We catch up with hot author Matt Beaumont about his new book, his return to advertising and why he was in Manila in 1989
IT WAS THE IRONY OF IRONIES.

Matt Beaumont, the man who shot to fame by writing ?e,? an e-mail novel, couldn?t get his e-mail to work.

?Isn?t this strange and slightly wonderful?? he wrote to me using his wife Maria?s e-mail, saying that while he can receive messages in his inbox, he couldn?t send any.

Rewind

Flashback to 2002. I was in Hong Kong, raiding the shelves of Dymocks when I spotted ?e.? Intrigued by the idea of an entire novel written using e-mails, I quickly added it to my growing pile of books.

Back in Manila, I finished reading ?e? in one night. It was so much fun I couldn?t put it down and was sad when I hit the last page. It was hilarious. I loved it.

Published in 2000, ?e? consists entirely of e-mails exchanged by the employees of Miller Shanks, a London-based advertising agency. Using e-mails written by everyone?from the temp to the company CEO?Matt takes you on a crazy ride inside an advertising agency for three weeks of madness as they try to snag a deal with Coca-Cola.

Despite being set in the advertising world, the book appealed to a diverse audience, making it a hit around the world.

That same year, Matt released ?The e before Christmas,? a very short sequel to ?e.? But that was the last ?e? book he released.

?That?s it for ?e,?? I thought. For the next eight years, I found myself reading and rereading ?e? and its mini-sequel. I never got tired of both books; they made me laugh each time.

Fast forward to 2010.

Even funnier

I spotted ?e?? on a bookstore shelf and my jaw dropped. Forget getting it on Kindle, I immediately bought a copy.

Admittedly, I was worried ?e?? wouldn?t live up to ?e.? After all, it had been 10 years since the first book came out. But ten pages in, I was already laughing. ?e?? was just as funny as ?e??maybe even funnier.

I got in touch with Matt and, because he couldn?t get his e-mail to work, he answered my questions using his work e-mail.

Because how do you interview the man behind ?e?? Through e-mail, of course.

How did you come up with the idea to write an entire novel with e-mails?

I worked in an office where e-mail had rapidly become the default means of communication, even between colleagues sitting a couple of meters apart. I marveled at the soap opera playing out in people?s inboxes, and one day it dawned on me it might be a cool way to tell a story.

How easy was it to sell that idea?

Remarkably easy. I guess the time was right. I completed ?e? in mid-1999, just as the Internet was taking off, and publishers were falling over each other to acquire it. It was a lovely position for a first-time novelist to be in.

Other authors have followed suit. Meg Cabot has done several books in practically the same format. How do you feel about that?

Epistolary novels have been around for centuries, so in that sense, ?e? wasn?t original. I don?t own the form and I have no problem with other writers using it. Having said that, I have read one or two terrible e-mail books. I?ve never read Meg Cabot, though, so I don?t know about her.

You went to art school in London but ended up becoming a writer. How did that happen?

I went into advertising after I graduated, expecting to become an art director, but ended up a copywriter. No big deal, because the line between the two jobs is often fairly blurred. I always knew I could write, though I didn?t attempt a novel until I had the idea for ?e??.

Did you hear from your advertising buddies and former bosses after the books came out?

I expected the advertising world to sneerily dismiss ?e? when it first appeared, but it didn?t. The book was extremely well-received. Most seemed to recognize the characters as people they worked with, though naturally they never recognized themselves.

Why did it take you so long to come out with a new ?e? book?

I think a decade is the perfect amount of time to leave between episodes. It?s good to allow your characters to fester in their own mire, emerging older but no wiser; a decade more embittered and disappointed with the crap life has dealt them.

How long did you work on it?

It took about nine months from start to finish. I go slowly, mostly because I?m lazy.

Were you nervous about coming out with the sequel?

I know when I?ve written a good book, and I knew that ?e?? was good, so, no, I wasn?t nervous. After seven novels, I worry much less than I used to about what people might think of what I write. Not that I don?t check my reviews?of course I do. But when I get negative critique, I take it for what it is: a glib opinion based on, usually, a skim read. The same is also true for positive reviews.

You?ve written other books as well. Which book are you proudest of and why?

I?m always proudest of my most recent book, so it has to be ?e?.?

