Paul Ewen. Gardener and would-be author, Francis Plug has decided to share knowledge he has gleaned from attendance at author events of Booker Prize-winning writers, collating “a rich mine of information pertaining to the public skills of our most noted authors. Stage etiquette, audience questions, book signings, wardrobe, performance”, declaring it “invaluable knowledge for those of us forced to become public authors too.”
In thirty-two chapters, each enhanced by an image of the (in most cases, signed and dedicated to Francis Plug) title page, Francis describes his encounters with these writers at various author events in bookshops, libraries, theatres and at book fairs, giving the reader a unique perspective. At the same time, he relates events in his everyday life as it slowly descends into chaos.
Francis gradually reveals himself to be an earnest, if rather sad and lonely figure, often drunk, self-deluded and perhaps even a little psychotic. While Francis is certainly an unreliable narrator, both his observations and his activities at these events are a source of much humour. The reader will cringe, wince, groan and laugh out loud at what Francis says to those he meets, at his comment s and asides and at his (often bizarre) behaviour.
As well as usually consuming a staggering amount of alcohol at these author events, Francis manages to somehow include dirty nails, smelly clothes, Royal horse poo, little bunny rabbits, a wrestling ring, sneaking into fire exits, shouting obscenities, wee-stained trousers, a smuggled microphone, a bucket of eggs, advertising fliers, the rumour of a murdered author, a black bin cover and several fire extinguishers. It becomes apparent that the title of his book could equally be “How To Be A Public Author’s Nightmare”. A hilarious debut novel.
August 20, 2017
What motivates the event author participant? What makes them seek out the quivering human flesh, blood and bone marrow of the author? The fiction author in particular? Surely they, the audience , have the prerequisite imaginative skills necessary to follow the author's invented work in the first place, and yet they seek to crush their flight of fancy by exposing themselves to the factory machinery as it were. They have to follow Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse back to the changing rooms and smell the sweat from the red-face puppeteers.
As someone who on the one hand attends to such events, yet on the other fully supports the Ferrante view that a book, once published, has no need of its author, that is a very interesting question.
But for Francis Plug, the "author" of this book but actually a fictional creation of the real author Paul Ewen, the answer is: to get free wine of greater value than the entrance price, disrupt the proceedings and to point out to the authors all the rude bits of their books. E.g. to Ben Okri:
I liked that bit in The Famished Road where Madame Koto is moving a table in her bar and she farts.
Plug is the Dennis Pennis of the book world, and the book follows his encounters with a spectrum of Booker Prize winners as he visits their readings in search of a personalised dedication on his (or rather his employer's) collection of first editions. The choice of Booker prize winners is particularly apposite given that one of the prize's rules actually requires the publisher to make best efforts to ensure the author takes part in various publicity events; a requirement double-winner JM Coetzee notably refused to fulfil.
Except I suspect Plug's encounters didn't actually take place, at least in the form described. The book does come with copies of the title pages signed by the authors 'to Francis Plug' and Paul Ewen may well have gone to the readings 'in character' but I doubt he caused the chaos he described. Which leaves this as if Paul Kaye, rather than actually, in character as Dennis Pennis, making witty quips to film celebrities (to Demi Moore: 'Are there any circumstances, if it wasn't gratuitous and it was tastefully done, would consider keeping your clothes on in a movie' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdW9f...) had simply written a fictional book as if he had.
Francis Plug: How To Be A Public Author actually has some interesting character sketches of the different authors featured, demonstrates a real knowledge of the authors' books (in takes that to be able to dig out all the parts dealing with alcohol or bodily functions) and some laugh-out-loud humour.
The problem is that. to make a novel, it is all rather padded out with fart and poo jokes, rather wearing tales of Plug's drunkeness, a side story about his inept gardening career and some wearing and gratuitous banker bashing.
An opportunity missed.
As someone who on the one hand attends to such events, yet on the other fully supports the Ferrante view that a book, once published, has no need of its author, that is a very interesting question.
But for Francis Plug, the "author" of this book but actually a fictional creation of the real author Paul Ewen, the answer is: to get free wine of greater value than the entrance price, disrupt the proceedings and to point out to the authors all the rude bits of their books. E.g. to Ben Okri:
I liked that bit in The Famished Road where Madame Koto is moving a table in her bar and she farts.
