A new broom

My chairman Richard Charkin rang me yesterday - and I assumed to talk about A Prisoner of Birth as it had just arrived on his desk - to tell me that he was resigning from Macmillan and would be joining Bloomsbury as Executive Director. Richard is one of the finest men I have dealt with in publishing. He remained utterly loyal during my trials and tribulations, and left no-one in any doubt that he published the Prison Diaries as he felt they were an important contribution to the present debate (his words). The fact that Prison Diary I went on to top the bestsellers list proved his point. I shall miss his wise counsel and good company.