Books by Paul Ewen

FRANCIS PLUG is back! Adjusting to life as a newly published author - interviews and publicity are coming his way, not to mention considerable acclaim. But Francis can''t understand why people think he was writing fiction... He also has other problems - and very little money. Fortunately, he''s handed a lifeline when he lands a job as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Greenwich. The urgent questions build and build - and Francis is in no state to answer them. Will he keep his job? Will he be able to secretly sleep in his office? Will anyone find out that he did a wee in the corridor?

Meet Francis Plug, a troubled and often drunk misfit who causes chaos and confusion wherever he goes. And where he most likes to go is to real author events, collecting signatures from the likes of Salman Rushdie, Hilary Mantel, and Eleanor Catton, all the while gleaning advice for a self-help book he is writing with the novice writer in mind. His timely manual promises to be full of sage wisdom and useful tidbits to help ease freshly published novelists into the demands of life in the public eye. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the literary world - or, in fact, humanity in general. Because while it is a brilliant slapstick comedy, blurring fact, fiction, and absurdity to astonishing effect, How To Be A Public Author by Francis Plug is also a surprising and touching meditation on loneliness and finding a place in the world. Francis, it seems, just doesn't fit in. And as you read, you may wonder if he'll even make it to the end of his own book...