Plug is the Dennis Pennis of the book world, and the book follows his encounters with a spectrum of Booker Prize winners as he visits their readings in search of a personalised dedication on his (or rather his employer's) collection of first editions. The choice of Booker prize winners is particularly apposite given that one of the prize's rules actually requires the publisher to make best efforts to ensure the author takes part in various publicity events; a requirement double-winner JM Coetzee notably refused to fulfil.
Except I suspect Plug's encounters didn't actually take place, at least in the form described. The book does come with copies of the title pages signed by the authors 'to Francis Plug' and Paul Ewen may well have gone to the readings 'in character' but I doubt he caused the chaos he described. Which leaves this as if Paul Kaye, rather than actually, in character as Dennis Pennis, making witty quips to film celebrities (to Demi Moore: 'Are there any circumstances, if it wasn't gratuitous and it was tastefully done, would consider keeping your clothes on in a movie' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdW9f...) had simply written a fictional book as if he had.
Francis Plug: How To Be A Public Author actually has some interesting character sketches of the different authors featured, demonstrates a real knowledge of the authors' books (in takes that to be able to dig out all the parts dealing with alcohol or bodily functions) and some laugh-out-loud humour.
The problem is that. to make a novel, it is all rather padded out with fart and poo jokes, rather wearing tales of Plug's drunkeness, a side story about his inept gardening career and some wearing and gratuitous banker bashing.
An opportunity missed.
October 7, 2018
Is writing like a clockmaker or an escaped horse?"Michael Ondaatje (a genuine audience question!!)
This is a niche book; a book that will appeal to those of us who derive genuine pleasure from author appearances and readings- it’s like live theatre, right?
That certainly describes me, and so there is lots to like in this original 'Francis Plug' tale of literary celebrity in the face of anarchic social misfit in the person of Paul Ewen's alter ego Francis Plug.
I loved:
* The concept of asking authors genuinely bizarre questions. Its Alan Partridge cringe worthy
The hand dryer in the Gents is a Dolphin Hot Air Dryer” (255)
* The description of the venues (many of which I have visited) and the clientele in attendance. The uncertain etiquette of the attendee
"I’m not sure if I should look at him as he reads, or direct my eyes elsewhere. It’s a dilemma I’ve often faced at author readings. Where to look. Some people stare at their shoes. Others zone out towards some non-distinct point in the distance...some of the more ‘zen.’ People even close their eyes completely. Usually I state transfixed at the author, getting my money’s worth"(263)
* The genuine knowledge of the novels that Paul Ewen brings to the narrative account of each book. The reader will miss a lot, I suspect, unless you have also read the books
of Penelope Lively at Daunts:
“My constant coughing really is most unpleasant . I sound like I’ve been smoking a mosquito deterrent coil”(144)
The full list of books/authors featured is listed below (a classic Booker Prize collection of big names in the literary world)
I wasn't so keen on
* The alcoholi(ism), and the down-and-out sadness
* Some of the high jinks, comedy club capers (though to be fair it is still hard to detect which of the encounters are pure fabrication, and those based on actual exchanges)
The support and delight that Paul Ewen gets from his publisher, Galley Beggar press, is fabulous, endearing. I went along to the public launch of Writer in Residence at Ruskin House and the event reflected the personality of Paul Ewen. He's not a man to seek out the limelight, but the air of fun and laughter was all pervasive.
It may be bubble bursting to say it, but Paul Ewen is not in actuality disrespectful to authors at all. I asked him about one particular (and difficult imo) writer featured in Public Author and Ewen recalled a part of the talk in question that revealed a very different, and vulnerable, side of the writer.
The full list of writers and events featured:
Salman Rushdie Midnights Children
Ben Okri Famished Road
Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall + Bring Up the Bodies
A.S. Byatt Possession
Julian Barnes Sense of an Ending
G John Berger
Kazoo Ishiguro Remains of The Day
Anne Enright The Gathering
Keri Hulme The Bone People
Arabians Adidas The White Tiger
Thomas Keneally Schindler’s Ark
John Banville The Sea
Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question
Pat Barker The Ghost Road
Roddy Doyle Paddy Ha Ha Ha
Penelope Lively Moon Tiger
James Kelman How Late it was, How Late
Yann Martel Life Of Pi
Ian McEwan Amsterdam
Kirin Dessie Inheritance Of Loss
V.S Naipaul In a Free State
Nadine Gordimer The Conservationist:
Margaret Atwood The Blind Assassin
DBC Pierre Vernon God Little
Alan Hollingshurt Line Of Beauty
Michael Ondaatje English Patient
Arundhati Roy God of Small Things
Graham Swift Last Orders
JM Coetzee Life &Times of Michael K
Peter Carey Oscar/Lucinda- Kelly Gang
Eleanor Catton Luminaries
Francis Plug cannot be described as great literature, and it’s an outlier in the Galley Beggar catalogue. It’s well worth the read for the laughs, and for those of us who follow that same circuit and those writers featured here.
