Dave, we have to continue to take risks, and we do (I just bought a first novel the other week that I'm particularly excited about, as a matter of fact). But we're taking second and third looks at manuscripts to make sure we know what we're doing ...
I didn't mention it to put a gold star on my forehead, I.J. -- I think most of my colleagues in the business are looking at as many things as I am. My point is: Just because it's November doesn't mean we aren't looking at submissions.
We acquire all year round. The week between Xmas and New Year's -- sure, that's not a good idea -- and late August can be tricky for getting people together. But I've been getting submissions hand over fist this month, and I can promise you nothin...
Glad you liked Chasing Darkness, Dana. The new Crais, The First Rule, out in January, is another book centered on Pike, with Elvis chiming in. It's fierce.
Senior vice president, publisher and editor in chief of G.P. Putnam's Sons
I Am A:
Publisher, Editor
Books And Authors I Like:
Among the authors I edit: Clive Cussler, Patricia Cornwell, Daniel Silva, Jack Higgins, Alex Berenson, Randy Wayne White, WEB Griffin, Tom Clancy, John Sandford, Frederick Forsyth, Carol O'Connell, Ace Atkins, James O. Born.
Among the (many, many) other authors I like: Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, Margaret Maron, Kate Atkinson, Charlie Huston, Denise Mina, Michael Connelly, Robert Crais, Dennis Lehane, Walter Mosley, Lee Child, Julia Spencer-Fleming, Barry Maitland.
Hi Neil, I want to introduce you to my debut novel "A Circle of souls" which is a paranormal, murder, mystery thriller and a tale of justice and hope. Do visit www.acircleofsouls.com to read more about the book. Make sure you sign up to win an autographed copy of the book. Thanks for your time in advance.
Best regards
Preetham Grandhi
Early Endorsements for “A Circle of Souls”
Linda Fairstein, NYT Bestselling Author: "A fascinating debut - this novel takes the reader to the darkest places in the human soul, from a writer with the authenticity to lead us there. A stunning thriller and an important read."
Judge Judy Sheindlin, star of the Judge Judy Show: "The seminal work of this fine author kept me glued to my chair until the adventure was over and the mystery solved. A great read!"
Book Synopsis:
The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. The town s top detective, perplexed by a complete lack of leads, calls in FBI agent Leia Bines, an expert in cases involving children.
Meanwhile, Dr. Peter Gram, a psychiatrist at Newbury s hospital, searches desperately for the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope.
The situations confronting Leia and Peter converge when Naya begins drawing chilling images of murder after being bombarded by the disturbing images in her dreams. Amazingly, her sketches are the only clues to the crime that has panicked Newbury residents. Against her better judgment, Leia explores the clues in Naya s crude drawings, only to set off an alarming chain of events.
Neil, Glad to hear from you--on, ahem way back in April 17th--about Dan Silva's latest as a follow-on from Moscow Rules. I just finished Death in Vienna. Great book. He & Stella Rimington write credibly about Russia.
When we set up the awards, we felt it wasn't enough to just talk about books. For example, all the criticisms about poor cover design and copycat covers fall on deaf ears because hands are tied. A publisher only has so much money, and time, and nobody has a global database identifying every time a graphic has been used as part of a cover. The only way you know you have truly original, unused art is if you commission an artist or photographer for each individual book, and there's no budget for that.
So, we felt that we had to try to point out where the industry was getting it right, instead of harping on where it was going wrong. Editors and publishers consistently producing quality works deserve as much credit as the authors. It's our way of saying thank you for keeping good books coming our way. :)
Thanks Neil. I should be interviewing you for Spinetingler. It's really refreshing to see someone cut through all the bs and be positive about the industry. I thought your answer was encouraging, and some days, we do need all the encouragement we can find, so thanks for that.
Hi Neil,
Any friend of Liz Zelvin's has got to be a friend of mine! Plus, you've got the same name as my husband and spell it the "correct" way with an i vs an a. ;-)