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.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
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....
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Twas Two Nights Before Christmas - Redux
Twas Two Nights Before Christmas
A poem featuring Joe Hunter
Twas two nights before Christmas, when all through the house the killer was stirring, the heartless louse. The stocking was pulled over his head with care, in hopes no one would know him if they seen him there.
The children were tied up in their beds, while chloroform fumes danced in their heads. And Mamma with her ‘kerchief employed as a gag, had just lost her mind after her husband was whacked! When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, the killer sprang from her body to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he flew like a flash, tugging up his zipper as he threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of mid-day to objects below. When, what to his worried eyes should appear, but a jet black Porsche, that should not have been there.
With a big ol’ driver, so lively and quick, he knew in a moment it must be that Rink. More rapid than an eagle his partner came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called the killer by name! "Now killer! Now, murderer! Now, rapist, I’m fixing, on coming on, stupid, to give you a Blitzing!” To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall the killer should dash away or else he would fall!
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-door Joe Hunter he flew, with his hand full of gun, and a KABAR too. And then, in a twinkling, the killer heard the clicks, the racking and chambering of the SIG-Sauer P226.
As he drew in his head, and was turning around, through the front window Hunter came with a bound. He was dressed all in black, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all spotted with glass and with blood.
A bundle of hurt Hunter brought to this place, and he looked like the Grim Reaper, with his KABAR raised. His eyes-how they twinkled, his grim smile so scary! He brought up his gun, but he was in no hurry! His tight-lipped mouth was drawn up like a bow, as he unloaded the SIG like a flurry of snow.
There was a stump of an arm and a scatter of teeth, and the blood it encircled the killer’s head like a wreath. He had a wound in his face and more in his belly, where his intestines were pulped like a bowlful of jelly! He was shuddering and pumping, the guts right out his self, Hunter laughed when he saw him, in spite of himself!
A round through the eye and a chunk from his head, soon told Hunter that the killer was dead. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and pulled down the stocking, to identify the jerk. And spotting the prison tattoo aside the killer’s nose, he gave a nod, and he pulled out his phone!
He sprang to the Porsche, and Rink gave it throttle, and away they flew like the cork from a bottle. No one heard Hunter exclaim, ‘ere they drove out of sight, "Hi, Walter, a clean up crew’s required tonight!"
Based on ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ a poem by Clement Moore
A poem featuring Joe Hunter
Twas two nights before Christmas, when all through the house the killer was stirring, the heartless louse. The stocking was pulled over his head with care, in hopes no one would know him if they seen him there.
The children were tied up in their beds, while chloroform fumes danced in their heads. And Mamma with her ‘kerchief employed as a gag, had just lost her mind after her husband was whacked! When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, the killer sprang from her body to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he flew like a flash, tugging up his zipper as he threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of mid-day to objects below. When, what to his worried eyes should appear, but a jet black Porsche, that should not have been there.
With a big ol’ driver, so lively and quick, he knew in a moment it must be that Rink. More rapid than an eagle his partner came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called the killer by name! "Now killer! Now, murderer! Now, rapist, I’m fixing, on coming on, stupid, to give you a Blitzing!” To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall the killer should dash away or else he would fall!
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-door Joe Hunter he flew, with his hand full of gun, and a KABAR too. And then, in a twinkling, the killer heard the clicks, the racking and chambering of the SIG-Sauer P226.
As he drew in his head, and was turning around, through the front window Hunter came with a bound. He was dressed all in black, from his head to his foot, and his clothes were all spotted with glass and with blood.
A bundle of hurt Hunter brought to this place, and he looked like the Grim Reaper, with his KABAR raised. His eyes-how they twinkled, his grim smile so scary! He brought up his gun, but he was in no hurry! His tight-lipped mouth was drawn up like a bow, as he unloaded the SIG like a flurry of snow.
There was a stump of an arm and a scatter of teeth, and the blood it encircled the killer’s head like a wreath. He had a wound in his face and more in his belly, where his intestines were pulped like a bowlful of jelly! He was shuddering and pumping, the guts right out his self, Hunter laughed when he saw him, in spite of himself!
A round through the eye and a chunk from his head, soon told Hunter that the killer was dead. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and pulled down the stocking, to identify the jerk. And spotting the prison tattoo aside the killer’s nose, he gave a nod, and he pulled out his phone!
He sprang to the Porsche, and Rink gave it throttle, and away they flew like the cork from a bottle. No one heard Hunter exclaim, ‘ere they drove out of sight, "Hi, Walter, a clean up crew’s required tonight!"
Based on ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’ a poem by Clement Moore
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Some Rules May Never Be Broken...
I was recently tagged in a blog "meme" called The Next Big Thing by Dean Crawford, best selling author of the Ethan Warner thrillers http://deancrawfordbooks.blogspot.co.uk/
So, here's my question and answer session!