This is a niche book; a book that will appeal to those of us who derive genuine pleasure from author appearances and readings- it’s like live theatre, right?
That certainly describes me, and so there is lots to like in this original 'Francis Plug' tale of literary celebrity in the face of anarchic social misfit in the person of Paul Ewen's alter ego Francis Plug.
I loved:
* The concept of asking authors genuinely bizarre questions. Its Alan Partridge cringe worthy
The hand dryer in the Gents is a Dolphin Hot Air Dryer” (255)
* The description of the venues (many of which I have visited) and the clientele in attendance. The uncertain etiquette of the attendee
"I’m not sure if I should look at him as he reads, or direct my eyes elsewhere. It’s a dilemma I’ve often faced at author readings. Where to look. Some people stare at their shoes. Others zone out towards some non-distinct point in the distance...some of the more ‘zen.’ People even close their eyes completely. Usually I state transfixed at the author, getting my money’s worth"(263)
* The genuine knowledge of the novels that Paul Ewen brings to the narrative account of each book. The reader will miss a lot, I suspect, unless you have also read the books
of Penelope Lively at Daunts:
“My constant coughing really is most unpleasant . I sound like I’ve been smoking a mosquito deterrent coil”(144)
The full list of books/authors featured is listed below (a classic Booker Prize collection of big names in the literary world)
I wasn't so keen on
* The alcoholi(ism), and the down-and-out sadness
* Some of the high jinks, comedy club capers (though to be fair it is still hard to detect which of the encounters are pure fabrication, and those based on actual exchanges)
The support and delight that Paul Ewen gets from his publisher, Galley Beggar press, is fabulous, endearing. I went along to the public launch of Writer in Residence at Ruskin House and the event reflected the personality of Paul Ewen. He's not a man to seek out the limelight, but the air of fun and laughter was all pervasive.
It may be bubble bursting to say it, but Paul Ewen is not in actuality disrespectful to authors at all. I asked him about one particular (and difficult imo) writer featured in Public Author and Ewen recalled a part of the talk in question that revealed a very different, and vulnerable, side of the writer.
The full list of writers and events featured:
Salman Rushdie Midnights Children
Ben Okri Famished Road
Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall + Bring Up the Bodies
A.S. Byatt Possession
Julian Barnes Sense of an Ending
G John Berger
Kazoo Ishiguro Remains of The Day
Anne Enright The Gathering
Keri Hulme The Bone People
Arabians Adidas The White Tiger
Thomas Keneally Schindler’s Ark
John Banville The Sea
Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question
Pat Barker The Ghost Road
Roddy Doyle Paddy Ha Ha Ha
Penelope Lively Moon Tiger
James Kelman How Late it was, How Late
Yann Martel Life Of Pi
Ian McEwan Amsterdam
Kirin Dessie Inheritance Of Loss
V.S Naipaul In a Free State
Nadine Gordimer The Conservationist:
Margaret Atwood The Blind Assassin
DBC Pierre Vernon God Little
Alan Hollingshurt Line Of Beauty
Michael Ondaatje English Patient
Arundhati Roy God of Small Things
Graham Swift Last Orders
JM Coetzee Life &Times of Michael K
Peter Carey Oscar/Lucinda- Kelly Gang
Eleanor Catton Luminaries
Francis Plug cannot be described as great literature, and it’s an outlier in the Galley Beggar catalogue. It’s well worth the read for the laughs, and for those of us who follow that same circuit and those writers featured here.
September 15, 2018
Upfront, I love Galley Beggar Press. Forbidden Line, We That Are Young, Tinderbox, Lucia, especially Lucia - just wonderful!
But sadly, I did not love Francis Plug. I decided to read this book because the next book in my Galley Beggar subscription will be Francis Plug’s second outing. I now rather wish I hadn’t bothered.
