No idea. So many variables (impending twins, my health/energy levels). Tor is hoping for 2010 sometime, I imagine for it to work out best I need to be done Sep. or Oct/ish…

But while professional authors (for whom writing is the main income) need to find a way to make interests and the market meet, for those – like me – who don’t plan to quit the day job any time soon, there are other venues to find some readers.

I know that sounds a bit shocking in the SF genres, but in Historical Fiction, self publishing is less frowned upon, the books get reviews and the overall quality is not bad (I’ve read some that were pretty good, and not all traditionally published books are stellar, either). Chances to get a book about an obscure 7th century AngloSaxon king mentioned twice in Bede taken up ARE slim, and those of my online acquaintances who went that way made sure the books have been edited.

Where I differ from them is that I will at least TRY the traditional route first. But should the overall reaction be: change the Roman Empire into the Tudors, make the MC female and add a Romance, I’d take a closer look at Lulu.com.

The Fantasy NiP is a bit different because it would suffer from the – often rightfully – bad press self published books get. In case I can’t find a home for that, I might serialise on my blog or something. Because I do want it to be read; it’s a more important aspect than the money for me.

Sure, if I liked to write Urban Fantasy or Romance, I’d do that and put the epic Fantasy and the Epic Historical Fiction with male MCs and more battles than love on the backburner. But I don’t like to write those (I rarely read them) so I’ll have to stick to what I love and make the best of it.

Who knows, in a few years vampires may be dead for good and there will be interest in something that can best be described as Lord of the Rings meets Song of Ice and Fire, with a bit Icelandic sagas thrown in.

“Get Larry?” What? There’s no “getting” in a debate, only in a fight. As far as I know, there’s been no fight.

As for your comments on MJH, it’s a bit…odd, to say the least. Don’t know what books you like to read, but many writers, new and old alike, from Mark here to China Miéville to Jeff VanderMeer to Steph Swaintston to quite a few others of the New Wave and New Weird groups have cited Harrison as being a major influence. Just because his readership rarely interacts with readers whose literary experiences/tastes are similar to your own doesn’t mean he hasn’t had a major influence on SF/F.

There are authors whose personal opinions I don’t much care for, like Dan Simmons on occasion. Yet the man can write and tell intriguing stories. But what if I had read his blog and judged his talents/character based solely on that? Would I have been doing the man any justice? Your choice on what you read, but I’d be careful about making sweeping generalizations about writers you haven’t read.

Actually, I think his readership is pretty big, just not all that vocal online. According to his interview (http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/QandA.aspx?id=5111&catID=3) he has very humble roots, and is somewhat the autodidact.

As for MJH – he’s said many things to support genre fiction over the years too, but that rarely gets reported. His efforts with New Wave SF (before my time) contributed to helping change the genre, things we take for granted now, things we’ll never quite appreciate.

But I get the feeling he loves putting stuff out here for everyone to debate and tear apart, and maybe that’s what’s the important thing, that he’s making writers and readers question what they do and challenge themselves a little. Which is great, right?

And Mark, I have to honestly say that in their heart of hearts, all writers want to write and be read. No one does it just for the enjoyment of writing. Those who tell that to you are either lying to you or lying to themselves. haha

No, it’s somewhere in the middle, both being needed for true zen happiness. If the rejections start coming in, what happens to that zen feeling of being one with the universe? It collapses like a rotten corpse.

Or maybe a collapsing star would be more apt?

Anyhoo…

About Harrison, basically from the six or seven posts I’ve read from him, I can’t stand his arrogance. It conflicts with my own. Often writers whose achievements are focused solely on winning awards no one cares about makes for a lousy writer, shut away in a world of their own making. These writers forget the other side of the coin: There are far more people who read books for enjoyment and entertainment rather than literary significance. Harrison decries those books, those readers, and slams them every chance he gets, from what I can tell. Is it envy? Jealousy? Or does he truly feel this way? I don’t know. All I know is I take exception to a man whose readership is tiny and who points a crooked elderly finger at people who love a certain brand of fiction. It’s pompous and it conflicts with my redneck roots.

And like Neal Stephenson, I won’t read him. Ever. I don’t give money to people I don’t respect.

But yes, I certainly agree on the later parts to that.

Apart from attacking M John Harrison! His influence on the industry has been subtle yet massive.

I’ve had the rough sketches for it mind for 3 years, yeah, which is why I started writing short stories set in the milieu over the last year.

Another thing writers who’re not in the middle of a series might not fully appreciate is that a series is its own set of constraints and walls that you have to work around. Writing something new is sometimes a freeing thing of its own accord (writing the Halo book was actually a nice novelistic change of pace, so far, so is Arctic Rising)…

But where you went, Mark, I think there is a middle ground and that is the area where magic happens. And that middle ground can only be found through knowledge of the industry, how it works, and how a writer can improve their chances. A writer can write what the industry is looking for and still maintain integrity by being wise about what projects they choose.

I think most true writers have more than just one idea. If they are anything like me, they are inundated by them, each catering to different sub-genres. I guarantee Tobias had Arctic Rising in the back of his mind for quite a while and now he will write it with the knowledge that there might be an “out of the gate” readership for it. He probably picked the story he thought would work and still keep him happy.

That’s why I advocate new writers learn all they can. They should work in a bookstore for six months. They should read PW and see who is buying and more importantly WHAT they are buying. They should spend hours and hours combing the internet(s) to increase that knowledge. Because it is the only thing that will aid them when they start out — without an agent, editor or publisher guiding them.

As for the commercial aspects: yeah of course, publishing is a business, so you have to treat it like one. A lot of people forget that. Which doesn’t mean you have to be a sell-out, or write stuff you hate, just an awareness of what’s going on around you, like you say. Publishers aren’t looking for something that sold well thirty years ago. A bit of awareness saves you a lot of heartache and months of effort, is all.

As for fanboy turn writer – what a problem to have.No matter where you look, the grass can always be greener. Fuck it, for me it’s a dream come true, and it’s still another couple of months before my book hits the shelves. Sure there are problems, and there aren’t enough hours in the day, but I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.

There is a certain extremist righteousness that comes with, “I only write for myself. No one tells me what to write and no one will ever tell me what to write. I’m an artist, be damned!” I feel that kind of philosophy, while perhaps letting that type of person sleep at night, will damage any chance of them finding an audience and being successful.

And to be clear, I actually don’t think those types of writers sleep very well when they are repeatedly rejected.

Tobias is doing the right thing. He is an interesting case, actually. He wrote quality books, he was backed by a large publisher, he made himself available to his fans, and he had great cover art. On paper he almost (I didn’t care much for the fonts used on his covers) had the perfect storm, a rarity for most new writers. And yet he didn’t find a strong foothold.

At least for the moment.

Now, where my first book is concerned, I wrote it at the wrong time. But in all things and especially in publishing, everything is cyclical. Tobias’s time will come around again just as Fell Hammer’s time will come around again. Oddly though, the rejection of my first book sent me developing a story idea I already had — and it’s a far stronger book than my first. Perhaps that’s because I have one more book under my belt, perhaps it’s because the universe meant for me to write this book instead.

For me, I write because it is peaceful for me to do so AND because I want to shake someone’s foundations. Like David, I want an audience. And I want to make that audience think.

With posts like David’s and your follow-up Aidan, hopefully first time writers will be a bit more aware of the pitfalls facing them… especially these unseen ones!

Best,

D