Legend Press

Legend Press in Eton

Tom and I had a very interesting day in Eton yesterday selling copies of old student William Coles fantastic books The Well-Tempered Clavier and Lord Lucan: My Story at their famous 4th of June celebrations. We attended the event last year, which also wasn;t in June, so we are a little confused by the name.

Despite the awful rainy weather morale was boosted by delicious bacon sandwiches at lunch and almost 100 books sold.

The Well-Tempered Clavier, which is a love story set in Eton went down very well with the ladies, and there was a great deal of interest in Lord Lucan: My Story which is not published until Saturday.

Pre-order your copy of Lord Lucan now - £7.99 

Order your copy of The Well-Tempered Clavier now - £7.99 

Lucy

'passionate and excruciatingly compelling'

The Well-Tempered Clavier, renamed Prelude in America has received an excellent review on popular literary blog www.curledup.com. Below is a taster:

"Despite its over-the-top style, Prelude is surprisingly passionate and excruciatingly compelling. The vast Windsor Castle with its blaze of summery light along with the gently flowing Thames provide a beautiful accent to the lovers’ sensual interludes. The irony of the play Othello echoes throughout, and the interplay of the musical preludes add an uneasy tension, the symbolism of the piano rather fortuitous as Kim and India’s hands mirror each other, their journey along the rocky path of passion eventfully signifying their doom."

To read the review in full click here!

Bill's latest book Lord Lucan: My Story is out this Saturday, and is available to pre-order now from the online shop, or using the link below!

Pre-order your copy of Lord Lucan now - £7.99 

Order your copy of The Well-Tempered Clavier now - £7.99 

Lucy

The Well-Tempered Clavier in America

The Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles was published in America by Soho Press at the start of the month under the title Prelude.

The book is attracting lots of media attention, including this review on the 'Pop Culture Junkie Blog'. Below is a taster:

"While other student/teacher relationships in books seem to have one character taking advantage of another I didn't feel that so much in this book. I felt like they were on equal footing and were really there for each other. I never saw India as a predator and I found their relationship rather sweet. It actually seemed to me that Kim was stronger than India, I guess you could say in that way she used him, to prop herself up but it worked for me. I thought the choice to use music as a way to connect them (student to teacher) added a beautiful theme to the story.

I loved how the story was told, with Kim looked back on the events from 25 years later. It was nice having his reflections rather then just being in the moment with him. I also liked how upfront we know that this love doesn't last. And that Kim was able to admit that his own jealousy and paranoia helped end their relationship.

Overall I thought this was a beautifully told story that shows how one summer can change your life forever!"

To read the review in full click here!

Lucy

Review of 'The Well-Tempered Clavier'

  'The Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles has received an excellent and some good say interesting review from literary blog Alcott and Earhart.

"Considering this is essentially a love story, Coles has done very well to create a novel that could be equally enjoyed by the guys and the gals, the sweat is mixed in with the roses and the story is all the better for it. The writing is such that regardless of how much appeal the setting of Eton should have for all the Anglophiles out there, the delicate and deliberate prose will be what ensures the devotion of the reader until the very last page."

The review was very complimentary despite the reviewers dislike of the book cover - in particular the 'wall action'!

To read the review in full click here.

Order your copy of The Well-Tempered Clavier now - £7.99 

Lucy

Clavier in the Oldie

  The Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles has received an excellent review in the October issue of the Oldie.

"Given the reluctance of most booksellers to stock books about classical music, it takes courage to call a novel The Well-Tempered Clavier. Yet that is precisely what William Coles has done in his first novel (Legend Press, £7.99), a brilliantly plotted and paced evocation of an affair between a 17-year-old schoolboy and his 23-year-old piano teacher in Eton in the spring of 1982, the Falklands war rumbling in the background."

Read the rest of the review by clicking here!

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

(Almost) unveiling for 2009... 'Project X' by William Coles

Another title that we're launching in 2009 and one we're really excited by publishing, which involves more new ground for us. Can't quite reveal the actual topic yet, for reasons that may become obvious, but William Coles, author of the fantastic The Well-Tempered Clavier, will be writing the story of one of the most famous, maybe should say infamous, characters of British history over the last century.

