ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

I’m the dandy highway man that you’re too scared to mention

The first one will be published on 21 October, called The Change Agent: How to Create a Wonderful World.

Info:

It had been 20 years since Andrew Crofts had last seen Jim Martin when I read in the press that he had donated $100-million to Oxford University to found The James Martin 21st Century School. Jim’s latest book, The Meaning of the 21st Century, was the most borrowed non-fiction book from British libraries in 2008, beating Bill Bryson, Peter Kay, Richard Dawkins and all the other famous names. Andrew decided it was time to get back in contact …

‘I’ve bought a private island in Bermuda,’ Jim said. ‘You must come out for a week so we can talk properly. There’s so much to say and so much to be done and so little time.’

This was enough to pique Andrew’s interest. He arrived at Agar’s Island, very unsure of what might lie ahead. The resulting book, The Change Agent: How to Create a Wonderful World, is partly the story of how a working class boy from Ashby-de-la- Zouche ended up with his own school attached to Oxford University. Along the way he has encountered people as varied as Bertrand Russell, David Bowie and Lee Kuan Yew. From prime ministers and presidents to Cold War spies and business leaders, he has been called in to advise them all and his books have been read by millions.

It is about the man’s ideas, which are the reason so many millions of people read his books and attend his lectures. Jim believes we are entering a time of transition during which we could either destroy Homo sapiens, or at least relegate ourselves back to the Dark Ages, or we could use technology to create the most wonderful civilization that has ever existed. He believes that whatever happens, it is now a matter of urgency.

The Change Agent is partly a conversation with a wise man and an old friend, rather like the best-selling Tuesdays with Morrieby Mitch Albom, and partly a Paulo Coelho-style fable of a shy, awkward boy from a poor background who becomes an international guru. In this fascinating popular science and business book, he makes startling predictions about what is going to befall us in the coming decades, explaining how we can avoid the many horrors that the media are constantly threatening us with, and how we could build a global Utopia.

‘James Martin is indeed an influential technology leader.’ Bill Gates

The other book will be out the following week. I’ll post details up on Monday, just in case there’s no other news and I’m stuck for anything to rant about.

Last week was the photoshoot for the cover of Shakespeare & Love (great background feature here). I hired a Shakespeare costume for a week from West Yorkshire Playhouse, so it meant I had plenty of time to try it on and walk around town like a dandy, tipping my hat to the ladies. The photoshoot went really well. Designer extroninaires Elliot Thomson and Nik Barrera at Preamptive and photographer Simon Williams were on hand to direct Raymondo and I was there to keep topping his champagne glass up (I’m good at some things, you know). The cover is now in development and I’ll post details up as soon as. There’s already been Hollywood interest in optioning this book. I want John Malkovich to play Raymond and the Coen Brothers to direct … if either of them are reading this, get your people to talk to my people.