Monk Books

Mr. Monk is Slightly Less Miserable

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The first reviews of MR. MONK IS MISERABLE have started coming in. Publishers Weekly was lukewarm ("This one's likely to divert only die-hard fans of the TV show"), Harriett Klausner loved it (and you know how rare that is), and Mark Baker at Eopinions gave it a rave, so naturally he's the one I'm gonna quote here:

"Those familiar with the TV show know that it is as much comedy as mystery.  That holds true here as well.  I was laughing pretty hard at many things over the course of the book.  There is a sub-plot introduced in the second half that fans of the TV show will especially find hilarious.  It may have been my favorite part of the book, in fact. As any fan of the TV series know, when Mr. Monk is Miserable, we benefit."

In other MONK book news, the German edition of MR. MONK GOES TO GERMA51krmQ3ebbL._SS500_NY came out yesterday and I'm told it is already getting lots of press. The translator of the book tells me that the entire first printing sold out before publication to the people of Lohr, where the book takes place.

Beached 4

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PA230004 (2)The sun was out today in Myrtle Beach, where  I am speaking at the South Carolina Writer's Conference. I had some interesting encounters today…in the elevator, a woman said  to me:

"How much of your books does Tony Shalhoub write?"

"He doesn't write any of part of them," I replied.

"Then why is his face on the cover?"

"Because  he plays Adrian Monk on the TV show."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Don't you think that's deceiving readers?"

Another woman came up to me later in the day and said "Your books are very funny. Why aren't you as funny in person?"

Before my screenwriting seminar, a woman approached me and said "I'd like to attend your class but there's a more interesting one  at the same time."

Other than those comments, it has been a great day…a long one, and tiring, but a lot of fun anyway. And I had the pleasure of signing with my friend Michael Connelly and introducing him as our keynote speaker. He was an engaging, self-effacing, and inspirational speaker, as always.

Tomorrow I have  two more classes/seminars and then I take a late flight back to Los Angeles. 

Mr. Monk and the Family Affair

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Richardsons
Reading MONK has become a family affair for the Richardsons of El Segundo, California,  who sent me this photo and this nice note: "Sorry to beat you out of book sales but we pass each copy from one generation to the next; Grandma, Mom & Daughter.  We are looking forward to Paris! Ellen, Susan, & Robin." They won't have to wait long — I am sending them a galley of MR. MONK IS MISERABLE.

Lee & Tod at Barnes & Noble

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My brother Tod and I signed our new books (MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY and BURN NOTICE: THE FIX) at Barnes & Noble in Calabasas today. It will be our last event together until Men of Mystery in November. I'll let Tod tell you about the Really Stupid Conversation he had with an aspiring author…I have no doubt at all that he will be blogging about it in excruciating, and hilarious, detail. I practically bit through my tongue so I wouldn't laugh.

The store is a block from my house, so a lot of my neighbors showed up, which was nice, and so did actor Matt Kaminsky (who I have killed once on DIAGNOSIS MURDER and once on MARTIAL LAW), TV writer and blogger Lisa Klink, B&N's  West Coast Regional Community Relations Director Jan Lindstrom (who treated me to a lovely lunch), KTLA's Stephanie Edwards, and my sister Linda, who took this picture (I don't know what looks worse, letting my bad arm hang at my side or hiding it behind my back, where it looks like I am scratching my ass. If I was smart, I would have just put my hand in my pocket).

We sold a bunch of books but there are still plenty of signed copies on hand if your travels take you to Calabasas, or if you are one of the TMZ or tabloid photographers who hang out in the parking lot 24/7 waiting for Jessica Simpson, Pamela Anderson, Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, Angelina Jolie, or any of the other stars who shop at The Commons.

The Mail I Get

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This email is so stupid, that I have to wonder if it was sent as a prank:

I realise you will get this quite a lot and are probably sick to death of people asking but I have completed a novel about Adrian Monk and wondered if I could send you the synopsis. I wouldn't presume to step on your toes but I have four great plots and have worked them into what I believe is an entertaining thriller.

I know this isn't the usual protocol of approaching people about a manuscript and I should probably go through an agent so I appreciate that I may not recieve a reply. You may also have the sole rights to the Monk novels either way thank you for your time reading this and if you do take a chance and want me to send the synopsis I am sure you will not be disapointed.

