Writing

General posts about writing (sometimes my own, but not always)

Authors don’t make a lot of money

April 24, 2009 7 Comments

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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Writing

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Step by step, it comes together

April 23, 2009 0 Comments

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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Writing

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The book is HERE

April 18, 2009 2 Comments

After having a really bad day, yesterday I came home to a nice surprise. A box with my copies of A Year of Hitchcock. It was just the kind of boost I needed after a terrible day. I can’t tell you how happy I am with the production quality of this book. The folks at Scarecrow Press and their parent company, Rowman & Littlefield, did a spectacular job. This is top work by any measure. Thumbing through it and seeing my words presented so nicely … well, I felt very proud. This whole project, which my co-author Jim and I have lived with for over three years now, now feels real. Real in a very tangible way. And that makes all the work we did,…
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Works by Eric, Writing

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On writing, and failing

April 17, 2009 0 Comments

“Someday I’d like to write a book,” they say, as if it’s akin to taking a stroll or, at worst, a difficult five-mile hike. But it’s closer to scaling a mountain. Scaling a mountain with dozens of rest stops along the way, each with a sign that reads, “Sorry, mountain unclimbable. Turn around and go home.” Those with the notion that writing is some haven of ease and comfort, that it’s not a constant daily struggle of epic proportions, just. Don’t. Know. Of course, then you get those aspiring writers who are, to put it charitably, a bit delusional. They think their every word is gold, refuse to learn the business side of writing, and feel a sense of entitlement. They’re entitled to praise, they’re…
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Writing

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Will I get a copy of the book next week?

April 15, 2009 1 Comment

A Year of Hitchcock

On April 28, A Year of Hitchcock: 52 Weeks with the Master of Suspense, the book I co-authored with Jim McDevitt, comes out. I have not yet seen a copy of it (though apparently it has been in the hands of at least one reviewer). Will I get a copy of it next week, prior to publication? I do not know. I also ordered a copy from Amazon – yes, I ordered a copy of my own book. Wouldn’t you? I’d like to get my copy so I can stick it on the shelf and pretend it serves as some degree of closure or something. It’s been very hard to throw myself fully into new projects when there remain niggling little things to do on…
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Works by Eric, Writing

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