Plug is a fictional author created by real author Paul Ewen. He is an alcoholic and slightly autistic and he is writing a book that details his encounters with Booker Prize winning authors which he believes will prepare aspiring authors like him for life in the public eye. To help make ends meet, he also works as a gardener, mostly for a banker whose first editions of Booker winners he “borrows” to take to author events for them to be signed (with a dedication to Francis Plug, of course). The book includes pictures of signed pages of all the books: it is possible Ewen met these authors in character as Plug, but the details of the encounters cannot be true given what happens at some of them.
The scene is set for what could be a very funny book. And it seems, on a quick scan of reviews, that many people have found it funny. I think the only bit I laughed at was the person who knew the answer was Scooter towards the end of the book (not sure I should admit to being a Muppets fan). For the rest, I have to say that I don’t find alcoholism funny. I kept reading hoping to find some point that would make it all worthwhile, but it never came and I feel rather like I’ve wasted a couple of days of my life.
1.5 stars rounded up to 2 because of some of the comments about Booker books that I have read and could relate to.
But sadly, I did not love Francis Plug. I decided to read this book because the next book in my Galley Beggar subscription will be Francis Plug’s second outing. I now rather wish I hadn’t bothered.
Plug is a fictional author created by real author Paul Ewen. He is an alcoholic and slightly autistic and he is writing a book that details his encounters with Booker Prize winning authors which he believes will prepare aspiring authors like him for life in the public eye. To help make ends meet, he also works as a gardener, mostly for a banker whose first editions of Booker winners he “borrows” to take to author events for them to be signed (with a dedication to Francis Plug, of course). The book includes pictures of signed pages of all the books: it is possible Ewen met these authors in character as Plug, but the details of the encounters cannot be true given what happens at some of them.
The scene is set for what could be a very funny book. And it seems, on a quick scan of reviews, that many people have found it funny. I think the only bit I laughed at was the person who knew the answer was Scooter towards the end of the book (not sure I should admit to being a Muppets fan). For the rest, I have to say that I don’t find alcoholism funny. I kept reading hoping to find some point that would make it all worthwhile, but it never came and I feel rather like I’ve wasted a couple of days of my life.
1.5 stars rounded up to 2 because of some of the comments about Booker books that I have read and could relate to.
January 21, 2015
Funny but watching Plug descend (ascend?) into madness is a little unnerving for the prospective public author...
November 11, 2021
Although it is a cliché, as a person who enjoys reading, I do like books about the book world. Be it a memoir about reading or a novel about the importance of books. In the case of Francis Plug, the subject matter is something I obsess over every year: The Booker
The plot consists of gardener/wannabe author Francis Plug, who decides that he wants to write a guide on how authors should behave in public. Francis reasons that the types of authors who have to keep up public appearances constantly are Booker winners. Thus, he decides to approach each living winner (the exception being Keri Hulme due to the fact that they are reclusive) get the book signed and observe the author’s behaviour.
The problem with this idea is that Francis is an alcoholic and before each meeting he drinks a lot, which results in him saying something rude and inappropriate to the author and this happens with each encounter. Most of the time the authors will make fun or praise Francis’ surname.
One could say that the book is a bit repetitive but thankfully the book works as a satire on many topics: The book and prize industry, and the treatment of writers in various locations from bookstores to festivals and it is definitely a commentary on social class . However the book is also a little love letter to London as there are descriptions of the stations and various buildings Francis bumbles through.
In the music business, anything that is bizarre such as problems with sound or constant line up changes, are called Spinal Tap moments, named after the 1984 film . I think we can now call similar mishaps at book signings Francis Plug moments (fun fact last week I met the author Irvine Welsh and I just couldn’t say anything except nod but when I met Patricia Duncker ten years ago I babbled for 10 minutes due to all the wine I drank). Paul Ewen’s satire may portray an exaggerated picture but to be honest it’s closer to reality than one may think.
The plot consists of gardener/wannabe author Francis Plug, who decides that he wants to write a guide on how authors should behave in public. Francis reasons that the types of authors who have to keep up public appearances constantly are Booker winners. Thus, he decides to approach each living winner (the exception being Keri Hulme due to the fact that they are reclusive) get the book signed and observe the author’s behaviour.
The problem with this idea is that Francis is an alcoholic and before each meeting he drinks a lot, which results in him saying something rude and inappropriate to the author and this happens with each encounter. Most of the time the authors will make fun or praise Francis’ surname.
