Congratulations for that Emma. My publisher admitted to me that she'd been very wary of presenting my contracted novel to her ten-strong marketing team. She likened them to a pack of wolves, pretty much unimpressed by anything and highly critical. I don't know if she is just trying to encourage me, but she said she was stunned that all of them really really liked it.

It is getting exciting, though it's some way off. A published American writer with the same house caught wind ofmy book, and is now reading it, with a possible view to making some comment they can stick on the cover. I agree, it feels very grown up, and several times you have to pinch yourself.

After I first got my deal, I sank into a bit of a depression. I'd achieved a lifelong dream - what next?

I'm alright now though. Best thing to do is just write more!!! My next ambition is to be in a film, and then make one.

JB

She likened them to a pack of wolves, pretty much unimpressed by anything and highly critical. I don't know if she is just trying to encourage me, but she said she was stunned that all of them really really liked it.

I'm fairly cynical about the book trade,and I don't often expect people in the trade to treat my Great Work as anything other than product, but you do expect them to be people who want to like books, don't you? How depressing to think that such a crucial team are so automatically unimpressed!

JB - I'm glad to know you felt depressed too, if you see what I mean. I was feeling faintly guilty for how quickly the euphoria faded. If I'm honest, I felt more pure elation at coming 3rd in the Bridport. I suppose that was very simple (as well as my first and rather unlooked-for success) and this is extremely complicated, what with revisions and determined editors and oh-god-what-do-I-wear and all.

Do you have a publication date?

Emma

This is really exciting stuff to read about, Emma and JB. How different the fierce world of modern publishing sounds from the dreamy, solitary writer's life.

Frances

The early part of 2007, I'm told. Yeah, ages away! Still, it's one under the belt.

"She likened them to a pack of wolves, pretty much unimpressed by anything and highly critical."

This is kind of depressing, isn't it!On top of that, my agents told me that they were al highly xenophobic and would never publish a novel set in Guyana.

Me too, probaby 2007. Got my contract in the post, (YES!!!!!) and it only says 'within 18 months of delivery and acceptance'. Suppose that could be 2008... Gloom descends again!

Emma

well, if the work does well, I imagine the turnaround will be much quicker in future i.e deadlines will be set (like time bombs), and we will long for the days when we wrote for ourselves, in our own time. Or so i'm told.

I'm building up a body of work and reckon I'll have two more novels and a book of short stories (I'm gradually getting them published) ready by the time the release date of the first book comes out.

JB

Impressive! I've got the new novel brewing, to be written as part of a PhD. Contract is for delivery in 2 years, which is making me slightly nervous - I'm wondering whether 3 would be safer, though I don't think publishers are rigid about it. When I mentioned my nearly ready short story collection to my agent, she said, 'well, to be honest, it makes my heart sink, but I'll read it for you if you like.' which confirms what everyone says about the booktrade's attitude to short fiction. BUT, my editor was interested, in terms of trying to place some stories round Shadows' publication date, so one or two may yet see the light of day!

Emma

I wish you every success and you'll ahve to let us know what the book is when it comes out. I don't understand that attitude to short stories - though I think they fare much better in the horror/fantasy/sci fi genres than elsewhere.

JB



<Added>

Oh, it's called 'Shadow'. Nice. ;)

<Added>

Shadows?

Many thanks JB. It's full name is really Shadows in the Glass.

Some people think it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, but there's no doubt that even someone who's a bit of a star like Helen Dunmore sells a 10th as many of a short story collection as she does of a novel - and she said that to me herself. And all the big mags that used to have short fiction every month - Cosmopolitan, and Good Housekeeping had an extremely distiguished record (Rebecca West, Rose Macauley) - no longer do. I would be indignant, but I'm one of the ones who never read them either. I have lots to say about why not - but that's another thread!

Emma

I really like your title. Mine is called 'Unrequited'.I wanted to change it but my publisher really likes it and thinks it sums up the story succinctly. Nobody gets what they want.

JB

I like Unrequited. What would you rather have called it?

I had the reverse problem - everyone agreed Shadows in the Glass was the right title (one of the big things in it is photography, including early photography on glass plates. And light and dark and looking glasses and windows and sort of ghosts) but as an earlier version had gone out to most of the big publishers, my agent said if I could come up with a new title, it would be a help. I tried and tried, but really couldn't! And then she said, never mind, it'll mostly be different editors, anyway!

Emma

It's a beautiful title and the story sounds intriguing, like something I'd really enjoy. My story's MC is gay, and there is a lot of strange sex in it, and also a subliminal thread of old fairy tales running through the narrative. I wanted to rename it Fairyland as a kind of cynical joke, but my publisher (quite rightly I now believe) said that was a terrible idea.

JB

I do see what you mean - the trouble with cynical jokes is that you can't be sure who'll get it, or take it that way. Online you could post a suitably smiley emoticon would one post, but not on a jacket!
Emma

My story's MC is gay, and there is a lot of strange sex in it

My two narrators are both straight, but there's a thread running through the book, about transgressive sex. There are still quite a lot of people are in the world you're not supposed to have sex with, and for my 19th century narration, even more!

Emma