C.P. Moore's Blog, page 2
June 25, 2012
Losing that first house; an example in agent incompetency
A change in tack today. It's been a while since my last blog, and I'm afraid this one strays away from book promotion and treading the waters of Amazon e-books rankings. No, today is a tale of how the business of buying a house is filled with incompetency (or ruthlessness, we haven't decided yet). The main thrust of this post is not to complain or to vent about what happened yesterday to me and my wife, but more to make other first time buyers aware of how following protocol based on what you read online or take the advance of those who have trodden the same path at one point or another, can lead to a serious case of getting shafted.
Here we go.
For some time now, I have been checking the UK property site, Rightmove on a daily basis to see what kind of houses are coming up in the current market that might make the cut for our first home. Up until recently it has mostly been for fun and just to keep tabs on the market, mainly because my job at the time was fixed term and so potentially difficult to get a good mortgage. Now however our situation has changed (sadly not because my book has been taken on by a traditional publisher for millions - though approximately £500 per month in royalties so far isn't all that bad for extra cash). As a result, last Thursday when one came on that looked quite nice and was priced very well, and was only half a mile from our current rented property, we actually went that extra step by calling the agent and arranging a viewing. A hour later we've arrived at the house in question, and have met with one of the agents from Matthews estate agents based in Bristol (a name and shame there, for reasons that will become apparent in a moment). We go into the house, and both instantly fall in love. Stripped doors with the brass plates reinstalled, stained glass above the porch door, the original stained glass inserted between the double glazed panels of the bathroom window, three bedrooms with the main one being almost twice the size of our current one and the third being big enough for my study plus fitting in my lazy boy chair that my wife has wanted out of the living room for a year now, brand new kitchen, downstairs toilet, little angels in the coving above the hallway, and decorated beautifully.
We leave the property excited, but sensibly wanting to discuss with family to get unbiased opinions. The next morning, I e-mail the agent and tell them we are interested in the house and will be in touch as soon as we have received our Mortgage in Principle agreement. They respond quite quickly, and tell me the vendors may be willing to make a deal on the asking price. The next morning (Saturday), I call back to ask for a second viewing to make sure we see all the nitty gritty before making an offer. The woman on the other end of the line tells me they will try to get in touch with the vendors to do so, and will call me back promptly. Two hours goes by; nothing. I call back, and this time a man picks up; the director of the agency. He says my number had been written down wrong (despite them having written it down and called me on it on the Thursday to confirm the viewing), and they were very sorry but had been unable to get hold of the vendors but will try again. Two more hours; and still nothing. I call again and am told the same thing (about the number as well as the vendors). At this point I'm curious because they must have my e-mail (they replied to it on Friday), so why the "difficulty" in contacting me?
We leave it until Monday, where I e-mail first thing to confirm our phone conversation and what they promised to do. Two hours later, and no reply. I call, and they say they still have not been able to get hold of the vendors. This rings an alarm bell or two because if I were selling my house, I would make damn sure that the agent I go with has both a mobile and an e-mail for me, because only a landline number pretty much ensures I'm out of contact for most of every day while I'm at work. Nonetheless, we give them even more benefit of the doubt, and call back at 4pm on the offchance one of the owners has gone on the school run and will be back in the house when they've got the kids. This is the call when the agent says they just spoke to the vendor, and this is where things "kick off".
They tell us that the owner was about to call them to inform them that the people who viewed on Friday came back on Sunday for a second viewing and made an offer, which they have accepted. Of course, I'm outraged that these other people went around the agent and did it themselves, when we played it "by the rules" and did things the proper way. I complain that we've been trying to get a second viewing for days, and now have missed out on a great house because we felt it inappropriate to show up at someone's door. The agent offers to call the vendors back to put this to them and to consider taking an offer from us.
I wait. An hour goes by, and nothing. Now, this should have been a 5 minute call, and the agent should be calling me to tell me either way, not going with "if you don't here from me, assume it's bad news" but not telling me so beforehand. I call back. He says that the wife is going to speak to the husband and get back to them. But here's where it gets interesting, and, to quote Velma of Scooby Doo fame, "hinky". The agent now tells me that apparently the Friday viewers did not go round of their own accord (despite his previous call implicitly stating that the vendor had told him this was so), and that what really happened was that the Friday viewers made an appointment with a woman from his office who works part-time, and who if so, had not told anyone else in the office about it. After this viewing, they made an offer, which was accepted by the vendor, and though legally he could not tell me what it was exactly, he could tell me it was close to the asking price.
So now we've gone from the vendor telling the agent that the viewer from Friday went back on their own on Sunday and made an offer, to a miscommunication in Matthews office that was really an official viewing appointment that a part-timer didn't bother to log anywhere, which led to an offer (that again no one bothered to log anywhere), and that it was close to the asking price. Not only that, but apparently the successful viewer has, within the last 24hrs (which is half of Sunday and half of Monday at this point) arranged for a survey. Now, at this point there are alarm bells ringing all over the place. Why, if you are the first to make an offer, would you go in at almost the asking price (particularly knowing an askign price is always an overprice by the agent)? Even if you wanted to make sure you got it, you can afford to put in a lower offer first, and work up quickly from there if needs be. Second, which story about how the offer got made is true? Considering it seemed as if they agent never had any intention of calling back when they said they would, I'm now thinking some shinanigans are going on.
My final analysis is this: The first story is closest to the truth (if either happened at all); the Friday viewers did a very "just not cricket" thing and went around the agent, and made an offer. However, the offer was probably actually closer to what we were thinking of putting in, but on hearing my outrage at the situation, the agent calls the vendor and says he's got another interested buyer on now, and if they reconsider the offer of the other person, they reckon they can drive the price up to the asking price because he's told us the offer was close to the asking price.
Whatever the outcome, my wife and I figured we've nothing left to lose (but will never again be viewing a property with this agent, instead rocking up to a house we like on Rightmove that has their board outside it, and asking the owners if they wouldn't mind), and write a very nice note to the vendors saying how sorry we were to have not been able to put in an offer ourselves, and that we had received very conflicting reports from the agents regarding how an offer being accepted came about. I popped it through their door and drove home.
We've had nothing from the vendors since last night when I left the note, but I don't remember seeing a computer besides their kids ones when we viewed, so maybe something will come through today (though I also provided my mobile). I figure at this point it could go one of three ways:
1) The offer was close to the asking, so they have no need to reconsider; case closed.
2) They think our dropping a note round their house was bad form, don't want to deal with us; case closed (but we're in no worse place than we were before, because we're not going to negotiate around the asking price - just isn't going to happen and the agents are idiots for thinking I'm going to play that game)
3) This is all a very big shock to them as they never got an offer, never had a second viewing, and this morning will call the agent when they open to ask what all this is about an offer going in.
