Sean Patrick Little's Blog: Still in Wisco, page 9

The Kirkus with the nice review of #TheSingleTwin is out this month.

The Kirkus with the nice review of #TheSingleTwin is out this month.

For all your viral pandemic fiction needs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZRQR27T

For all your viral pandemic fiction needs: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZRQR27T

When I was writing #TheSingleTwin, I always had this song in the back of my mind as Abe & Duff's personal theme song. I ...

When I was writing #TheSingleTwin, I always had this song in the back of my mind as Abe & Duff's personal theme song. I think it helps to have some sort of noise that identifies your characters. Brett Newski is a Milwaukee musician who has toured all over, and he's got a new album coming out in April called "Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down." I've already got my copy, and it's worth picking up. Add him to your Spotify playlists. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZKvu...

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/b...

https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/b...

I do what Kathleen tells me to. Please support a great bookstore.

I do what Kathleen tells me to. Please support a great bookstore.

From a lovely email I received today: "I loved this book. I didn't think I was going to. The characters made me love the...

From a lovely email I received today: "I loved this book. I didn't think I was going to. The characters made me love them because I understood them. They were me. They were everyone who never got to go to prom in high school and never got over it." https://www.amazon.com/Single-Twin-Ab...

Keep grinding, friends. Those pages don't fill themselves.

Keep grinding, friends. Those pages don't fill themselves.

I always like to pass along sound advice. https://crimereads.com/your-guide-to-...

I always like to pass along sound advice. https://crimereads.com/your-guide-to-...

https://www.amazon.com/Single-Twin-Ab...

https://www.amazon.com/Single-Twin-Ab...

The Kirkus Review for 'The Single Twin'

Maddy Hunter described the Kirkus review for THE SINGLE TWIN as "glowing."

I don't know about that, but I'm grateful that it was a pretty good review.

A good Kirkus review opens doors. When THE SEVEN got a good Kirkus review, that led to a few agents asking me for manuscripts. None of them ever wanted more than a look at the book, but it was nice to have them contact me for once. It also led to me taking a phone meeting with a guy who wanted to pitch the book to Adult Swim to make THE SEVEN into an animated anime-style series. This also never went anywhere, but for a few weeks, I let myself dream.

Kirkus reviews go into library journals, which helps librarians purchase new books for their collections. It also goes to film producers. A while back, a guy named Matt Battaglia (who produced "Brothers" with Tobey McGuire, Natalie Portman, and Jake Gyllenhall) contacted me to inquire about making THE CENTURION into a TV series. Again--this went nowhere, but it was nice to talk to him.

A good Kirkus review is also proof, to me, that I knew what I was doing when I wrote this book. After completing the manuscript, I queried it to probably 80 to 100 agents and publishers. Most never bothered to respond. Of the few who did, I have to wonder how many of them actually really read the pages, and how many just skimmed them. It's very disheartening to query books because I like what I wrote, it's a reflection of me and who I am, and I write the sort of book I want to read. To have people positioned in the industry as gatekeepers reject your stuff, it really makes you question if you're doing the wrong thing.

Getting a solid review from Kirkus is a big win. I needed it.

Now, we just need to translate that solid review into sales, because y'all--this book ain't exactly flyin' off the shelves at the moment.

Tell friends!
And thanks for reading.
--Sean

PS: If you know any agents or publishers who are looking for a proven mystery novel, send them this link and tell them I'm interested in talking.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-re...