There is little to report from Hiltonia at this time, other than that I'm working on a standalone novel and it's too early to spread any news about it: it's still at that stage where it might be ditched, so the least said the better right now.
But, there are a couple things worthy of mention coming up if you are a reader of my books.
In June The Strand magazine will be publishing a never-before-seen never-before-published Joe Hunter short story called 'Hot Property'. The magazine will be available throughout the USA and also via download. More news on this as the time nears.
I'm currently reading through submissions for ACTION: Pulse Pounding tales Volume 2, with a view to having the ebook ready some time in June, and I'll update on its progress nearer the time. If you'd like to keep up to speed on this project though you can follow this link to APPT's Facebook page for up to the minute news as it happens http://www.facebook.com/ActionPulsePoundingTales?fref=ts
'Blood And Ashes' - Joe Hunter 5 is due for a mid-June release in the USA. On the back of it I will be doing a radio relay week commencing 25th June, so listen out for me if I hit any of your local stations.
Lastly I'll be at this years CRIMEFEST at Bristol 29th May 'til June 1st and hope to see some of you there.
Friday, 17 May 2013
Sunday, 21 April 2013
Busy week ahead...
I've been a bit quiet on here of late, so please accept my apologies. I just thought it pertinent that I let you into a few dates for your diaries if you want to come out and see me/support you local library or literary event.
I'll be at the following places over the next week or so:
Two events on Wednesday 24th April in Burnley:
I'm at the Library, Lowerhouse Lane, Rosegrove, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 6HU from 3pm – 4.30pm
Then with Neil White at Burnley Central Library Grimshaw Street, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 2BD from 7 – 9 pm
Then I'm at CSI Gateshead on Thursday 25th April with Pauline Rowson and Mari Hannah at:
Gateshead Central Library, Prince Consort Rd, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 4LN
And then on Sunday 28th April at 4.30 I'm again with Mari Hannah at the Hexham Book Festival 2013 at: Queen’s Hall, Beaumont Street, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3LS
Hope to see some of you at one or the other of the events.
Matt
I'll be at the following places over the next week or so:
Two events on Wednesday 24th April in Burnley:
I'm at the Library, Lowerhouse Lane, Rosegrove, Burnley, Lancashire BB12 6HU from 3pm – 4.30pm
Then with Neil White at Burnley Central Library Grimshaw Street, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 2BD from 7 – 9 pm
Then I'm at CSI Gateshead on Thursday 25th April with Pauline Rowson and Mari Hannah at:
Gateshead Central Library, Prince Consort Rd, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 4LN
And then on Sunday 28th April at 4.30 I'm again with Mari Hannah at the Hexham Book Festival 2013 at: Queen’s Hall, Beaumont Street, Hexham, Northumberland, NE46 3LS
Hope to see some of you at one or the other of the events.
Matt
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Your Life in Your hands...
I'm all for supporting aspiring or new writers and to help keep them motivated as they aim for that long-wished for publication deal. It seems that during a recent guest blog I did over at Pulp Pusher that I might have taken the wind out of a few sails as I shared a few of the horror stories some mid-list authors face when it comes to getting their books on the shelves. So I thought I'd just make a brief addendum right here:
I'm not as despondent about it all as perhaps the blog post sounded. I happened to host a rather long and heated debate on my Facebook page after some of my readers were complaining they couldn't get hold of the latest Joe Hunter book and what I found out about it's distribution wasn't too great. I was obviously disappointed at the time, but I'm OK now, and as enthusiastic and optimistic about my career as ever.
Based upon the somewhat controversial topic raised on Facebook, and the mixed emotions and opinions batted back and forward, Tony asked me if I'd write a guest piece at Pulp Pusher, and maybe I pitched it a little too one-sided in hindsight. Maybe not too surprisingly it kind of divided opinions - even though I did say I was playing devil's advocate, and my intention was to champion all authors, and not necessarily have a go at the bookshop chains. Maybe using my own examples came across as if I was whining, but it's too late to change that now. But, yeah, I guess I still stand by the fact that through current ordering protocols we're being shafted and that current practices could kill some writers' careers before they get started. But I could as easily tell as many good news stories as bad, and - for me - it's still the best job in the world.
Opportunities still exist for authors, whatever route you choose to follow. As someone mentions, it's not books readers seek, but stories, and we're all story tellers. It might just be that the form in which people gather those stories to themselves might be different than this 'old timer' has grown accustomed to. I'm still a fence sitter when it comes to what's the right and wrong direction to take (self-pub versus traditional publishing) - and again am not going to get into any argument one way or the other, because I simply do not know what the answer is.
As it happens, I'm traditionally published, and more than thankful for that. My traditional publishers also put the books out in ebook format, so I'm probably doubly represented and therefore doubly grateful. If readers can't find my books on the shelves, they can still find them online. Use that as inspiration if you will - if I can do it, then so can you. Don't let my momentary knee-wobble put you off writing and following your dream. I'm over it. Keep on keeping on, as a wiser man than me once said.
I'm not as despondent about it all as perhaps the blog post sounded. I happened to host a rather long and heated debate on my Facebook page after some of my readers were complaining they couldn't get hold of the latest Joe Hunter book and what I found out about it's distribution wasn't too great. I was obviously disappointed at the time, but I'm OK now, and as enthusiastic and optimistic about my career as ever.
