The paperbacks of Shock and Awe have arrived on my doorstep. Nice. Shiny. And with a kind blurb from thriller master James Barrington (for which I am grateful).
You can't see it in the pics here, but the glossy gold title on the front is embossed. I spent the morning running my fingertips across the raised letters as if there might be messages in Braille lurking there.
It's a childhood fixation, I admit. But real writers to me were people who wrote books you could go out and buy--and in the benighted part of California where I grew up, there weren't any stores where you could wander in and buy hardback novels. (Not that I could have afforded any.)
And there they are: Paperbacks.
I suppose a lot of what I do is to please the ten-year-old lurking inside me. (Sad, but true.) Now if they'd just put me on a rack in a supermarket, I'd really have arrived.
21 comments:
Will it be available in the US?
That's a gorgeous cover. :) I think it will do well.
Congrats, David! Beautiful cover.
Your paperback cover is pretty sweet, David. Embossing is a neat bonus. You must be thrilled :)
-A
LOL. Well, hello there, Real Writer. It's nice to know you've finally arrived.
Pop quiz: What kind of writer am I?
Hehehe.
Where can I get one? I think I left my hardback on an airplane somewhere between here and Orange County. Oh, wait, it got confiscated because there was a hang-glider on the cover.
Rob--I doubt it. But it would be nice!
Thanks, Sam, Jeremy, Creative!
Janet--Umm, I guess you're an Unreal Writer, which sounds kinda cool. Or maybe an Absolute Writer. (What the heck is "Absolute Write" supposed to mean, anyhow?)
Jen--It's illegal to fly books of any sort into either Orange County or Texas, isn't it?
Congratulations David,
That cover looks great.
Usman
Woohoo!! I know exactly what you mean - a paperback somehow says you've made it as a writer! Let's look forward to great sales.
Hi, David
Excellent, excellent. They look very smart. I'm reminded of a Beatles song - and it's not "Nowhere Man," before you ask.
There's something about paperbacks that shout "I'm hitting the mainstream!" - it's quite exciting (that and the print-run is a tad bigger than hardbacks).
It's also exciting to see more MNWers going into paperback. Eliza and Brian have done pretty well so far, and with you and Faye coming out in September I think the MNW blog will become a busy playground.
Fingers crossed it becomes a bestseller...
Ooh. Shiny.
Neil.
Thanks, Usman!
Hi, Alis--
You've hit the point exactly--it's the mainstream feel. The funny thing is, I know other writers who started out in the paperback originals market, and they think I'm insane--they had to battle their way into hardback over many years, like salmon fighting their way upstream to spawn.
I guess what we all really want is to have it both ways.
Hey, Matt--
I'm not holding out for bestsellerdom (but I wouldn't object to it.) I'd sure be pleased if a lot of people read it, though.
What I'd really like is if the book ever invaded the US--but I gather that isn't too likely at this point.
Next month is a bit of a turning point for MNW, though, thanks to Brian McGilloway: Borderlands is coming out from a top US publisher. MNW books have been available in the US on a rather haphazard basis, but this is the first time one has been picked up and printed over here.
I'm hoping Brian acts as a sort of snowplow for the rest of us!
Hey, Neil:
You put your finger on the key issue.
Looks fab, David. And I loved this quote "I suppose a lot of what I do is to please the ten-year-old lurking inside me." It's good to know I'm not the only one!
Looks great, David. They are tactile things, aren't they, books (I still have to give mine the occasional cuddle.) A whole new Happy Author Dance moment. Enjoy!
Emma
David, The books do look good, better than good. Time to invade the USA?
Hi, Roger--
The ten year-old is on the mature days...
Hi, Emma--
Yes, they are tactile. Who wants to cuddle a Kindle?
Hi, David--
I wish they'd come flooding across the border, but, alas, there is no sign that is likely.
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