So as you can see - we don't yet know if the agents were completely incompetent (and on the off chance they do call this morning to say they've heard from the vendors and it's bad news, I will be reading them the riot act for their member of staff not logging anything and costing us even a chance at making an offer), or are just playing a ruthless game to drive up the offer. I think whatever the outcome, as soon as I know nothing is going to happen, I'm going to go ballistic at them for their mistakes (for mistakes, read possible ruthlessness and arseholery). But let this be a lesson for all first time buyers - you don't always have to play by the rules and do "what people tend to do". The only one looking out for your house buying interests, is you.
Here we go.
For some time now, I have been checking the UK property site, Rightmove on a daily basis to see what kind of houses are coming up in the current market that might make the cut for our first home. Up until recently it has mostly been for fun and just to keep tabs on the market, mainly because my job at the time was fixed term and so potentially difficult to get a good mortgage. Now however our situation has changed (sadly not because my book has been taken on by a traditional publisher for millions - though approximately £500 per month in royalties so far isn't all that bad for extra cash). As a result, last Thursday when one came on that looked quite nice and was priced very well, and was only half a mile from our current rented property, we actually went that extra step by calling the agent and arranging a viewing. A hour later we've arrived at the house in question, and have met with one of the agents from Matthews estate agents based in Bristol (a name and shame there, for reasons that will become apparent in a moment). We go into the house, and both instantly fall in love. Stripped doors with the brass plates reinstalled, stained glass above the porch door, the original stained glass inserted between the double glazed panels of the bathroom window, three bedrooms with the main one being almost twice the size of our current one and the third being big enough for my study plus fitting in my lazy boy chair that my wife has wanted out of the living room for a year now, brand new kitchen, downstairs toilet, little angels in the coving above the hallway, and decorated beautifully.
We leave the property excited, but sensibly wanting to discuss with family to get unbiased opinions. The next morning, I e-mail the agent and tell them we are interested in the house and will be in touch as soon as we have received our Mortgage in Principle agreement. They respond quite quickly, and tell me the vendors may be willing to make a deal on the asking price. The next morning (Saturday), I call back to ask for a second viewing to make sure we see all the nitty gritty before making an offer. The woman on the other end of the line tells me they will try to get in touch with the vendors to do so, and will call me back promptly. Two hours goes by; nothing. I call back, and this time a man picks up; the director of the agency. He says my number had been written down wrong (despite them having written it down and called me on it on the Thursday to confirm the viewing), and they were very sorry but had been unable to get hold of the vendors but will try again. Two more hours; and still nothing. I call again and am told the same thing (about the number as well as the vendors). At this point I'm curious because they must have my e-mail (they replied to it on Friday), so why the "difficulty" in contacting me?
We leave it until Monday, where I e-mail first thing to confirm our phone conversation and what they promised to do. Two hours later, and no reply. I call, and they say they still have not been able to get hold of the vendors. This rings an alarm bell or two because if I were selling my house, I would make damn sure that the agent I go with has both a mobile and an e-mail for me, because only a landline number pretty much ensures I'm out of contact for most of every day while I'm at work. Nonetheless, we give them even more benefit of the doubt, and call back at 4pm on the offchance one of the owners has gone on the school run and will be back in the house when they've got the kids. This is the call when the agent says they just spoke to the vendor, and this is where things "kick off".
They tell us that the owner was about to call them to inform them that the people who viewed on Friday came back on Sunday for a second viewing and made an offer, which they have accepted. Of course, I'm outraged that these other people went around the agent and did it themselves, when we played it "by the rules" and did things the proper way. I complain that we've been trying to get a second viewing for days, and now have missed out on a great house because we felt it inappropriate to show up at someone's door. The agent offers to call the vendors back to put this to them and to consider taking an offer from us.
I wait. An hour goes by, and nothing. Now, this should have been a 5 minute call, and the agent should be calling me to tell me either way, not going with "if you don't here from me, assume it's bad news" but not telling me so beforehand. I call back. He says that the wife is going to speak to the husband and get back to them. But here's where it gets interesting, and, to quote Velma of Scooby Doo fame, "hinky". The agent now tells me that apparently the Friday viewers did not go round of their own accord (despite his previous call implicitly stating that the vendor had told him this was so), and that what really happened was that the Friday viewers made an appointment with a woman from his office who works part-time, and who if so, had not told anyone else in the office about it. After this viewing, they made an offer, which was accepted by the vendor, and though legally he could not tell me what it was exactly, he could tell me it was close to the asking price.
So now we've gone from the vendor telling the agent that the viewer from Friday went back on their own on Sunday and made an offer, to a miscommunication in Matthews office that was really an official viewing appointment that a part-timer didn't bother to log anywhere, which led to an offer (that again no one bothered to log anywhere), and that it was close to the asking price. Not only that, but apparently the successful viewer has, within the last 24hrs (which is half of Sunday and half of Monday at this point) arranged for a survey. Now, at this point there are alarm bells ringing all over the place. Why, if you are the first to make an offer, would you go in at almost the asking price (particularly knowing an askign price is always an overprice by the agent)? Even if you wanted to make sure you got it, you can afford to put in a lower offer first, and work up quickly from there if needs be. Second, which story about how the offer got made is true? Considering it seemed as if they agent never had any intention of calling back when they said they would, I'm now thinking some shinanigans are going on.
My final analysis is this: The first story is closest to the truth (if either happened at all); the Friday viewers did a very "just not cricket" thing and went around the agent, and made an offer. However, the offer was probably actually closer to what we were thinking of putting in, but on hearing my outrage at the situation, the agent calls the vendor and says he's got another interested buyer on now, and if they reconsider the offer of the other person, they reckon they can drive the price up to the asking price because he's told us the offer was close to the asking price.
Whatever the outcome, my wife and I figured we've nothing left to lose (but will never again be viewing a property with this agent, instead rocking up to a house we like on Rightmove that has their board outside it, and asking the owners if they wouldn't mind), and write a very nice note to the vendors saying how sorry we were to have not been able to put in an offer ourselves, and that we had received very conflicting reports from the agents regarding how an offer being accepted came about. I popped it through their door and drove home.
We've had nothing from the vendors since last night when I left the note, but I don't remember seeing a computer besides their kids ones when we viewed, so maybe something will come through today (though I also provided my mobile). I figure at this point it could go one of three ways:
1) The offer was close to the asking, so they have no need to reconsider; case closed.
2) They think our dropping a note round their house was bad form, don't want to deal with us; case closed (but we're in no worse place than we were before, because we're not going to negotiate around the asking price - just isn't going to happen and the agents are idiots for thinking I'm going to play that game)
3) This is all a very big shock to them as they never got an offer, never had a second viewing, and this morning will call the agent when they open to ask what all this is about an offer going in.
