Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Good Intentions


We all know what the road to Hell is paved with, and even by putting this out there, I risk one of Murphy's corollaries, but here goes ...


I have several projects pending. "Pending" can mean different things, and sometimes the phrase "twisting in the wind" is more apt, but what it mostly means is these potential books, movies, etc. are in some stage of waiting-for-somebody-else-to-do-something before I can move on them. 


On any given day, the phone could ring or the email inbox could pop! and those would be like a starter's gun going off at a long-distance race. I don't have to be in the blocks, but I need to be ready to step up to the starting line pretty quick.


As a writer, if you are juggling several efforts, you have to leave time, because there is usually a deadline involved for some of them, and more often than not, these deadlines are shorter than they should be: That tie-in novel that had eight months on the clock when you started talking about it got dicked around before somebody made a decision, and five of those months have slipped past—but the deadline is the same. 


Or there's an opening in a schedule because something fell through, and they need a replacement yesterday. Sometimes you can do it, sometimes you can't, and while I hate to turn down paying work, I have had to do so more than a few times because my plate was simply too full. Better than the alternative, but still ...


As a working pro, if you delve into work-for-hire or shared universes, you have to be able to accommodate a certain amount of capriciousness, because ... that's how it is. Writers who can step up and step in and get something done cleanly and quickly will get work sometimes because that is the overriding factor–if they need it Tuesday and you can deliver it and a better writer can't? They'll go with you. A pretty good book on the racks when they need it there is better than a great book half-done at the writer's house.


Um. Anyway, what all this means is that I'm moving a back-burner project onto the front burner. I have attended to the paying projects as best I can for the nonce, and it is my intent—which I hereby repeat doesn't always mean much—to put my energy back into a book near to my heart, i.e., Churl, the next Matador novel.


Since Ace has passed on this one, I'll be putting it up as an ebook, possibly a POD, and possibly in  conjunction with half a dozen of the backlist Matador novels, once those rights are reverted, a process that currently ongoing. Might take five or six months for that, because that's the general flow of such things, and after I have that, we'll see what's what.


There seems to be a demand for these, but that remains to be seen.


Here's the rub for my fans: If this book gets done and up and sells really well, then I'll do another one soon; if it tanks, probably I won't be in any kind of hurry. So if you want to read another one, the more bushes you beat to scare up buyers, the more likely I am to put it at the top of the list. How's that for literary blackmail? (I'm still planning to write another one, but the question will be, When can I get to it? That will be up to the market.)


Would that I had a patron who would pay all the bills whilst I paint the chapel ceiling; alas, that's now how it goes these days. 


I realize that by getting back into Churl, it's like washing your car–which, as we all know, is why it rains–and that another project is apt to thunder in and put a halt to Matadornity, but just so you know? That's the plan ...

9 comments:

Christian Berntsen said...

You could always try a Kickstarter campaign to fund writing the book. Hell, if you figure the funding out correctly, you could also get a limited print edition going form one of the POD companies out there (like Lulu) and ofer that as an incentive (which you'll need to offer in Kickstarter). You could fund cover art for you eBook, too. Could also help you gauge interest beyond Churl. Just a thought.

Kris said...

I am always up for a new Matador book; can't wait!

Brad said...

Hehehehe, new Matador Book. Can't wipe the drool off my chin fast enough.

And while an ebook is better than nothing, I'll need at least 2 treeware copies for my print library. So, any service or way that can get those, I'll contribute to in any way I can.

triksterut said...

I would happily pat for a printed version; these are some of my favorite reads :) I just can't do the e-reader thing and I'm a computer guy.

Steve Perry said...

My main man Dan is a whiz at these things, he did a POD version of one of my ebooks and I had Lulu spit out a copy that was clean and professional-looking. He's up to his eyeballs in a new project at the moment, but by this winter, maybe he'll be less busy.

We'll have to work out who does what and gets what, but I'm confident we can manage that, with the results being an ebook in all the popular formats and probably a POD for a reasonable cover price. Given that paperbacks are in the $8-10 range, I'd think we could produce a book in that general ballpark.

The Revolution ended and the Matadors went on their ways. They got partners, and had children who grew up. Want to know their story?

Here it is ...

Or will be ...

Joe said...

The Matadors went their own ways. What happened to the Siblings of the Shroud? What are they up to now?

Brady T. Chin said...

Ebook or print. Any Matador book is a great read. I'm in. Just leave instructions...

BTW, any plans for film adaptation of any of the stories?

Steve Perry said...

A book about the start-up of the Siblings is in the queue. If Churl sells, I'll move the Sibs up.

There is an active movie option on TMWNM, along with the possibility of a first-person shooter game. As in all such cases in my experience, there are many slips between cups and lips when you get into those public houses and start raising glasses, but the movie guy is enthusiastic, and it will come down to money. If he can get investors, I think we'll see it. He's got a script, and I read it and liked it.

I plan to try and offer the POD option on the Matadors when they go up, but my experiences, detailed in assorted posts here, indicate that relatively few readers will avail themselves of hard copy. Lot of folks have told me they would buy print versions of books I've published primarily as ebooks, but few have done so.

We'll see how that goes.

Keith Martin said...

I've been reading your stuff since Asimov's started. The Matador series is one of my favorites. If you write it, I'll read it. I just finished But What If I do This on my kindle, and enjoyed it very much.