Benjamin Thomas
asked
James L. Nelson:
I seem to recall several years ago that you had almost given up writing fiction all together due to market demands and were concentrating on non-fiction. I see now that more fiction is coming our way and I was overjoyed to hear that. Can you elaborate on that dynamic of writing/selling fiction vs non-fiction and which you prefer?
James L. Nelson
Benjamin,
A lot of this seems to happen with little planning on my part. The editor I worked with on my Bunker Hill book, With Fire and Sword, also edits maritime fiction authors (Dewey Lambdin among them) and he suggested doing a novel, which I thought was a fine idea. That book, The French Prize, focusing on Isaac Biddlecomb's son, will be out in June, 2015. At the same time, hearing more and more about established authors who were getting into independent publishing, I decided to publish this Viking novel, Fin Gall, that I had written a few years back but never sold to a publisher. That actually worked out very well, and I have since done a second Viking book, Dubh-linn and am working on a third.
As I mentioned, the independent publishing thing is working out well, sales-wise. How successful The French Prize, the book from St. Martin's Press is remains to be seen. I do think nonfiction can be an easier sell; I think it appeals to a broader audience, but from a practical standpoint it takes a lot longer to write nonfiction, so trying to make a living doing it becomes more of an issue. For that reason primarily I see myself sticking with fiction for the foreseeable future. I don't think I have a preference between fiction and nonfiction, I love them both, though the process of writing is very different between them.
A lot of this seems to happen with little planning on my part. The editor I worked with on my Bunker Hill book, With Fire and Sword, also edits maritime fiction authors (Dewey Lambdin among them) and he suggested doing a novel, which I thought was a fine idea. That book, The French Prize, focusing on Isaac Biddlecomb's son, will be out in June, 2015. At the same time, hearing more and more about established authors who were getting into independent publishing, I decided to publish this Viking novel, Fin Gall, that I had written a few years back but never sold to a publisher. That actually worked out very well, and I have since done a second Viking book, Dubh-linn and am working on a third.
As I mentioned, the independent publishing thing is working out well, sales-wise. How successful The French Prize, the book from St. Martin's Press is remains to be seen. I do think nonfiction can be an easier sell; I think it appeals to a broader audience, but from a practical standpoint it takes a lot longer to write nonfiction, so trying to make a living doing it becomes more of an issue. For that reason primarily I see myself sticking with fiction for the foreseeable future. I don't think I have a preference between fiction and nonfiction, I love them both, though the process of writing is very different between them.
More Answered Questions
Craig
asked
James L. Nelson:
Hey Jim, I tore through Raider's Wake shortly after it came out a couple months ago. You may well be my favorite author at the moment, and I need more books from you! When is your next novel coming out? Are you working on the seventh in the norsemen saga, a sequel to full fathom five, or maybe something new? Keep up the fantastic work.
Dan Joe
asked
James L. Nelson:
Are you planning on writing any more novels featuring Jake Biddlecomb?
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