So as you can see - we don't yet know if the agents were completely incompetent (and on the off chance they do call this morning to say they've heard from the vendors and it's bad news, I will be reading them the riot act for their member of staff not logging anything and costing us even a chance at making an offer), or are just playing a ruthless game to drive up the offer. I think whatever the outcome, as soon as I know nothing is going to happen, I'm going to go ballistic at them for their mistakes (for mistakes, read possible ruthlessness and arseholery). But let this be a lesson for all first time buyers - you don't always have to play by the rules and do "what people tend to do". The only one looking out for your house buying interests, is you.
May 31, 2012
Blurb draft for second book in series - Legacy of the Gods
Throughout history, heroes and villains have sought to obtain the artifacts and treasures left behind by the gods believing they will bring them great power. Some are merely legend; some, embellishments of ordinary objects; and some may just be the real deal.
Greg Cross is a man who knows this all too well, because his own encounter with just such a relic, though bequeathing him a power unseen since times of myth, very nearly cost him his life.
Now, on the hunt for another ancient artifact, the final piece in a puzzle left behind by the last member of the enigmatic Order of the Nexus, Greg and his friends must follow a trail that could lead to answers to some of mankind’s deepest questions. However, they are not the first group in history to have been tasked with this quest, and this time there are those who seek the same prize for their own ends. Because in addition to being perhaps the key to understanding Greg’s own abilities, this particular artifact is fabled to be capable of leveling mountains, an artifact that in the wrong hands could lead to a tip in the balance of power on our planet.
May 30, 2012
Technology in the palm of our hands - or are we in its?
Something happened to me last night, something that has changed my life. It's a change for the worse, but it will hopefully only be for a short time. It was not a change that really should even register as a change, or impact my life one way or the other beyond a minor inconvenience. But I'm being held to ransom you see. Have been for a long time, and with countless others.
Last night, my smartphone got "bricked". Through a simple firmware update (as recommended by the manufacturers and OS providers, and following their explicit instructions) my phone became irretrievably corrupted and now shows only the black screen of death. I have yet to find out about my chances of a replacement.
Like I said, it's not something that should have any real effect on my day to day life. After all it is only a phone, and to be perfectly honest I rarely phone people on it as we now have so many ways to leave messages without the pressure of conversing or making split second decisions on whether we are or are not free that weekend for something we'd rather not do anyway. But nonetheless while watching Biggest Loser last night with my wife, I glance over and she's just taken her own smartphone off the arm of the couch.She's checking her Facebook, or Googling one of the past contestants or something, and I can't help but be ticked off that I can't do the same. You know how it is in these modern times. It used to be that when the adverts came on we would get up and use the time to make a cuppa, or go to the loo. Nowadays when the adverts come on (if that's even an issue if we've sensibly sky+ the show, even to start watching it ten minutes past the real-time start time) many of us use those minutes to check in with the world and see how she's doing, even though half the time we don't really care much about what she has to say, or even more likely we actually really want to know if anyone else cared about the thing we last said on Twitter or Facebook; or indeed ironically I suppose, our blogs.
It's that inability to access anything and everything without the strenuous effort of climbing the stairs to check on the desktop computer in my study. We don't yet have a tablet in the hopes of avoiding that very conflict. We don't want to get to the point where we no longer get up to see something on a good sized screen, however much we might actually already be there by straining our eyes and using tiny taps to utilise the browsers on our already impressively sized Samsung Galaxy S's. And my frustration this morning at not being able to bring my phone to life and immediately be alerted to any e-mails that may have arrived during the night, or to check my Amazon.co.uk rankings for Secret of the Nexus (something else that has become a bit obsessive of late as I endlessly wonder how well my work is being received by my fellow Brits) is what tweaked me to the inescapable fact that technology in my life has rendered my need for it, well... inescapable. The key, really, i the upgrades, updates, and new versions necessary to keep up with the world and to have your base unit (be it your TV, phone, tablet etc) be able to handle anything new that enters its digital realm. My "bricking" for instance was the result of the Samsung apps app (which cannot be uninstalled) constantly crashing even though I don't use it, and sending my phone into a freeze until the error message pops up to tell me its crashed. So I rather sensibly thought that the latest version of my firmware might hold within its code a bug fix for this (as updating the apps app had done nothing to remedy the situation). Clearly not the case, and now I have a shiny plastic brick that I'm still six months away from upgrading from (and there's the magic, all enslaving word again - upgrade).
A couple of years ago it was almost a design requirement of mobile phone batteries that they get to the point within a year where there barely hold a half day charge. This would force you into frustration and subsequent costly early upgrade (or more substantial upgrade when actual upgrade time comes around) at not being able to check your messages, make a call or take a photo for the latter half of your day once you'd left the house where your life giving charger resides. Now however they have moved on to making the operating systems and apps the thing that must be constantly improved to allow your phone or tablet to stand a chance at even connecting to your own at-home wifi, let alone effectively buffering a Youtube video without making it seem like your "smartphone" is running off a 56K modem from 1995. If I haven't updated my OS now, the Facebook app I just updated will crash or go slow as an expression at its imagined slight at being paired with such an antiquated operating system as Froyo when it should be soaking up the speed of Gingerbread.
I saw an advert on telly the other day for a new type of TV - the Samusung smartTV. And oh what a clever little bugger it is. It is essentially a combination of a huge version of a smartphone, the xbox Kinect tech, and a built in webcam. You can swipe from your couch, browse the web, skype your nan (it is amazing how many nan's nowadays have skype and webcams and are more computer literate than my buddy in IT management - maybe TV is playing with me a little there?) and zoom in on images (oh, and watch TV). Once you realise it's a combo of several existing and very commonplace technologies, you then wonder how it is only just coming out when we're on the 5th or 6th iphone, Kinect has been out for three or more years, and webcams are now HD as standard. But still, I want one. Even though I know full well I hardly need another reason to not have to even lean forward to pick the remote up off the coffee table, I want one. Just the idea of being able to walk into the room and gesture magically at the telly and have it obey my commands... awesome in its promise. Add in the to mix the new voice recognition of the iphone where it can quite happily stalk your brother for you when you can't be arsed to look for them in a crowd yourself simply by asking it the question "where's my brother", and we're one step away from just telling the TV what to do without that terrible effort of moving our hands.
There is an upside to being so dependent on technology. I strive harder now to exercise and eat better to make up for all the ease of everyday life due to technology. But still, with the rate of improvement and advancement in technology, we seem only a few obese footed steps away from becoming the carefree and cuddly humans from Wall-E.
Someone fetch me my hoverboard! (Those aren't far off, right?)
