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Archive for the ‘publishing’ Category

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Publication frustration

In e-books, publishing, Random thoughts, Writing on February 14, 2012 at 9:11 am

Editor’s Note: This post is aimed not at the really good writers out there who publish their own work, but those scribes guilty of self-publishing books with horrible spelling, bad grammar, clichéd similes, and countless other literary crimes.

For my recent trip to England, I downloaded several books onto my Kindle Fire, including Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse and the classic thriller The 39 Steps by John Buchan. Both were great reads. Not great, however, were a couple of self-published books I purchased from the Kindle store. I won’t reveal the titles or authors—but I will say that I won’t be reading anything by these offenders again. No one recommended the books to me; I stumbled across them on my own. I’m not angry I spent good money on said books, as they were only 99 cents each—I’m annoyed with the authors for publishing them in the first place. I love many different authors and a broad range of genres, but I can’t tolerate horrible writing.

There is nothing wrong with an author publishing his or her own work. While it gives a writer greater control over their creation, it also places on them a greater responsibility to produce something of quality. I’m not saying it has to be Shakespeare—but it should, at the very least, display the author’s basic understanding of grammar and an ability to produce decent prose. Obviously, if you publish through a traditional publishing house, you have editors and proofreaders vetting your copy. If you’re putting it out there yourself, the entire burden rests on your shoulders. If you’re self-publishing, you’re in essence an ambassador for a burgeoning field. If you have several lousy meals at a restaurant, you’d probably stop eating there. Likewise, how many bad self-published authors does one read before giving up on self-published books altogether?

According to a statistic I came across online, more than 74,000 self-published books were released in 2009! One can’t be shoddy and expect to stand out in a field that crowded. It’s tough enough trying to make it with a major publishing house behind you. There are great self-published authors out there (check out my friend Chris Randolph at Oktopods) who fret over every word and sentence. This, of course, is how it should be. Take pride in what you write. At least prove to the rest of us you know the difference between “there” and “their,” or when to use “it’s” versus “its.”

And never, when describing a murder, compare a blade cutting through flesh to a “hot knife slicing through butter.”

I’m not a big fan of “American Idol” (I blame Ryan Seacrest for unleashing the Kardashian plague), but I sometimes take grim pleasure in watching the audition episodes. I always feel sorry for the poor individuals with no vocal talent whatsoever who truly believe they can sing. It’s both comedic and horrifying to watch.

Bad singing is funny; bad writing isn’t—but why not? Because expressing ideas on paper in a clear, concise manner is a fundamental skill we should all possess. Not everyone is going to write with Churchillian eloquence, but everyone should have a basic understanding of how to construct a sentence.

That’s all I want to say.

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Possible book project and confusion at Starbucks

In author, books, publishing, Writing on February 11, 2012 at 11:16 am

Last Friday, my first night in London, I met my book editor for drinks and dinner at the Goat Tavern, a 300-year-old pub on Kensington High Street. It was our first face-to-face encounter. We worked together a couple of years ago on Dark City, my history of infamous crimes in wartime London. Said editor, Mark Beynon, is also an author. His most recent work is London’s Curse: Murder, Black Magic, and Tutankhamun in the 1920s West End, which implicates occultist Aleister Crowley in a series of murders that shocked London following the discovery of King Tut’s tomb.

It looks as though Mark and I may be working on another book together for publisher The History Press. Details have yet to be ironed out, and I’m still researching the tentative subject matter at hand . . . so we’ll see how things proceed. In other books news, Penguin will soon have the finished cover design for Human Game (scheduled for an October release) ready. Once they send it my way, I’ll post it here!

Last Sunday afternoon, I went to Paddington Station and caught a train north to visit family. Before my departure, I walked into the station’s Starbucks and ordered a latte. The young guy behind the register was of Eastern European descent and had a very thick accent. I must have also been hard to understand because it took me two tries to convey what I wanted to drink. He eventually picked up a paper cup and a pen and said something to me. Again, there was a communication breakdown. I could only assume he was asking me my name so he could write it on the cup, as they do in Starbucks here in the States. I said, “Simon.” He offered me nothing but a blank stare, so I proceeded to spell my name for him. He dully scribbled it on the side of the cup, looked at me, and said, “Why do you tell me your name?”

