The UK paperback edition of A Light That Never Goes Out: The Enduring Saga of The Smiths is published today, September 5th, by Windmill Books/Random House, precisely twelve months after the hardback first saw release. As often the case with these things, it’s the same book, with a more commercial cover, at a smaller size, and a cheaper price. Officially, the paperback retails for £9.99, half the RRP of the hardback. But Amazon is listing it for £7.19 and presumably, the major book stores will do their best to match. At almost 700 pages long, that’s a mere penny a page, and allowing for how bloody hard I worked on it, I’d call it a bargain. So if you found the initial edition a little too wieldy and pricey, now’s your chance.

While there are no differences in actual text between the two editions (minor errors having been corrected through various reprints of the hardback), this version of A Light That Never Goes Out represents my first ever mass-market paperback. To celebrate, I am going to give away a copy of any of my major biographies – The Smiths, R.E.M., Keith Moon, your choice – signed and personalized if desired, to the winner of the following competition, inspired by discussions around my various readings in the UK this summer.

Simply name your fave rock music biography, using the ‘reply’ box below – and state why, in fifty words or less. (Yeah, I know that’s a lot of words in these days of 140 characters, but you don’t have to use them all.) A week from now – September 12 – I’ll choose a winner based on the wit and wisdom of the various responses, and mail the book anywhere in the world. To avoid the influence of flattery, I am excluding any biographies by yours truly. Also, please note, biography (e.g. Dear Boy) is not the same as autobiography/memoir (Boy About Town) or social study (All Hopped Up and Ready To Go); you’ll have your chance to choose from the latter soon enough.

More on A Light That Never Goes Out at iJamming!, and at YouTube.

The UK paperback of A Light That Never Goes Out is available at all good bookshops and online