Last night, my smartphone got "bricked". Through a simple firmware update (as recommended by the manufacturers and OS providers, and following their explicit instructions) my phone became irretrievably corrupted and now shows only the black screen of death. I have yet to find out about my chances of a replacement.
Like I said, it's not something that should have any real effect on my day to day life. After all it is only a phone, and to be perfectly honest I rarely phone people on it as we now have so many ways to leave messages without the pressure of conversing or making split second decisions on whether we are or are not free that weekend for something we'd rather not do anyway. But nonetheless while watching Biggest Loser last night with my wife, I glance over and she's just taken her own smartphone off the arm of the couch.She's checking her Facebook, or Googling one of the past contestants or something, and I can't help but be ticked off that I can't do the same. You know how it is in these modern times. It used to be that when the adverts came on we would get up and use the time to make a cuppa, or go to the loo. Nowadays when the adverts come on (if that's even an issue if we've sensibly sky+ the show, even to start watching it ten minutes past the real-time start time) many of us use those minutes to check in with the world and see how she's doing, even though half the time we don't really care much about what she has to say, or even more likely we actually really want to know if anyone else cared about the thing we last said on Twitter or Facebook; or indeed ironically I suppose, our blogs.
It's that inability to access anything and everything without the strenuous effort of climbing the stairs to check on the desktop computer in my study. We don't yet have a tablet in the hopes of avoiding that very conflict. We don't want to get to the point where we no longer get up to see something on a good sized screen, however much we might actually already be there by straining our eyes and using tiny taps to utilise the browsers on our already impressively sized Samsung Galaxy S's. And my frustration this morning at not being able to bring my phone to life and immediately be alerted to any e-mails that may have arrived during the night, or to check my Amazon.co.uk rankings for Secret of the Nexus (something else that has become a bit obsessive of late as I endlessly wonder how well my work is being received by my fellow Brits) is what tweaked me to the inescapable fact that technology in my life has rendered my need for it, well... inescapable. The key, really, i the upgrades, updates, and new versions necessary to keep up with the world and to have your base unit (be it your TV, phone, tablet etc) be able to handle anything new that enters its digital realm. My "bricking" for instance was the result of the Samsung apps app (which cannot be uninstalled) constantly crashing even though I don't use it, and sending my phone into a freeze until the error message pops up to tell me its crashed. So I rather sensibly thought that the latest version of my firmware might hold within its code a bug fix for this (as updating the apps app had done nothing to remedy the situation). Clearly not the case, and now I have a shiny plastic brick that I'm still six months away from upgrading from (and there's the magic, all enslaving word again - upgrade).
A couple of years ago it was almost a design requirement of mobile phone batteries that they get to the point within a year where there barely hold a half day charge. This would force you into frustration and subsequent costly early upgrade (or more substantial upgrade when actual upgrade time comes around) at not being able to check your messages, make a call or take a photo for the latter half of your day once you'd left the house where your life giving charger resides. Now however they have moved on to making the operating systems and apps the thing that must be constantly improved to allow your phone or tablet to stand a chance at even connecting to your own at-home wifi, let alone effectively buffering a Youtube video without making it seem like your "smartphone" is running off a 56K modem from 1995. If I haven't updated my OS now, the Facebook app I just updated will crash or go slow as an expression at its imagined slight at being paired with such an antiquated operating system as Froyo when it should be soaking up the speed of Gingerbread.
I saw an advert on telly the other day for a new type of TV - the Samusung smartTV. And oh what a clever little bugger it is. It is essentially a combination of a huge version of a smartphone, the xbox Kinect tech, and a built in webcam. You can swipe from your couch, browse the web, skype your nan (it is amazing how many nan's nowadays have skype and webcams and are more computer literate than my buddy in IT management - maybe TV is playing with me a little there?) and zoom in on images (oh, and watch TV). Once you realise it's a combo of several existing and very commonplace technologies, you then wonder how it is only just coming out when we're on the 5th or 6th iphone, Kinect has been out for three or more years, and webcams are now HD as standard. But still, I want one. Even though I know full well I hardly need another reason to not have to even lean forward to pick the remote up off the coffee table, I want one. Just the idea of being able to walk into the room and gesture magically at the telly and have it obey my commands... awesome in its promise. Add in the to mix the new voice recognition of the iphone where it can quite happily stalk your brother for you when you can't be arsed to look for them in a crowd yourself simply by asking it the question "where's my brother", and we're one step away from just telling the TV what to do without that terrible effort of moving our hands.
There is an upside to being so dependent on technology. I strive harder now to exercise and eat better to make up for all the ease of everyday life due to technology. But still, with the rate of improvement and advancement in technology, we seem only a few obese footed steps away from becoming the carefree and cuddly humans from Wall-E.Someone fetch me my hoverboard! (Those aren't far off, right?)
May 14, 2012
e-publishing in the US and the UK
I've noticed a trend in my sales recently. Despite the majority of my promotion and discussion being on UK websites, the sales for Secret of the Nexus in the US are currently about triple that of the UK. There are over 400,000 kindle books available on Amazon, and I'm remaining between 7-17,000 in the rankings on Amazon.com, but while starting out most days at 6-9,000 on Amazon.co.uk, I seem to slip to almost 24,000 by the end of the day. I'm an English author, and the word of mouth from friends and family to seven degrees of separation (by which I mean acquaintances of colleagues of friends become aware of my book, thereby ensuring purchases of genuine interest rather than support) is firmly rooted in my friends and family in the UK. So how is it I'm doing so much better across the pond? Don't get me wrong; I love that people are intrigued enough by my Amazon page that they buy the book wherever they live. I hope it continues and that people enjoy it and recommend it to friends. But still, curiosity beckons, and I wonder if I'm missing a trick that's working in the US that I could use in the UK. Or maybe it's something simpler.At present, I tweet and write this blog, which I guess are globally accessible resources for people to find out about my book being available in the first place. But tweeting is a difficult promotional tool to use effectively due to needing followers to, well, follow you, and to not flood your tweets with reminders you have a book as this is sure to make followers leave. Like-wise, although I've had a couple of hundred page views of my blog since I started it six or seven weeks ago, I'm not sure how many of the readers here have then gone on to buy a copy of my book - although I hope some of you have, and enjoyed it. Please do let me know if you have.
Those are really the only semi-frequently updated, global means of people hearing about my book and being directed to it without stumbling across it on Amazon. The other means of promotion/awareness are Authonomy and Goodreads, one of which is UK based and (mostly) populated. I'd love it if there were other popular places a general readership/customer base frequented that they might hear about my book and be propelled to Amazon to have a look. But I think I'm already hitting them all.
