Self Publishing Whiz

Britisher George Courtauld had to publish his Pocket Book of Patriotism himself. Several publishers "advised him to take out the most patriotic elements of the book - the flags, the Churchill speeches - and to tone down the title. 'My book was just too British' he told the Arts section of the Telegraph. Courtauld insisted all of those parts were vital. "Everyone seemed concerned about the Britishness of it all," he said. "Patriotism nowadays seems to be linked with terrible movements like the BNP." He financed the initial printing of 10,000 copies with the help of friends and published it last month. He needed to sell half to break even, but he took 26,000 orders in the first week! It is now into its fifth print run, and the website Courtauld set up to sell the book received 142,000 hits last Thursday alone.

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