Anything Goes

First edition. 8vo. Pp. [x], 405. Mauve cloth boards, lettered in silver to spine; cream endpapers.

The tale of a family growing up in 1960's Manchester. A sequel to Hopkins's four previous semi-autobiographical novels, Our Kid (1998), High Hopes (2000), Kate's Story (2001), and Going Places (2003), which were followed by Whatever Next! (2007), and Tommy's World (2009).

After a sample chapter from Our Kid – the first in the series – had been roundly rejected by numerous agents, Hopkins self-published the book in 1996, under the pseudonym Tim Lally, and off-loaded 800 copies through adverts in The Oldie and Practical Gardening. A copy landed on the desk of a former Hollywood "creative consultant" who had grown up in nearby Salford and was instrumental in setting up a deal with Headline Publishing. To-date the series has sold upwards of 800,000 copies. "Not only is it a heart-rending story, it is a remarkable piece of social history." –Lancashire Magazine