Striking while the iron is hot? What’s all that about? It’s about me getting hold of the book edit I’m engaged with and making it happen, forging ahead (and other inspirational clichés). Quite an apt metaphor, I’d say, given the name of FT Publishing. Just stand in front of the damn mirror and repeatContinue reading “Striking While the Iron Is Hot – A Regime”
Tag Archives: Fiction
A Return to the Blog (and a return to the novel)
So here’s the thing: I haven’t posted much in a long while, but I have a good excuse: I’ve been working on the first draft of a new book. Well, not so much a first draft as a zeroth draft: 90,000 words of unconnected vignettes that don’t hang together. No change there, you might thinkContinue reading “A Return to the Blog (and a return to the novel)”
Review of ‘The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter’ – Rod Duncan
I don’t usually blog about books I’ve read, but I’m going to make an exception for the Bullet Catcher’s Daughter, known to its friends as TBCD. The book deserves all the hype it’s getting elsewhere, and if you haven’t heard about it, then you’ve been spending too much time on the Scottish Referendum. The realContinue reading “Review of ‘The Bullet Catcher’s Daughter’ – Rod Duncan”
Dealing with ‘The Hobbit’ Pitch
“Look, Peter,” I say, “you gotta think big. There ain’t but twenty movie stars could carry that kinda budget into opening weekend. And not one of them plays under five-six, OK.” He goes, “You think the hero’s too small?” like it ain’t obvious. I say, “Of course, he’s too damn small. ‘The Rings’, they hadContinue reading “Dealing with ‘The Hobbit’ Pitch”
From the Synopsis to the Pitch
Following up on my idea of how to write the imperfect synopsis, here’s my idea on how not to pitch a book when you get the publisher on the telephone: “OK, Walter, I’m back. I just had to close the door. H-mmm… uh-huh… no, I’m always up for buying the rights if it’s the rightContinue reading “From the Synopsis to the Pitch”
