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New books
Hi everyone
Just to bring you up to date with what I've been up to, my first book with Transworld - 'The First Apostle' - was published on the 28th July as a Bantam paperback original using my other nom de plume James Becker. So far, it seems to be doing well - it was number 51 in the Nielsen Bookscan last week, despite only being released on the Monday (Bookscan figures are taken and collated every Tuesday, so the book was only available for a part of the relevant week). It was Asda's second best-selling book last week, and number one in The Bookseller's 'Top 20 Heatseekers' list.
The fourth 'James Barrington' novel with Macmillan - 'Timebomb' - was released as a hardback on the 1st August, along with the paperback of the third novel in the series, 'Foxbat'. And finally, I've got the Penguin/Michael Joseph non-fiction book, 'Joint Force Harrier', coming out on the 4th September in hardback. I've ghosted this book for the guy who actually did all the flying, Commander Adrian Orchard Royal Navy, so his name appears on the front cover, but my name's there as well, in slightly smaller letters!
Finally, Macmillan is holding a launch party for 'Timebomb' on the evening of the 7th August at Borders in Oxford Street. If any TBers are interested in coming, please visit my website at www.JamesBarrington.com for details - the party's free and there will be drinks and nibbles.
Best wishes to everyone
James
Just to bring you up to date with what I've been up to, my first book with Transworld - 'The First Apostle' - was published on the 28th July as a Bantam paperback original using my other nom de plume James Becker. So far, it seems to be doing well - it was number 51 in the Nielsen Bookscan last week, despite only being released on the Monday (Bookscan figures are taken and collated every Tuesday, so the book was only available for a part of the relevant week). It was Asda's second best-selling book last week, and number one in The Bookseller's 'Top 20 Heatseekers' list.
The fourth 'James Barrington' novel with Macmillan - 'Timebomb' - was released as a hardback on the 1st August, along with the paperback of the third novel in the series, 'Foxbat'. And finally, I've got the Penguin/Michael Joseph non-fiction book, 'Joint Force Harrier', coming out on the 4th September in hardback. I've ghosted this book for the guy who actually did all the flying, Commander Adrian Orchard Royal Navy, so his name appears on the front cover, but my name's there as well, in slightly smaller letters!
Finally, Macmillan is holding a launch party for 'Timebomb' on the evening of the 7th August at Borders in Oxford Street. If any TBers are interested in coming, please visit my website at www.JamesBarrington.com for details - the party's free and there will be drinks and nibbles.
Best wishes to everyone
James
Comments
One must suppose this is your excuse for long absence from Talkback, try and keep us regularly posted.;)
I hope you make it. I'll be the bloke standing in the corner, looking worried!
James
Not in the near future, I'm afraid!
James
I forgot to mention that if you let me have your email address (just send a blank email to [email protected]), I'll send you an invitation.
Regards
James
The short, snappy answer is persistence. I was accepted by Sheil Land Associates in 2003 on the strength of a 'package' I was sending out to every agent in Britain. This consisted of a brief synopsis of 'Overkill', the first three chapters and a covering letter, and at the same time I had another package doing the rounds for an as-yet unpublished book called 'Trade-off'. I was accepted by an agent named Dinah Weiner for 'Trade-off' at almost the same time as Sheil Land associates made their offer. The point is that I'd started in the trade directories with the letter 'A' and EVERY other agent I'd approached had said 'no'. My plan was to get down to 'Z', re-jig the package slightly and start all over again, and keep on doing this until somebody out there did finally agree to take me on.
Once I was represented, everything changed. There was an auction for 'Overkill' with three publishers interested, and I'm now on my third two-book contract with Macmillan. Penguin approached me to ghost the Harrier book, because one of the commissioning editors there liked my writing, and I wrote 'The First Apostle' at the suggestion of my agent, and he sold it to the first publisher who read it.
I think talent helps, but the advice I always give unpublished authors is to keep on knocking on doors. If what you're writing really is publishable, some day, somebody will take it on.
James
Just to update you - 'The First Apostle' was number 19 in the Nielsen Bookscan listings this week for paperback fiction, with over 11,000 copies sold, so I'm feeling quite chuffed!
James
I am days away from finishing my first novel, and will then blanket the literary agencies who deal in my kind of book.
Me: Mornings - writing/revising
Evenings - proposal work
Wife and kids: Showing supernatural patience, mornings and evenings.
Yes, that's the one!
James
I hope that my first forensic science-themed book (Deceptive Encounters, released later this year by Matador) puts me on the same path that you have trodden so well. I hope to tour schools with it from late October (though it won't be in bookshops until Jan 2009)
How did you feel at your first launch/presentation? I'm sure I will panic.
Karen
Many congratulations on your book - I hope it does really well. I think for me the most nerve-wracking time was when i went with my agent to meet the publishers who were interested in buying my first book. We more or less got the third degree from each of them, and it was overall a VERY trying day. Now I've done so many talks and presentations that it really doesn't bother me at all, and I'm sure you'll feel the same once you've got a few under your belt.
With very best wishes
James
Yes, it was a good 'do', thanks, with a reasonable turnout, and I signed and sold quite a lot of books! Sorry you couldn't make it.
James
Very reassuring. I'm heading off to meet up with one of my publishers this week. He is speaking at one of his own book signing tours this week - it will be good to see how he copes from the other side of the fence.
Your success is inspriational - keep them coming.
p.s. congrats to Karen too.