The Society of Authors AGM

Yesterday I went to the AGM of the Society of Authors in Senate House - the main administrative buidling of the University of London. It is an impressive beautiful building. Although I studied at the University of London for three years at the beginning of the eighties this is the first time I had ever been inside. We met in a fine wood-panelled hall. Anthony Beevor took the chair for the last time before handing over to Helen Dunmore.

The main issues were: why many new books are sold as 'used' at very low prices on amazon, ebay and Abe books, sometimes on the day of publication - and where they come from; and the proposed takeover of the bookchain Ottakars by Waterstones and why this is bad news for both authors and readers. I shall blog about these two issues in more detail later. Tomorrow I am going to Newscastle and shall be taking my camera.