Simon Duke's Posts - CrimeSpace2024-03-29T07:29:26ZSimon Dukehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/SimonDukehttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/88161774?profile=original&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://crimespace.ning.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=1x1ugs72iivks&xn_auth=noBuilding Castles and Shit-Scrubbingtag:crimespace.ning.com,2014-10-19:537324:BlogPost:3983472014-10-19T09:37:24.000ZSimon Dukehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/SimonDuke
<p><strong>16 October 2014 - The ball is no longer in my court. I have passed on the manuscript to my trusted proof-reader as well as to a dear friend with whom I bounced off ideas and storyline progression during the whole writing process. I have finally shared my newborn creative offspring with a closed circle of people.</strong> <br></br><br></br> After the necessary cosmetic and structural changes to the book I anticipate carrying over in the coming month or two, I will be able to share my work…</p>
<p><strong>16 October 2014 - The ball is no longer in my court. I have passed on the manuscript to my trusted proof-reader as well as to a dear friend with whom I bounced off ideas and storyline progression during the whole writing process. I have finally shared my newborn creative offspring with a closed circle of people.</strong> <br/><br/> After the necessary cosmetic and structural changes to the book I anticipate carrying over in the coming month or two, I will be able to share my work beyond this closed circle and test the waters with literary agents, or why not with publishers who invite authors to submit their manuscripts directly to them. I say necessary, because no matter how many times you read your own work, there are always corrections to be made. After the third read, your eyes are blinded and less critical of what's written. As Ernest Hemingway elegantly put it, "the first draft of anything is shit." So with the editing work and shit-scrubbing ahead of us, I'm going to be realistic and aim for January-February 2015 for the novel's submission. Quite annoyed with myself, I actually missed the boat with a recent HarperCollins initiative entitled "Killer Reads". My manuscript was 90% complete, but it was too late to meet their deadline! All is not lost, though. Apparently they will be opening their doors for submissions again. I may have another opportunity further down the line. <br/><br/> Needless to say my approach with agents this time will be different. This is my second book and I have learnt lessons with the first one. I know where many of my strengths and weaknesses lie, and I've taken into account a lot of the feedback with regard to 'Out of Bounds'. Furthermore, I can demonstrate that I've been through the whole process before and that I oversaw everything a publication entails. I can even prove it by sending the agents to the weblinks for 'Out of Bounds'. This time I enter the fray with more confidence and experience. I also have more of a social media presence than before I published 'Out of Bounds', and I have a larger network of contacts than before. All bodes well.<br/><br/> Naturally my work doesn't stop here. To ensure I get a proper chance with the agents and publishers, I have to pen down a cover-letter as well as a plot synopsis to hook the reader. The latter is especially difficult. It's like an administrative submission form: if everything isn't in order, the agent might not want to check your manuscript, and reject your enquiry. However, contrary to a bureaucratic submission form, the synopsis must be entertaining and well-written, while remaining short and sweet. It's an opportunity to showcase the strengths of your novel and direct the reader's attention to what you think makes the book so great.<br/><br/> Besides the synopsis and cover-letter, I'm planning a few short stories before I begin a third novel. Writers & Artists have another competition on the theme 'Joy' and their deadline is February 2015. I've also been asked to write a story for the Christmas edition of a local magazine. So I'll be busy writing and imagining, imagining stories and interesting characters or situations I want to write about, bringing some of these ideas to life, and hell, why not have one of those revelatory moments when I realise I have substance to commence a new book. <br/><br/> "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau</p>
<p><a href="http://simongduke.blogspot.fr/2014/10/building-castles-and-shit-scrubbing.html"><font size="5">Building Castles and Shit-Scrubbing</font></a></p>'Out of Bounds' is Availabletag:crimespace.ning.com,2014-03-26:537324:BlogPost:3879332014-03-26T11:30:00.000ZSimon Dukehttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/SimonDuke
<p><i>Out of Bounds</i> has been officially released and is now available in paperback at Amazon and in ebook format at Smashwords. I have also obtained approval by Smashwords for further distribution of the ebook via most of the largest online retailers. This may take a several days. I have listed all currently available links below.</p>
<p></p>
<div>So that’s it, I’m a published author. Okay, fanfares did not herald the arrival of <i>Out of Bounds</i>, neither did the world cease to move and…</div>
<p><i>Out of Bounds</i> has been officially released and is now available in paperback at Amazon and in ebook format at Smashwords. I have also obtained approval by Smashwords for further distribution of the ebook via most of the largest online retailers. This may take a several days. I have listed all currently available links below.</p>
<p></p>
