All Blog Posts Tagged 'publishing' (126)

Release date for the novel!

We have a due date for this little baby. On October 1st One Too Many Blows To The Head will be available for you to get your grubby little hands on. Jennifer (my co-author) and I are SO excited to finally release the book on the world. We've already gotten some great feedback including this amazing blurb from the always fantastic Megan Abbott:

“One Too Many Blows to the Head feels… Continue

Added by Eric Beetner on August 27, 2009 at 11:59am — No Comments

UK cover for THE FOURTH ASSASSIN

It's always a thrill for me to receive the covers of my forthcoming novels from my UK publisher Atlantic Books. They have a series feel in that there's a continuity to the design. Each one seems to get better. Here's the cover of THE FOURTH ASSASSIN, which will be published next February. I received it from my delightful editor in London Sarah Norman just this week.…

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Added by Matt Rees on August 14, 2009 at 10:52pm — 1 Comment

Forgive Them, For They Know Not

Had lunch with a friend who just signed her first contract, and I got a flashback. You're excited. You've finally done what you longed to do. You tell people you know, "I'm going to be published." And then, like in the Sinatra song, they spoil it all by saying something stupid.

"So you're going to be just like J. K. Rowling, huh?"

"When will I see your book on the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller List?"

"I guess your husband can retire now that you're making all that… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on August 12, 2009 at 10:47pm — 7 Comments

Five smokes and a new novel: Klaus Modick’s Writing Life

When my second novel A GRAVE IN GAZA was being translated into German, I received an email from my translator. He had a number of penetrating questions about certain phrases I'd used in the book. He also happened to be the only translator who asked me a question about any of my books (and my work is translated in… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 9, 2009 at 8:30pm — 2 Comments

A Gripping Read, or Gripping Your Read

I’m delighted to present a guest blogger today whose terrific new novel STOP ME is out tomorrow. Richard Jay Parker was born in the same South Wales town as me, just around the corner from where my parents now live. In our different ways, clearly, the mean streets of Newport shaped… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on August 4, 2009 at 4:44pm — No Comments

To Encourage or Not to Encourage: There's the Rub

I do a workshop for writers, and I'm afraid I'm too damned honest. People come hoping to be told that their writing sizzles, that their idea is just what a certain publisher (whose ear I happen to have, of course) is looking for, and that I'll be glad to set down what I'm working on right now to polish it up for them, just because it's so gosh-darned good.

I might book far more workshops if I played along. It's obvious that there are lots of people doing it. Just look at the "We Can… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on July 30, 2009 at 11:23pm — 3 Comments

And There's the Contract

I posted last week about an editor who asked me to change two sentences, with the enticing, "Before I can offer you a contract..."

Well, I fixed 'em and she sent me the contract. Sometimes it happens just like that.

I should be cheering, but I think I'm still in shock: no year of waiting for an answer? No "We'll see what the sales department thinks of your chances?" That's cool.

Added by Peg Herring on July 20, 2009 at 9:28pm — 3 Comments

Book Prices

(Also posted on One Bite at a Time.)

Interesting article in Slate magazine this week by Jack Shafer, about e-book pricing. The entire article is worth reading, but something he brings up in the first paragraph interests me more than the rest.

According to Shafer, publishers routinely sell books to retail booksellers for half the cover price. This… Continue

Added by Dana King on July 18, 2009 at 1:56am — 10 Comments

Industry Salaries

(Also posted in One Bite at a Time.)

I recently discovered the Editorial Ass blog; lots of good stuff there.

This post is a few weeks old, but interesting.

Any thoughts?

Added by Dana King on July 16, 2009 at 6:55am — 7 Comments

"Before I Can Offer You a Contract..."

What lovely words! And the rest isn't bad, either. An editor wants me to change two sentences. Two. That's hardly worth pondering. Of course I can change two sentences. In fact, you can write them the way you want and I'll sign off on it.

I'm not the sort of author who thinks my work is immutable. I've learned over my lifetime that what I think I've said is often not what others comprehend, and it isn't anybody's fault. Communication is subjective, and what one person says in jest… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on July 14, 2009 at 9:46pm — 2 Comments

Ingenious book readings: Just don't mention books!

In his terrific book "On Writing" Stephen King notes that he once asked Amy Tan what she's NEVER asked about at public readings. "They never ask about the writing," Tan tells him. Which spurs King to write a book about exactly that.