'In his words', will be a reveal-all account and should certainly cause a stir - will reveal further details shortly. Any guesses who it could be? Will think of some type of spot prize for anyone who happens to get it right - maybe a signed copy of The Well-Tempered Clavier.

And to get an idea of the writing style you will be seeing a lot more of, you can order a copy of the Clavier right here at a special discount:

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Tom

Coles: reviewed turns reviewer

Author of note (and The Well-Tempered Clavier) turned reviewer over the last week for the prestigious Wall Street Journal as he reviewed The Invention of Scotland by Hugh Trevor-Roper.

And I see Bill even got a plug at the end for his fantastic novel - which you'll no doubt want to buy right here:

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Another excellent review for The Well-Tempered Clavier

The latest issue of Small Press Review contains an excellent full page review of 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' by William Coles.

'This is a delightful story that tumbles along, building tension again and again as both Kim and India throw caution to the wind putting their illicit love affair in constant danger of exposure.'

If you haven't yet read this brilliant book it is of course available from our online shop!

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

William Coles advances to Stockton tonight

William Coles will be speaking at Stockton Central Library tonight at 7pm. Tickets are £3, including wine and refreshments and can be ordered directly from the library on 01642 526522, or alternatively can be bought on the night.

Order your copy of The Well-Tempered Clavier now for just £5.99

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

Selling in the rain at Eton

For those wondering where we'd gone yesterday, we were out in the rain at Eton College along with author of note Sir William Coles selling copies of The Well-Tempered Clavier. Despite the downpour, through which no amount of re-spiking could keep the hair aloft, copies were snapped up by in their droves by students and their parents - there for the prestigious 4th of June event (on 28th May).

It was also an eye-opener for Etonian traditions, no doubt why tourists seem to be flashing cameras from everywhere, where male outfits included hats of flowers and a pink fluffy waistcoat. It is possibly the only place where, wearing a suit, I could be considered 'trouble' - Lucy noticed somewhere rush to their car as my scally self was loitering nearby. Luckily our £14.99 Argos table went without comment and did a top job.

All-in-all it was a fantastic day and great to hear that the Eton-set novel had already made a excellent mark, with a high portion of people already having read it and also such high demand on the day. The main challenge was keeping the boxes of copies dry as they were being snapped up. Thanks also to Lauren and Lily who came along to help us for the day - much appreciated.

Tom

And the author of the week is...

Congratulations to Sir William Coles...

How do you feel winning Author of the week?
Deeply, deeply honoured to be up there in the Legend Hall of Fame. Do I get some sort of medal or cup for the week to put up on the mantelpiece?

Describe your book in 10 words?
The book that will make Legend Press - or bankrupt it.

If your novel could have a theme tune what would it be?
Can I have two theme tunes? One for the start and one for the end? Maybe we'd kick off with "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie - a song that will always put me in mind of my publisher; and to finish, well, just for old time's sake let's have Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Prelude 17 ...

Tell us one fact about yourself that we won't believe?
I made an 8,000 mile day-trip from New York to Peru - solely to eat a guinea-pig on the Inca Trail. I hand-picked the creature myself, before he was par-boiled and plucked.
Then they slathered herbs and spices onto his skin; made the tiniest little sausages that you've ever seen from his innards - barely bigger than a twig; and finally spit-roasted him over an open fire. One of the most delicious rodents I've ever tasted.

If you weren't asking you questions right now, what would you be doing?
Writing a feature on pop has-beens; one of them is the New Seekers' Eve Graham, who ended up fitting bras in Debenhams.

Who would play you in a movie of your life?
Alan Ruck, the nerdy kid in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. For years and years, friends used to torment with the fact that - or so they claimed - I was the dead-spit of this guy Alan Ruck, or Cameron as he was called in the Ferris Bueller film.
I'd forgotten all about it. Then ten years ago, I was in St Patrick's Cathedral in New York for a Christmas service. We were all shaking hands with our neighbours - and this absolutely stunning woman flutters her eye-lashes at me and says, "Excuse me, are you Alan Ruck?"
If only I'd had the wit to say, "Yes! Yes I am Alan Ruck!"
Alan was in Spin City for a while - lost his looks unfortunately, and is not nearly the handsome young dog that he used to be ...

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Another great review for William Coles!

The Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles gets another excellent review on the popular blog site 'Stuck in a Book':

'The Well-Tempered Clavier is a beautiful book, managing to use a simple narrative voice without consequently bland style - honesty, beauty, and passion pervade the novel but so do humour, youthfulness and energy'.

To read more click here.

Bill will be reading and signing copies of his excellent book tomorrow (15th May) at Waterstone's Glasgow Argyle Street at 6pm.

Alexander McCall Smith hails The Well-Tempered Clavier

The fantastic The Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles is going from strength to strength. To add to the ongoing sales, rave reviews and overwhelming media coverage, we have what Alexander McCall Smith, author of the No1 Ladies Detective series, calls a 'triumph!'

McCall Smith has kindly added to the endorsements for the novel, stating: "What a read! Every schoolboy’s dream comes true in this deftly written treatment of illicit romance. A triumph."

A debut novel from author William Coles, The Well-Tempered Clavier is a beautifully written love story and proves to be growing in popularity by the day. With these kind of quotes, we can hear first-hand what you, the readers, think about the novel. And for those who haven't experienced the magic, that only leaves one question, what's stopping you? Order right now.

The Well-Tempered Clavier
by William Coles
Buy now £7.99

Fiction Flirting starting to find the love

Following the announcement of our 'Fiction Flirting' initiative in conjunction with dating site Gorgeous Networks, it was great this week to see a feature in the London Paper.

With the aim of using the book as the perfect ice-breaking in approaching an attractive stranger, and armed with The Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles complete with author message as the first book to be used, the London Paper ran a case study to see how the promo worked.

A pity she didn't have a little more faith in the old WTC (seeing Bill Coles at book signings is testament to the love that book can generate...) but great to see the initiative getting deserved credit and we hope it will go from strength-to-strength. Not just great books at Legend Press but we've even helping find the couples of the future. May have to buy a hat...

Remember if you email fictionflirting@legendpress.co.uk you can receive free copies of the novel to give the promotion a go...

Tom

How The Well-Tempered Clavier can solve your Valentine inadequacies...

If you already think that you might get yourself in the bad books for forgetting Valentine's Day, or for not buying a good enough present, why not buy your loved one a copy of the beautifully moving love-story The Well-Tempered Clavier? And because we're feeling romantic and generous, we'll send you a signed copy at no extra cost. How about that for a thoughtful, extra-special gift? Click on the links below for quick, easy and secure online payment.

The Well-Tempered Clavier
by William Coles
Buy now £7.99

Even better still, if you live in Edinburgh that it is, you can take your better half to Waterstone's on George Street on Saturday to meet the author in person and get your signed copy direct from the gifthorse itself, personalised in what ever way you'd like. Bill will be in store from 11am -- see details on the Waterstone's website here.

Emma

More Coles coverage

William Coles and his fantastic novel The Well-Tempered Clavier seem to be in the papers more that Pete Docherty these days. Which would appear to be some achievement. Latest in the publicity sweep of the country is a full feature in the Southern Daily Echo. Included is a mention of the many celebrity experiences Mr Coles had as a journalist and also further suggestion as to which 'high-profile' person the novel may well be based on...

Copies are still flying off the shelves and so if you haven't already done so, I recommend you order immediately this 'searing story':

The Well-Tempered Clavier
by William Coles

Buy now £7.99

Two bestselling authors...well shortly

As some may know, our author, one William Coles of The Well-Tempered Clavier brilliance, is also a successful journalist and worked for a number of years as a 'hack', in Bill's words, for The Sun. And here is a picture from that time (a pleasing moment from the 'cat and cream'-esque look on the face of Mr Coles) and many may recognise one Jordan (now AKA Katie Price) on the immediate left of Bill.

Glamour model, TV series, perfumes and bestselling author - she has done very well for herself and hopefully on at least one of those counts William Coles will be joining her shortly. I am assuming it will be as a bestselling author due to his brilliant writing but then you never know what plans Bill may have in front of him!

Tom

Not content with book domination, we're now helping those looking for romance!

Move over Cilla Black. We're constantly looking for new initiatives and promotions and recently in an Edinburgh pub, our William Coles and I were discussing how important it is to create word-of-mouth and that this is fundamental to the future success of the book in society.

He praised the Book Crossing initiative and fuelled by normal drive not to do anything by halves, and also several pints of reassuring Duchers, I suggested that why shouldn't we start our own version? Out of this came the idea for 'Book Lovers', a whole series of initiatives to drive the importance, enjoyment and value of reading.

