Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to my Frequently Asked Questions page, something I have been wanting to do for a while. If your answer is not here, then please have a look at the Fforde Questionarium which has more answers than you can shake a stick at (if that's what you want to do)

What books have you written?

What sort of books are they?

Where can I download eBooks from, and why an I having trouble in some territories?

Is there a larger print of the Fiction Island map from TN6 I can download?

Will the UK cover of the paperback First Among Sequels ever match the rest of the series?

Did you write a book called The Great Samuel Pepys Fiasco?

What is your opinion about the NBC drama Grimm?

Did you know that Japanese scientists are trying to clone a mammoth?

When is your next tour?

Is The Last Dragonslayer going to be published in the USA?

Why can't I buy The Last Dragonslayer iPad app in the USA?

My hometown isn't on your tour list. Is there any point in me emailing you and asking you to drop in?

I'm coming to one of your talks. Are there any rules about signing?

What is your current book?

Oh, Boo! Is there going to be another Thursday Book?

What is your next published book after that?

Okay, buster, what does 'REM' mean in that list?

Will we find out what happens to Brunswick and deMauve?

Do you give motivational talks/after-dinner speaking engagements?

Do you come and give talks at colleges/librarys/universities?

Do you give talks at Festivals?

Will we see a new Jasper Fforde book published every year?

I am a sticler for good prooofreading and/or grammatical and speling errrors. Can I send you a list of the errors I found in your books?

Can I buy books from you?

How can I get books signed by you if I can't make it to an event?

Is it true you read Tess backwards so it has a happy ending?

How do you pronounce 'Zvlkx'?

What are your thoughts on Fan Fiction and people making Thursday Next RPG's on the internet?

Why is Thursday called Thursday?

Who won the World Cup in 1972?

My book has no chapter 13. Why is this?

Can I buy Thursday Next Merchandising anywhere?

Can I buy those postcard giveaway thingies from you?

Have you ever had occasion to dress up as Little Bo Peep?

I am a film producer and I want to make your books into blockbuster movies. Can we talk about it?

I am a producer without a single credit to my name, and no track record. Can we meet and talk about producing your films, and perhaps do that utterly pointless 'who would you cast as Thursday Next' game?

At the end of Star Wars, both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker get a medal. Why didn't Chewbacca get one?

Who was the best Batman?

      What books have you written?

In published order:

The Eyre Affair (2001)
Lost in a Good Book (2002)
The Well of Lost Plots (2003)
Something Rotten (2004)
The Big Over Easy (2005)
The Fourth Bear (2006)
First Among Sequels (2007)
Shades of Grey (2010)
The Last Dragonslayer (2010)
One of Our Thursdays is Missing (2011)
The Song of the Quarkbeast (Nov 2011)

      What sort of books are they?

Good question. An odd mix of Fantasy, Crime and Sci-fi. There's romance, too, and literary stuff, and satire, and .. well, you name it.

      Where can I download eBooks from, and why an I having trouble in some territories?

We've tried to collect together everything on my eBook links page. If you're having problems (Republic of Ireland and Canada are known trouble spots) then all I can say is 'we're trying to sort it out' as marketing rights are sometimes a complex contractural issue, and places like Ireland don't have a deal with anyone, and Canada's rights are split between the US and the UK.

      Is there a larger print of the Fiction Island map from TN6 I can download?

There is. Try this link:Fiction Island.

      Will the UK cover of the paperback First Among Sequels ever match the rest of the series?

Yes, I am assured it will - in the meantime, you can have some DIY fun by rejacketing your book.

      Did you write a book called The Great Samuel Pepys Fiasco?

No. This was a proposed Thursday book that was written in her world and then deleted - which is why we can't now read it.

      What is your opinion about the NBC drama Grimm?

I prefer my version.

      Did you know that Japanese scientists are trying to clone a mammoth?

Yes, and although they might be able to physically do this - sort of - the mammoth will never be truly a mammoth as it won't be doing the sort of mammothy things that mummy and daddy mammoth would have taught it. You might argue that on this basis no reptile can ever be a reptile as they don't learn anything at all - nor, in fact, does a cuckoo, but I think elephantines are smarter than that and would have had a unique sense of family that can now never be known. Although tigers are not rare at all - there are far more in Texas than in the wild, it is said - the true tiger will be extinct when it no longer roams free. Those in captivity will only be a pale reflection. Sad, isn't it?

      When is your next tour?
All details of my tours and apperances are up on my Appearances page. As soon as anything is confirmed, it goes up here. If it's not here, it's unconfirmed.

