Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Sold my novel, "Snaked," to Cohesion Press, an Australian publisher who specializes in 'creature' books. How perfect is that?

As you guys know, I really loved this book. I shouldn't play favorites, but I do think this is my best book so far. It has no fantasy or supernatural elements. It is all possible. A couple of the characters have autism, which the snake venom has an effect on. I thought I pulled that off that characterization pretty nicely.

It starts with an infestation of poisonous sea snakes, as a warning that a tsunami is coming. Originally, I had the tsunami as the main focus in the second half of the book, but the editor, Geoff Brown, quite rightly pointed out that I'd left out the sea snakes too much. So I wrote several chapters at the ending to wrap up the snake line and sure enough it was an even better book.

Looks like it will come out sometime around the middle of next year. Cohesion Press, like Ragnarok, has gone mainstream, so this book should show up in bookstores worldwide.

Cohesion has a legit bestseller out right now, "Fathomless" by Greig Beck, and they seem to have a great reputation. Doesn't seem to matter anymore which English speaking country publishes your book. Kinda funny to have it announced as "US author, Duncan McGeary."

I keep expecting my writing career to peter out, (not the writing, that is still going strong, if a bit slower) but then I find the next thin thread, and so far so good.

I've got nothing against publishing myself, but damn if I sell many books that way. I guess I need publishers unless I can figure out how to promote myself.

I'm going to make the attempt with "Fires of Allah" to expand my search, and not take it unkindly if nothing happens. I have about a year, I figure, while "Tuskers IV" and "Snaked" come out, to try to broaden my markets. (I'll probably put out "Gargoyle Dreams" and maybe another book next year as well, myself.)

If that doesn't happen, fine. I do really like my horror niche. I'm not turning my back on the genre in any event. But I was sorta hoping to do some thrillers too.

"Fires of Allah" can very very easily be turned into supernatural horror, and maybe I should do that anyway, but I'm attempting to do it straight first, just to see what happens.

Anyway, I'm encouraged. This is the fourth publisher in my career who has found my writing worthy. That's got to mean something, right?


1 comment:

Dave Cline said...
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