<div>So that’s it, I’m a published author. Okay, fanfares did not herald the arrival of <i>Out of Bounds</i>, neither did the world cease to move and host a fireworks display, but the thrill of seeing my work published was an emotional moment. It’s like being confronted with a big dose of vanity coming from one angle and a sudden rush of humbleness gnawing at you from another - a real mixed bag of feelings. I know that my writing is in no way comparable to the masters of the crime fiction genre (or literature in general), but I am nonetheless proud and excited to finally share my storytelling (which I hope you will find vivid and reflective of my somewhat dark and puzzled conscience); the scope of the action (sequences and locations which I enjoyed writing about); the dialogue (I tried to make it punchy and as American-sounding as possible); my research (it was fun to look into narcotics history, firearms, police procedures…); and my characters whom I think I brought realism and depth to (that means you should be able to craft an opinion on the main protagonists – you’ll either like them or they’ll irritate you – contrary to characters you’ll feel indifferent to).</div>
<p>I hope you find <i>Out of Bounds</i> to be a compelling read filled with shocks and surprises.</p>
<p></p>
<div>Voilà, I have blown my own trumpet, but then again it’s not every day you can brag about an achievement of personal meaning. It’s important to believe in yourself in order for others to believe in you. In the words of the great Del Boy, “He who dares, wins”.</div>
<div>Here is a link to my <strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/author/simonduke" target="_blank">Official Amazon Author Page</a>:</strong> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/author/simonduke" target="_blank"><strong>https://www.amazon.com/author/simonduke</strong></a></div>
<div>***</div>
<div><strong><u>PAPERBACK<br/></u></strong></div>
<div><em>Out of Bounds</em> on <strong>Createspace.com</strong> (Price – $10.99) <a href="https://www.createspace.com/4667753">https://www.createspace.com/4667753</a></div>
<div><em>Out of Bounds</em> on <strong>Amazon.com</strong> (Price - $10.99): <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Out-Bounds-Simon-Duke/dp/1495929906/ref=sr_1_42?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394823084&sr=1-42&keywords=out+of+bounds" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Out-Bounds-Simon-Duke/dp/1495929906/ref=sr_1_42?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394823084&sr=1-42&keywords=out+of+bounds</a></div>
<div><em>Out of Bounds</em> on <strong>Amazon.co.uk</strong> (Price £8.99): <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Bounds-Simon-Duke/dp/1495929906/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394823147&sr=1-1&keywords=simon+duke+out+of+bounds" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.co.uk/Out-Bounds-Simon-Duke/dp/1495929906/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394823147&sr=1-1&keywords=simon+duke+out+of+bounds</a></div>
<p><em>Out of Bounds</em> on <strong>Amazon.fr</strong> (Price, currently €10.65, but should be reduced to €9.50 at some stage): <a href="http://www.amazon.fr/Out-Bounds-Simon-Duke/dp/1495929906/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1394823195&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=simon+duke+out+of+bounds" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.fr/Out-Bounds-Simon-Duke/dp/1495929906/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1394823195&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=simon+duke+out+of+bounds</a></p>
<div>Out of Bounds on Amazon is also available on Amazon.es, Amazon.de, Amazon.it (Price in Euro)</div>
<div><strong><u>EBOOK</u></strong></div>
<div><strong>ebook on Smashwords.com (Price $3.99)</strong> <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/419130" target="_blank">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/419130</a></div>
<div><strong>Barnes & Noble (Price $3.99)</strong></div>
<div><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-bounds-simon-duke/1118931454?ean=2940045768825">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-bounds-simon-duke/1118931454?ean=2940045768825</a><br/> <strong>Sony</strong><strong>Flipkart (India)</strong> <a href="http://www.flipkart.com/out-of-bounds/p/itmdudegtamwhher?pid=DGBDUDEGTAMWHHER&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&query=out+of+bounds+simon+duke&ref=254161a3-d3bd-4c57-9644-76312e8d3aa4" target="_blank"><strong>http://www.flipkart.com/out-of-bounds/p/itmdudegtamwhher?pid=DGBDUDEGTAMWHHER&otracker=from-search&srno=t_1&query=out+of+bounds+simon+duke&ref=254161a3-d3bd-4c57-9644-76312e8d3aa4</strong></a> <strong>Versent</strong> <strong><a href="http://www.versentbooks.com/store/title/e8de4a87-1c30-46de-a619-d9cadda214a9" target="_blank">http://www.versentbooks.com/store/title/e8de4a87-1c30-46de-a619-d9cadda214a9</a></strong></div>
<div><strong>Inktera</strong> <a href="http://www.inktera.com/store/title/e8de4a87-1c30-46de-a619-d9cadda214a9" target="_blank"><strong>http://www.inktera.com/store/title/e8de4a87-1c30-46de-a619-d9cadda214a9</strong></a></div>
<div><br/> <strong>Other ebook publishers (prices and links TBD)</strong></div>
<div><br/> Apple<br/> Baker & Taylor (Blio and the Axis360 library service)<br/> Kobo (Kobo powers the ebook stores of multiple ebook retailers around the world: WH Smith in the UK, FNAC in France and Portugal, Livraria Cultura in Brazil, Angus & Robertson in Australia, Bookworld in Australia, Indigo in Canada, Collins in Australia, Feltrinelli in Italy, Libris in the Netherlands, Paper Plus in New Zealand, Play in Great Britain, Rakuten in Japan, Buy.com in the US, Whitcoulls in New Zealand</div>
<div>... and more on the way.</div>