One of the peculiarities of being a literary agent is that although in many ways publishing is (compared to other entertainment industries) something of a cottage industry, books retain a cultural clout that is unique. And one result of that is that there are a surprising number of MPs who hanker after a book deal and that has meant that the Palace of Westminster is more familiar territory than I ever expected it to be.
Whether they write memoir or the occasional attempt at a Churchillian history or the quite significant number who fancy a crack at fiction there is in the House of Commons greater interest in publishing than there is in theatre or the visual arts because it is something they actually participate in.