Writing
Eric San Juan
May 15, 2009
Even as I type this people are reading my first book. And the fact is, not everyone will like it. That’s okay. It’s not a big deal. (Besides, I can always blame Jim for the parts people don’t like, right Jim? Right?) As I continue to work and write, and as people continue to read what I’ve written, I hope I don’t fall prey to launching into defensive rants against my readers. It seems sort of counter-productive, no? Not only are you not changing anyone’s mind, you’re just coming across like a jerk. It would be like a best-selling author lashing out against Amazon reviewers. Why do this? Please, Eric, never do this. (That’s me talking to myself.)
Eric San Juan
May 11, 2009
Jim and I are working on the follow-up to A Year of Hitchcock. We can’t say much about it at the moment other than that it’s in progress and is also an Alfred Hitchcock book. A full book proposal is written — if you recall my How I Got Published posts you recall what they are — and the book is outlined. We are currently in the research stage and expect to begin writing the first chapter in the days ahead. This one is going to be focused on a specific topic, an in-depth look at an aspect of Hitchcock’s films we find particularly compelling. The idea sprang directly from the commentary in A Year of Hitchcock. So, watch this spot, check our website, and…
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Eric San Juan
May 8, 2009
Sometimes you have to take something you’ve created and stomp it to pieces in order to make it work. Earlier this week I began writing a novel I’ve dabbled with on and off for years. I’ve made a few aborted attempts to write it, but other things have always gotten in the way. It has remained incomplete, sort of taunting me from my files. I like the story and world of the novel. I’ve always intended to finish it. So now I’m doing exactly that. At the moment, I have eight chapters completed out of a projected 30 to 40. Thing is, those chapters are crap. Oh, the story they tell is a good story, but the writing? The writing is garbage. See, those chapters…
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Eric San Juan
April 24, 2009
People have the impression that writing a book = making money. That by writing a book you’ll suddenly be rolling in dough. Advances! Royalties! Cash! But it just doesn’t work like that. Not only is this an absurd notion for a little book like mine — I’ll be happy if it covers the expenses we incurred while writing it — it doesn’t even hold true for New York Times bestsellers, as author Lynn Viehl outlines in this blog post. Her bottom line is simple: Despite a $50,000 advance, selling about 73,000 copies and hitting #19 on the New York Times bestsellers list, you’d make more money stocking shelves at the local supermarket than she did on book sales for this book. It’s important to know…
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Eric San Juan
April 23, 2009
I think I’m close to ready to begin pitching my next book. This one is a middle grade adventure novel in the spirit of Lloyd Alexander’s Prydain Chronicles. You might remember them from when you were a kid. Earlier this week I finished the umpteenth or so draft of my query letter (I talk more about queries here), and last night I think I nailed down a pretty solid synopsis. They’re both essential ingredients in getting the attention of an agent. Nailing them is vital. Of course, the best query in the world doesn’t mean squat if your book has glaring flaws. That means I have to give the first three chapters one last pass to ensure I’m not missing something that will trip up…
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