So what could it be? That the story, though by an English author, is set largely in New York? That sci-fi-esque books are more popular in the States than here in the UK? Of course it could be as simple as here in Blighty we're just not big enough kindle fans yet to have e-books as our primary reading source. It's an odd prospect, given the number of ipads, iphones, and android phones I see all over the place. You would have thought more people would be switching to e-books now these tablets and smartphones are such a big part of even British life. But then maybe the Kindle itself is still really the only medium on which ebooks are read in the UK, due to the imperfect way ebooks appear on tablets compared to Kindle. There is certainly circumstantial evidence to support this theory - the kindle fire, Amazon's answer to the digital tablet, has still not been released in the UK This could simply be due to their sales people recognising the reduced Kindle sales in the UK compared to the US and therefore it not being worth investing in adaptations for the Kindlefire to work in the UK.
Time will tell, and I'm eternally grateful for the sales everywhere, especially those in the US. But I guess until my UK sales start to sky-rocket I won't have quite enough ammunition to take to a UK literary agent to tell them my book is already on the way to success, proven in the UK e-book market, and that that is the proof they should need to take me on as a client to get a print edition on the market.
As always - if you've read Secret of the Nexus, and liked it; please review it on Amazon and boost Greg Cross' visibility to the masses.
Cheers!
May 10, 2012
Pick me ups this week - Avengers Assemble!
Not so much a subject today that relates directly to my book, or to writing in general. But given how awesome both of these were, and the euphoria/excitement of watching them both, they had to get some face time here.
I'm talking about my now favourite show on TV, and quite possibly the best film I've seen in years: Castle, and The Avengers (or as we had to have it named here in the UK, Marvel's Avengers Assemble). Minor (or major depending on your point of view) spoilers coming up - look for the last second warning!
First up, Castle
This was the final episode of the fourth season, and boy did it deliver for me. My wife and I love watching it every week, invariably finding ourselves exceedingly jealous of Richard Castle's life. I suppose there is a link to writing here now I come to think about it. He's a mystery writer, but in his case he's made his fortune and is wildly successful. Not only that, but he used his celebrity status and friend in high places to get teamed up with the muse for his next fictional character, Nicki Heat, based on Detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic (confusing for those unfamiliar with the show, eh).
Aside from 'Case of the week', there have been a number of ongoing subplots, including the matter of who killed Beckett's mother 13 years ago and how it ties into something much bigger. The greater subplot however, is that of the classic "Will they, won't they" aspect of the Castle/Beckett partnership. They work amazingly well as partners, with Castle's unusual way of seeing things often dovetailing beautifully with Beckett's good, clean detective work to bring them both simultaneously to the same conclusion. But underneath it all there's that playfulness and niggling of two people who work well on every level but fail to, or refuse to, see it for what it could be. Of course this is something played to countless times in so many shows over the years, often with disastrous results when the two characters finally realise their feelings, act on them, and become a couple. It usually changes the dynamic of the show too much, making it more akin to the terrible direction the 1990's Superman effort went when Clark and Lois got together (something echoed in the comics at the time to draw in TV fans to the comics by marrying Clark and Lois on panel to coincide with them doing so on screen). Suddenly the show became "the Adventures of Lois and Clark: Superman", and it was terrible.
In this instance though, we've really only seen Castle's build up to the realisation that he has feelings for Kate, with the occasional glance, smile, or hint that Kate may feel the same way. But then we do spend more time in Castle's personal life than we do Beckett's. Nonetheless, for the last two season at least, my wife and I have yelled "C'mon" in a very Andy from Cougar Town way countless times at the screen when something happens to derail the coming together of these two people.
SPOILERS AHEAD
You've got one getting mad at the other, taking some time off and returning with a date. You've got Beckett getting shot, Castle finally saying how he feels, but her not remembering it (or so we, and Castle, thought). Then we have her accidentally admitting she remembered everything about that day within earshot of Castle and his subsequent dejected departure from her company and slip into his old bachelor days to overcompensate for believing she doesn't feel the same way.
Then finally, finally, this season finale brought it all together with tension, drama, fear, and anger. One ongoing subplot brought another to the surface and vice versa. Truths came out, and feelings soon followed. So you would think that to do so and introduce even the possibility of them becoming a couple would ruin the show and make it more about them navigating the dating waters than the banter that makes them work so well as detective partners. However, the dynamic was changed in another fashion too. One that changes the way the show would work in general, and maintains an obsession of Beckett's that will make their relationship potential tricky even without the usual difficulties of dating a co-worker. I won't spoil that part just now. But its happening changes the nature of the show just enough that almost nothing will be lost even if they pursue a relationship together now the cat is out of the bag and the shirts are on the floor. And there's no saying that they will. That's what made this season finale so great. It had a cliffhanger, but not one where you need to know if someone lives or dies, or who that shadowy figure is - but one of joy at two such perfect characters finally admitting to each other (and in a very organic way I might add, albeit over the course of the season) how they feel, while simultaneously setting up the next season for some mysteries, some drama, some potential heart ache, but without needing to know it right away.
Though damn, I could absolutely watch the season premier right now.
And then, Avengers
I won't spend too long on this as I already went on so long about Castle. But the bottom line here is that this film is absolutely amazing for reasons too numerous to list. Comic fans, fans of the last five Marvels films that intentionally precede this one, and movie fans in general all have something to please.
But at the heart of it all, beyond the action, the Whedon-esque light comedy, the geekoutness of particular moments (mid credits scene, I'm looking at you), there is the human aspect of working together for when you're not a collection of soldiers trained as a unit, you're not a collections of mutants, explorers, or family members who've known one another for years. It's the coming together of several different personality types who have to bring it together for the sake of everyone else because they are the only hope we have. What some have to get their heads around (and their egos over) is that they may be powerful and they may have done some impressive things alone, but that this is bigger than them and power isn't always about diving in and striking hard. Some have to admit that there is always more going on than you're told and see, and that getting the job done doesn't always mean playing by the rules. And some have to admit that when you have a handle on a great power that can do good in the right hands, you can't spend your life hiding from it.
Every character gets their moment to shine, and despite varying time on screen, everyone also gets fleshed out very well and develops throughout the film. Hawkeye in particular, despite being only a cameo before this, is handled excellently and has a back story delivered in small morsels that give us enough for now but allows plenty of expansion potential for the future.
There are a plethora of reviews out there that go into greater detail about the reasons this film works so well both as a continuation of the solo movie before it, and as a film in general without being limited to summer blockbuster fodder. It has its fair share of action, sure. But that action is broken up into smaller pieces that add to every character and allow them to grow on reflection of what they've just been involved in.
