My Blog

Ten Pages a Day or Die

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Author Nancy Martin talks about the importance of making deadlines in the book biz.

Sure, I had excuses when I was late. Death in the family. Moving
twice in twelve months. Sick kids. Husband’s midlife crisis. The dog
didn’t eat my homework, she died in a slow, messy, heart-breaking way.
And did I mention I broke a tooth, had a lump in my breast and
developed shingles all in the same month last year?!?

But publishing waits for no woman’s mammogram.

I know how she feels. Even with two broken arms and a TV series to write/produce, I worried about delivering my book on time  — but some how met my deadline.  The problem is, I’ve made it  impossible for myself to ever miss a deadline. What excuse could possibily top two broken arms?

They’ve Lost Their Tongues

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The critics on the web who called for editor Steve Wasserman to step down at the LA Times Book Review have been strangely quiet since David Ulin took over in October. So far, the review is every bit as dull, forgetable and irrelevant as it was under Wasserman (though, thankfully, Eugen Weber has yet to reappear on the pages). But you’d never know it reading the blogs that were the most critical of Wasserman, particularly  The Elegant Variation, which used to run a weekly, detailed critique of the book review section.  The critique has been missing ever since Wasserman stepped down.

Are the former critics of the LATBR just giving Ulin time to find his footing? Or do their personal relationships with him prevent them from being critical? Or have they just stopped caring?  Or was it really all about Wasserman?

I wonder if Ulin is still burning off articles/reviews commissioned before he took over — because I have yet to see any significant changes at the LATBR besides the section getting thinner and thinner. If there is an overhaul coming, I hope it happens soon. It would be nice to have a lively, provocative, and interesting book review section.

Mr. Monk and the Nice Reviews II

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Two more flattering reviews have come in for MR. MONK GOES TO THE FIREHOUSE. One of the reviews is from the Monk Fun Page, the biggest and best Monk fan site on the web, and the other is from novelist Ed Gorman,   founder of Mystery Scene magazine. I want to thank them for all the nice things they said. It made me feel great, particularly since today is one of those dreary days where the words are coming slowly and I’m convinced that all those fanficcers are right — I am a talentless hack.

I’m Saving My Money for EMILY’S REASONS WHY NOT

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I don’t understand the decision-making behind which shows get released on DVD. Take LAW AND ORDER: TRIAL BY JURY for instance. It was a bomb. Viewers soundly rejected it despite massive promotion and two cross-over episodes (with LAW AND ORDER and L&O:SVU). NBC cancelled it without even airing all of the 13 episodes that were produced. And yet, the complete series is coming out on DVD with a sticker price of $59.98. If people weren’t willing to watch the show for free, what makes the studio and retailers think people will shell out sixty bucks for it now (especially since they can catch the reruns on CourtTV)?

The Commish

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I saw the boxed set of THE COMMISH at Best Buy today.  THE COMMISH was a Stephen J. Cannell crime drama that coasted along for four seasons on ABC without attracting any real attention. It was about a lovable, soft-hearted small-town police chief and family man who solved crimes and helped people in need. It was your typical, inoffensive, shot-on-the-cheap-in-Canada 90s cop show. And yet,  THE COMMISH is directly responsible for some of the most innovative and success series on television today.

COMMISH star Michael Chiklis is now the Emmy-winning lead of  THE SHIELD. 

COMMISH writer/producers Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran created 24 and are its exec producers. The staff on 24 includes Stephen Kronish, co-creator and co-executive producer of THE COMMISH, and Evan Katz, who also worked on the show.

COMMISH director Brad Turner went on to helm episodes of 24, PRISON BREAK, and BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, among many others. 

COMMISH producers Glen Morgan & James Wong went on to THE X-FILES (which was co-exec produced by Howard Gordon, who is now an exec producer on 24) and wrote & directed the FINAL DESTINATION films.

COMMISH producer David Greenwalt went on to BUFFY, ANGEL and is now on SURFACE.

COMMISH director David Nutter became one of TV’s most sought after and successful directors of pilots. His credits include SMALLVILLE, SUPERNATURAL, and DARK ANGEL (to name a few).

And what was I doing while all these folks were working on THE COMMISH? I was working right down the hall on another Stephen J. Cannell crime drama called COBRA. The staff of COBRA has reshaped television, going on to do–

Oh God, how depressing.

