Sci-fi satire How To Buy A Planet by Oxfordshire author tops Amazon US book charts
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A British sci-fi satire on global financial woes has landed its author at the top of US book charts and could be coming to TV screens.
How To Buy A Planet, by D A (Dom) Holdsworth of Beckley in Oxfordshire, recently topped Amazon US’s bestseller lists, including the lucrative teen sci-fi list, British humour and political humour.
Remarkably, it has dislodged Suzanne Collins’ epic Hunger Games series from the top of the children’s e-book chart.
With Holdsworth’s follow-up title, The Zoo Of Intelligent Animals, also riding high, his talents are being described as ‘perfect’ for fans of cult UK author Douglas Adams, who penned The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.
The book tells the story of student flatmates who learn that ‘benevolent’ aliens have bought Earth – only to discover they are planning to destroy the planet.
Holdsworth crafts a painfully relevant satire on the debt and inflation crises, despite having written the book between 2016 and 2020, and foretells many of the economic pitfalls that have afflicted the world since the pandemic.
The book has been a ‘sleeper’ hit – it first appeared in 2020, Holdsworth opting to self-publish rather than using established publishing houses.
He said: ‘I spent two tough years working in finance before exiting that world, just as the tech crash happened, and my experiences left me painfully aware of the failings in the financial system.
“Although this is a sci-fi title, the beating heart of the book is a political and financial satire and my belief that huge changes can and must happen.
“Among the predictions I made when writing it was the debt crisis. Indeed, in the book, the G7 countries are buried under a mountain of debt and other crises, and political leaders are forced to do what so many facing serious debt problems do – sell the house.
“Only in this case, the house is, in fact, planet Earth, and the buyers are cute aliens. Or so it seems.”
How To Buy A Planet comes from the great tradition of British sci-fi and is described as being ‘perfect’ for fans of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett or Doctor Who, with some in the industry saying Holdsworth could be the next Douglas Adams.
In 2021, it was shortlisted for The Selfies Fiction Award and was a finalist in the Page Turner Awards, and is also now a Top 10 title in Amazon UK’s political humour and teen sci-fi charts.
The titles have already scored over 27,000 sales and downloads and are attracting growing interest from broadcasters and mainstream publishers. Having been approached last year by the world’s largest audiobook publisher, Tantor, the audio version has just been launched.
Meantime, Holdsworth has also signed with UK-based TV and film production company Blue Orb to bring the book to the small screen. The author has more books in the pipeline, fired up by his success across the Atlantic.
He said: ‘Beneath the humour, my book makes some serious points, including early predictions of the debt crisis and the inflationary pressures, which we all now endure.
‘But I’m careful not to be too preachy – as GK Chesterton once said, “Humour can get in under the door while seriousness is still fumbling at the handle”.’
How To Buy A Planet is available on Amazon, as is its prequel, The Zoo Of Intelligent Animals.
