Why was Irie offered a publishing deal? (Part 1)

The Simple Bit

‘They just rang you up?’

‘Well yeah – kinda.’

‘And you’re suddenly writing a book for Hodder?’ 

I nod ruefully, scrutinised under of the accountant’s cheerless expression – the frustrated novelist within the man – beside himself.

‘But you’ve not been published before, have you?’ 

I look to my shoes.

‘Have you ever even thought about writing a book?’

‘Never crossed my mind.’

He frowns. Sighs. ‘For fuck’s sake,’ he says. And leaves his congratulations to this.

So how? With no experience and no examples of writing to submit; why was this unlikely guy offered a small but life-changing publishing deal with Hodder, a division of Hachette, one of the largest book publishers in the world?

Let me tell you…