I felt the blood rush to my face. “I have no idea,” I said. “I thought that’s what you were asking me.”

“I wasn’t,” he replied—without offering any explanation as to what he had actually said to me.

When the barista (also Eastern European) was handed my cup to make the latte, she asked the cashier, “What is ‘Simon’?”

“I don’t know,” the cashier shrugged, pointing a finger at me. “He keeps telling me his name.”

By now, I just wanted to make a hasty retreat with my latte in hand. Mercifully, the barista got busy making my drink. When done, she thrust it in my direction and said, “This is yours.”

I took my coffee and scurried from the premises.

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The James Patterson Syndrome

In author, books, publishing, writers, Writing on January 28, 2012 at 8:02 am

Watching TV last night, I saw a commercial for the latest book churned out by the James Patterson factory. My general rule is to chat only about authors I like and not badmouth those I don’t—but Patterson drives me crazy (my apologies to the impressive number of Patterson fans out there). I tried reading Kiss the Girls several years ago when the Morgan Freeman movie hit theaters but just couldn’t get through it. The writing was pedestrian and the one-page chapters distracting. That aside, it’s not his writing that bothers me . . . it’s his approach to writing.

Those of us who write do so because we love the act itself. It’s wonderful to see your thoughts take shape on a page, and it’s an amazing feeling to finish a story and hold in your hands a completed manuscript. While I have yet to score a bestseller and certainly can’t afford to write books fulltime, I dream of the day—if it ever arrives—when I can devote myself fully to the profession. Of course, I want to make enough money doing it to sustain myself and my family, but my passion for writing is the primary motivator.

So, what does this have to do with James Patterson?

I don’t consider him a true writer. He’s more of an idea factory who leaves the writing to others. You’ll notice on most of his recent efforts, it’s his name and that of another author’s on the cover. He’s certainly not the only guy doing this these days. Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler are two others who come to mind—but Patterson seems to have taken it to a whole other level. In 2009, the Hatchette Book Group announced it had signed a deal that would see Patterson bang out 17 books through 2012 . . . that’s 17 books in three years. According to his website, Patterson already has four books due out this year: one in March, two in May, and one in July (he already released one earlier this month). Last year, he put out nine. Some may consider Stephen King a factory (personally, I’m a fan), but at least the man writes his own books.

I can only assume at this point in his career, Patterson doesn’t care about any sort of artistic integrity or quality control. He merely wants a paycheck. My feeling is that if you want to write books, then write books—don’t contract someone else out to do it. The publisher is also to blame here, as it obviously doesn’t care what’s slapped between two covers. You can’t churn out nine books in a year from one author and expect to deliver a quality product.

Ultimately, it’s the fans who are cheated.

My rant is over. I don’t know—maybe I’m just being overly critical.

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The Compulsion to Write

In books, manuscript, publishing, Uncategorized, writers, Writing on January 17, 2012 at 11:45 am

It’s been nearly two months since I shipped my latest manuscript off to my publishers in the US and UK. Today, I heard from my British editor, who gave the pages a big thumbs-up—much to my relief. Having spent three years researching and writing the book—titled Human Game (see the post dated Jan. 12, “What happens after ‘The Great Escape’)—I had lost all perspective on it by the end. After you’ve read for the sixth or seventh time something you’ve written, it becomes a challenge to determine whether it’s any good. The positive opinion of someone outside your immediate circle of friends and family goes a long way in boosting the old confidence level. Hopefully, my U.S. editor will also think kindly of what I’ve submitted!

As the book winds its way through the editing process, I find myself torn between the desire to take time off and dive right into my next project. As stated in the post below, I work a day job to pay the bills. My writing, for the most part, is done in the evenings after my wife and son are in bed. Having my evenings free to lounge about in front of the television or to catch up on my reading is always a thing—but always present in the back of my mind is that nagging urge to get cracking on the next manuscript. Human Game clocked in at almost 100,000 words—the longest thing I’ve written by far. While I definitely need time to recharge the batteries, my compulsion (and that’s what it is) to write never seems to rest.