Vanity Press Ethics

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I have been hammering Writers Digest and editor Kristin Godsey pretty hard here lately. So it should be noted that the latest "tips and updates" email from WD  includes a link to a very interesting article Godsey wrote about whether the POD industry should establish a code of professional conduct.

While many such companies are very clear about their policies and
promises, others are purposely vague and even outright
deceitful—hopeful writers are led to believe that using these
companies’ services is no different from getting a traditional
publishing deal in terms of instant prestige and reaching the
marketplace…

…Whether or not a code of ethics is standardized across the industry,
it’s clear that many writers are confused by the particulars of POD
publishing. Some Book Summit participants had specific suggestions for
practices they’d like to see all POD companies embrace. For starters,
Schwartz says, "Any type ofcode should define the rights and
responsibilities of all parties."

Beyond that, he says, "The realities of marketing efforts and
probable sales outcomes need to be made absolutely transparent."
Pramschufer elaborated on this theme in the October issue of his
monthly newsletter for small and independent self-publishers. In it, he
called on POD publishers to "clearly point out the odds of being
successful. An average number of books sold would be a start. If the
publishers don’t think this is fair, then the average number of books
sold by the top 25 percent of their titles in print and the middle 33
percent."

It’s a great idea but I doubt it will ever happen…it would cut too deep into vanity press profits if their potential customers knew just how few copies they are likely to sell.  Still, it would be nice to see WD champion the idea and at the same time dedicate themselves to exposing the deceptive practices of individual vanity presses (especially if they are among their advertisers and "marketing partners"). Of course, this would require a radical rethink by WD’s editors and publishers about their various marketing partnerships with vanity presses.

A Rawboned Novel of Primitive Love!

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Over the weekend, novelist Bill Crider scanned the delightfully lurid covers of nearly 200 of his vintage paperbacks, many of them by Harry Whittington (under a variety of names).  I don’t know what I like more, the illustrations or come-ons like these:

"He used two women to feed his brute cravings."

"The sultry story of pagan revelries, lonely men, and a native girl."

"Her luscious body was used as a man trap"

"Faceless, he might be a devil or saint…but he had the lusts of a man."

TV Times

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This was a good weekend for TV. It kicked-off Friday with a fantastic episode of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, which has not only become one of the best dramas on the air, it has single-handedly reinvigorated the sci-fi genre on television. It used to be all the sci-fi space dramas took their cues from STAR TREK as if it was sacred text. Not any more.  BSG showrunner Ron Moore has changed everything. He started by telling stories involving genuine characters instead of noble cardboard heroes who only do "the right thing" and never get laid.  He’s subverted every other tired cliche along the way, too (but if you miss them, just tune into STARGATE or STARGATE ATLANTIS).  You don’t have to like scifi shows to get hooked on BSG.

On Sunday, while my Tivo was capturing 24, I watched Tom Selleck in the TV movie JESSE STONE: NIGHT PASSAGE, based on Robert B. Parker’s book. Like last years STONE COLD, Selleck played an ex-LAPD cop who becomes police chief of a small, Massachusetts town. The movie was a welcome change from the plethora of procedural dramas on TV.  It was full of atmosphere and character and punchy dialogue. There were no forensics, cool flashbacks, or autopsies, just a simple crime story well told. The mystery was weak, but the other pleasures more than made up for it.

What I don’t get is why they chose to shoot the last Jesse Stone book, STONE COLD, as the first movie, and then do the first book NIGHT PASSAGE (which begins with Stone’s arrival as police chief) as the second movie. It was especially awkward since a key character in NIGHT PASSAGE is killed in both the book and movie version of STONE COLD and presumably remains alive through the next few TV movies (the next one up is DEATH IN PARADISE, the third Stone book), further confusing things.

There’s a new, fifth STONE novel coming this year from Parker and I’m eager to read it — for some time now, the Stone books have been far better than the Spensers. One of the key differences between the TV movie adaptations and the books is the creative decision to relegate Stone’s ex-wife to just a voice on the phone. I think it was a brilliant idea and adds to Jesse’s isolation.

This weekend was also the premiere of the BBC series HUSTLE on AMC. I didn’t watch it, since I’ve got the series on DVD from England months ago. The show is fine, a nice diversion, but the cons get tiresome and the episodes begin to blur into sameness.   Still, it’s nice to see Robert Vaughn back on TV again.