A lot goes on in a year. Twelve months ago, we took delivery of the first print run ofCity Baby, which – in case you missed it – is the autobiography of Ross Lomas, bass player with iconic UK punk bandGBHfor over thirty years.
A lot of feelings come into play when the book you’ve been working on for so long finally arrives. There’s pride, obviously, and excitement. There’s a certain sense of disbelief that this project which has taken so much of your time – Ross andSteve Pottingerhad worked on it together for over eighteen months, fitting interviews round GBH gigs and work commitments – has turned into a beautifully produced book, into box after box of beautifully produced books. Above all, there’s a pit-of-your-stomach nervousness, because you’ve told yourself people will want to read this story, and now you’ve got to get out there and sell the sodding thing.
We needn’t have worried. By October last year, that first run had completely sold out. The reviews – you can read themhereif you haven’t already – had been universally positive, andCity Babyhad become Ignite Book’s best-selling publication. We’d posted copies to people the length and breadth of the UK, all over Europe and North America, to folk in Australia, in New Zealand, and in Asia. We learned that the Swedish postal service isn’t entirely sure where Malmo is, and that Australian dogs will quite literally devour Ross’ story, given half a chance. We’d discovered just how long surface mail takes to get to California, and how many copies of the book we can fit in a 10kg DHL parcel. We were on a learning curve, and there was a lot to learn.
We learnt it.
Through all of this, one of the things which made all the hard work worthwhile was hearing back from people who’d read the book. People who told us this was the first book they’d picked up since they left school, and that they’d loved it. People who told us they’d missed a night’s kip because they’d started readingCity Babyone evening and found they really couldn’t put it down. People who said Ross had captured just exactly what it’s like to be part of the exhilarating, chaotic, wonderful scene that is punk.
It’s now one year since we took delivery of that first consignment of books, and we just wanted to say thanks to everyone who’s bought a copy, or told their mates about it, or stocked it in their shop. Thanks toRebellion Festival, and to John Robb ofLouder Than Warfor interviewing Ross and Steve aboutCity Babyas part of that festival. Thanks to everyone who reviewedCity Babyfor their magazines, and toAll Ages Recordsfor holding a book-signing in their shop. Thanks to all of you. Because we couldn’t have done it without you. Above all, our thanks to Ross for being so honest in talking about his life, and for being such a joy to work with.
And for those of you who haven’t readCity Babyyet, it’s well worth a few hours of your time. If you love punk rock, and if you love larger-than-life tales which will make you laugh out loud and then catch your breath in shock, get your hands on a copy of this book, draw up a chair in the sunshine with a beer, and prepare to be entertained.