The main thing I wanted to say here about this film however (as this is not a review so much as a shoutout to some serious cinematic enjoyment and genius), is that there is a moment in the third act when everything turns for the heroes. A moment when you know they've finally come together as the team that we can all count on - and the music that accompanies those few seconds (and it is only a few seconds that set up everything else that's going to happen and magnify the accomplishments of everything that already has happened) just amplifies how awesome it is.
I'm talking about that moment when a massive techno-organic snake/worm is descending on the team in pursuit of Iron Man, Bruce Banner walks towards it as calm as you like, delivers a great great line, and voluntarily changes into the Hulk in a split second before sending an earth shattering punch into the beast just as the music kicks in and tell everyone in front of that cinema screen "Here come the heroes".
It's made more than enough money in only a week and a bit that we're guaranteed a sequel, so box office sales aren't necessary - but you have to see it. My wife loved it more than Iron Man (and she dislikes comics for the most part), and by friend who thought little of Cap's solo film said he loved this one more than Iron Man (though thinks he'll prefer Dark Knight rises).
It's goosebumpingly good!
I'm talking about my now favourite show on TV, and quite possibly the best film I've seen in years: Castle, and The Avengers (or as we had to have it named here in the UK, Marvel's Avengers Assemble). Minor (or major depending on your point of view) spoilers coming up - look for the last second warning!
First up, Castle
This was the final episode of the fourth season, and boy did it deliver for me. My wife and I love watching it every week, invariably finding ourselves exceedingly jealous of Richard Castle's life. I suppose there is a link to writing here now I come to think about it. He's a mystery writer, but in his case he's made his fortune and is wildly successful. Not only that, but he used his celebrity status and friend in high places to get teamed up with the muse for his next fictional character, Nicki Heat, based on Detective Kate Beckett, played by Stana Katic (confusing for those unfamiliar with the show, eh).
Aside from 'Case of the week', there have been a number of ongoing subplots, including the matter of who killed Beckett's mother 13 years ago and how it ties into something much bigger. The greater subplot however, is that of the classic "Will they, won't they" aspect of the Castle/Beckett partnership. They work amazingly well as partners, with Castle's unusual way of seeing things often dovetailing beautifully with Beckett's good, clean detective work to bring them both simultaneously to the same conclusion. But underneath it all there's that playfulness and niggling of two people who work well on every level but fail to, or refuse to, see it for what it could be. Of course this is something played to countless times in so many shows over the years, often with disastrous results when the two characters finally realise their feelings, act on them, and become a couple. It usually changes the dynamic of the show too much, making it more akin to the terrible direction the 1990's Superman effort went when Clark and Lois got together (something echoed in the comics at the time to draw in TV fans to the comics by marrying Clark and Lois on panel to coincide with them doing so on screen). Suddenly the show became "the Adventures of Lois and Clark: Superman", and it was terrible.
In this instance though, we've really only seen Castle's build up to the realisation that he has feelings for Kate, with the occasional glance, smile, or hint that Kate may feel the same way. But then we do spend more time in Castle's personal life than we do Beckett's. Nonetheless, for the last two season at least, my wife and I have yelled "C'mon" in a very Andy from Cougar Town way countless times at the screen when something happens to derail the coming together of these two people.
SPOILERS AHEAD
You've got one getting mad at the other, taking some time off and returning with a date. You've got Beckett getting shot, Castle finally saying how he feels, but her not remembering it (or so we, and Castle, thought). Then we have her accidentally admitting she remembered everything about that day within earshot of Castle and his subsequent dejected departure from her company and slip into his old bachelor days to overcompensate for believing she doesn't feel the same way.
Then finally, finally, this season finale brought it all together with tension, drama, fear, and anger. One ongoing subplot brought another to the surface and vice versa. Truths came out, and feelings soon followed. So you would think that to do so and introduce even the possibility of them becoming a couple would ruin the show and make it more about them navigating the dating waters than the banter that makes them work so well as detective partners. However, the dynamic was changed in another fashion too. One that changes the way the show would work in general, and maintains an obsession of Beckett's that will make their relationship potential tricky even without the usual difficulties of dating a co-worker. I won't spoil that part just now. But its happening changes the nature of the show just enough that almost nothing will be lost even if they pursue a relationship together now the cat is out of the bag and the shirts are on the floor. And there's no saying that they will. That's what made this season finale so great. It had a cliffhanger, but not one where you need to know if someone lives or dies, or who that shadowy figure is - but one of joy at two such perfect characters finally admitting to each other (and in a very organic way I might add, albeit over the course of the season) how they feel, while simultaneously setting up the next season for some mysteries, some drama, some potential heart ache, but without needing to know it right away.
Though damn, I could absolutely watch the season premier right now.
And then, Avengers
I won't spend too long on this as I already went on so long about Castle. But the bottom line here is that this film is absolutely amazing for reasons too numerous to list. Comic fans, fans of the last five Marvels films that intentionally precede this one, and movie fans in general all have something to please.
But at the heart of it all, beyond the action, the Whedon-esque light comedy, the geekoutness of particular moments (mid credits scene, I'm looking at you), there is the human aspect of working together for when you're not a collection of soldiers trained as a unit, you're not a collections of mutants, explorers, or family members who've known one another for years. It's the coming together of several different personality types who have to bring it together for the sake of everyone else because they are the only hope we have. What some have to get their heads around (and their egos over) is that they may be powerful and they may have done some impressive things alone, but that this is bigger than them and power isn't always about diving in and striking hard. Some have to admit that there is always more going on than you're told and see, and that getting the job done doesn't always mean playing by the rules. And some have to admit that when you have a handle on a great power that can do good in the right hands, you can't spend your life hiding from it.
Every character gets their moment to shine, and despite varying time on screen, everyone also gets fleshed out very well and develops throughout the film. Hawkeye in particular, despite being only a cameo before this, is handled excellently and has a back story delivered in small morsels that give us enough for now but allows plenty of expansion potential for the future.
There are a plethora of reviews out there that go into greater detail about the reasons this film works so well both as a continuation of the solo movie before it, and as a film in general without being limited to summer blockbuster fodder. It has its fair share of action, sure. But that action is broken up into smaller pieces that add to every character and allow them to grow on reflection of what they've just been involved in.
The main thing I wanted to say here about this film however (as this is not a review so much as a shoutout to some serious cinematic enjoyment and genius), is that there is a moment in the third act when everything turns for the heroes. A moment when you know they've finally come together as the team that we can all count on - and the music that accompanies those few seconds (and it is only a few seconds that set up everything else that's going to happen and magnify the accomplishments of everything that already has happened) just amplifies how awesome it is.
I'm talking about that moment when a massive techno-organic snake/worm is descending on the team in pursuit of Iron Man, Bruce Banner walks towards it as calm as you like, delivers a great great line, and voluntarily changes into the Hulk in a split second before sending an earth shattering punch into the beast just as the music kicks in and tell everyone in front of that cinema screen "Here come the heroes".
