Barry Crump—Successful Author

Press, Volume C, Issue 29634, 3 October 1961, Page 18

Barry Crump—Successful Author

"The Press" gpoctal Service WHUJNGTON, October X By normal publishing and writing standards, the young New Zealand author. Barry Crump, Is a phenomenon. Most Now Zealand books sell less than MM copies and tew New Zealand authors sell more than 10,000 copies of their books in hard-covered editions, but in just over a year his two books will have both become best-sellers, and overseas sales could easily double the quantities already reached in New Zeeland. His publishers expect that the sales of his first two books will have passed 90,000 copies by the end of the year. "A Good Keen Kan,” which was published leas than . a year ago, has already sold almost 23,000 copies and a sixth edition of 9000 copies in November win almost certainly be sold out before Christmas. The first edition of 15,000 copies of “Hang on a Minute Mate” will be published about the middle of October, and a further printing of 9000 copies is already scheduled. Overseas Interest With London and Australian publishers showing great interest in Barry Crump's books it is likely that his books have a long way to go yet He Is a distinctly unusual man, in his middle twenties, a restless man who likes to move about He finds that he cannot write like a professional author, spending so many hours every day writfils books come in bursts, sometimes in sn inspired spell in which a complete plot will grow in a matter of days, sometimes episodes and chapters that are written as

faat as Ms ptt can move, and rarely requiring major revision. But ha finds the final revision paintally tedious, so that it may take lour or five months to prepare tar publication a book written in as many weeks. Nemfiie Uta Since the success of “A Good Keen Man," Barry Crump has not changed his normal, nomadic way of life, and continues to move from job to job, rarely staying in one place more than three or four months. After working as a bulldozer and steamroller driver on Wellington aerodrome he was employed as a rabbiter in the walrarapa, at Taupo and Reporoa. During this period he wrote and polished "Hang on a Minute Mate,” the story of two itinerant workers moving around the North Island from one outdoor job to another. Sam Cash, the key character in the story, is likely to become a New Zealand institution. When Barry Crump’s truck crushed him against a gatepost and he was compelled to spend a few days in Rotorua Hospital, he decided it was time to move on again. For a change he came to the eity. first to Wellington for a few weeks and then to Christchurch, his first visit to the South Island apart from a week-end "on the bash,” as he has described it Theory Disproved TTie urban life was supposed to give him a chance to get on with writing his third book, but Crump found that this did not work out well in practice. City life quickly palled and he has since returned to the backcountry.

He is now in the far south of the West Coast, shooting the valley’s between Bruce Bay and Haast, back to the life that gave him the in-

spiration tat "A Good Keen Man.” His third book win be flntahed these, during rainy spells when shooting is impossible, and Reeds hope to publish it about the middle of next year. Crump calls It “One of Us."