Now controversial UK… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on July 12, 2009 at 7:13pm — No Comments

The Range of Writing

I'm a member of many writer-oriented groups, among them the Guppies, which is Sisters in Crime's subgroup for un-published writers. Quite a few of us stay on after we're published, and it's interesting to be reminded of what that pre-publication angst was comprised of. Of course, mid-list writers have to make sure the next book is good enough to get attention, because that section of writers has no guarantee of continued publication. And I read today that Anne Perry's editor is quite critical… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on July 2, 2009 at 10:29pm — 2 Comments

I've Got a Horse Right Here...

Any gathering of authors ends up reminding me of the old song from GUYS AND DOLLS where three racing aficionados tout their choices for the next winner, each one certain that he's got it figured out. They end up singing over each other, an amusing number that's confusing if you actually want to hear the words.

Passing through crowds, standing in line, and seated at dinner at a writers' conference, what one hears is a succession of loglines, each delivered with the certainty that if… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 25, 2009 at 10:00pm — 1 Comment

Enter Cheryl's deadly 'Create a Corpse Contest'

Ever want to kill someone off--fictitiously, of course? Maybe your school bully, ex-boyfriend, co-worker, boss, teacher etc? Now you can! :-)

From now until July 30th, 2009, you can submit a name (first & last) of someone you know (boss, husband, school bully, ex-friend or yourself), or a fictitious name.

I am looking for a male name, suitable for a 50-ish cigar-smoking man.

On August 1st, 2009, I will select one winner from all the entries… Continue

Added by Cheryl Kaye Tardif on June 20, 2009 at 12:49pm — No Comments

Enjoying the Failures of Others

Well not really. I mean we're nice people, right? We wouldn't actually enjoy hearing someone else's woes.

But it helps. I just read an interview with a multi-published writer (over 100 books) who admitted to a lot of failures over the years: wrong book, wrong time, wrong publisher, etc. She made the point that it isn't always the author who fails, and we have to remember that or we'd all throw the monitor out the window.

I lunch every once in a while with another writer,… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 3, 2009 at 9:52pm — No Comments

You Call That A Book Launch? THIS Is A Book Launch.

Big Daddy's doing a Booze And Bands Book Launch for SEX, THUGS AND ROCK & ROLL, the latest Thuglit anthology (which includes a story by the bald headed guy all over this page). Jason Starr, Justin Porter, Sarah Weinman, Patrick Lambe and Big Daddy Thug himself are all going to do readings from the book before they stage dive into the mosh… Continue

Added by Daniel Hatadi on June 3, 2009 at 2:56pm — 1 Comment

Giving Up the Baby

I've heard authors much more famous than I am say it: giving a manuscript to someone else to read is like sending your kid off to her first day of school. It feels like everything you've done for years has come to a climax, and you never feel like you've done enough.

A fellow writer told me yesterday that she's got a three book series with one due to the publisher every nine months. I wonder how I would handle that, since I (at least in my own opinion) need more time than that to… Continue

Added by Peg Herring on June 2, 2009 at 9:58pm — 2 Comments

Indonesia debates my Grave in Gaza

I’ve been extraordinarily impressed with the job my Indonesian publisher is doing with my Palestinian crime novels. It also turns out I have something in common with a popular former President of Indonesia.

My editor at Dioma Publishing in Malang, Indonesia, Herman Kosasih filled me in on a couple of events they organized there for the launch of A Grave in… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on May 31, 2009 at 9:18pm — 1 Comment

Self-publishing finds commercial niche in digital age

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/22/self-publishing-finds-commercial-niche-in-digital-/

Some cherry-picked quotes:

On Tuesday, the bibliographic information company Bowker released statistics showing that last year, for the first time, more books were released by on-demand publishers than by traditional ones.

Traditional publishers… Continue

Added by John Dishon on May 23, 2009 at 6:00am — 2 Comments

Amazon Encore

"Even great books can be overlooked. And authors with great potential often struggle to connect with the larger audience they deserve to reach. We’re fortunate at Amazon.com to have customers who know a good book when they read one, so we've introduced AmazonEncore to help connect authors and their books with more readers.

AmazonEncore is a new program whereby Amazon will use information such as customer reviews on Amazon.com to identify exceptional, overlooked books and authors… Continue

Added by John Dishon on May 15, 2009 at 7:30am — 2 Comments