Martin Pond's Blog, page 13
January 3, 2012
Books on writing - what's your poison?
There's a maxim for writers - if you can't be writing, be reading. Why not take that a step further then, and read about writing? I've wittered on many times about the brilliance of On Writing: a Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King; I also have The Successful Novelist: A Lifetime of Lessons about Writing and Publishing by David Morrell and The Writing Book: A Practical Guide for Fiction Writers by Kate Grenville in my "to read" pile...
But what about you? What books on writing have you found useful? What would you recommend, and why?
But what about you? What books on writing have you found useful? What would you recommend, and why?
W H Smith's!
Finally, Dark Steps is available from W H Smith, thanks to their Kobo tie-in... I feel like a proper writer now!
December 21, 2011
Has Dark Steps been one of your Goodreads this year?
Do you use Goodreads? If you do, you can find me and Dark Steps on there - here's a widget that will help you do exactly that.
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December 15, 2011
Ah, Kobo! At last we meet...
After a very long wait (due to a backlog, I am reliably informed), Dark Steps has finally made it onto Kobo. Look - here it is.
I'm excited by this. Not because I expect a deluge of sales from Kobo but because, following their recent tie-up, this presumably means my little book will eventually be available from W H Smith. And this excites me because, as a child, W H Smith was where I did a lot of my book buying - there and in the excellent but now defunct Albion Bookshop. So the prospect of being sold by W H Smith makes me feel more like a proper author. Silly, I know, but true.
Note I said "presumably" though. Dark Steps isn't on the Smith's website yet. I'm expecting another backlog...
I'm excited by this. Not because I expect a deluge of sales from Kobo but because, following their recent tie-up, this presumably means my little book will eventually be available from W H Smith. And this excites me because, as a child, W H Smith was where I did a lot of my book buying - there and in the excellent but now defunct Albion Bookshop. So the prospect of being sold by W H Smith makes me feel more like a proper author. Silly, I know, but true.
Note I said "presumably" though. Dark Steps isn't on the Smith's website yet. I'm expecting another backlog...
December 8, 2011
New cover art for Dark Steps
Dark Steps has new cover art!The third edition of Dark Steps features the new design, shown right, which hopefully will help the book stand out a bit more.
To ensure a bit of continuity from the artwork from previous editions (which you can see here), I've stuck with a broadly similar palette of colours, and have used the same story from within the book (Waiting Room) as inspiration for the picture, specifically the EARN YOUR PLACE slogan.
So what do you think? Better? Worse? Hopefully the former, as the new cover will start filtering through to various outlets from today, and is already live on Lulu. Experience suggests Amazon will be next, and then all the channels that are fed by Smashwords.
P.S. In case you were wondering about the second edition... it fixed a solitary typo.
December 7, 2011
Three copies for the price of two!
I know, you love Dark Steps that much you want to get copies for all your friends and family for Christmas. Great! Then today's the day to place your orders, because if you use promo code BUY2GETONEUK305 over at Lulu (offer ends at midnight) you can get three copies of Dark Steps (and, indeed, anything else you want to buy at Lulu) for the price of two.
Go! Shop!
Go! Shop!
December 1, 2011
Christmas comes early
Thinking of buying Dark Steps, my collection of short fiction? Well now could be the time, because from today until Christmas you can use the promo code EN69V at Smashwords to secure a whopping 17% off the price.
That's right - 17%. That's like saying one sixth of the words are free... what are you waiting for?
Note: this code only works at Smashwords, and only for buying Dark Steps, and only up to and including 24th December.
Happy shopping!
That's right - 17%. That's like saying one sixth of the words are free... what are you waiting for?
Note: this code only works at Smashwords, and only for buying Dark Steps, and only up to and including 24th December.
Happy shopping!
November 29, 2011
Dark Steps reviewed at Sabotage (or, 'on being reviewed')
My collection of short fiction, Dark Steps, has been reviewed by Ian Chung for Sabotage. Like all the best reviews, it isn't a breathless love song to the book, neither is it a hatchet job. Ian has written a balanced, fair review in which he, knowingly or otherwise, adheres to the 'feedback sandwich' approach of couching constructive criticism within praise.
Of course all such critiques are subjective. I don't necessarily agree with everything Ian says, but equally he does raise some interesting and valid points. And no, I'm not just talking about the discussion of things in the book that he likes.
Now being the author (and, for Dark Steps, editor, cover artist, agent, promoter, manager, chief cook and bottle-washer), I am naturally going to cherry-pick the best bits out of the review, and use them whenever and wherever I can. Things like:
All in all though, Ian's review makes for very interesting reading, and I am grateful to him and Sabotage for its publication. Have you read Dark Steps yet? How does the review equate to your impression of the book? I'd love to know. You can comment below or after the review itself, which you can find here.