One other point that came out, initially as a joke but then given serious consideration, was that the book could be the perfect 'ice-breaker' in starting conversation - a little sophisticated and doesn't involve tripping over a bar stool, spilling coffee or making up some dreadful 'line'. And out of this we were approached by UK dating expect Lorraine Adams, owner of dating agency Gorgeous Networks, and came up with the fist initiative - ' branded Fiction Flirting'. (Feel free to ignore my quickly made-up picture...) To help its launch, we' agreed to offer two free copies of The Well-Tempered Clavier for each one ordered for the promotion (all signed and marked with their unique message and tracking code).

We're already had a huge amount of interest in this unique initiative and for full details just see our Legend Press' Book Lovers page. If you're single, give it a go. With Valentine's Day and 29th Feb approaching, we're hoping to be able to buy a collective Legend Press hat in the very near future.

Oustanding? Quite Brilliant? Coles?

The Well-Tempered Clavier machine continues. Following rave reviews, top sales and a host of 'household names' such as Piers Morgan and Boris Johnson lining up to provide endorsements, the latest paper to get behind the hugely-popular and unique love story is the Sunday Express.

To quote Louise Robinson, 'The Well-Tempered Clavier is an outstanding debut novel. A wonderful story of first love. Few male authors can write about romance in a way which appeals to women - but Coles has managed it quite brilliantly.'

Can't say much more glowing than that though we hope this is only the start of the Well-Tempered Clavier's growth into greatness. So if you haven't already ordered a copy, why the hell not? And if you have, why the hell haven't you bought copies for others?

Kindly rectify immediately below. It will probably be the best decision you've made in this New Year of 2008.

The Well-Tempered Clavier
by William Coles

Buy now £7.99

Author Coles once a student himself...

Happy New Year to everyone by the way! Was interested to note that William Coles, author of hugely-popular The Well-Tempered Clavier, had had some more coverage and this time through the University of Bristol Alumni - see here I think I noticed this particularly as the novel features the love affair between a student at Eton College and his female piano teacher. Seeing this mention in the Alumni is a reminder of Bill's own student days. Secondly I noticed – 'BA 1986'. Sure Mr Coles described himself as late-twenties on first meeting... Only joking of course.

Tom

See the William Coles video (again) everywhere

Many of you may already have seen the fantastic video recorded by William Coles to promote his hugely-popular and brilliant novel The Well-Tempered Clavier when we posted the link pre-launch.

Now, due to our friends at the award-winning site Meet The Author, it has been made further available across the internet. Kind of like moving from a cult to a mainstream hit - and for many reasons it's well worth a watch. (Think we've all watched it here at least a hundred times each - if I can close my eyes I can even see and hear it, a slightly worrying factor when deciding its time for sleep.)

One of the many sites it is now included is  at Waterstones.com I mention this as I really like the Waterstones online site and what they're doing and, also, if you scroll down you can click through to a full profile of Mr Coles, including the answers to a list of exclusive questions.

Learn a bit more about the author and then of course buy the book - is getting rave reviews, from authors, readers and even the likes of Piers Morgan and Boris Johnson, and frankly must be read by everyone. Enjoy the video/profile and order now!

Tom

An Amazon hero - The Well-Tempered Clavier

Every Christmas should have a hero (was going to make a Tina Turner joke to start this blog but with the news this morning of the death of her ex-husband I suddenly thought it best to leave it). Anyway, announcing itself as a hero this Christmas, for Amazon, is the mighty Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles. The major powerhouse of online present buying has recently started to do its bit to promote the many top books from independent publishers and has chosen the hugely-popular Well-Tempered Clavier as its first 'Hero Product', details of which have been emailed to all its customers.

So, to buy a hero immediately, order now:

The Well-Tempered Clavier
by William Coles

Buy now £7.99

As well as a great book we really want to make this promotion worthwile and a success - showing Amazon what they can do by promoting the very best independently published books.

Tom

PS Absolutely love this picture - Burt Ward, a true Legend. If you look carefully, it's signed.

