According to those who know far
more about the writing game than I do, the modern author’s workload should
consist of four parts writing and one part promotion. One day of every week
should be spent attempting to convince people to buy my books, be that by using
social media, a blog such as this one, cunningly placed advertisements or
whatever. In what is a saturated marketplace, I need to draw attention to my
output in an effort to get the general populace to transfer their hard earned
from their own bank accounts to mine.
It’s a somewhat daunting
proposition. I’m finding it hard enough even admitting out loud that I’m a
writer, as it sounds so entirely pretentious. In the world I inhabit we’re
supposed to work for our living, not go around pretending to be some la-de-da
artisan. Such behaviour is reserved for idealistic teenagers who aren’t yet old
or experienced enough to have had their dreams kicked out of them. By my age
I’m suppose to know better.
So here I am looking forward to the
release of two novels this year, yet still a little reluctant to tell anyone
about it as it sounds so much like boasting. I told a few close friends, but
for the most part I’ve insisted on this new adventure being kept strictly as
some kind of guilty secret. I guess that has to end if I’m to make any kind of
serious go of this; getting published is only the first part - selling books is
the difficult bit. It’s time to start blowing my own trumpet.
My first novel is entitled Leisure,
although due to a technical screw up it may well end up being my second novel.
Its submission coincided with the publishers getting a new email system and so
the manuscript lay unseen at the bottom of some digital abyss for six months.
It is about the staff of a decrepit and forgotten leisure centre, who have long since
given up on providing any kind of customer service and instead run amok in the
endless corridors, entertaining themselves and living out their perverse
ideals, sheltered entirely from any form of consequence. Leisure is an erotic
farce, a ridiculous, nonsensical adventure set outside of society’s rules. It
is due for release this autumn.
My second – or first – novel is
called Peeper; it marked my first attempt to write something a little more
serious and not hide behind sarcasm and stupidity, and instead try to create
believable characters that the reader may actually care about. It is the story
of a small town private investigator getting involved in a case that drags him
way out of his depth into a seedy and dangerous relationship with a woman named
Veronica. I’m hugely proud of it, and I can’t wait for people to meet Veronica,
as she really is something else. While I was writing the book I got almost as
obsessed with her as the main protagonist in the story does, and one night I
actually dreamt I met her. That was odd.
Leisure is scheduled to be released
this autumn through MuseitHot;
Peeper is also scheduled to be
released this autumn through Sinful Press, and you can read some very kind
words about the book on the homepage of their website;
So there you have it; I am a
writer, and these are my books. Please buy my wares, that I may earn my living.
I promise not to spend it all on drugs.
No comments:
Post a Comment