IF THE washing-machine is turned off by a power failure, it will restart automatically from the position it stopped at, adjusting accordingly.

This may not read like a passage from a bestselling novel but when John Howard, an aspiring writer, sent it — and several more pages from the manual for his new washing machine — to literary agents and publishers, some wrote back to say they had enjoyed reading it.

Mr Howard submitted it in manuscript form to more than 30 agents and publishers after he became convinced that none of them bothered to read unsolicited manuscripts.

He had tried repeatedly to excite them with his children’s novel. But each time it came back with a standard rejection letter, saying that they had read and enjoyed it but did not feel that it was for them.

He didn’t believe they had even turned the title page, so he scanned extracts from the instructions for his washing machine, called it The Tin Drum and sent it off.

He merely divided the instructions into chapters and added chapter headings such as Jumbo Drum. He said: “It was a pure washing machine user guide. I tidied it up, but you can’t fail to notice what it is. The first line was ‘LG’s jumbo drum can wash about 40 per cent more load than conventional washing machines’.”

The usual few months elapsed before he received the standard rejection letter. And that was when the 43-year-old IT specialist from Ringmer, East Sussex, decided to publish his novel, The Key to Chintak, himself.

After visiting 40 schools with his book, he found himself inundated with thousands of orders before discovering that it had also caught the eye of buyers at Waterstone’s and W H Smith, both of which decided to stock it.

Three film companies, including the Hollywood heavyweight Miramax, have shown interest, seven international publishers have approached him about the foreign rights and British companies are asking about the second and third editions. The Key to Chintak, which is aimed at readers aged 10 and older, tells the story of a 12-year-old girl who can read the pages of a blank book that no one else can see. She sets off with her grandfather on an adventure to find the trapped children who wrote the book.Scott Pack, the head buyer for Waterstone’s, said: “It is a wonderful read . . . you may not have heard of John now but you will not be able to miss him soon.” John Webb, the children’s buyer for the store, said: “It’s starting to create a real word-of-mouth buzz, with children and adults coming into our stores to ask for it.”

EXCERPTS FROM THE KEY TO CHINTAK

ARTHUR peered at her forlornly over the top of his half-rimmed glasses.

“What?” said Millie, crossing her arms.

“Millie my love, there’s no writing on the cover or inside. That’s why this book is such a mystery.”

“Grandad, your eyes must be bad because I can clearly read what’s written on the cover and some of what’s inside. Personally I think it sounds like quite an adventure.”

Arthur stared back at her unable to speak.

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