A process of elimination begins in The Well-Tempered Clavier's 'who is Kim?' debate

You may remember the speculative coverage in The Sun around the time of the launch of William Coles' uplifting romance, The Well-Tempered Clavier. If you don't, or if you missed it at the time, here it is:

               

Eight weeks later it would seem that the process of elimination has begun as we hear directly from one of the three ex-Etonians that The Sun suspects of being the real Kim.

Boris Johnson, London Mayorial Candidate and MP has said: 'My own piano teacher was called Mr Bagston and frankly I don't think any power on earth could have persuaded us to create a scene of the kind Coles so movingly describes!'

I love this quote because, despite Mr Johnson obviously being primarily concerned with clearing his name, he also can't help but let it slip that he actually really likes the book - well, who wouldn't? And he's so right when he says it's moving, it really is! Several people have told me they've shed tears reading it (both men and women).

If you haven't read it yet then you should get your copy from us now, below, or - if you're about to go and do lots of other Christmas shopping on Amazon - don't forget to visit this page and add a copy to your basket before checking out.

The Well-Tempered Clavier
by William Coles

Buy now £7.99

And for a lovely treat to soothe and move us on a Thursday at elevenses, there are some snippets of the beautiful Well-Tempered Clavier music on Bill's personal website - click here, scroll to the bottom of the page and press play.

Emma

The famous Thomas Chalmers

Not me I'm afraid but many friends/passers-by in the street may well have been told in the past that there's a statue of a certain namesake in the centre of Edinburgh. After a drink or two my father will lay a tenuous claim that the famous Thomas Chalmers was a family relation, which changes to a friend of the family when sobriety takes hold again.

I was given a book when young on Thomas Chalmers, famous for setting up the Free Church around 200 years ago, and have visited Edinburgh several times but above is the first recorded evidence I have. Author Mr William Coles, Edinburgh resident, was greatly amused to stumble across the statue recently and rushed back to place the images immediately on his blog - where the stories of the infamous character 'Idle Tom' take centre stage. Authors and their humour and creativity...

So, enjoy the pictures as not sure there will be another statue of one Thomas Chalmers put up anytime soon.

Tom

Well-Tempered Clavier now hits New York...

We're delighted that The Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles is already grabbing the headlines across the UK and proving a major hit since its launch less than a month ago. Of course we can't keep the top Eton-set romance novel to ourselves and we're pleased to be able to prove it has now hit New York. Here it is being modelled by the magnificent and absolute star Angela Faherty, clearly engrossed in the book and I can only assume she couldn't put it down between pictures...

According to the news, envious glances were reported all over New York City and - while I'm sure Angela will also be going back to the great city soon - with its success and popularity copies of the novel should be seen everywhere there before too long.

In the Richard Madeley style of spontaneous competition, just had a thought - if anyone else sends in a picture of them reading The Well-Tempered Clavier, or any of our books, by any landmark or somewhere interesting (i.e. not in your living room) we'll send you a signed copy of our next novel out absolutely free.

Very generous (must be the thought of Dunkin Donuts) so get going and send pictures in - of course buying book where necessary!

Tom

Well-Tempered Clavier 'exceptional for debut novel'

Reviews still coming in thick and fast for the superb Well-Tempered Clavier by William Coles. The latest is from Student Direct, the UK's leading student newspaper - after all the national papers, the students also love the novel which is great, though for us not unexpected, news.

Read the full review here. To quote further from the review: 'It encompasses all the emotions of being in love, but also of lust, envy, and worries for the future; this is certainly one to read again.'

So it should be read again and again but in case you haven't read it once yet and are no doubt desperate to do so, you can order it very simply here

Once you've enjoyed get back to us with your own review and we'll happily post in on the site (even without changing anything!).

Bill Coles has two page spread in the Mail on Sunday

The Well-Tempered Clavier is making headlines again, this time in yesterday's Mail on Sunday.

The article's title: 'Daisy Dooley drives me nuts, says author's ex-husband', might well lead you to guess (and you'd be correct) that the story focuses on the bizarre twist of fate that has partnered Bill's Well-Tempered Clavier with his ex-wife Anna Pasternak's novel Daisy Dooley Does Divorce.

Bill says: When I first clicked on the Amazon link to see this for myself, I thought it was some outstandingly good practical joke. But no...the Amazon listing was genuine.