One could say that the book is a bit repetitive but thankfully the book works as a satire on many topics: The book and prize industry, and the treatment of writers in various locations from bookstores to festivals and it is definitely a commentary on social class . However the book is also a little love letter to London as there are descriptions of the stations and various buildings Francis bumbles through.
In the music business, anything that is bizarre such as problems with sound or constant line up changes, are called Spinal Tap moments, named after the 1984 film . I think we can now call similar mishaps at book signings Francis Plug moments (fun fact last week I met the author Irvine Welsh and I just couldn’t say anything except nod but when I met Patricia Duncker ten years ago I babbled for 10 minutes due to all the wine I drank). Paul Ewen’s satire may portray an exaggerated picture but to be honest it’s closer to reality than one may think.
November 3, 2014
Francis Plug: How To Be A Public Author, by Paul Ewen, is unlike any other book I have ever read. Full of humour, pathos and insightful observations on the literati, it is a book that should appeal to all who are interested in successful writers and the world that they inhabit.
It tells the tale of Francis Plug, an aspiring author with a vivid imagination. He is often drunk, meaning that it can be hard to tell at times how much of what he sees is real. This book is his attempt at offering fellow authors instruction on how they should be conducting themselves at the increasingly popular, public, literary events. His research involved attending talks where he listened to Booker prize winners discuss their writing before signing copies of their work. I would love to know if authors ever encounter the likes of Francis Plug at such events.
Until he succeeds in winning the Booker prize for the novel that he intends to write, Francis Plug works as a gardener. He does not have enough money, yet somehow manages to get to where he wants to go, often by ingenious if unscrupulous means. His encounters with the literati are detailed for the edification of his readers. In his writing he has a proclivity for scattering random metaphors around with abandon, taking inspiration from the works being discussed at the event he is attending.
The book is laugh out loud funny. Small incidents, such as when he adds the friendly dog to his phone contacts list and subsequently texts it, are dropped into each chapter as easily as his discussions on what each author is wearing. The random musings are quirky, sometimes surreal, always perceptive.
Books are for everyone, including an all but friendless, drunk gardener who is not just socially inept but clearly bizarre. His encounters and conversations with the great and the good are awkward and hilarious in equal measure. I was torn between sympathising with those who had the misfortune to meet him, and his underlying loneliness and desire to fit into their world.
This is a light hearted read that will also provide plenty of food for thought. More than anything though it is consistently funny in an offbeat way that should appeal to those who do not take themselves too seriously. I laughed at Francis and I laughed at myself for harbouring some of the thoughts he showed to be ridiculous. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and hope that I never have to deal with anyone like its protagonist.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Galley Beggar Press.
It tells the tale of Francis Plug, an aspiring author with a vivid imagination. He is often drunk, meaning that it can be hard to tell at times how much of what he sees is real. This book is his attempt at offering fellow authors instruction on how they should be conducting themselves at the increasingly popular, public, literary events. His research involved attending talks where he listened to Booker prize winners discuss their writing before signing copies of their work. I would love to know if authors ever encounter the likes of Francis Plug at such events.
Until he succeeds in winning the Booker prize for the novel that he intends to write, Francis Plug works as a gardener. He does not have enough money, yet somehow manages to get to where he wants to go, often by ingenious if unscrupulous means. His encounters with the literati are detailed for the edification of his readers. In his writing he has a proclivity for scattering random metaphors around with abandon, taking inspiration from the works being discussed at the event he is attending.
The book is laugh out loud funny. Small incidents, such as when he adds the friendly dog to his phone contacts list and subsequently texts it, are dropped into each chapter as easily as his discussions on what each author is wearing. The random musings are quirky, sometimes surreal, always perceptive.
Books are for everyone, including an all but friendless, drunk gardener who is not just socially inept but clearly bizarre. His encounters and conversations with the great and the good are awkward and hilarious in equal measure. I was torn between sympathising with those who had the misfortune to meet him, and his underlying loneliness and desire to fit into their world.
This is a light hearted read that will also provide plenty of food for thought. More than anything though it is consistently funny in an offbeat way that should appeal to those who do not take themselves too seriously. I laughed at Francis and I laughed at myself for harbouring some of the thoughts he showed to be ridiculous. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and hope that I never have to deal with anyone like its protagonist.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Galley Beggar Press.
