h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If a book about failures does not sell, is it a success?

Depends how much the advance was for the writer.

Are we talking about The Book of Heroic Failures?

V. good book. It made me laugh a lot.


Favourite one that I can remember is the gypsy who placed a curse on the City Ground, Nottingham, UK in 1977. The following year Nottingham Forest won the league championship, then went on to establish the longest unbeaten run of league matches in the history of English football (42 games), and win the European Cup two years in succession.

I think the answer to your question is that the author could claim that the book is a success whatever the sales figures are.

I have that book, and I love it. I also have 'The Return of Heroic Failures', of which more later. Stephen Pile, the author, was kicked out of his position as President of the 'Not Terribly Good Club of Great Britain' for being too successful. The book has an application form to join the club, included as a joke because Pile didn't think that anybody would want to join. The club was swamped with applications and has, I believe, folded.

'The Return of Heroic Failures' was published to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the publication of 'The Book of Heroic Failures'. Shortly before publication, somebody pointed out to Pile that only 9 years had elapsed since the publication of 'Heroic Failures'. Pile ruefully acknowledged that, from that point of view, the sequel was a failure.