ANOTHER 10,000 copies of Alex Salmond's independence referendum diaries are set to be printed as his publishers plan the launch of a paperback edition of his debut book.

Publisher HarperCollins said the former First Minister's book, the Dream Shall Never Die, had sold well in hardback and became a Sunday Times bestseller for two consecutive weeks.

The paperback will be published next month despite the book receiving mixed reviews from critics. Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown, an accomplished author, branded Mr Salmond's account of the final 100 days of the referendum campaign the "longest exercise in literary masturbation since politics began" and "an extraordinary exercise in self-congratulation" shortly after its launch.

However, it has received positive feedback in other quarters, achieving an average rating of 4.2 out of five from 191 readers who purchased the book through online retailer Amazon. More than 130 gave the book five stars, compared to 29 who gave it the lowest possible rating.

The launch of the paperback edition is likely to offer a financial boost to the MP and MSP, who set up a private company, which he named Chronicles of Deer, to receive his earnings from writing.

As of June 3, Chronicles of Deer had an income of £91,800 from sales, royalties and payments for The Dream Shall Never Die, in addition to £13,500 for articles and interviews in the Press and Journal Newspaper during the first quarter of the year.