Category Firestorm

Book trailer in final cut

August 5, 2010 Firestorm

I've just completed the final draft of the first 30 second book trailer, chased up the permissions and made sure all the images, sounds and software are given the correct credits. It is now up on Youtube, but don't go rushing in searching for it, since it's private. Right now I am after views and opinions, and would be grateful for feedback on it. If you would like to help and want access to it, please drop me a note or a PM on the proboards.Any comments can be shared in the comments here, or on the proboard if you want a more active discussion.Please don't leave comments on the video. If I have to revise it that involves deleting and reuploading, which would wipe your feedback.

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Hope for the best – Part 2

July 16, 2010 Firestorm

There is a problem with my post in part 1. The worst case scenario isn't that the publisher says no, it is that they say nothing.This could occur if the manuscript or SSAE gets lost in the post, although that's unlikely. I may joke about them, but Royal Mail are usually pretty good.The more depressing alternative is if the manuscript gets stuck in the slushpile and left unread. For a good assessment of how this could happen, see "The Sobering Story of Myrtle the Manuscript" by Tappan King. It's a good read, not just amusing but also useful for anyone considering writing. However it's a completely nerve-wracking article if you have a manuscript on submission. Be warned.This worst case scenario comes with the difficulty of politely and delicately chasing an editor about a book, while not

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Hope for the best – Part 1

July 14, 2010 Firestorm

As you probably already know, the book is sitting with a publishing house at the moment, and with luck I will hear back later this month about whether they want to publish it. Given that, why all the contingency planning?Hope for the best, plan for the worst.The best is if they pick the book up. The worst is if they pass.If they say yes, then great. The book gets published by people who can make the most of it. My marketing and distribution (trivial compared to what a publishing hosue can do) are simply there as a base that they can take over or integrate with their own contacts.If they say no, then the book is adrift. If I haven't planned ahead, then all the marketing and distribution I set up is lost. At that point, final galley or not, the book simply becomes another unpublished

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Why so nervous?

July 12, 2010 Firestorm

I had an interesting chat last night about getting published, from a friend trying to give me a pep talk. After all, he said, since the manuscript's already been through this once, why be so nervous? Surely it can make its way through the slush again, and at least we already know it is publishable.Well, I definitely have good reason to be nervous, because the answer to the second question is both yes and no.There is a brilliant analysis of the slushpile and what it takes to get out of it on Slushkiller by Teresa Nielson Hayden (scroll down to 3. The Context of Rejection)Going through her fourteen point list, I don't need to worry about items one to ten (covering illiteracy, plagarism, and authors with "problems") which are the reasons for 95-99% of slush rejections.This leaves three more

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An anthology and still waiting.

July 5, 2010 Firestorm

Three weeks to wait until I hear back from the publisher, and not much else I can do on the novel itself until then. Meanwhile I've started getting my short stories into an anthology. If I end up self publishing, I'll give it a limited release through the website on POD and e-book to accompany the novel. Done that way it won't cost very much, and it's a useful way to boost the novel. However, this won't be released for a few weeks yet, since I've got to sort out cover art and either beg a favour from an artist or dive into iStockPhoto for raw materials. I'm also holding off for three weeks as I'm not sure whether releasing it would affect whether the publisher would be willing to pick up Firestorm.

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Not good news

June 22, 2010 Firestorm

This morning Firestorm was officially released by Bewrite, for a reason that I honestly never expected to hear from a publisher. They have returned the rights free and clear so I can find someone who can exploit my marketing more effectively. However this also leaves me trying to find a way to get the book published by the end of the year, preferably by someone who can take advantage of my ability to get things on shelves - and then sold off them!I have one option already available, an offer from someone I've worked with before. Unfortunately as fiction and novels are completely outside that publisher's normal remit, they've agreed I should try to find a specialist first. As a result I am now busy trying to find another publisher prepared to take on an orphaned work with a lot of PR

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Themes and websites

June 19, 2010 Firestorm

I've spent the day doing a bit of research on Arts Council Grants, just in case I can get some help with researching my next book. I've also got a theme for the actual website, since the google site I am using at the moment is not particularly attractive. Ironically, the URL is also not exactly search engine friendly. There's now a news list set up, so if you are interested in the book, you can sign up to get press releases, updates and more. Hopefully the full website will be up by the end of the week.Unfortunately there is no word on preorders, although I have asked if Bewrite can clarify the launch date. Also, one of my old distributors from self-publishing may be interested in taking a few copies, which is always good news. There's an Open Day at Gatwick Aviation Museum tomorrow,

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Cover artwork

June 17, 2010 Firestorm

I just got an email asking about the cover and any restrictions, which is a problem. I'd like to avoid the standard, cliched, and usually inaccurate, "people running away with big aircraft overhead and flames in background" approach. Other than that I'm really not sure.While I can supply reference shots and videos, deciding what to create from them isn't my strong point. I'm alright with digital stills and video work, but I am definitely not an artist.So, a picture of the airfield? An overhead shot of the Vale? I really don't know. Anyone with ideas, please let me know.

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The current situation

June 16, 2010 Firestorm

The back cover blurb has now been added to all the various web pages I have set up to promote the book. Between feeds, pages and forums the current situation is:69 or so search results4 or 5 dedicated websitesTwitter (oddly the twitter account has only five followers but I keep running into my tweets in syndication) Two pre-orders. Needless to say, the last one makes me very happy, since I don't have a release date yet.The only problem I have is that the promo work is cutting into my writing time. I've got my next book half-written, and can't find time to finish it off!Also, Bewrite just launched Liza Granville's "The Tor". All the best to Liza. This is her third book with Bewrite, but I'd imagine you still get just as nervous as you do about the first.

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Endorsements and promotion

June 15, 2010 Firestorm, Promotion

This morning I gingerly dipped my toe into the murky world of endorsements. This largely involved going through my address book and looking out anyone still involved with aircraft, and then trying to write something that might persuade them to endorse my book.Yes, in the US and Canada these people may not be names in their own right, but the fact they've got the word "Air" "Aeroplane" or "Aviation" in their job title and that they (fingers crossed) liked the book enough to say so on the cover, might help sales in those areas. It would certainly help in the UK. However this does leave me to see if the publisher is prepared to give me permission to send out full bound manuscripts for their reading pleasure.On the downside, after my last encounter with duelling experts it does lead me to

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