Hat tip to Pulp Serenade for the quote below from old-school pulp writer Richard Sale. It was just too good so I am reposting it. You should go to Pulp Serenade though for more great musings on pulp.
"Up in the morning and hit the typewriter. I wrote a story a day. Three thousand words, five thousand words. Sometimes it carried over into the next day if you were doing novelettes–that would be 12,000 words. You might spend more time for the top magazines–Argosy, Adventure, Blue Book–but for the others you really rattled them off. First draft was the last draft, straight out of the typewriter and send it off. You had to keep them coming all the time otherwise you'd starve."
In writing news - we have an outline! Writing will commence this weekend on my new book with JB Kohl and I couldn't be more excited. We spent the past year selling, editing, promoting and selling our book and now it is time to get back to the fun part. All the rest of it was like a 12 month-long root canal.
I will be attending the Left Coast Crime convention in March here in LA so I'm looking forward to that but have no idea what to expect. It may be as big as Bouchercon but I'm pretty small change right now anyway. I have until October to build up the stuff for B-Con in San Francisco which I plan to attend, money issues not withstanding.
We've hit a wall with book sales. Who has a way to get the word out there? Why are you holding it back? Several review copies are out in the world but without the advantage of ARCs it has been tough to get a review in a timely fashion. I know it takes me forever to read anything so it is no wonder reviews take a long time to generate. I'd be the world's worst reviewer. I'm still working on my TBR pile and also buying books that are 4-5 years old and always on the hunt for things that are 50-60 years-old too.
Oh well. I start a new job Monday and I'll just be that weird guy who always eats alone with a book. I don't try to be anti-social but it's my only reading time.
2 comments:
Eric, maybe you've already thought about this: Offering free chapter podcasts of your book. Something like Seth Harwood did with Jack Wakes Up? No, I haven't bought his book. However, it's on my list after listening to a chapter off his site.
Just an opinion and worth what you paid for it;^)
Good luck.
Mike,
I have thought of it. More on another as-yet-unpublished novel. It's hard when you have a publsher who might not be that into me giving away books for free:)
We put out a few sample chapters but I don't think many people saw them.
I definitely look to Seth for examples when it comes to pimping a book. I spoke with him once and he had some great ideas but he also knows it is a work in progress at all times.
Once some reviews start trickling in will be a good time for another push.
But your endorsement of the podcast model is a good thumbs up for that mode.
Thanks,
Eric
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