 In 1989, "through a series of accidents", he "blagged" his way into running a small publishing company.The publication of his short story collection "The Quantity Theory of Insanity" brought him to public attention in 1991.Self was hailed as an original new talent by Salman Rushdie, Doris Lessing, Beryl Bainbridge, A. S. Byatt, and Bill Buford.