      Is The Last Dragonslayer going to be published in the USA?
Stop those emails right now! The Last Dragonslayer will be available in North America. As of last week (Nov 2010) I've agreed a deal with publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to distribute TLDS in the States. Naturally all of us here at Fforde Towers are delighted with the arrangement. Pub date: Early 2012.

But I said North America, didn't I? And geographically speaking this also includes Canada, so we are also delighted to announce that HarperCollins will have exclusive publication rights in Canada. More publication dates and details as I know them.

      Why can't I buy The Last Dragonslayer iPad app in the USA?
The app is essentially an eBook and talking book plus Special Features all-in-one. Since Hodder who write and own the app only have publication rights in the UK and Commonwealth, they are not permitted to sell it in the States. The US publisher will, presumably, have to write their own app if they want to sell one. The same is true of Canada, where the LDS marketing rights are owned by HarperCollins.

      My hometown isn't on your tour list. Is there any point in me
emailing you and asking you to drop in?

No. If you want to know why I'm not turning up at your local bookshop during my next tour, this is how it works: The bookshops make applications to Penguin or Hodder and the noisiest or most enthusiastic shops get me to come to their stores. so..... the more noise the customers make to their managers, the more likely I am to turn up on a future tour. The best people to email are your local bookstores, but if my tour is already up, it's too late - or at least, it is for this year.

      I'm coming to one of your talks. Are there any rules about signing?

Time permitting, I'll pretty much sign anything. If you have a skipload (US: Dumpsterload) of backlist, then use your sense of fair play and politeness as to what you think is appropriate. Disturbing development: Some people are beginning to think the postcards are a right, not a gift. They are subject to availability and are generally only given out with each current book. Bookstamps likewise, and are only for dedicated copies. Note to dealers/non-reading collectors: I won't do 'lines' in books, or uppercase, or full name, and sending along several members of your family with a small quantity of books to disguise the true amount doesn't really fool anyone and makes you look cheap - I'll sign them all in one hit very happily.

      What is your current book?

The Last Dragonslayer. This came out in November 2010 in the UK - see above for US and Canadian publication. A Ffordian take on the magic genre, 'Last Dragonslayer' features a sixteen-year-old foundling named Jennifer Strange who is in charge of 'Kazam', one of the Ununited Kingdom's two remaining houses of enchantment. But it is a time of low magical power - Wizards are relegated to performing house improvements. One morning, there is a premonition that Maltcassion, the last of the dragons, will die. A flurry of activity ensues in the small kingdom of Snodd where Jennifer resides, and millions of people converge on the small kingdom to claim a part of the Dragonlands, as ancient law decrees. But there are other, more sinister powers at work...

      Oh, Boo! Is there going to be another Thursday Book?

Yes, indeedy. It will be called One of Our Thursdays is Missing and will be published in the Spring of 2011.

      What is your next published book after that?

This is what we're thinking of at present:

To be published 2011:
One of Our Thursdays is Missing, UK and US.
Dragonslayer 2: The Song of the Quarkbeast UK, Nov.
The Last Dragonslayer, US and Canada.

To be Published 2012:
REM US and UK
Dragonslayer 2: The Song of the Quarkbeast US and Canada
Dragonslayer 3: The Return of Shandar, Nov UK

To be published 2013:
Shades of Grey 2: Painting by Numbers UK and US
Dragonslayer 3: The Return of Shandar, US and Canada

To be published 2014:
Nursery Crime 3: The Last Great Tortoise Race US and UK

      Okay, buster, what does 'REM' mean in that list?

It's the working title of what I call my 'Super Secret Standalone Novel' which is what I am writing at present (2011). I'm not giving anything away, but will announce it probably in late 2011 for a publication in the Spring of 2012.

      Will we find out what happens to Brunswick and deMauve?

Most certainly. Likely dates for Shades of Grey II : Painting by Numbers will be 2013.

      Do you give motivational talks/after-dinner speaking engagements?

No. Hideous, hideous, hideous.

      Do you come and give talks at colleges/librarys/universities?

Generally, yes. Travel expenses would be welcome, and some tea and a hobnob or two.

      Do you give talks at Festivals?

Frequently. If you are a festival, find your way to my contacts page. If you want to know where I'm talking, have a look at appearances page.

      Will we see a new Jasper Fforde book published every year?

Up until 2008 the answer was 'yes'. I had a baby this year and a new book, so things got behind. Sorry. We'll carry on the 'book a year' gag from 2010.

      I am a sticler for good prooofreading and/or grammatical and speling errrors. Can I send you a list of the errors I found in your books?