June 28, 2015
listen to my review at www.fiveminutefiction.libsyn.com
April 4, 2025
I love the idea of this book. The collection of front pages of Booker Prize winning novels all signed for Francis Plug by the great celebrities of the literary world. I love the fact that I have twenty-five (so nearly all) of the titles found in the book in my own collection. I even have a couple that are signed. I love the idea of Plug, the aspiring author, trying to rub shoulders with the great and the good, to learn what to say and how to behave at these book launches and book signings around the UK. How to dress, how to answer a question, how to appear imposing and impressive. But, this fictional character of Plug, deteriorates into too much stupidity for me to really enjoy this blend of fact and fiction.
Did he really say some of those things to Salman Rushdie, or is it complete fiction from start to finish? Technically he could have done. Or he might have met none of them. Plug is a dangerous conversationalist, he knows quite a bit about what has happened in the various novels, so at first glance at the signing table he might appear to be an avid fan. But give him more than one or two things to say and suddenly he makes no sense and is just a blabbering drunk. His attendance at any literary festival seems to be predicated with him being drunk, and occasionally blind drunk. He loves to try to swindle his way into events that he can’t afford to attend, and even gate-crashes the Booker Prize event itself in the novel’s denouement.
I did enjoy the reminder of obscure parts of London, the variety of odd pubs such as The Old Doctor Butler’s Head, positioned down a narrow alley not far from the Guildhall where the Booker ceremony takes place. It is I pub I have been to several times myself. I did enjoy the comment Plug makes about the Booker sponsors and the City of London setting in the heart of the financial district:
Plug is a jobbing gardener, of very little skill. He wrecks gardens, steals drink and has his van and tools repossessed by the debt collectors. He is still dreaming of the prize winning novel he is going to write, although he would probably have to be sober for an extended period of time in order to put enough pen to paper.
Did he really say some of those things to Salman Rushdie, or is it complete fiction from start to finish? Technically he could have done. Or he might have met none of them. Plug is a dangerous conversationalist, he knows quite a bit about what has happened in the various novels, so at first glance at the signing table he might appear to be an avid fan. But give him more than one or two things to say and suddenly he makes no sense and is just a blabbering drunk. His attendance at any literary festival seems to be predicated with him being drunk, and occasionally blind drunk. He loves to try to swindle his way into events that he can’t afford to attend, and even gate-crashes the Booker Prize event itself in the novel’s denouement.
I did enjoy the reminder of obscure parts of London, the variety of odd pubs such as The Old Doctor Butler’s Head, positioned down a narrow alley not far from the Guildhall where the Booker ceremony takes place. It is I pub I have been to several times myself. I did enjoy the comment Plug makes about the Booker sponsors and the City of London setting in the heart of the financial district:
A compere is up on stage and. He’s saying things that really aren’t very funny. The sponsor from the investment place is up next, so I can’t see the bar being raised. Authors might not be the life of the party, but a banker on stage doesn’t exactly lend itself to ‘good times’. If the literary world wants to shed its stuffy image, it has to ditch these banker types. They’re giving us a bad name. It’s no wonder today’s kids think books are really boring. We’re being championed by people who like maths.
Plug is a jobbing gardener, of very little skill. He wrecks gardens, steals drink and has his van and tools repossessed by the debt collectors. He is still dreaming of the prize winning novel he is going to write, although he would probably have to be sober for an extended period of time in order to put enough pen to paper.
December 2, 2019
This novel turned out to be not the kind of book its blurb promised to be, or at least not the kind of a book I was looking forward to read. I was hoping to find there more literary satire, and a biting satire too, or at least some good analysis of the circus that the literary world is increasingly becoming as it is being overtaken by politics and by non-writers and by social media and by publishers' marketing departments. Instead, this book read more like a study in madness and misery, mostly focusing on the disturbed inner world of a disturbed protagonist who really, for much of the time, could have been anyone, not necessarily an aspiring writer as Ewen made him. In this latter 'department' Ewen did well, but I wasn’t that interested in this department when I set out to read this novel which stated premise was, I’d say, not literary but hyper-literary.
November 8, 2018
Conceptually inventive but loses steam as it goes on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on
3.66
3.66
May 24, 2023
Abandonado después de 60 páginas por miedo a tener que soportar durante toda la novela el único recurso humorístico que parece conocer el autor: subrayar reiteradamente lo mucho que bebe el protagonista.