Click here to read the full article, complete with photos from their £60,000 wedding day. (Aghhh, £60,000 -- imagine what we could have done with that money if we'd had it to spend on the Well-Tempered Clavier's promotional and marketing budget??!! Or just on Legend Press in general for that matter!)

Emma

Well-Tempered Clavier in Heat Top 10!

The rise and rise of the brilliant Well-Tempered Clavier continues. Can't believe it's not even a month yet since its launch and we've had numerous events around the country, orders flying in everyday and coverage across the national papers. And now the Eton-set story has been included in the Heat Top 10 book chart - a chart used widely throughout the book chains and hugely popular with the public.

It's gone straight in at number 8 of all current books nationwide and we want to ensure it stays there - or even rises the ranks and overtakes the likes of fellow spiky-haired Gary Rhodes! It would be great if everyone could get in touch with Heat and tell them how much they love the book (they ask for feedback - heat@emap.com) as well as continuing to buy the book in huge numbers.

I did criticise Mrs Howard slightly for her wonky circling on the attached scanned copy though she promptly told me in future to do it myself...so that settled that. The write-up from Heat reads: "This sweet tale about a schoolboy who falls for his teacher will leave you hoping that love can conquer all." How nice.

This book has got to be a major hit so if you haven't ordered your copy go and do so immediately from our Online Shop!

And of course, as always, let us know your thoughts once you've read the unforgettable novel...

Tom

The Roundtable Review interviews Bill Coles

Online literary magazine The Roundtable Review has published a great interview with William Coles, conducted and written by their fiction editor Ann Morgan. Here's a small section of it:

---------------------------------------------
Far from the dirt-dishing peek behind closed doors the subject matter might lead you to expect, The Well-Tempered Clavier steers clear of whipping up sensationalism at the expense of presenting rounded, believable characters. Salacious bonkbuster, it ain’t. First and foremost, and perhaps surprisingly, this is a novel about jealousy. 

‘When I was thinking about writing it, I started recalling what it was like to be in love for the first time,’ says Coles. ‘And what hit me was this matter of jealousy. I think guys suffer from it much worse than girls do. You know, there you are doing all these things for the first time and it’s mind-blowing. But at the same time it’s hard to come to terms with the idea that your beloved might have been there before with someone else. You get better at dealing with it as you have more relationships, but it’s tricky first time round when it’s all brand spanking new.’
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Click here to read the full version, it's a really in depth and interesting interview. Many thanks Ann, another blinder!

Amazon chooses questionable 'perfect partner'

We've been quietly amused for some days now at Amazon's 'perfect pairing' of William Coles' brilliantly-selling Well-Tempered Clavier with a novel which you may also have heard of called Daisy Dooley Does Divorce. This might not seem that strange in itself until we tell you that this particular novel is written by Bill's ex-wife Anna Pasternak -- no joke, this is something that would never have been scripted – see here for proof.

And now The Daily Mail of all papers have picked up on the story. Richard Kay has mentioned it in his column - view here. My favourite line is '"They were not meant to be together in life, but it looks as if on a literary level they are soul-mates". Brilliant. We also hear that hopefully Bill is going to have an article in The Mail on Sunday about this very thing. Principles very briefly aside for once, it added great amusement to the start of my morning and is undoubtedly a great story.

Tom

Clavier Fever

Only two days to go until The Well-Tempered Clavier hits the shops! This stage in the publishing process is always charged with high excitement for us so forgive the amount of exclamation marks I may be tempted to use during this post! (I'll try my hardest to keep them under control and feel much better already for having got two out of my system so hopefully they won't get too wild...)

Anyway, back to WTC and what's going on for it as we approach LPLDay (that stands for Legend Press launch day, in case you were wondering). It is being stocked by every single Waterstone's shop nationwide, plus you will find it in Borders, Books etc and in loads of independent stores everywhere so if you haven't already ordered your copy online you won't find it hard to get your hands on one. There are also plenty of chances to come and help celebrate its launch and meet the author at one of the many events and book-signings we've got coming up:

Friday 26th October -- Edinburgh launch at the Valvona & Crolla deli
Sunday 28th October -- Talk and signing at the Radical Book Fair in Edinbugh
Tuesday 30th October -- London launch at Foyles, Charing Cross Road
Saturday 3rd November -- Signing at Windsor Waterstone's, the home town of Eton itself.
Friday 16th November -- Signing, talk and drinks reception at Laurence Oxley Bookshop & Gallery in Arlesford, Hampshire (Bill Coles' home town)

And there are plenty more events in the pipeline too. Let me know if you want more details of any of the above and I'll keep you posted on the rest! (ooops-- another one slipped out there, sorry.)