Based upon the somewhat controversial topic raised on Facebook, and the mixed emotions and opinions batted back and forward, Tony asked me if I'd write a guest piece at Pulp Pusher, and maybe I pitched it a little too one-sided in hindsight. Maybe not too surprisingly it kind of divided opinions - even though I did say I was playing devil's advocate, and my intention was to champion all authors, and not necessarily have a go at the bookshop chains. Maybe using my own examples came across as if I was whining, but it's too late to change that now. But, yeah, I guess I still stand by the fact that through current ordering protocols we're being shafted and that current practices could kill some writers' careers before they get started. But I could as easily tell as many good news stories as bad, and - for me - it's still the best job in the world.
Opportunities still exist for authors, whatever route you choose to follow. As someone mentions, it's not books readers seek, but stories, and we're all story tellers. It might just be that the form in which people gather those stories to themselves might be different than this 'old timer' has grown accustomed to. I'm still a fence sitter when it comes to what's the right and wrong direction to take (self-pub versus traditional publishing) - and again am not going to get into any argument one way or the other, because I simply do not know what the answer is.
As it happens, I'm traditionally published, and more than thankful for that. My traditional publishers also put the books out in ebook format, so I'm probably doubly represented and therefore doubly grateful. If readers can't find my books on the shelves, they can still find them online. Use that as inspiration if you will - if I can do it, then so can you. Don't let my momentary knee-wobble put you off writing and following your dream. I'm over it. Keep on keeping on, as a wiser man than me once said.
Monday, 25 February 2013
The Current Joe Hunter Stuff Available in the UK
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| No Going Back - Joe Hunter 7 - is currently available in Paperback and ebook editions |
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| Dead Fall is now available in ebook formats |
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| Red Stripes is available for pre-order in ebook formats (published 14th march 2013) |
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| Rules of Honour - Joe Hunter 8 - is now available in hardback and ebook editions |
Sunday, 24 February 2013
I Guest Blog over at Pulp Pusher
http://pulppusher.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/guest-blog-matt-hilton.html?spref=fb
I've guest blogged over at Tony Black's excellent blogsite 'Pulp Pusher' talking about the struggles a mid-list author must endure to gain shelf space in bookshops these days. Take a trip over to Tony's place for the full low down.
I've guest blogged over at Tony Black's excellent blogsite 'Pulp Pusher' talking about the struggles a mid-list author must endure to gain shelf space in bookshops these days. Take a trip over to Tony's place for the full low down.
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
New Dates For Your Diary
Here are some new dates for your diary for where you can come along and meet me (as if that's something on everyone's bucket list!!!)
Waterstones, Scotch Street, Carlisle 10 am onwards on Saturday 23rd February 2013 (launch of Joe Hunter 8 - Rules of Honour)
CSI Gateshead. Gateshead Central Library 7pm Thursday 25th April 2013
Hexham Bookfest. Queens Hall, Hexham, Northumberland. 4.30 Sunday 28th April 2013.
Hope to see some of you along at one of these events.
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Are the days of blogs numbered?
Are the days of the blog numbered? Or is it that those people I once followed with keen interest have moved on to other more important projects in their lives? I would like to think that is the case because there was a lot of talented and interesting people out there, and I enjoyed following their literary adventures on a day to day basis.
This thought was prompted when I took a scan through the blogs that I followed and found a lot of them hadn't been updated for months, or had disappeared all together. Now, in some ways I'm guilty of apathy towards my blog, and there is a specific reason for it. I started this blog to chronicle my adventures in publishing. Now that was all well and good in the early days when everything about the process was new and fresh and not a little daunting. Yet it feels now that I'm beginning to rehash old thoughts and ideas, and I'm not sure that is what my readers want to read. Either that, or those who once followed my tales and advice have also moved on and are now past the kind of advice that I was able to offer.
Looking back over the last year, I've noticed that many of the blogs I followed, my own included, have become nothing more than marketing devices. Everyone has a book to sell it seems. I don't want my blog to fall into the trap of simply pimping my latest book - although it's obviously somewhere where anyone interested in my writing might come to find information on my latest works - and am in the process of trying to figure out where i want to take my blog next.
OK, I won't be absconding to wordpress (tried it, didn't work out), but over the next few weeks i hope to relaunch my blog so that it's a bit more interesting than "Hey! Here's my latest book". Watch this space....
This thought was prompted when I took a scan through the blogs that I followed and found a lot of them hadn't been updated for months, or had disappeared all together. Now, in some ways I'm guilty of apathy towards my blog, and there is a specific reason for it. I started this blog to chronicle my adventures in publishing. Now that was all well and good in the early days when everything about the process was new and fresh and not a little daunting. Yet it feels now that I'm beginning to rehash old thoughts and ideas, and I'm not sure that is what my readers want to read. Either that, or those who once followed my tales and advice have also moved on and are now past the kind of advice that I was able to offer.
Looking back over the last year, I've noticed that many of the blogs I followed, my own included, have become nothing more than marketing devices. Everyone has a book to sell it seems. I don't want my blog to fall into the trap of simply pimping my latest book - although it's obviously somewhere where anyone interested in my writing might come to find information on my latest works - and am in the process of trying to figure out where i want to take my blog next.
OK, I won't be absconding to wordpress (tried it, didn't work out), but over the next few weeks i hope to relaunch my blog so that it's a bit more interesting than "Hey! Here's my latest book". Watch this space....
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