It's made more than enough money in only a week and a bit that we're guaranteed a sequel, so box office sales aren't necessary - but you have to see it. My wife loved it more than Iron Man (and she dislikes comics for the most part), and by friend who thought little of Cap's solo film said he loved this one more than Iron Man (though thinks he'll prefer Dark Knight rises).
It's goosebumpingly good!
May 8, 2012
Feeling lazzzzy...
A quick and cheaty blog today - just read a good blog on the use of free promotions on Amazon's KDP
http://tobecomeawriter.com/indie-authors-latest-kdp-results-part/#comment-2051
Lots of good opinion and info, and lots of good comments on the subject. As another author whose touched on the subject of late, I thought it a good addition to the thought pool
http://tobecomeawriter.com/indie-authors-latest-kdp-results-part/#comment-2051
Lots of good opinion and info, and lots of good comments on the subject. As another author whose touched on the subject of late, I thought it a good addition to the thought pool
May 6, 2012
Retouching on Sci-Fi and Literary agents
As a follow up to my recent blog on Sci-Fi and the mainstream, I thought I'd add some examples of books that I've enjoyed that were not found in the Sci-Fi section of the bookstore, obviously got published, but that have elements of them that any Crime Thriller reader would presumably have a hard time swallowing.
The Nosferatu scroll by James Becker doesn't have a full on vampires turning into a bat or being staked through the heart or anything, but it deals with the idea of Vampires being real and immortal, and more than weird cultists drinking the blood of the friends in sexual rituals - does that make it sci-fi?
The Chase/Wilde series by Andy McDermott, has a continuing plot point of Earth energy as a potential clean energy source or as a weapon. Only certain people can sense it and channel it, and Excalibur was revealed in one of his books to be a direct conductor for that energy due to the material it was constructed from. Does this make his books sci-fi?
The Seven Ancient Wonders, Six Sacred Stones, and Five Greatest Warriors by Matthew Reilly deal with cosmological events and solar catastrophes that can only be averted by machines built thousands of years ago that magically fix the problem if you've set up all the right pieces. I was happy to accept it just to be so without the physics explained, and loved the concept - but is this therefore sci-fi? I mean, it's not like modern scientists invented something to prevent a huge solar flare; it was unknown builders at the dawn of civilisation, which surely is a stretch - but it's in the Thriller section. Oh, and one of the characters has also invented a fully functional bionic arm, and things called warblers than create a bullet deflecting shield of sorts. It's brilliant, but it's not current tech or in the realms of.
So how far can one go and still have their work considered suitable for agents that deal in the Thriller genre but not Sci-Fi? Obviously every agency is going to have a personal opinion on what is and isn't "too fantastic". But with so many sub-genres popping up you would have thought there would be more leeway.
April 29, 2012
What's in a name?
A short entry today. When it comes to an author's name on a book, how much importance is there is the name?
This is something I've wondered about recently more and more, and was highlighted to me with the arrival of my first US review on Amazon (Yay!) where the reviewer noted at the bottom that I don't appear to be the same Christopher Moore of "Lamb" and "Fluke". It was just a note to fans of the the "other me", and the review itself was good and they gave me four stars, which was very nice. But it begs the question: What format should one's name be in on the cover of a book, or in the byline of an article? Should a pseudonym be used if writing isn't your main occupation? Or should one definitely be used if there is already an author out there with the same name?
My full name is Christopher Moore, though inevitably I'm called Chris and actually prefer it. However in written form, my full name looks better and more professional than Chris Moore, but in spoken word the abbreviation sounds better. So when it came to putting my name to my work, Christopher Moore seemed the obvious way to go. In actual fact I have a PhD, and when putting my title ahead of my name in written or spoken word, the shorter version sounds better and more professional.
The problem I have now is that there is already an American author called Christopher Moore, and a Canadian author called Christopher G Moore. One of which writes satire, and the other crime fiction. Should I continue to be the "British" Christopher Moore? Or should I adopt a pseudonym to separate myself from these established authors? Seems a little unfair to have to change my pen name simply because two other guys with the same name were born a good twenty years before me. But at the same time I wouldn't want people to expect satire in my book when they come across it on Amazon and then be disappointed or think the American Christopher Moore has decided to go in a different direction with his writing.
Maybe I should go Christopher P Moore, or maybe I should go pseudonym - I was thinking Oliver Barton. For the meantime I guess I'll stick with who I am and let the work speak for itself.
This is something I've wondered about recently more and more, and was highlighted to me with the arrival of my first US review on Amazon (Yay!) where the reviewer noted at the bottom that I don't appear to be the same Christopher Moore of "Lamb" and "Fluke". It was just a note to fans of the the "other me", and the review itself was good and they gave me four stars, which was very nice. But it begs the question: What format should one's name be in on the cover of a book, or in the byline of an article? Should a pseudonym be used if writing isn't your main occupation? Or should one definitely be used if there is already an author out there with the same name?
My full name is Christopher Moore, though inevitably I'm called Chris and actually prefer it. However in written form, my full name looks better and more professional than Chris Moore, but in spoken word the abbreviation sounds better. So when it came to putting my name to my work, Christopher Moore seemed the obvious way to go. In actual fact I have a PhD, and when putting my title ahead of my name in written or spoken word, the shorter version sounds better and more professional.
The problem I have now is that there is already an American author called Christopher Moore, and a Canadian author called Christopher G Moore. One of which writes satire, and the other crime fiction. Should I continue to be the "British" Christopher Moore? Or should I adopt a pseudonym to separate myself from these established authors? Seems a little unfair to have to change my pen name simply because two other guys with the same name were born a good twenty years before me. But at the same time I wouldn't want people to expect satire in my book when they come across it on Amazon and then be disappointed or think the American Christopher Moore has decided to go in a different direction with his writing.
Maybe I should go Christopher P Moore, or maybe I should go pseudonym - I was thinking Oliver Barton. For the meantime I guess I'll stick with who I am and let the work speak for itself.
Free promotions and price reductions - positive tools?
I've read a couple of blogs from authors with books self-published on Amazon. In a few of them they mention the free promotions they did, and in one he says he got 3000 downloads in a five day free promotion only to find this was not a lot at all. I only got 750 free downloads in my two day free weekend - seems troubling to me.
So still under the belief that things will improve once the book has more reviews and is more easily discoverable by Amazon surfer shoppers the question I now find myself asking is whether I should try out a price reduction to the popular £0.77 price I see so often on e-books. But then that still makes me wonder whether an increase in downloads would be due to the price being just low enough that those on the fence about buying but were intrigued and impressed at the description are tipped over the fence to the buying side. Or if its due to anybody willing to give something a shot if its cheap enough because they figure they can just delete it without a hit to their wallet if they find it's rubbish.
