Books

If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…

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HelenKay Dimon and my lovely sister-in-law Wendy Duren are taking some heat on their romance novel review blog for panning a book.  The aggrieved author wrote:

I’m sitting here, trying to understand why someone who belongs to the
sistah-hood of struggling, blood-stained, published romance authors would trash
another author’s first book.

Apparently, there’s an unwritten rule that, well, if you can’t say anything nice about a romance, don’t say anything at all. HelenKay takes exception:

In an effort to promote the genre, to suggest we should be taken seriously
outside of the romance writing world, we don’t shy away from the negative
review.  After all, if we can’t self-critique in a way that amounts to more than
empty cheerleading, have we earned the credibility we insist we should have?

Helen elaborates on the point in the comments to her post:

I have to say I find romance writers’ professed views on this issue
completely disingenous. You see on blogs all the time how angry romance writers
are that their work isn’t taken seriously. How upset they are that their books
aren’t covered in magazines and book reviews and other public venues. Yet, these
authors get absolutely hostile if anyone dares to suggest their work suffers
from any deficiency. And, if the criticism comes from within the genre then the
calls for revenge and cries of unfairness start. That very reaction could be why
romance authors aren’t taken seriously. We act childish and unprofessional. When
we do that, I think we get what we deserve – laughed at.

I’ve got to agree with HelenKay on this one.  It’s not a situation unique to Romance Writers. The same issues pervade the mystery field, too.  My brother Tod had this to say to someone who didn’t agree with Helen:

You want to write and not have a critical eye placed upon your work? Fine. Stick
your stuff under your bed. But if you want to write and sell and have a career,
you have to understand that the written word is going to be examined. There’s no
genre of writing that is immune.

UPDATE: Alison Kent chimes in with a good over-view on both sides of  the "controversy."

 

 

Announcing The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers — IAMTW

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Max Allan Collins and me (or is it "I?" I really should learn how to WRITE) are pleased to announce the formation of The International Association of Media Tie-in Writers
(IAMTW)
Please forward the information below to anyone you think might be interested.

What is a Tie-In Writer?

We write science fiction, westerns, mysteries, romance and thrillers and sometimes all of the above. Our work embraces just about every genre you can think of, from STAR TREK to CSI, from GUNSMOKE to MURDER SHE WROTE, from DUNE to James Bond, from RESIDENT EVIL to Lizzie McGuire.

Our books are original tie-in novels, comic books and short stories based on existing characters from movie, TV series, books, games, and cartoons… or they are novelizations (books based on screenplays for movies and TV shows).

Tie-ins and novelizations are a licensed works… meaning they are written with the permission and supervision of the creators, studios, or other rights-holders of the original characters.

Well-known tie-in writers include Kingsley Amis, Kevin J. Anderson, Raymond Benson, Gregory Benford, Lawrence Block, Davd Brin, Greg Bear, Max Brand, Orson Scott Card, Leslie Charteris, Arthur C. Clarke,  Max Allan Collins, Peter David, Ian Fleming, Alan Dean Foster, John Gardner, Elizabeth Hand, Stuart Kaminsky, David Morrell, Robert B. Parker, Robert Silverberg, Theodore Sturgeon, and Jim Thompson to name just a few.

Our books are published by the major publishing companies, are available everywhere, sell tens of millions of copies worldwide and regularly appear on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists… but the actual craft of tie-in writing goes largely unrecognized and is
greatly misunderstood.


The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers will change all that.


Why the IAMTW?

Tie-writers and their work are often overlooked andunder-appreciated by existing organizations like the Mystery Writers of America, Science Fiction Writers of America, and the Romance Writers of
America, even though some of their most respected members work in the field. Tie-ins represent a huge percentage of the books published each year,  they are enormously successful and are widely
enjoyed by readers. And yet we have no organization that represents our unique business and professional interests nor acknowledges excellence in our field.

Until now. Until the IAMTW. The name itself is a declaration of pride in what we do: I AM a Tie-in Writer. We say it with pride because we are very proud of what we do and the books we write.

The IAMTW is dedicated to enhancing the professional and public image of tie-in writers…to working with the media to review tie-in novels and publicize their authors…to educating people about who we are and what we do….and to providing a forum for tie-in writers to share information, support one another, and discuss issues relating to field (via a monthly e-newsletter, our website, and our active yahoo discussion group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/novelscribes/)
Our members include authors active in many other professional writer organizations (MWA, PWA, WGA, SFWA, etc.) and who bring those unique perspectives to their work for their fellow tie-in writers.

