“Life of Pies: out Autumn 2013” he said. Yeah well about that.
I’ve faced a two pronged attack you see. On the negative side, I was working too hard to go and roam around the country to get pies and then I kind of lost my job so I wasn’t working at all. The travelling and eating pies bit was no longer a problem but affording them was. Now I’ve got a job again (and it’s not chief tester at Hollands unfortunately) and I’m struggling to find time to write stuff up and move this forward.
A phantom pie thief gatecrashed the pie procession
Of course, the other more positive problem is simply that I’ve eaten way too many pies, far more than I originally planned. From a plan of 200 to 300 and now close to 400 over the space of two years. I can’t help myself. I’m a pie addict. There were places I needed to get to in far flung parts of this fine nation and I had to find time to get there and resorted to scoffing more localised pies whilst waiting for an appropriate window in the meantime. Or meat time if you prefer.
So seeing as Autumn is nearly over, it’s time to come clean and admit that the Life of Pies will not be out this side of Christmas, the research bit will be completed a couple of weeks before however.
I will then be spending three months editing and re-writing sifting through 150,000 words containing reviews, observations and details of all the purveyors along with 1,000+ photos to create the perfect pie almanac.
The book will take a diary form as your intrepid author travels near and far in search of the perfect pie, getting lost and found and in all manner of embarrassing situations and visiting almost every corner of the British Isles.
The scoring system will be undergoing a bit of refinement and the pies reviewed will be whittled down to somewhere between 250 and 300.
There will be several pie award categories and also some top tens at the end along with a comprehensive index at the back detailing where you can get your hands on all the lovely pies contained within.
Overall, we expect a not insignificant sized book of around 350 pages with dimensions of around 9 inches by six, big enough to eat most pies off in fact. There will also be a not inconsiderably sized colour insert section featuring many of the most notable pies found on my travels.
Part reference book, part travelogue, part food critic, part mid-life crisis. It is fair to say that there has not been anything like this before and I am hoping that it will generate considerable interest amongst regular readers of the Mudhutter, natives of my home town of Wigan, followers on Facebook and Twitter and maybe further afield.
There will be a limited first edition run of just 1,000 copies which will be self published, that is all. If the concept secures any further interest which warrant a further print run or the book gets signed up to a publisher, any further edition will be annotated as such.
If you are a regular reader of this site who has an interest in the book, there will be a limited window in which to pre-order next year.
We will be offering 100 dedicated pie eaters the opportunity to have their name inscribed in this first edition at no extra cost – all you have to do is pre-order before the book goes to print.
By doing this you get your name in print in a limited edition book and get it delivered hot off the press; but you also help contribute towards the cost of printing the book which is an entirely self-funded venture.
The website will open for pre-orders soon after Christmas when the cover will be revealed and once purchased you will be kept informed as to progress on a regular basis.
The book will retail at £9.99 with postage costs of around £3.00.
Below is the revised schedule of release:
January 2014: Shop opens for online pre-orders
March/April 2014: Shop closes for pre-orders but remains open for first post copies
April 2014: Final proof of Life of Pies is sent to printers
June/July 2014: Book is printed and released. Pre-orders sent out and launch night!
August 2014: Copies made available locally in two prominent retailers
September 2014: eBook released and made available to download
As you can see, a lot of work is going into this project and your ongoing support will be critical in making it happen. There may be another edition released before next Christmas but this will all depend on demand. With two month print lead times, there is a good chance that the first edition could be the last so you are advised to get in there quick.
So there is still a lot of work to be done but plans are coming together and over the next few months this website will be updated more frequently with launch updates, snippets from the book and plenty of pie based blogging to whet your appetite…..
LIFE OF PIES: One man’s quest to find the perfect pie. Out Summer 2014. Definitely.
Leave A Comment