Since 9am this morning we have been impatiently waiting for the delivery of the finished copies of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford. If you have yet to hear about this book, I must gush and tell you that this debut has been a worldwide word-of-mouth sensation…  After approximately two years since it was first published in the US, it has now been sitting on the New York Times Bestsellers List for 78 weeks (currently still sitting at n.11), been translated in 28 languages and interestingly has been a n.1 bestseller in Norway! (Yes, that’s right – Jamie Ford, not Jo Nesbø).  Don’t you love it when books that have fallen under the radar when first published reach these heights purely on the basis of readers telling others: ‘I loved this book, you have to read it!’ I imagine it could be an even bigger thrill for the author. Surely it’s the ultimate review.

But the book has yet to hit the UK bookshops, and we can’t quite contain our excitement that we get to be the ones bringing it to readers here next month (out 9 May).  The final copies are currently en route from the printers…and you can understand now why we are fidgeting in our seats waiting for them to materialise. Managing Editor, Lara, was supposed to be working from home today but suddenly turned up at the office at 9am sharp, unable to wait till Monday to see the finished book.

The UK booktrailer for Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet has gone live on YouTube today so we’ve distracted ourselves for a few minutes watching it.

But as I write this, the phone has rung, and Lara is now talking to the driver (in the van with our books), and from what I can gather, he’s apparently stuck in traffic. More waiting and fidgeting ensues…

Chiara Priorelli, Publicty & Online Marketing Manager