Although I have my doubts that the email is legit, I answered it as if it was. Here is what I said…

Why on earth would I, the author of the MONK novels, be interested in reading your MONK novel? Would you send a spec Spenser novel to Robert B. Parker? A spec Inspector Rebus novel to Ian Rankin? A Harry Bosch novel to Michael Connelly? Not that I am comparing myself to Parker, Rankin or Connelly, I am not in their league…I am just trying to make a point about how idiotic your request is. I can't imagine how you could have thought that it was  a good idea.

Then again, I can't imagine why you would write an entire novel on spec about a character you didn't create and don't own. I didn't create MONK, either…nor did I write a MONK novel on spec. I was hired by the creator of MONK and Penguin/Putnam to write MONK novels for them ..and now I have a multi-book deal that makes me the exclusive author of the books for several years to come.

I recommend that you write original novels that are NOT based on any pre-existing movie or television property. Tie-ins novels are assignments given to established writers by publishers who have licensed the characters from the studios…you don't simply send in a spec HOUSE or THE CLOSER novel to a publisher and hope for a sale.

On top of that, why would you send a novel to another author in the hopes of getting a job (not just any job, but his job)? Authors don't hire authors, publishers and editors do.

The Mail I Get — What Happens After You Turn In Your Book?

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Charmi congratulated me on turning in MR. MONK AND THE DIRTY COP and asked:

Out of curiousity, how much work will you still have to do on it? At this point in writing Monk novels, do you get many change requests from the editor? Or, can you pretty much consider this "done"?

I'm sure that's a question a lot of you have, so here's what I told her:

I usually don't get any major notes from MONK creator Andy Breckman or my editor, so the next step will be to go through the copy-edited manuscript. That's basically my own manuscript sent back to me, all marked up, after my editor and the copy editor have gone through it, spotting typos, punctuation errors, inconsistencies, awkward phrases etc. They will make suggestions on the page for corrections,  changes and clarifications. They will also suggest trims or places where I might want to go into more detail…but the choice is mine. For the most part, it's very minor stuff and I get through it very quickly. It's also my last chance to do any rewriting that I want to do for creative reasons…which usually only amounts to a line or two, here and there.

A month or two after that, I will receive the typeset galley, also known as the advance proofs, which is basically an unbound version of what the final book will look like. The editor, copyeditor and I read through it for errors (although we inevitably miss two or three big ones, much to my embarrassment) and send it on to production.

At that point, my job on the book is done…if you don't count promotion (like going to book signings, attending conferences, speaking at libraries, etc.)

Mr. Monk and Finished Manuscript

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I just turned in my manuscript for the eighth Monk novel MR. MONK AND THE DIRTY COP, which will come out next summer. This is the first Monk
novel in several years that wasn’t written on several different computers in
various cities, countries, and modes of transport. I wrote it all at my desk at home.

I'm going to try not to think about the next Monk book for a few weeks. The outline isn't due until mid-November and I honestly have no idea what it will be about.

I will use the freed up Monk time  to work on my next "standalone" novel, which I haven't started writing yet….though I have a file with a very rough, very broad outline, some relevant newspaper clippings, and some notes to get me started.

But not this week. I have some pitches to prepare for and I want to give myself a break to maybe read a book, catch up on the new fall TV shows, and go to sleep at a decent hour.

Mr. Monk and the Foreign Covers

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Here are some covers from the foreign editions of my MONK books.
Monk in germany german cover 
Monk in Outer Space German Cover

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What I don't get is why on the Polish cover they spell my name correctly, but they change "Andy Breckman" into "Andy'Ego Breckmana." Can anybody explain that one to me?

Signings A-Go Go

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My Brother Tod and I had a great time signing MR. MONK GOES TO GERMANY and BURN NOTICE: THE FIX at Mysteries to Die For and Mystery Bookstore today. It was a real boost to Tod's ego to see the big crowds (our Mom actually arrived 25 minutes early to our MTDF signing to make sure she got a seat…even though she brought her own)  .Guys like me and Joel Osteen are used to it, but it was a new experience for my younger brother.  Some of the familiar faces in attendance at the signings included authors Leslie Lehr, Mary Yakuri Waters, John Saul, Eric Garcia, and Mark Sarvas, as well as our sisters Karen Dinino and Linda Woods, our niece Emily and our cousin Danny. There were even a couple of Light Sword survivors who showed up to introduce themselves and a lady who came just to tell Tod she hated the new season of BURN NOTICE (and wanted to him to pass along her comments to the producers). Linda took that picture to the left and is promising me some more. I'll post them when they come in..