Every major industry has an award for excellence in their field…not just books, movies, records, and TV show. Awards are a demonstration that people take pride in their work and strive to constantly do better. Respect from ones peers is important…and, up until now, tie-in writers haven’t even been able to enjoy that, despite our impressive sales. Our Scribe Awards will celebrate excellence in our craft and, at the same time, draw attention to tie-in writers among publishers, booksellers and readers. 

Who Qualifies for Membership?

You do if you’ve written licensed fiction based on a TV show, motion picture, computer game, stage play, comic book (or strip), radio serial or other dramatic  work as long as you were paid for it and it has been published (or is about to be). The membership committee will determine, on a case-by-case basis, what qualifies as  "other dramatic work" (for instance, a series of books based on a toy or doll).

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve written forty novels or one short story, whether it was published last week or thirty years ago, you qualify for membership as long as you were paid for your licensed work and it was published (or is about to be).

Fanfiction does not qualifty.

The Scribe Awards and How You Can Enter

The IAMTW will present SIX AWARDS in THREE CATEGORIES for books (& comic books and graphic novels) published in 2005. We will also honor one “Grandmaster” for career achievement in the field.


SPECULATIVE FICTION (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror)

BEST NOVEL (adapted) – A novelization based on an existing screenplay, whether it’s a feature film,
episodic teleplay, video game script, or play.

BEST NOVEL (original) – An original novel using pre-existing characters from a movie, television series, video game, play, or an existing series of novels (ie new novels extending an existing literary franchise, ie DUNE, James Bond,  etc.)

SUSPENSE FICTION (Mysteries, Thrillers, Suspense)

BEST NOVEL (adapted)

BEST NOVEL (original)

BEST YOUNG ADULT (All Genres.)

BEST NOVEL (adapted)
BEST NOVEL (original)

GRANDMASTER (For Career Achievement)

Judging committees are made of up three your peers from within the organization, writers who know what tie-in writers face, because they are tie-in writers themselves. The judges will read all the submissions in their category and select both the nominees and the winners (a system patterned after
the Mystery Writers of America and the Private Eye Writers of America among others).

Books may be submitted by members and/or editors.  Authors are limited to one submission in each category, though they may enter as many categories as they wish.
A judge aware of a good book in that category cannot  nominate that book without submission, but
it’s fair for a committee member, through the award chairperson, to contact the appropriate author/editor and suggest/request submission. (Obviously, authors serving as judges can’t submit books in the categories they are judging)
Details on where, and how, to submit your work will be announced soon.

Current Officers


The IAMTW was co-founded by Max Allan Collins and Lee Goldberg, who serve as President and
Vice-President respectively.

MAX ALLAN COLLINS,  an MWA "Edgar" nominee in both fiction and non-fictioncategories,  has earned fourteen PWA "Shamus" nominations for his historical thrillers, winning for his Nathan Heller novels, True Detective (1983) and Stolen Away (1991).  His graphic novel Road to Perdition is the basis of the Academy Award-winning film starring Tom Hanks; a prose sequel, Road to Purgatory, was published by Morrow in 2004.  His many comics credits include "Dick Tracy"; "Ms. Tree"; "Batman"; and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," based on the hit TV series for which he has also written video games, jigsaw puzzles, and a USA TODAY-bestselling series of novels.  An independent filmmaker in his native Iowa ("Mommy," "Shades of Noir"), he and his writer wife Barbara frequently collaborate, sometimes under the name Barbara Allan.

LEE GOLDBERG is a two-time “Edgar” nominee whose many TV writing and/or producing credits include Martial Law, Spenser: For Hire,, Diagnosis Murder, The Cosby Mysteries, Hunter, Nero Wolfe, Missing and Monk. He’s also the author of many books, including My Gun Has Bullets, Beyond the Beyond, Unsold TV Pilots, Successful Television Writing, The Walk, The Man With The Iron-On Badge, as well as the Diagnosis Murder and Monk series of paperback originals.

How To Contact the IAWTW


IAMTW
PO Box 8212
Calabasas, CA 91372. 

Email tieinwriters@yahoo.com
Website: www.iamtw.org (coming soon)

To Join:


Send a check for $35 for your annual dues, payable to “I.A.M.T.W,” to PO Box 8212, Calabasas, CA 91372.membership application will be posted on the website… as soon as its up-and-running. In the mean time, please include with you check a letter with your NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE
NUMBER and the TITLE, PUBLISHER and PUB DATES of some of your most recent licensed tie-in work.  You will receive a letter from the membership committee notifying you of your acceptance.

