{"id":26612,"date":"2012-08-10T09:59:35","date_gmt":"2012-08-09T23:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.booktopia.com.au\/?p=26612"},"modified":"2016-03-01T09:48:23","modified_gmt":"2016-02-29T23:48:23","slug":"ready-ready-ready-ready-paul-merrill-author-of-a-polar-bear-ate-my-head-misadventures-in-magazines-answers-ten-terrifying-questions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/2012\/08\/10\/ready-ready-ready-ready-paul-merrill-author-of-a-polar-bear-ate-my-head-misadventures-in-magazines-answers-ten-terrifying-questions\/","title":{"rendered":"Paul Merrill, author of A Polar Bear Ate My Head: Misadventures in Magazines, answers Ten Terrifying Questions"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Booktopia Book Guru <\/strong>asks<\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul Merrill<\/strong><\/h1>\n

author\u00a0 of A Polar Bear Ate My Head: Misadventures in Magazines<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ten Terrifying Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n

———————————-<\/p>\n

1. To begin with why don\u2019t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a leafy part of southern England much like Midsomer, but with fewer murders. I joined my local newspaper but no news ever happened so I left.<\/p>\n

2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I did a computer questionnaire at school when I was about 16 that concluded I should become a fireman. My dad wanted me to go into personnel for some reason he never explained. Eventually I chose journalism, dreaming of exposing the next Watergate. But at ZOO Weekly, the exposure was more flesh-based than political.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That students could rise up as one and change the world for the better. As it turns out, students can barely change their socks. These days I\u2019m a little more cynical that a Marxist revolution will catch on. Especially if they try it during Happy Hour at the uni bar.<\/p>\n

4. What were three big events \u2013 in the family circle or on the world stage or in your reading life, for example \u2013 you can now say, had a great effect on you and influenced you in your career path?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019d love to say that my career was meticulously planned after my university don imparted some inspiring words of wisdom, but in reality, I just fell into magazines and I still can\u2019t adequately explain how I ended up editing a lad\u2019s mag in Australia.\u00a0 Maybe I should have gone for the firefighting option after all.<\/p>\n

5. Considering the innumerable electronic media avenues open to you – blogs, online newspapers, TV, radio, etc \u2013 why have you chosen to write a book? aren\u2019t they obsolete?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m hoping not. Luckily no one has invented a computer that writes books (if you don\u2019t count James Patterson<\/a>, that is). Also, new books smell so good. Mine smells almost good enough to eat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>6. Please tell us about your latest book, A Polar Bear Ate My Head<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the strange and unlikely story of launching Australia\u2019s biggest selling men\u2019s mag and the disasters and humiliations that followed \u2013 mostly involving dwarfs and alcohol (a heady combination). In literary circles it\u2019s already being touted as prime landfill. Given that it only took a spot of phone tapping to close the News of the World, I\u2019m amazed I got away with everything in the book. I\u2019ve banned my mum from reading it as she\u2019ll think (even) less of me. She still thinks I write for the Financial Review.<\/p>\n

(BB Guru: From the Publisher:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The hilarious and surreal true story of Australia\u2019s biggest ever men\u2019s magazine launch . . . and the chaos and disasters that followed.<\/p>\n

Paul Merrill was an award-winning women\u2019s magazine editor when he was inexplicably chosen to launch Britain\u2019s first weekly publication aimed at the \u2018new lad\u2019: ZOO. He quickly gained notoriety after running competitions to find the country\u2019s randiest nanna, ugliest baby and teen mum of the year, and offering prizes of a boob job for your girlfriend, lesbian wedding and even euthanasia. Then he was suddenly deported to Australia to launch ZOO here, and events became even more outlandish.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/strong>Find out how Merrill:<\/p>\n

-persuaded the prime minister\u2019s stepdaughter to remove her clothes<\/p>\n

-hijacked Kyle Sandilands\u2019 wedding<\/p>\n

-lost 130,000 pairs of inflatable breasts in the South China Sea<\/p>\n

-accidentally gave his home address to a serial killer<\/p>\n

-tried to cook a dwarf<\/p>\n

-searched for Australia\u2019s hottest horse dentist and sexiest wall.<\/p>\n

Containing hundreds of bizarre and unexpected anecdotes, A Polar Bear Ate My Head is the most side-splitting insider\u2019s account of the world of magazines ever published. Whether or not you\u2019ve ever bought a men\u2019s mag or been attacked by the world\u2019s largest white bear, you will love this book.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here to buy A Polar Bear Ate My Head <\/em>from Booktopia,
\nAustralia’s No. 1 Online Book Shop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

7. If your work could change one thing in this world \u2013 what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That all short people be made to wear a number, not just jockeys.<\/p>\n

8. Whom do you most admire and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Dalai Lama<\/a>, Nelson Mandela<\/a> and Kerri Anne Kennerley<\/a>.<\/p>\n

9. Many people set themselves very ambitious goals. What are yours?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That my books might somehow bring nations together and make politicians pause before engaging in pointless conflicts. Also to earn enough to buy a jetski.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong>10. What advice do you give aspiring writers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Give up now \u2013 there are enough books already. But if you absolutely have<\/em> to write, go for mummy porn.<\/p>\n

Paul, thank you for playing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click here to buy A Polar Bear Ate My Head <\/em>from Booktopia,
\nAustralia’s No. 1 Online Book Shop<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Booktopia Book Guru asks Paul Merrill author\u00a0 of A Polar Bear Ate My Head: Misadventures in Magazines Ten Terrifying Questions ———————————- 1. To begin with why don\u2019t you tell us a little bit about yourself – where were you born? Raised? Schooled? In a leafy part of southern England much like Midsomer, but with fewer murders. I joined my local newspaper but no news ever happened so I left. 2. What did you want to be when you were twelve, eighteen and thirty? And why? I did a computer questionnaire at school when I was about 16 that concluded I should become a fireman. My dad wanted me to go into personnel for some reason he never explained. Eventually I chose journalism, dreaming of exposing the next Watergate. But at ZOO Weekly, the exposure was more flesh-based than political. 3. What strongly held belief did you have at eighteen that you do not have now? That students could rise up as one and change the world for the better. As it turns out, students can barely change their socks. These days I\u2019m a little more cynical that a Marxist revolution will catch on. Especially if they try it during…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[4,92],"tags":[279,993,4193,5184],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26612"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26612"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57157,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26612\/revisions\/57157"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.booktopia.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}