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Archive for the ‘publishing’ Category

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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.]

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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