The Expository Friend

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Over the last two days, I’ve seen the Expository Friend everywhere…in books, TV shows and movies. I’m thinking that, for the sake of good writing, the WGA should put a ban on the Expository Friend into our next contract with the studios and networks.

The Expository Friend is the character who exists only so the hero or heroine can reveal what they are thinking and feeling, what they are conflicted about, and what they intend to do about it.

The Expository Friend also comes in handy for telling the hero things they already know  that we, the audience, do not (the big clue is when the Expository Friend starts any sentence with the words: "As you know" or "As we discussed," or "Remember when we," or "You realize that if you do this you," etc. etc.).

The Expository Friend is usually the frumpy single or married best friend/co-worker/next-door-neighbor/sibling of the romantic lead and is, in every case, a completely pointless character that could be removed from the movie/tv show/book without losing a thing.

Any time you see the Expository Friend, you are looking at tangible evidence that the screenwriter is either incredibly lazy or doesn’t have the talent to reveal character in any other way except, well, to have them step up and tell us directly who they are and what they are feeling.

The Expository Friend violates the basic rule of good screenwriting: Show don’t tell.

The Thrillers are Here

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The International Thriller Writers (ITW) will begin awarding "The Thriller" for excellence in — what else? — thriller writing. As they say in their press release:

For the first time, novels that
either transcend or amplify the traditional genre into the realm of
thriller will be honored and acknowledged.

The awards include Best Novel, Best Paperback, Best First Novel, Best Screenplay, and The Distinguished Literature Award, the ITW equivalent of MWA’s Grandmaster.

This award honors authors whose body of work in books or film
has had a significant positive impact on literature over a sustained period of
time.  Only authors whose body of work encompasses a minimum of twenty years are
eligible.  Each year the ITW board will poll the membership for suggestions. 
The board will choose the honoree by majority vote.

The top five finalists in each category will be announced at
Left Coast Crime in Bristol England (March 16-19, 2006).  The winners will be announced at the first annual International Festival of Thrillers (June 29-July2, 2006) at the Biltmore Hotel
in Phoenix, AZ. Visit the ITW website for more details.

A Letter From Janette Anderson

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This letter, presented unedited and in its entirety, is from agent Janette Anderson, who is responding to comments I made in the post The Five Stars.

”’Ms. Anderson and Five Star also share the same logo and web-site. Any reasonable person would conclude there is an affiliation. But if I am mistaken, I will be glad to immediately correct any errors I have made. I will also be glad to post unedited any statement you or your client would like to make to clarify any errors or misinterpretations you believe I’ve made. I’ll post the statement as prominently as my original blog post.”’

Mr Goldberg:

As you are aware, as your own agent is WGA of good standing, its not just a  simple process of
signing a paper to become a WGA signatory. One has to be recommended and proposed by at least three reputable people in the business. Only after one year as a good agent and said proposal can one even think of becoming a signatory agent, and its an honor as far as I am concerned to be one and not to be dismissed with a mere flourish of the pen (or website in this case).

Firstly, my client never sent you an email. Secondly, before jumping to conclusions about ones
character and ones involvement with a publishing company, would it not be prudent to check it out first. I did indeed shop both Alex Cord’s book and Ben Costello’s book around to several companies before landing the deals with Five Star Publications. Of course a press release, as you point out, was released as
all were happy to be working together. That’s standard, as you should know. I have both contracts containing details of advances and the royalties sitting here on my desk.

I have never worked for Five Star Publications, maybe working along side them ( a very different
thing) helping to promote my clients work and get Mr. Costello several book signings, as a  good agent does..of which he now has many… and the logo that you point out happened to be on my headed notepaper in those colors, which I picked many years ago. I happen to have been a celebrity journalist for many many years before becoming an agent, and everything on my bio page is the
complete truth. Pictures don’t lie. I have at least five celebrity clients, maybe I should change it to Six or Seven Star………Five Star Publications did indeed do my fabulous looking website, which I paid mucho bucks for, as anyone getting a website up does.

I have no idea how you found out about the books…. Of course I am glad you did, because you will do
nothing but enjoy them.

The point to all this is:  simply never jump to any conclusions about anyone let alone put it in
print, so that next time no one’s attorney will contact you. An apology to me on your site would be the gentlemanly thing to do.