Of course - but please have a look at my upgrade page to see if it/they are already listed. Suggestions for new upgrades are always welcome.

      Can I buy books from you?

Indeed you can. Mostly paperbacks, and we don't preorder or sell hardbacks until about a month after publication. A full list of what is on offer can be found at the Goliath Merchandising site, which you can reach by clicking HERE

      How can I get books signed by you if I can't make it to an event?

You can either buy them from my website or if you already have them, send them to me with RETURN POSTAGE and I will sign and return it/them. The address is: Jasper Fforde, PO Box 165, Hay on Wye, HR3 5WU, United Kingdom.

      Is it true you read Tess backwards so it has a happy ending?

Completely true. I always read Thomas Hardy books backwards.

      How do you pronounce 'Zvlkx'?

The correct pronunciation for "Zvlkx" is "Zvoulks". There. You heard it here first.

      What are your thoughts on Fan Fiction and people making Thursday Next RPG's on the internet?

December 2010: After speaking to many Fanfictioneers and understanding the genre a litttle better, I have modified my opinion since writing the following. I still have no interest in reading any of it, but would regard it more as a celebration of writing rather than simple copying. The bottom line is that all creative writing is good, wherever it is, whoever does it, and whatever the subject, and nobody should attempt either conciously or unconciously to discourage those who wish to express themselves. Question: Is the Thursday Next series itself Fanfiction? Does the act of publication define Fanfiction? And how do we properly define publication?

I have featured Fanfiction in 'One of Our Thursdays is Missing'.

My thoughts on Fan Fiction are pretty much this: That it seems strange to want to copy or 'augment' someone else's work when you could expend just as much energy and have a lot more fun making up your own. I feel, and I think with good reason, very proprietorial about Thursday and all her escapades; clearly I can't stop you writing and playing what you want in private, and am very flattered that you wish to do so. But anything published in any form whatsoever - and that specifically includes the internet - I cannot encourage, nor approve of.

(I've already had one person complain that I had 'stolen' one of their ideas from a Thursday Next fanfiction site I knew nothing about!)

      Why is Thursday called Thursday?

You can find out by leaping to my "Questionarium" by clicking HERE

      Who won the World Cup in 1972?

Trick question. There was no world cup in 1972.

      My book has no chapter 13. Why is this?

None of my books have a chapter 13. I'm not sure why this might be so but suffice to say that since I write most of my books 'on the hoof' but also want an 'interconnectiveness' about them (two things that would seem at first sight to be mutually incompatible) I tend to leave blind or 'partially sighted' alleys for myself to exploit later - or not. You know when you see an asphalted road leading into a field? Well, you just know there will be a housing estate there - they just haven't built it yet. That's what the chapter 13 thing is.

      Can I buy Thursday Next Merchandising anywhere?

Yes you can. There is a whole host of interesting goodies to be found at Goliath Merchandising. Just in case you think I am cynically thrusting my snout deep in the trough of merchandising, I use the proceeds to offset the costs of this website and all those postcard freebie things I do that are independent of my publishers. I apologise to US readers about the high cost of the T shirts but all I can say is that the pound is strong at present and no, we have no plans to open a US merchandising arm of Goliath.

      Can I buy those postcard giveaway thingies from you?

No. For more details about the postcards, click HERE.

      Have you ever had occasion to dress up as Little Bo Peep?

Absolutely not.

      I am a film producer and I want to make your books into blockbuster movies. Can we talk about it?

Not really. I worked for twenty years in the movies so know how difficult it is to get a picture to the screen, and how many projects fall by the wayside. So in order not to spend my time constantly in discussion with people who have little hope in getting something to the screen and wasting everyone's time, we speak only to players. The criteria is pretty simple: You have to have made a movie I've heard of, and liked. In ten years we've had three meetings and one option, now expired. Approaches to my agent, and if you can't find out who they are without asking me, you're neither serious, nor a player.

      I am a producer without a single credit to my name, and no track record. Can we meet and talk about producing your films, and perhaps do that utterly pointless 'who would you cast as Thursday Next' game?

No.

      At the end of Star Wars, both Han Solo and Luke Skywalker get a medal. Why didn't Chewbacca get one?

Princess Leia is very short and they didn't want to embarrass her by bringing on a stepladder.

      Who was the best Batman?

Adam West. Not, as previously thought, Michael Keaton. My thanks to Mr Wolf for bringing this to my attention.

You can find many more questions and answers at the Fforde Questionarium; there are many threads on the Forum which might help, too.