As I'm in this for the interest in my work and not the money, to increase downloads at a lower royalty rate seems the smart thing to do. But I want people to enjoy my work and recommend it to their friends and review it to spread the good word - so is making it cheaper a sign of less faith in one's work, or a sensible move to get over that hurdle of potential customers feeling "iffy" about an unknown writer?
All that said, aside from Tweeting every now and then and joining some author communities, can anyone suggest additional ways to promote your book? Or are reviews still the best way to get it noticed and purchased?
So still under the belief that things will improve once the book has more reviews and is more easily discoverable by Amazon surfer shoppers the question I now find myself asking is whether I should try out a price reduction to the popular £0.77 price I see so often on e-books. But then that still makes me wonder whether an increase in downloads would be due to the price being just low enough that those on the fence about buying but were intrigued and impressed at the description are tipped over the fence to the buying side. Or if its due to anybody willing to give something a shot if its cheap enough because they figure they can just delete it without a hit to their wallet if they find it's rubbish.
As I'm in this for the interest in my work and not the money, to increase downloads at a lower royalty rate seems the smart thing to do. But I want people to enjoy my work and recommend it to their friends and review it to spread the good word - so is making it cheaper a sign of less faith in one's work, or a sensible move to get over that hurdle of potential customers feeling "iffy" about an unknown writer?
All that said, aside from Tweeting every now and then and joining some author communities, can anyone suggest additional ways to promote your book? Or are reviews still the best way to get it noticed and purchased?
April 27, 2012
Sci-Fi and the Mainstream
In efforts to promote my book on here, on Twitter, on Amazon, on Authonomy, and to submit it in a well presented format to more literary agents, I've been thinking more and more of late about the trappings of Sci-Fi in literature. More specifically, the issue of steering the reading public away from the idea that all sci-fi is aliens or dystopian worlds, and that fantasy is all dungeons and dragons.
One of the problems in successfully marketing a book to both agents and the public, is the narrow fields of genre that still seem to apply. Despite numerous sub-genres such as urban fantasy, speculative fiction, science fantasy and many more, agents will often state on their websites that they do not handle science fiction, full stop. Like-wise the general public will often lump anything with even a hint of a future technology or something more than human as the kind of material suited more for comic-con than Waterstones or Barnes and Noble. Indeed there are exceptions, and these are the kind of open minded readers and agents that I hope will increase in number, But for the most part, any hint of something beyond ex-SAS soldiers or retro-virus possessing terrorists will be turned down by any agent who says they don't deal with sci-fi.
The problem with this I feel, is that the viewing public of film and television nowadays seems to crave those shows with elements of fantasy but that are set firmly in the real world. And thrillers with action packed explosions or depraved psychopaths that must be stopped by the local ME or ex-cop remain the genre most easily enjoyed by both men and women. Lost would be a classic example of this, where the strangeness and the want for explanations gripped us all. People didn't snub it because it was sci-fi-esque. And those authors who use a genetically modified virus hidden/lost since pre-history as the object of the bad guy's desire in their thrillers would be examples of pushing the boundaries in non-science fiction literature. And I love those books!
The same should really be true for fiction that steps into the fantastical without making it seem like the fantasy is everyday life. But sadly, this is the roadblock I suspect I'm repeatedly hitting. My book follows more of an archaeological quest path with a bad guy who must be stopped, but it introduces the concept of, for want of a better word, superpowers in a very focused way that takes the story into unfamiliar territory that has both reader and characters wanting to know more about it and what it could mean for what we accept as the norm.
So what does one do? Eliminate the "super" aspect from the book, turning it into something more like one of the countless action adventure stories with the former solider drawn back into the trenches to stop the terrorist threat? That's not where I was going with my concept, but at the same time I don't want to limit my audience (and my chances of representation) by my work being thought of as a purely sci-fi book. I honestly believe that some of the sub-genres of science fiction and fantasy need to be reconsidered by the publishing community. With the growing interest in "on the cusp" films and TV shows that don't stray too far into full on sci-fi, literature could do well to try and change audience perception of some of the science fiction that's out there - because some of it could be more like your normal reading fodder than you think, but pigeon holing often prevents is being spotted on the shelves in the thriller section, or from turning up in an action/thriller keyword search on Amazon.
One of the problems in successfully marketing a book to both agents and the public, is the narrow fields of genre that still seem to apply. Despite numerous sub-genres such as urban fantasy, speculative fiction, science fantasy and many more, agents will often state on their websites that they do not handle science fiction, full stop. Like-wise the general public will often lump anything with even a hint of a future technology or something more than human as the kind of material suited more for comic-con than Waterstones or Barnes and Noble. Indeed there are exceptions, and these are the kind of open minded readers and agents that I hope will increase in number, But for the most part, any hint of something beyond ex-SAS soldiers or retro-virus possessing terrorists will be turned down by any agent who says they don't deal with sci-fi.
The problem with this I feel, is that the viewing public of film and television nowadays seems to crave those shows with elements of fantasy but that are set firmly in the real world. And thrillers with action packed explosions or depraved psychopaths that must be stopped by the local ME or ex-cop remain the genre most easily enjoyed by both men and women. Lost would be a classic example of this, where the strangeness and the want for explanations gripped us all. People didn't snub it because it was sci-fi-esque. And those authors who use a genetically modified virus hidden/lost since pre-history as the object of the bad guy's desire in their thrillers would be examples of pushing the boundaries in non-science fiction literature. And I love those books!
The same should really be true for fiction that steps into the fantastical without making it seem like the fantasy is everyday life. But sadly, this is the roadblock I suspect I'm repeatedly hitting. My book follows more of an archaeological quest path with a bad guy who must be stopped, but it introduces the concept of, for want of a better word, superpowers in a very focused way that takes the story into unfamiliar territory that has both reader and characters wanting to know more about it and what it could mean for what we accept as the norm.
So what does one do? Eliminate the "super" aspect from the book, turning it into something more like one of the countless action adventure stories with the former solider drawn back into the trenches to stop the terrorist threat? That's not where I was going with my concept, but at the same time I don't want to limit my audience (and my chances of representation) by my work being thought of as a purely sci-fi book. I honestly believe that some of the sub-genres of science fiction and fantasy need to be reconsidered by the publishing community. With the growing interest in "on the cusp" films and TV shows that don't stray too far into full on sci-fi, literature could do well to try and change audience perception of some of the science fiction that's out there - because some of it could be more like your normal reading fodder than you think, but pigeon holing often prevents is being spotted on the shelves in the thriller section, or from turning up in an action/thriller keyword search on Amazon.