Of course all such critiques are subjective. I don't necessarily agree with everything Ian says, but equally he does raise some interesting and valid points. And no, I'm not just talking about the discussion of things in the book that he likes.
Now being the author (and, for Dark Steps, editor, cover artist, agent, promoter, manager, chief cook and bottle-washer), I am naturally going to cherry-pick the best bits out of the review, and use them whenever and wherever I can. Things like:
When the techniques [narrator-reader gap and ending with a twist] succeed, the outcome is masterful.And:
...the surprise reveal ... forces the reader to rethink the significance of everything that has just been read.And I'm going to ignore some bits too. You can cherry-pick those for yourself.
All in all though, Ian's review makes for very interesting reading, and I am grateful to him and Sabotage for its publication. Have you read Dark Steps yet? How does the review equate to your impression of the book? I'd love to know. You can comment below or after the review itself, which you can find here.
November 22, 2011
25% off at Lulu
Until 28th November you can get 25% off site-wide at Lulu... and that means you can pick up a paperback copy of Dark Steps for the tiny sum of £2.36 plus postage. Bargain! Just enter the promo code CYBERWEEKUK305 at checkout and Bob's your uncle.
November 9, 2011
The thing about writing is...
I know not all writers will agree with this view, but sharing something you've written with the world is hard. No, not brain surgery hard, or rocket science hard, but emotionally hard. You invest time, effort, energy and yourself into something, struggle to find the time and words to get it down on paper, and then have to sit back while others decide whether it's any good.
There's a line in the excellent Black Swan Green by David Mitchell that captures it perfectly. Our protagonist, Jason, has just shown the eccentric Madame Crommelnyck some of his poetry. And this is his reaction.
Publishing Dark Steps was therefore a big thing for me, a literal dark step into uncomfortable and scary territory. So far, the reviews have been kind. And I'm actively searching for book review websites and blogs that will publish a review of my little book. It's hard though - lots won't take what is, effectively, a self-published book. Others are so swamped with submissions that they've temporarily closed their doors. Others will write reviews for money, and I'm definitely not going there. I have a couple of irons in the fire though, so hopefully something will come good. I need publicity, and reviews can only help!
But back to the Black Swan Green quote. I am a one-man band. I don't have someone to prepare artwork, or edit, or proof-read for me. I don't have an intern tweeting on my behalf. I don't have an agent or a publisher or even someone doing my marketing and publicity. I have to do it all myself. This is difficult, and actually impacts on writing time, but more than that, if showing someone something you've written is handing them a stake and lying prone for them, then trying to do your own publicity is forcing a mallet into their free hand. Go on, world, knock yourself out!
The point of this post? I don't know, really. I do know that Black Swan Green is an excellent read, and I'd recommend it to anyone, especially if you were twelve or thirteen around the time of the Falklands War - you'll love the cultural references. Beyond that... well, I've tried all kinds of things to promote Dark Steps, really forcing the mallet and stake into your hands. I haven't had the success yet that I'd hoped for (and I had very modest expectations)... but then I haven't been staked through the heart either. Yet.
There's a line in the excellent Black Swan Green by David Mitchell that captures it perfectly. Our protagonist, Jason, has just shown the eccentric Madame Crommelnyck some of his poetry. And this is his reaction.
I felt giddy with importance that my words had captured the attention of this exotic woman. Fear, too. If you show someone something you've written, you give them a sharpened stake, lie down in your coffin and say, "When you're ready."And that's exactly how it feels, for me at least. Sticking your head up above the parapet in the full expectation of being knocked down.
Publishing Dark Steps was therefore a big thing for me, a literal dark step into uncomfortable and scary territory. So far, the reviews have been kind. And I'm actively searching for book review websites and blogs that will publish a review of my little book. It's hard though - lots won't take what is, effectively, a self-published book. Others are so swamped with submissions that they've temporarily closed their doors. Others will write reviews for money, and I'm definitely not going there. I have a couple of irons in the fire though, so hopefully something will come good. I need publicity, and reviews can only help!
But back to the Black Swan Green quote. I am a one-man band. I don't have someone to prepare artwork, or edit, or proof-read for me. I don't have an intern tweeting on my behalf. I don't have an agent or a publisher or even someone doing my marketing and publicity. I have to do it all myself. This is difficult, and actually impacts on writing time, but more than that, if showing someone something you've written is handing them a stake and lying prone for them, then trying to do your own publicity is forcing a mallet into their free hand. Go on, world, knock yourself out!
The point of this post? I don't know, really. I do know that Black Swan Green is an excellent read, and I'd recommend it to anyone, especially if you were twelve or thirteen around the time of the Falklands War - you'll love the cultural references. Beyond that... well, I've tried all kinds of things to promote Dark Steps, really forcing the mallet and stake into your hands. I haven't had the success yet that I'd hoped for (and I had very modest expectations)... but then I haven't been staked through the heart either. Yet.