Also, as we showed you the article last week in The Sun, we thought you'd now be interested to see the related announcement in the book trade press here. Plus look out for an extract to be printed (fingers crossed) in the Express on Sunday 4th November.

Finally, we should mention that the book is also causing havoc in London as many desk workers are getting distracted from their jobs to get stuck in...I hope it's not just the saucy scenes that are grabbing your attention boys??

Emma
 

Writing community interviews William Coles as his book prepares to launch...

The popular Writewords website is featuring an in-depth interview with Bill Coles about Eton's first love story, journalism, writing in cafes, and why boys get more jealous than girls. Click here to view.

Also, don't forget that you can get a superb taster of the book by watching Bill's 2-minute video on YouTube:

The blurb and the story behind The Well-Tempered Clavier

Seventeen-year-old schoolboy Kim is an idle drifter at one of Britain’s most extraordinary institutions, Eton College – crammed with over a thousand boys and not a girl in sight. His head is full of the Falklands War and a possible army career, until the day he hears his new piano teacher, the beautiful but pained India, playing Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier. Kim’s life is destined never to be the same again. An intensely passionate affair develops and he wallows in the wild and unaccustomed thrill of first love.

Twenty-five years on, Kim recalls that heady summer and how their fledgling relationship was so brutally snuffed out – finished off by his enemies, by the constraints of Eton, and by his own withering jealousy. The Well-Tempered Clavier is the bittersweet story of a life-changing love.

The story behind it:

The Well-Tempered Clavier is Eton’s first love story, and is an evocative, tempestuous,
passionate novel with classical tragic undertones. It is named after Bach’s famous collection, the music that brings the characters together, and each chapter is named after a relevant prelude.

Author William Coles went to Eton himself and he too, like his protagonist Kim, plays the piano. William has put together a wonderful 2-minute video describing the book and the passion within it, and also answering that all-important question, is it autobiographical?

Click here to view the video now and also visit William Coles' blog at www.clavierbook.blogspot.com

Why Legend Press chose to publish it:

This novel is a beautifully-told and fiercely passionate love-story that cannot help but leave every reader, male or female, tingling with emotion.

The setting of Eton, along with description of unique life and custom at the school, is of continued fascination to the outside world and was definitely one of the things that drew us to the book. Its imposing environment adds great power to the story. Adding even further depth is the setting at the time of the Falklands War, a topic then on everyone’s minds and lips. With the 25th anniversary this year and the related national coverage this adds a further topical angle to the novel.

National coverage for The Well-Tempered Clavier begins

Today's 'The Whip' column on page 40 in The Sun begins with the following story, regarding none other than our soon-to-be-published author Bill Coles:

'Former Eton boy William Coles has written a novel about a torrid affair between a 17-year-old pupil and his 23-year-old female piano teacher at his old school. The former Sun Royal reporter says the incident is based on a "true story" -- though he wasn't the randy rascal himself.' The newspaper then goes on to speculate about which of the prestigious school's high-profile pupils the story might have been based on...

Click here to see the full scanned image of the article: Download the_sun_18.10.07.jpg  and don't forget you can order your copy here now too!

See Bill Coles talking about his book (and playing the piano!)

A superb 2-minute advance video that tells you just why you're going to love The Well-Tempered Clavier.

The Well-Tempered Clavier to star at Edinburgh Radical Book Fair

The 11th annual Edinburgh Radical Book Fair, dubbed ‘the alternative book festival’, will take place from Wednesday 24th to Sunday 28th October and this year Legend Press will be taking part in more ways than one.

We will have a stall selling copies of all our books and also our newest author Bill Coles, who lives in Edinburgh, will give a special talk to celebrate the launch of his new novel The Well-Tempered Clavier.

The festival iswill be held at Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30-38 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh (EH6 8RG).

Also please email info@legendpress.co.uk if you are interested in reserving a place at either of the Edinburgh or London launch parties for The Well-Tempered Clavier, held on Friday 26th and Tuesday 30th October respectively.