What is the title of your next book?
It is the eighth in my Joe Hunter thriller series and is called 'Rules of Honour'.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Being a lifelong martial artist, I've always had a fascination with the mind set of the Samurai warrior, and some of the rules of conduct they followed, and one of those was the intriguing 'burden of obligation' or 'Giri'. For some time, some of my readers have been calling out for a tale centred upon Hunter's brother-in-arms, Jared 'Rink' Rington, and i felt the time was right to investigate Rink's past. But more than that, i wanted to involve Rink's family - being part Japanese I couldn't resist including 'Giri', but in a story that readers might find different to others they'd read. It was tempting to involve the yakuza and ninja and stuff, but I resisted.
What genre does your book fall under?
Crime/action thriller.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
There is some interest being shown by various TV and movie companies, but to date no one has slapped a deal on the table, but I remain hopeful. I always worry about naming actors, because I don't want to place an image in a readers mind. They might not agree with my choices and could indeed turn them off the idea, but, hey, ho. In for a penny, in for a pound, eh? For Joe Hunter I'd go with Max Martini, for Rink it'd have to be Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Some rules may never be broken....
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I am represented by London based agent Luigi Bonomi of Luigi Bonomi Associates, and in New York by George Lucas of Inkwell Management. For translation rights I'm represented by ILA of London, and for movie/TV rights I'm with Knight hall Agency Ltd. The Joe Hunter thrillers are published internationally by Hodder and Stoughton and by Harper Collins in the USA.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Usually it takes around three months to write the first rough draft, and then a further three months or so to tidy it up and do corrections. i usually aim to complete two books per year.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'm not fully sure. My books are often compared with those of Lee Child, Robert Crais, or closer to home to Andy Mcnab or Chris Ryan. personally I think they have as many differences as they have similarities. But I'm not complaining, I'm a fan of all the aforementioned and very happy to be mentioned in any of their company.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
After the previous Joe hunter thriller - No Going back - I received some great reviews and feedback but some readers bemoaned the fact that Rink was a minor player in the book. I decided to pay back my readers' interest in Rink in giving him a huge part in Rules of Honour. It's very much a Rink book, as narrated by Hunter.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It is a story that looks at how events of the past can have repercussions on the here and now, and also looks into a little known facet of WW2 history that is deemed shameful now.
I'm now supposed to tag five more authors to continue this meme. I'm not the type to do so unsolicited, but if five of my friends should like to continue then please do so.
So, here's my question and answer session!
What is the title of your next book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Being a lifelong martial artist, I've always had a fascination with the mind set of the Samurai warrior, and some of the rules of conduct they followed, and one of those was the intriguing 'burden of obligation' or 'Giri'. For some time, some of my readers have been calling out for a tale centred upon Hunter's brother-in-arms, Jared 'Rink' Rington, and i felt the time was right to investigate Rink's past. But more than that, i wanted to involve Rink's family - being part Japanese I couldn't resist including 'Giri', but in a story that readers might find different to others they'd read. It was tempting to involve the yakuza and ninja and stuff, but I resisted.
What genre does your book fall under?
Crime/action thriller.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
There is some interest being shown by various TV and movie companies, but to date no one has slapped a deal on the table, but I remain hopeful. I always worry about naming actors, because I don't want to place an image in a readers mind. They might not agree with my choices and could indeed turn them off the idea, but, hey, ho. In for a penny, in for a pound, eh? For Joe Hunter I'd go with Max Martini, for Rink it'd have to be Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Some rules may never be broken....
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I am represented by London based agent Luigi Bonomi of Luigi Bonomi Associates, and in New York by George Lucas of Inkwell Management. For translation rights I'm represented by ILA of London, and for movie/TV rights I'm with Knight hall Agency Ltd. The Joe Hunter thrillers are published internationally by Hodder and Stoughton and by Harper Collins in the USA.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Usually it takes around three months to write the first rough draft, and then a further three months or so to tidy it up and do corrections. i usually aim to complete two books per year.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I'm not fully sure. My books are often compared with those of Lee Child, Robert Crais, or closer to home to Andy Mcnab or Chris Ryan. personally I think they have as many differences as they have similarities. But I'm not complaining, I'm a fan of all the aforementioned and very happy to be mentioned in any of their company.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
After the previous Joe hunter thriller - No Going back - I received some great reviews and feedback but some readers bemoaned the fact that Rink was a minor player in the book. I decided to pay back my readers' interest in Rink in giving him a huge part in Rules of Honour. It's very much a Rink book, as narrated by Hunter.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It is a story that looks at how events of the past can have repercussions on the here and now, and also looks into a little known facet of WW2 history that is deemed shameful now.
I'm now supposed to tag five more authors to continue this meme. I'm not the type to do so unsolicited, but if five of my friends should like to continue then please do so.
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