August 15, 2014
This may be the funniest book I've ever read; I certainly can't think of another that had me stopping so often to laugh. It's a catalog of narrator Francis Plug's attendance at readings and lectures by Booker Prize winners, and those invariably wine-soaked misadventures are absurd and hilarious. But the novel is much more than "just" funny as it punctures the bubbles of pretension and illusion that insulate the cult of the "literary author" (the chapters recounting Francis' visit to the Hay festival do this with particular verve). Francis' behavior, while shocking, is also the kind of thing we used to expect from literary people, from writers and would be writers, and the gap between the placid gentility of the events he attends and the wild (Wilde, even) interruption he repeatedly brings made me wonder when literature and its celebration became so safely professionalized, and how the danger and excitement were all wrung out.
I'm not generally prone to novels about novelists and such "inside baseball" reading, funny or not, but the depth of How To Be A Public Author comes from the desperation of Francis Plug to enter into this insulated world, in all his drunken, delusional, chaotic glory. That desperation is painfully familiar to me as a someone who has himself spent years trying to break into the bubble, simultaneously mocking and daydreaming of being feted at the kinds of events Francis renders ridiculous. And that overblown, defining desire of an outsider to become an insider is likely to make any reader cringe in recognition, whether from the world of writing or elsewhere. So yes, this is a novel about a writer and familiarity with the world of readings and prizes and contemporary authors will go a long way, but I suspect this book could be just as hilarious and provocative for a reader who knew nothing about all of that.
I'm not generally prone to novels about novelists and such "inside baseball" reading, funny or not, but the depth of How To Be A Public Author comes from the desperation of Francis Plug to enter into this insulated world, in all his drunken, delusional, chaotic glory. That desperation is painfully familiar to me as a someone who has himself spent years trying to break into the bubble, simultaneously mocking and daydreaming of being feted at the kinds of events Francis renders ridiculous. And that overblown, defining desire of an outsider to become an insider is likely to make any reader cringe in recognition, whether from the world of writing or elsewhere. So yes, this is a novel about a writer and familiarity with the world of readings and prizes and contemporary authors will go a long way, but I suspect this book could be just as hilarious and provocative for a reader who knew nothing about all of that.
January 11, 2015
I was very disappointed with this. Leafing through it in the bookshop, it seemed to promise insight into the mind of a compulsive reader and the whole process of the Booker Prize, together with plenty of laughs along the way. In reality it proved to be a mildly amusing (at first) comic novel which gradually turned in to an increasingly deranged story of alcohol-fuelled self delusion, with any attempt at storytelling receding into the background. The laughs became more and more forced until eventually drying up altogether and the whole concept just became irritating.
July 3, 2019
I can't remember a book that made me laugh out loud as often as this one did. Francis Plug is a very silly man who drinks to excess, in between his gardening job, his writing, and his general wreaking havoc on the world at every chance he gets. He attends events where Booker Prize winners are speaking and already has his Booker acceptance speech written for next year. I don't like his chances, but if the prize was judged on the smiles his book produces, he'd have my vote.
January 8, 2016
This book takes you into the world of Booker prize winners and author events, seen through the eyes of a rather inebriated guide, Francis Plug. Full of wit and surreal humour, this will have you laughing out loud.
October 3, 2022
If you listened to Christchurch student radio in the early 90s, you’ve probably already experienced Paul Ewen’s immense comedic talent without knowing it. The legendary masterpiece Mystical Hidden U-Card springs to mind. So I was prepared for a barrel of laughs here. And that’s definitely what Francis Plug delivered. I was laughing out loud. A lot. So that’s a glowing five-star rating from me. However, as anyone picky enough to want some kind of ‘plot’ will be disappointed, I’m sadly obliged to deduct a star. The short chapters each present brilliant hilarity, but could largely be read in almost any order. Then there’s the fact that although Francis’s life-ruining flaws are delightfully entertaining, he doesn’t change at all, or even try to. At the end of the book, he’s just the same as at the start. Which might leave a pernickety reader asking what the point of it all was. So another star must regrettably be dropped. But if you’re after a series of ingeniously crafted wacky antics, this one’s for you.
September 23, 2019
Another Volume recommendation that hit the mark.
If you've never heard of the Henry Root letters it's well worth a two minute Google. Go on, do it now. I'll wait...
New Zealander Paul Ewen takes the concept to the next generation, pointing out some ugly truths about the world of literature at a time when the banks were being bailed out. Delight follows farcical delight as the character lurches from one Booker Prize winning author to another while sinking into a self-made mire of alcoholism, poverty and delusion as he becomes more and more convinced that he is next year's Booker winner.