The reason for this may have something to do with being neurotic; it definitely has something to do with how I view myself. Although my day job is in marketing, I consider myself—professionally—a writer first and foremost. My other job is what enables me to pursue my writing. If I’m not writing, then I feel I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m merely wasting time. Watching something take shape on the page is one of life’s great pleasures! I don’t possess any grand illusions about myself; I just know what I like—and want—to do. Actually, it’s what I need to do. If I put writing off for too long a period, I eventually feel like something inside of me is going to explode.

But there’s one more reason . . . and that’s the hope that whatever project I may be working on will be “The One.” Years ago when I started writing, my primary goal was simply to be published. Once I achieved that benchmark, the next goal I set was to become a full-time author. It’s a lofty ambition and one that few writers are fortunate enough to achieve—but without a dream, how dull would things be?

A final note: It turns out researchers at Harvard have diagnosed a condition in some folks called Hypergraphia. In short, this is defined as the overpowering urge to write. Here’s an article from Psychology Today I found last night while cruising about the Web.

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The realities of being published . . .

In Writing, publishing, author, writers, advances on January 15, 2012 at 8:12 pm

If you nurture dreams of becoming a published author, you may envision martini lunches with your agent and large-scale advances that allow you to quit your day job. Such fantasies are not uncommon. Before Penguin published my first book in 2005, I harbored such illusions. Now, with six books released through major publishers in the United States and Britain, I still work a “day job” to pay the bills.

While I haven’t given up the idea of being a full-time writer, experience has taught me that those who can actually afford to work solely on their writing are the exception in this trade. Don’t get me wrong, seeing your book in print is a wonderful thing–but you should keep your expectations in check. I recently came across this article, which ran in Salon several years back. It’s pretty grim reading for anyone who hopes to make their living as a scribe–but it’s also a good cautionary tale.

Check it out for yourself: The confessions for a semi-successful author.

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What happens after “The Great Escape” . . .

In author, manuscript, publishing, writers, Writing on January 12, 2012 at 1:49 pm

As I try to get back into the swing of blogging (and maintain the necessary discipline), I’ll also be experimenting with various designs—so please forgive me if I keep changing the appearance of the blog. I’m pretty happy with the current design, but we’ll see how long that lasts.

The past year has been spent working on the manuscript to my upcoming book, HUMAN GAME. If you’re a fan of the movie THE GREAT ESCAPE, you know how the film ends. For those of you not familiar with this Steve McQueen classic, here’s a brief synopsis: In Stalag Luft III, a prison camp for Allied airmen deep in the heart of Germany, a group of inmates decide to orchestrate the breakout of 250 prisoners. Each escapee is equipped with fake travel documents, German money, rations, identity cards, civilian clothing, compasses, etc.

The men built three tunnels, codenamed “Tom,” “Dick,” and “Harry.” To avoid the camp’s underground microphones, vertical shafts to each tunnel were dug 30 feet down before horizontal digging commenced. Construction of the tunnels continued around the clock and required the requisitioning of nearly 1,219 knifes, 582 forks, 408 spoons, 246 water cans, 1,699 blankets, 192 bed covers, 161 pillow cases, 1,212 pillows, 655 straw mattresses, thirty-four chairs, the frames of 90 bunk beds, 3,424 towels, ten single tables, fifty-two twenty-man tables, more than 1,200 bed bolsters, nearly 1,400 beaded battens, seventy-six benches, 1,000 feet of electrical wiring and 600 feet of rope. Four thousand bed boards were used to shore-up the tunnels. Lights wired into the camp’s electrical supply provided illumination underground; air pumps made of discarded kitbags, empty powdered-milk tins, wood-framing, wire mesh and tar paper supplied fresh air to those doing the digging.

