… they first make mad. The publishing industry can be a cruel one, folks. A few years back, I was talking on the phone with the publisher of EIGHTBALL BOOGIE, and he casually mentioned that the book was about to be published in Russia. “Criminy!” says I. “I’ll send you over a few copies,” says he. He sent one. It wasn’t EIGHTBALL BOOGIE. Had he put the wrong book in the post? No, he’d just confused it with another book he was publishing. An easy enough mistake to make, given that the title of the novel, OVERNIGHT TO INNSBRUCK, was rendered in Cyrillic – although the author’s name, Denyse Woods, wasn’t. Such moments teach us humility, if little else. I hope Denyse Woods sold a million copies in Russia …
Anyway, as all three regular readers of CAP will be aware, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt late last year declined to publish the sequel to THE BIG O. Which was a bummer, especially as the deal was a two-book and HMH had specifically asked for a sequel. It must have been a close-run decision, though, because it seems as if someone in there had at some point seriously committed to the book, to the extent that it got an Amazon slot (as ‘Untitled Crime Novel’ by Declan Burke), and an ISBN number. Well, it’s that or the ‘Untitled Crime Novel’ was actually intended to be the paperback version of THE BIG O – although, in that case, they’d simply call it THE BIG O (pb), wouldn’t they?
Either way, knowing how close the sequel, aka CRIME ALWAYS PAYS, came to being published is heartbreaking, because what its not being published by HMH means is that no one else will touch it with a barge-pole, especially as it’s a sequel. This despite the fact that, in my not-entirely-humble opinion at least, CRIME ALWAYS PAYS is a superior read to THE BIG O, being faster, funnier and slightly shorter, and being set for a goodly bit in the Greek islands, which is always a bonus. All of which matters not the proverbial whit – the book, poor unwanted orphan that it is, will only ever see the light of day if I decide to self-publish. Which I might well do, just for giggles …
But back to ‘Untitled Crime Novel’ by Declan Burke. It’s cruel enough that it’s sitting out there in cyberspace, mocking me, but here’s the kicker – right now, at the time of writing, THE BIG O’s sales rank on Amazon.com is 858,436. Meanwhile, the phantom ‘Untitled Crime Novel’ by Declan Burke has a sales rank of 320,829.
Sometimes, if you didn’t laugh, you’d have to cry …
Hang in there Declan, adversity breeds strength of character - was it Fred Nietzsche who said,"What doesn't kill you make you stronger"
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the day
Ali
CAP WILL find a home, I'm sure of it. Are you still off the smokes? Fair play, by the way.
ReplyDeleteClaire
Nice one, Ali ... Erm, what was it that killed Nietzsche again?
ReplyDeleteClaire - still off the smokes, indeed. Feeling a bit smug about it, actually ... I still get the odd jolt, but it's nowhere as bad as I thought it would be. The danger now is getting casual about it, methinks ...
Cheers, Dec
Good news about the smokes Declan but these publishers must be crazy. I read so many books [not much more you can do in my state of health except read] that I can't remember most of the plots or characters.
ReplyDeleteThe Big O was an exception and I still laugh at some of the lines that you embedded in my brain.
I would actually buy a copy of CAP, and if that is not an encouragement to publishers what else can we do.
Would you go back and try Hag's Head again as a possible option? If you were going the partnership publishing route you could always tout for investors to offset costs further (and share in the spoils)!
ReplyDeleteThis is the sort of post that makes me wish I'd won the lottery last night so I could set up a publishing company, give you a huge advance, and publish CAP. I loved THE BIG O and to think that there's a sequel written just makes my fingers itch with frustrated desire.
ReplyDeleteAmazon .... that's pure dada. Good lord.
ReplyDeleteAs for orphaned series - been there, done that. If you self-publish, just make sure they don't decide to take first proceeds because, you know, it's all about the money. And writing isn't, though it would be nice to have an income.
The fact is - they're clowns. The only thing that should break a writer's heart is if he looks at a manuscript and thinks "that's crap. Just poured my heart out and ... it's rubbish." That's a heart breaker. Some business in New York deciding not to publish something good is just par for the course. If they can't manage to send a translation to the right author (though, hey, they got the country right, is that good enough?) their judgment about which books are worth publishing is not to be trusted.
Appreciate the feedback, folks ... To be honest, I just thought it was a funny story, and if I'm going to blow my trumpet about the good stuff, I have to play fair and fess up to when stuff doesn't go so well.
ReplyDeleteUriah Rushdie - if CAP is ever published, you won't have to buy a copy. I'll hand deliver it myself ...
Dave - Great to hear from you, and I like the cut of your jib ... Yes, it'd be possible to change characters' names etc., and make it a standalone or new series ... if only I was a devious bastard. And, of course, I'm a devious bastard. I'll keep you posted.
Cheers, Dec
Stephen King wrote 3 (or maybe even 6) books before he sold CARRIE. Then those early, much rejected "duds" were brought forth and published to great acclaim (translation: hype)
ReplyDeleteGet hyped enough as a writer and even your to-do list becomes a hot property.
Self - publishing is the kiss of death, my friend. Keep your powder dry, and your BIG-O sequel away from the paper shredder (and the self publishers).
Remember the wise words of Stuart Kaminsky - time is a writer's greatest friend.