I hope indeed you will print this as you promised in it entirety.

Most Sincerely,

Janette Anderson

Janette Anderson
Talent Agency
9682 Via Torino
Burbank, Ca 91504
WGA signatory
818
768 3358
www.fivestarcelebrity.com
andersonagencyja@aol.com
emmadeetwo@aol.com
www.alexcord.net
www.50yearsofgunsmoke.com

"Dreams
have wings, dare to soar"

This Writer For Hire

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Paperback Writer (author Lynn Viehl) has posted an excellent article on writing-for-hire. It’s great meat-and-potatoes publishing info.

A publisher, packager or franchise that wants a book or books written
to their specifications solicits and hires a novelist to write them.
The writer is contracted, usually for a flat fee. The assignment can be
anything from a vague idea to a complete package including specific
plots, characters, settings, maps, themes and so forth. Wordcounts,
page counts and certain creative restrictions (like sexual content) are
also generally spelled out.

To break into writer-for-hire
work, you usually have to audition, which is a lot like pitching one of
your own novels, or the publisher may seek you out based on your
published work or a recommendation from someone who knows you and your
work…

I’m a writer-for-hire on DIAGNOSIS MURDER and MONK books. I got the DM job because I was an exec producer on the show and the publisher was aware that I was a novelist, too. So they came to me with an offer. The MONK books are being done by the same publisher…and I’ve worked on that show, too.  Writing-for-hire is a huge business and I know a lot of writers who make their living almost entirely on franchise work…

Rockin’ Rockford

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059534244201_sclzzzzzzz_If you’re as into TV… and TV Private Eyes… as I am, you’ve got to buy yourself Ed Robertson’s "Thirty Years of THE ROCKFORD FILES." The book covers every aspect of the classic series, from the making of the pilot through the production of the eight reunion movies (as well as unproduced scripts and the tie-in books by Stuart Kaminsky among other things).  Robertson interviews all the key players in front of, and behind, the camera, including James Garner, Steve Cannell, Roy Huggins, and Charles Floyd Johnson, and provides detailed episode synopses.

Technically, this isn’t a new book. It’s an update and revision of two earlier books Robertson wrote about THE  ROCKFORD FILES … "This is Jim Rockford" and "The Rockford Files: A 20th Anniversary Tribute." I have both of those books, too (told you I was a geek) and, like improved software, it’s well-worth "upgrading" to this new edition.

(By the way, it’s from ASJA Press, a special publishing program through iUniverse for out-of-print books by members of the American Society of Journalists and Authors)

Drive By Signings

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My friend JA Konrath has been blogging from the road, keeping a running tally of all the "drive-by" signings he’s doing on his book tour.

A "drive-by" signing means you just show up at a store unannounced and unscheduled and sign whatever stock they have on hand as opposed to a formal signing, which is a scheduled event that a bookstore has arranged (and which generally means they will have lots of your books, if not customers, on hand). His book tour is built around the formal signings, mostly at independant and mystery bookstores, set up by his publisher…the drive-bys are something he’s doing on the side, taking the initiative to get as much bang for the publisher’s promotional buck as he can. A typical day of drive-bys for Joe has gone like this:

Got into San Diego around noon, picked up the rental car, checked into the slum that is the Westgate Hotel, and started the drive-bys.

Baja Books, signed 3 paperbacks.

B. Dalton on Horton, signed 2 hardcovers, 3 paperbacks.

Barnes & Noble on Hazard, signed 4 hardcovers, 6 paperbacks.

Barnes & Noble on Grossmont, signed 4 hardcovers, 8 paperbacks, sold 1.

Bookstar on Rosecrans, signed 2 hardcovers, 2 paperbacks.

Borders on Camino del Rio, signed 2 hardcovers, 6 paperbacks, sold 1.

Borders on 6th, signed 2 hardcvoers, 6 paperbacks.

Waldenbooks on Friars, signed 6 hardcovers, 6 paperbacks.

Then
I got stuck in some serious rush hour traffic, and it took 90 minutes
to get to my signing that night, at Mysterious Galaxy.

That’s lot of time, effort, and expense to sign 22 hardcovers and 40 paperbacks. But I understand what’s motivating him. Up until now, I’ve done the same thing.  Now, on the eve of two of my new books being released, I’m wondering if the drive-bys really make a difference and if there aren’t better, and more productive ways, to promote my book.  Your thoughts?