Books

I’m Going to Be Blushing All Weekend

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I made my daily visit to Ed Gorman’s blog and was shocked out of my seat by the kind words he had to say about THE MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE.

What makes the novel so remarkable–remarkable enough for me to put it
on my Edgar short list along with Terrill Lankford’s Blonde
Lightning–is the way, like the best of the Rockford episodes, Goldberg
is able to parody his standard SoCal moments while telling a
convincing, even moving tale about the real nature of SoCal streets and
the real nature of heroism.

The novel owes more to literary pieces than to genre ones because here
the narrator’s voice is more important than plot, something you find in
novels such as Richard Price’s Ladies Man (modern) and J.D. Salinger’s
Catcher in The Rye (classic). And as in both of those novels, Goldberg
creates an Everyman, a man who just doesn’t fit anywhere, a man who is
driven to find some small justice in a world where justice is just
another commodity to buy and sell. You can almost hear Holden Caulfield
hectoring you, telling you that you’re a sap to believe all that
hi-faultin’ nonsense about the hallowed justice system working for one
and all. He knows better and you should know better, too.

I may be blushing all weekend. To be compared on any level besides "this book is also written on paper" with Richard Price and J.D. Salinger just floors me. Thank you, Ed. Now how the hell am I supposed to get back to writing MONK #2 after that?

One of a Kind Blurb

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My friend author Lewis Perdue, in the midst of his legal tussles with Dan Brown, actually found time to read a galley of  THE MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE and had some good words for the book on his blog.

Get this book. Read it. And if you’re in the doldrums, suffering from the
heartbreak of psoriasis, the humiliation of herpes, or the agony of a lawsuit
with Random House, you will feel better after the first chapter.

Now that would make a one-of-a-kind blurb!

Rough Edges Goes Easy on BADGE

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Author James Reasoner flattered me today with some very nice words about THE MAN WITH THE IRON-ON BADGE on his blog.

This book starts out as a fine example of the humorous “lovable schmoe” school of detective fiction, and Goldberg does a good job with that part of it, but then it takes a sudden turn into darker and more dangerous territory and becomes even better. The plot becomes more complex and so
do the characters, and while Goldberg plays scrupulously fair with his clues, nothing and nobody turns out be exactly that they seemed at first. Add to that some very smooth prose and a sense of compassion for
the people he’s writing about, and you’ve got one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. Highly recommended.

Thanks so much, James!

 

Doing the Konrath

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Joe Konrath recently blogged about his book tour…and his amazing efforts to sign stock at as many bookstores as he possibly could (I think he tallied over 100 stores). His friend and mine Barry Eisler has been guest blogging at MJ Rose’s site about the importance of authors hitting the road and doing whatever they can to support their books.

So, following the lead of my esteemed and tireless colleagues, I did some drop-in stock signings this week for DIAGNOSIS MURDER: THE PAST TENSE at B&N, Borders, Waldenbooks and B. Dalton  (I have a bunch of scheduled signings/events starting next month).  Here’s my talley so far: 16 stores, 207 books signed, 16 booksellers’ hands shaken.  Out of a 50,000 copy first printing, those signings are hardly going to make an impact on my sales figures, but I figure it couldn’t hurt. I’ll hit more stores this week and next.

Insert Foot into Mouth…

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…my foot, my mouth. My foot spends a lot of time there, I’m ashamed to say.

A reader wrote this comment about my blog post "Champagne Wishes and Caviar Dreams" on Tess Gerritsen.

I’m a huge fan, both of Tess and her blog, and frankly, she’s given me, as a
new kid on the block, a lot of hope and inspiration.

The unpublished treat the published like ungrateful, whiny children should we
dare to even HINT that all is not Nirvana in our publishing journey.

Publisher didn’t promote your book?

Too damn bad, at least you HAVE a book. At least you HAVE a publisher.

Worries about meeting your sell through?

Too damn bad, at least you HAVE book. At least you HAVE a publisher.

Worries about revisions, or the fact your agent didn’t negotiate a small
enough reserve against returns, and now you have a $186 royalty check?

Too damn bad, at least you HAVE a book. At least you HAVE a publisher.

It gets to the point you just shut up and don’t say a thing because of the
jealousy. Now why would we, as other writers, do that to Tess? We know, or are
learning, the ropes. She’s open, she’s honest, and let’s face it, the bigger you
are (industry-wise, of course), the bigger the problems.

It’s refreshing to read a New York Times bestselling author willing to ADMIT
IT!

You go, Tess. Keep it up.

Reading that, I felt like a total schmuck. Why didn’t I see it that way from the get-go? Tess wasn’t at fault, it was me. I was way out of line. Tess, I owe you a sincere apology.

Is it Worth Paying to be Recommended by Amazon?

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If you’ve bought a  book on Amazon, you know they will recommend another title to you that would make a good companion purchase ("Better Together" they call it). What you probably didn’t know is that the author, or publisher, can pay for that recommendation. The price of that plug depends on the bestselling status of the book you want to be paired with. Recently, a friend of mine decided to try it. He paid $750 to have his book paired with the new release by a major, bestselling author. Was it worth the money?

Amazon actually sent me the numbers on my sell-through and they are very revealing, confirming my
long-held belief that their sales rankings don’t mean a thing.  Before the promotion, I was ranked in the solid mid-low six figures – around 300,000 plus or minus. 
When the promotion started, the numbers improved dramatically, getting under
10,000 on a number of occasions and probably averaging under 25,000 for the
month.  Total sales during July – 54 books.  Total royalties earned, net of
agent’s commission – @ $27.  Cost of promotion – $750.  Lesson learned –
priceless.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter Development

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Variety reports that Michael C. Hall of  SIX FEET UNDER has signed to star in Showtime’s pilot for DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER, based on the acclaimed novels by Jeff Lindsay. The SIX FEET UNDER connection doesn’t end there… Michael Cuesta, a regular director on the HBO series, will helm the DEXTER pilot.  Dexter is a Miami PD forensics expert who also happens to be a serial killer.