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Archive for August, 2010|Monthly archive page

Back to the Grind

In author, manuscript, publishing, writers, Writing, writing rooms on August 31, 2010 at 4:13 pm

My wife and I recently purchased our first house. Now that we’re almost settled into the place, I’m hoping to no longer neglect my little blogging experiment! My writing room, minus a few pictures I need to frame, is done. The walls are a nice shade of gray, and I have new leather office chair, which is much more comfortable than the wooden chair I used previously.

On top of moving, I’ve been keeping up with my book work. I’ve nearly finished reading the page proofs for Dark City: Crime in Wartime London, which Ian Allan will publish in the next couple of months (I believe the British release date is Oct. 21). I also continue working on my manuscript for Penguin. Last week, I hit 20,000 words and am hoping to have 90,000 words of a first draft done by March.

I was in my late 20s when I wrote my first book, On the House. Back then, I easily banged out a 1,000 words a day. I worked nights on the copy desk of a Bay Area newspaper and wrote during the day. I had a lot of energy to burn in those days. Now, as I continue the slow and inexorable march towards 40 (I’m on the dark side of 35), writing has become more of a challenge. I still have the passion and drive to do it, but I’m not quite as energetic as I used to be.

I generally sit down to write late in the evening. My day job is in corporate communications, and I need several hours in the evening to decompress and clear the day’s clutter from my brain. My daily goal is 300 to 500 decent words. That might not sound like a lot, but when you’re writing nonfiction and have to sort through pages of primary source material to construct the story, it can take time!

I have two small bookshelves stocked with my favorite authors on either side of my desk. When I feel myself losing momentum, I reach for an Ian Fleming, Fred Vargas, or Steinbeck to get me back in the writing mood. William Manchester is also a personal favorite. His two-volume biography of Churchill, The Last Lion, is astounding and well worth repeated readings. When it came to writing, Manchester was not only brilliant—the guy was a machine. This is from his obituary that ran in The Washington Post on June 2, 2004:

Fueled by yogurt and brief naps in his office, the sinewy Mr. Manchester could withstand 50-hour writing sessions in his heyday.

That’s a man dedicated to the craft! I can only hope to one day possess such fire . . .

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Writers and their creative spaces

In author, creative spaces, publishing, Uncategorized, writers, Writing, writing rooms on August 11, 2010 at 12:08 am

Every writer wants a dedicated space where they can pursue “the Craft.” My wife and I use one of the bedrooms in our house as an office. I have my desk against one wall; she has hers against the wall opposite. Naturally, I don’t mind sharing a creative space with my wonderful better half, but I do dream of the day—if it ever arrives—when I can have a writing room of my own.

I envision it has having floor-to-ceiling bookshelves made of dark wood and stacked to capacity with an impressive collection of history, biographies and thrillers. Several shelves would be reserved for research books and other such materials. In one corner, I’d have a worn-in recliner where I could sit, read my page proofs and edit manuscripts. Maybe I’d have a couple of framed book covers on the wall. Would it be cliché to have a bottle of scotch nearby?

For a look at the writing rooms of more established authors, check out this great series that ran a while back in the (London) Guardian.

My wife, by the way, would kill for her own Yoga studio and meditation room . . .

Manuscript update

In author, manuscript, publishing, writers, Writing on August 10, 2010 at 5:54 pm

I sat down last night to pound the keys, as it were, and managed to bang out 700 words. I think I might have done more had I not broken my cardinal rule. Against my better judgment, I went back and read what I’d written the night before. I immediately found myself wallowing in a pit of despair, my shoulders slumped under the heavy burden of self-doubt. I usually never go back and read what I’ve put down until the first draft is done. Last night confirmed why I do this.

At this point, I can’t worry about it. I’ll just KBO (Keep Buggering On) until the initial draft is done. As I’ve stated previously, my goal is to finish draft one by March. That will give me nine months to revise before I have to send it off to the publisher.

Total word count for the manuscript thus far is 18,100 words.

A Word on Advances

In advances, author, publishing, writers, Writing on August 10, 2010 at 7:11 am

My first book, On the House, was published shortly before I met my wife. She—like other folks I know—assumed that once you’ve published a book, your wallet is thick with cash forever after. I’m happy to say she married me for my charming personality and not my money—which is a good thing, because I don’t have any.

The big six-figure book advance, while certainly nice if you can get it, is not the norm. Based on my experience and chatting with a few other authors, the typical advance for a first novel or non-fiction book is a few thousand dollars. You might get lucky and possibly score something in the mid-five-figure range, but don’t set your hopes too high.

The typical advance—the amount paid to the author against the book’s future earnings—will not be enough to let you quit your day job. It may also be the only money your writing endeavor generates. If your book doesn’t make back the advance, you won’t be getting a royalty check in the mail. Also, keep this in mind: You don’t get the advance all at once. Depending on the amount, you may get half up front and half after you deliver the manuscript—or, the publisher might break it up into thirds: A third when you sign the contract, a third upon delivery of the manuscript and the final third upon publication. If you’re writing a book that requires heavy research, you can blow through your advance in no time at all!

“Okay,” you might be saying, “but what about these million-dollar book deals I read about in the New York Times?” Well, the reason they’re in the New York Times is because they’re million-dollar deals. They’re newsworthy because they’re beyond the norm.

I studied journalism in college and had a professor tell my class just before graduation that none of us, working as reporters, would ever get rich. He wasn’t joking, and the same can be said for most toiling authors, regardless of their passion and determination. Of course, we don’t write for the money—but it would be nice to earn a full-time living doing it!

As John Steinbeck said: “The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business.”

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Writing about writing . . .

In author, publishing, Writing on August 9, 2010 at 5:43 am

Winston Churchill wrote 44 books in his lifetime—two or three of them before the age of 25. Although no slouch when it came to the English language, the guy was obviously a glutton for punishment. When accepting the Sunday Times Literary Award in 1949, he explained the process of writing a book: “To begin with it is a toy, then an amusement, then it becomes a mistress and then it becomes a master and then it becomes a tyrant and, in the last stage, just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster and fling him to the public.”

I’ve just started book number six—and, at the same time, am correcting page proofs for book number five. I also work a full-time job and am in the process of moving. At least I don’t have Nazi Germany to deal with. So, what’s the point of all this? I’ve decided to write a blog and record the progress of my latest manuscript. Here are the particulars:

Publisher: Penguin’s Berkley Caliber imprint, which specializes in military history.
Format: Hardcover.
Genre: Narrative non-fiction (an historical thriller).
Publisher’s desired word count: Approximately 90,000.
Publisher’s deadline: December 1, 2011.
Author’s self-imposed deadline: Hoping to have a first draft done by the end of March.

Many would-be writers dream of achieving Stephen King-type success, enjoying massive advances and power lunches with New York’s literati. I sure do! Unfortunately, that’s the exception and not the rule. Part of my intent here is to provide a more realistic picture of what it means to be an author. Writing the book is the easy part . . . getting people to read it is the challenge! I hope you’ll find my missives here entertaining and, perhaps, informative!

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