Saturday, October 11, 2008
Good News, Bad News, Good News
It’s a mixed bag this week. I had an email from my editor to say that Plague Year has gone to its third printing, which is excellent! The book has legs. Obviously we’re all very excited. In fact, with the new run, I’m now very close to having 100K books in print. That’s not a huge number, and it includes the Spanish and German editions overseas. I know plenty of writers whose print runs for a single novel just here in North America are two or three times that much, so my head still fits easily through the door... but, hey, I’m just starting out. My second novel is only two months old, and the six figure mark will be a nice milestone.
Our quest to close the last small gap to 100K may have taken a brief detour, however. It looks like it'll be another foreign edition that takes me to that mark. My editor here in the U.S. also said that, due to some “scheduling Sudoko,” Mind Plague is now slated for a December release. In 2009. No, that’s not a typo. We’re not talking about this December. We’re talking about next December.
That sounds scary, but it's only a jump of two months. Originally, they were talking about October 2009. Publishing books is akin to landing planes at LAX. You’ve got a lot of traffic and only so many runaways. Sometimes the books, er, planes stack up.
I have a killer blog to write about the turning of the wheels in publishing and why I'm off the summer schedule that saw both Year and War out in August. I’ll try to get to that next?
In the meantime, I see this as good-news-bad-news. We’re excited to have the book out during that time of year when people need to grab a lot of Christmas stocking stuffers for family and friends... Ooh! How about some nice paperbacks? On the other hand, I also worry that everyone will have completely forgotten about me by then. That's a long wait!
Maybe next fall just before the book is out, if I light myself on fire, naked, with Paris Hilton, also naked, on Wall Street, while throwing out free $10 bills stuffed inside fire-seared blueberry muffins... we’ll scrawl the title of the book on the money... well, you can’t beat publicity like that, right? With puppies. And music by Van Halen. Stand back!
Labels: Mind Plague, Publishing, the writing life
Comments:
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Well, to keep your name out there, I would personally prefer to see more short fiction written by you, rather than seeing Paris Hilton naked (been there, done that) or (shudder the thought!) seeing you naked.
Joe
Joe
# posted by 
: October 11, 2008 at 10:56 AM
: October 11, 2008 at 10:56 AM
You've seen Paris naked?
Joe, I'm completely sold out of short stories (i.e., there's nothing sitting in a drawer somewhere) and it's tough to justify the time necessary to write one when I'm on deadline for books. For me, a short story often takes as long as two chapters. As a businessman, that's a huge loss.
Having said that, however, I've got two short stories I'm itching to write, in part because there are two editors who told me they'd like to buy 'em. It's just a matter of getting far enough ahead with the books. More on this notion when I get the chance?
Keep the ideas coming, though, buddy. You're a trouble-maker, and I like that about you.
Joe, I'm completely sold out of short stories (i.e., there's nothing sitting in a drawer somewhere) and it's tough to justify the time necessary to write one when I'm on deadline for books. For me, a short story often takes as long as two chapters. As a businessman, that's a huge loss.
Having said that, however, I've got two short stories I'm itching to write, in part because there are two editors who told me they'd like to buy 'em. It's just a matter of getting far enough ahead with the books. More on this notion when I get the chance?
Keep the ideas coming, though, buddy. You're a trouble-maker, and I like that about you.
Fourteen months? Noooooooo! I don't know if I can wait that long! What will I do for my Jeff fix? I'll have to re-read! Oh noez!
Seriously, Jeff, y'know, it's awesome you're approaching the six-figure mark of books in print. Because that's totally awesome.
Also, I love the term 'scheduling Sudoku'.
Lastly, you can skip the Paris Hilton publicity stunt. Really. I don't mind at all. ;)
-kat
Seriously, Jeff, y'know, it's awesome you're approaching the six-figure mark of books in print. Because that's totally awesome.
Also, I love the term 'scheduling Sudoku'.
Lastly, you can skip the Paris Hilton publicity stunt. Really. I don't mind at all. ;)
-kat
# posted by : October 11, 2008 at 6:22 PM
: October 11, 2008 at 6:22 PM
Katster, my Kat, fourteen months really *does* seem like a long time, doesn't it? I'm still alternately bummed and enthused about the move to December... and I will try to get to a coherent blog entry this week about scheduling, juggling multiple projects, and so forth. Deep Thoughts With Jeff.
In the meantime, my hope now is that my collaboration with David Brin will find its way to the fast track and be out this summer?
More soon!
In the meantime, my hope now is that my collaboration with David Brin will find its way to the fast track and be out this summer?
More soon!
See, you are working on other things! I keep forgetting you are collaborating with Mr. Brin. You must provide us faithful blog followers some teasers as to what that is all about.
As for being forgotten in fourteen months – well, I know the general public is a little more fickle, but I think you’ve made quite an impression on the SF community considering the short duration since you’ve busted out onto the scene.
In October’s Locus alone there are two photos of you (fully clothed, I report with great relief!).
Joe
As for being forgotten in fourteen months – well, I know the general public is a little more fickle, but I think you’ve made quite an impression on the SF community considering the short duration since you’ve busted out onto the scene.
In October’s Locus alone there are two photos of you (fully clothed, I report with great relief!).
Joe
# posted by : October 12, 2008 at 10:05 AM
: October 12, 2008 at 10:05 AM
thank god he's clothed, as i have just renewed my locus subscription two weeks ago, so i suppose the october issue is on its way to me...
14 months is not that long, and the news about the collaboration with david brin are indeed really exciting. keeping my fingers crossed for that!
14 months is not that long, and the news about the collaboration with david brin are indeed really exciting. keeping my fingers crossed for that!
# posted by : October 12, 2008 at 3:23 PM
: October 12, 2008 at 3:23 PM
I'm in Locus magazine!?!? Holy shikes, thanks for the news, Joe. I stopped subscribing because I realized I never had time to read it, so, you know, what was the point. I had about ten months' worth of backlog when I cut it off. Felt guilty. But I did it! I confess! I confess!
Now I'll have to call and sheepishly order a copy for my fat ego.
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Now I'll have to call and sheepishly order a copy for my fat ego.
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