Let’s jump ahead in our narrative a bit . . . The escape took place on the night of March 24/25, 1944. In the event, only seventy-six airmen got away before a guard discovered the exit to Harry—the tunnel ultimately used in the escape. Three of those seventy-six made it safely back to England; the others were recaptured. Fifty were handed over the Gestapo, taken to desolate killing fields throughout Germany, and gunned down.

The movie ends with the execution of the fifty. HUMAN GAME picks up immediately thereafter and details the Royal Air Force’s hunt for the Gestapo gunmen. It took three years of researching and writing to complete, and is based primarily on the official records kept by the RAF’s Special Investigating Branch, which handled the investigation. The Caliber imprint of Penguin will release the book in October. I’ll post more details as they become available.

In the meantime, here’s a trailer to THE GREAT ESCAPE—one of the greatest movies of all time!


Book signings: A necessary, but humiliating, ritual?

In author, publishing, writers, Writing on November 8, 2010 at 4:52 pm

Humility is showing up for a book signing and finding only two of twenty seats occupied. This, I’m afraid to say, has happened to me on more than one occasion—and repetitiveness does not ease the pain. It is, however, a reality of being a struggling author. As I slug away on my current manuscript, I’m debating whether I’ll submit myself to this kind of humiliation again.

Some years back, I did a book signing in which the only people who showed up were two high school students for an English class project. Because their assignment required them to take notes, they asked if I’d read an excerpt. This I did . . . while one of them loudly slapped their gum. Needless to say, they left without purchasing a copy.

On the plus side, they at least stayed awake. At another even some years later, as I sat talking with a small group of readers, a homeless guy entered the store, took a seat in the back row and promptly fell asleep.

Not as bad as talking to mostly empty seats—but still painful—is sitting at a table in a bookstore, surrounded by stacks of your books, waiting for someone to approach and buy a copy. I found myself in this situation last summer. One guy approached the table, picked up a book, flipped through its pages and asked me, “Did you write this?”

“Yes,” I said, smiling.

“What’s it about?” he asked.

I gave him an abbreviated plot synopsis, after which he asked me how long it took to write and countless other questions. For almost 45 minutes he grilled me on every aspect of the book before saying, “Well, I don’t have any money—but it sounds neat.”

I try to remain positive in such situations. After all, someone is taking the time to ask me about something I’ve written—but one can only take so much.

I recently went on Google to read about other authors who have endured similar experiences. By chance, I stumbled across this brilliant video by mystery writer Parnell Hall.

Rejecting a rejection slip

In author, publishing, writers, Writing on September 22, 2010 at 10:19 am

Dear Editor:

Thank you very much for your recent rejection slip. As it does not quite fit my present requirements, I am returning it. This in no way reflects upon its merits.

Don’t be discouraged. I read your rejection slip with great interest, and I hope you’ll continue reading my work.

I appreciate your thinking of me and wish you the best of luck in placing your rejection slip elsewhere.

Literally,

Just Another Writer

P.S. Please forgive me for the printed note. I’d like to comment on each rejection slip, but the large number I receive makes it impossible to answer each one personally.

[Disclosure: I wish I had written this. A friend passed it along to me.]

Dark City release date: October 21

In author, crime, manuscript, publishing, writers, Writing on September 20, 2010 at 2:16 pm

My book Dark City: Crime in Wartime London will hit stores Oct. 21 in the UK. Publisher Ian Allan is releasing it to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Blitz. It’s the first time I’ve been commissioned by a publisher to write something, and I’m quite flattered they approached me with the project. Although it won’t be available in U.S. stores, you can order it (if you so desire) from Amazon. Now, allow me a brief moment to gripe. When the book appeared on Amazon last month for pre-order, it did so with an image of the cover. Since then, the image has mysteriously disappeared . . . and Amazon, despite numerous requests from the publisher, has thus far done nothing to put it back. Very frustrating!

In other book news, UK publisher Constable has purchased the rights to my current project, which will also be published by the Caliber imprint of Penguin. In short, I’m busy, which is a good thing!

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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