His journey goes from being a bit of a sad Adrian Mole-like wannabe, whining and wishing literary success would find him to being a drink-fuelled Hunter S Thompson-esque fatalist madman in a stolen suit giving people blasts with a fire extinguisher before doing a very creditable Spiderman impression in London's Guildhall.
If you've never heard of the Henry Root letters it's well worth a two minute Google. Go on, do it now. I'll wait...
New Zealander Paul Ewen takes the concept to the next generation, pointing out some ugly truths about the world of literature at a time when the banks were being bailed out. Delight follows farcical delight as the character lurches from one Booker Prize winning author to another while sinking into a self-made mire of alcoholism, poverty and delusion as he becomes more and more convinced that he is next year's Booker winner.
His journey goes from being a bit of a sad Adrian Mole-like wannabe, whining and wishing literary success would find him to being a drink-fuelled Hunter S Thompson-esque fatalist madman in a stolen suit giving people blasts with a fire extinguisher before doing a very creditable Spiderman impression in London's Guildhall.
January 22, 2019
When bookshops are closing, and festivals have turned genuine authors into literary show ponies, Paul Ewan's Plug both tries to 'plug' himself, and 'plug a hole' in the sinking ship of literature in the shallow age in which we now find ourselves. Even the collection of books Plug has signed made me wonder about the individuality of my reading.
http://gatesyread.blogspot.com/2019/0...
http://gatesyread.blogspot.com/2019/0...
April 8, 2019
Genuinely hysterical, this is an deft portrait of madness, drunkenness and also a hoot about the publishing world. The real glory is the character of Francis Plug himself, whose effortless ability to create social chaos (largely through the medium of free wine at literary events) is beguiling if increasingly unsettling as the book goes on. Comedies are rarely this thought-provoking but FP:HTBAPA is a total gem.
February 28, 2020
What a quirky book this was. I don’t know why people describe it as ‘hilarious’. I found it quite sad. Francis lurches from one bizarre encounter with famous writers to another, as his life slips gradually downhill. He’s lonely, alcoholic, mentally unwell and clearly very intelligent. I wanted the book to end with a triumph but instead we get a literal cliffhanger (just not on an actual cliff).
He’s right about the bankers, though.
He’s right about the bankers, though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 21, 2025I finally picked this off my shelf on a dull evening when I was looking for some light entertainment and got about half-way through it before deciding it wasn't worth finishing.
Some almost mildly amusing encounters with famous authors at book signings, and annoying loser-behaviour that fails to amuse.
Some almost mildly amusing encounters with famous authors at book signings, and annoying loser-behaviour that fails to amuse.
February 2, 2019
End Note by the Author, presumably Paul Ewen, says it all:
'As you may have realised, "How To Be A Public Author" is a work of fiction. Francis Plug does not see or reflect the real world - he occupies a very different realm. Thanks for reading'.
'As you may have realised, "How To Be A Public Author" is a work of fiction. Francis Plug does not see or reflect the real world - he occupies a very different realm. Thanks for reading'.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2021
Francis Plug is an author. And a gardener. And an alcoholic.
We follow his adventures and savour his tips for aspiring authors as he (literally) reaches the heady heights of the publishing world.
Funny, acerbic and just plain daft. I laughed a lot.
We follow his adventures and savour his tips for aspiring authors as he (literally) reaches the heady heights of the publishing world.
Funny, acerbic and just plain daft. I laughed a lot.
November 6, 2021
There's a fine line between funny and just plain silly and I found this book to be about 25% funny. It's an interesting idea and was certainly readable, but I didn't laugh as much as I think I was supposed to.
May 6, 2023
3.8
Divertido, a lo mejor un poco repetitivo porque no hay un arco en la historia. Creo que algunas bromas se hubieran leído mejor en inglés, en el idioma original (aunque la traducción es muy buena).
Divertido, a lo mejor un poco repetitivo porque no hay un arco en la historia. Creo que algunas bromas se hubieran leído mejor en inglés, en el idioma original (aunque la traducción es muy buena).
July 3, 2017
Amüsanter Ausflug in ein Säuferhirn.
https://nouw.com/cwidmann/ausflug-in-...
https://nouw.com/cwidmann/ausflug-in-...
November 28, 2017
Awful - not funny, no real plot and very uncomfortable at points
November 8, 2018
Painfully unfunny and one-note.
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