Servants and sex

Okay… I think I have worked out what the book buying market wants. They want servants and sex. I give you the unbelievable success of shows like Downton Abbey; the remake of Upstairs downstairs, the Paradise and other TV shows like that.

And clearly sex is the new big seller. I’ll use ‘50 shades of meh’ as an example there. Or better still, Sylvia Day who has sold Five Million Books in Seven Months - yes you read that right. I gave it capitals so that you would notice it… seriously? Five million… sigh.

And this year is the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice so if you could mash all of those together you’d have it made… cue evil laugh  - mwahaha…

Wait…

WHAT?

Someone has already done it?? article here

Goddammit…

Jo Baker, a British novelist, recently completed a book titled “Longbourn,” named after the Bennets’ home, which tells a parallel story of “Pride and Prejudice” — the story downstairs.

I am not sure how much sex it has… but it is already a success. Her agent was quoted in the article as saying:

“I sent it out last week,” she said. “Knopf bought it Monday. On Wednesday, it was bought by Doubleday in the U.K. By Thursday the film rights had gone. By Friday we had signed up two foreign translations.”

It is now listed for eight translations and the film rights have been sold as well. You read that right; she sold the domestic, international, translation and film rights in a week.

I will also add this to list of fanfiction that makes it to the big time; because basically, that is what it is. The servants may be the jumping point to lead into a new story and new characters, but the framework of the story is the one set by Jane Austen. She has written a P&P AU.

Good luck to Jo Baker. If anything, it shows that there is still a demand for a good story; no matter where it comes from.

So, now I should get to work on the story of Nelly Dean, the housekeeper at Wuthering Heights and her torrid (and obviously secret) affair with Joseph the religious zealot and manservant… hmmm?