Which is more difficult, writing books in the e-mail format or the regular format?

The choice of form doesn?t make it any harder or easier. It?s all just storytelling. Sometimes the ideas come easily, sometimes they don?t. Ideas are the hard bit and once you have them the writing is relatively easy; it just takes time.

In ?e?,? you didn?t just stick to e-mails, you also used text messages, eBay postings and chat logs to tell your story. Did that make things easier or more difficult for you?

Being able to use IM, blogs, texts and so on increased the possibilities. When I wrote ?e,? my characters were pretty much deskbound, as that was the only place from which they could send an e-mail. In ?e?? I could take them anywhere. For instance, I have a character texting a suicide note from the parapet of a bridge. The widened possibilities made the book a lot more fun to write.

Which character in the ?e? books is your favorite? Why?

David Crutton by a mile. He says all the things I wish I could but wouldn?t dare.

Whose e-mails did you have the most fun writing? Why?

David Crutton, for the reason given above.

Why did you decide to give Nigel Godley a twin? Isn?t one strange Godley enough?

You can never have enough Godleys. If I write another ?e,? hopefully cloning technology will have taken root and I can have an entire Christian army of Nigels. I?m talking thousands.

How can Milton ?Miltshake? Keane not realize he?s gay?

There is always the possibility that despite all appearances, his protestations are justified and he isn?t gay. Though he almost certainly is.

Did you draw the caveman in the boots?

No, my daughter drew it. It?s hard for an adult to fake a child?s hand, and I wanted it to look like a genuine kid?s picture. Holly is ten, a genuine kid!

Which of the characters do you feel is the most like you?

I honestly don?t think I?m like any of the characters. They?re all pretty f?d up. I, on the other hand, am thoroughly well-adjusted. Just ask my psychiatrist.

Who was David Crutton based on? And was he really that big of an a------e?

I?ve had some appalling bosses, but none of them has come close to him in monstrousness. A couple of former bosses have claimed to be the model for Crutton, but they were amateurs by comparison. [In ?e??] I enjoyed imagining his family life, an area I stayed away from in the original book. It was fun making him as inept at home as he is at work.

Tell us about the strangest e-mail you?ve ever sent.

I once sent a death threat. It was to a coworker who was an industrial-grade tosser, though he probably didn?t deserve to die. In my defense, it was a very well-crafted death threat?almost poetic.

What?s it like being married to another writer?

We?re collaborative rather than secretive with our work. My books are better for Maria?s input and I like to think hers are improved with mine. So I have to say it?s good being married to another writer.

Do you miss the advertising world at all?

Not any more. I re-entered the advertising world about a year ago. I was offered a creative directorship at M&C Saatchi in London just as the planet was plunging into the worst recession since the Dark Ages. I could hardly say no.

Do you read and reread your own books?

The last time I read any of my books is when I do the final proof check before publication. The exception was when I set out to write a sequel to ?e.? I picked up the original to remind myself of the characters. I didn?t enjoy it.

Why?

Because 10 years on, I could see too many ways I could have made it better.

Do you ever read your books? Amazon user reviews?

Of course I do. Amazon reviews are written by people who, unlike most professional reviewers, have actually read what they?re commenting on.

Do you ever Google yourself?

No, never. I get my staff to do it for me.

Have you ever sold stuff on eBay?

No, and I find the prospect of ever having to do so tedious in the extreme.

Did you realize your books have a lot of fans in the Philippines?

Do I really? I had no idea. When you say a lot, though, I guess you mean a dozen rather than a Dan-Brown-sized multitude. Whatever, I love the idea of being read in places that, to me at least, are exotic and otherworldly. I did visit Manila once, back in 1989. It rained torrentially and most of the city flooded. I ruined a perfectly good suit, but I have nothing but fond memories of the place.

What were you doing in Manila in 1989? And will we ever see you back here again?

I was working in Hong Kong as creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi. The Peninsula Group was our client and I had to visit their Manila hotels. I?d love to come back and see more of the Philippines, but I don?t know if I?ll ever have the opportunity.

Will there be another ?e? book (please say yes)?

Probably.

And if there is, how long will we have to wait for it?

Eight to ten years. Sorry.

?e?? will soon be available in National Bookstore.