Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Book Crash

Just to put a coda on this line of comment.

I finished the book I called Tuxedo Man in September, 2010, and it was not well received by my agent or my editor. They agreed that it didn't work as a novel because there were too many unresolved subplots and one of the main characters, a female neurologist was unsympathetic. After some thought I agreed that I had made errors and so I spent the next five and a half months rewriting. I got rid of the subplots, strengthened the main character, and tried to make the neurologist more attractive. Today I heard that I failed again and was advised that the book should be abandoned. Well, it happens. Quite often when an author with a run of successful books writes a stinker it gets published anyway, and the fans buy it anyway, and hope for the best next time. We decided not to do this, and I will just have to eat all that labor and chalk it up to experience.

As it happens, I just got an idea a week or so ago for a new novel and so I'll start on that in a little while. Then we'll see if the failed work was an aberration or if I've lost it, whatever the it is. Stay tuned.

3 comments:

Ben Ashley said...

Damn! I enjoyed The Good Son very much and was really looking forward to the new book. But these things sometimes happen and there's not much to be done about it. Hey, even Bruce Springsteen says that for every song that makes an album there are 10 that don't. Comforting in a way. Good luck on the next one. We'll be here...

Seahorse Ranch Girl said...

I just read that the book "The Help" was rejected 60 times before the 61st editor said let's do it. I inhale your books. Even those you ghost wrote. Still, even LeCarre has bombed, so I guess it might be better to shelve rather than bomb. But, hey, maybe I should read it to decide for myself? Don't stop!

Ann said...

Just finished The Good Son, and I can't remember the last time I had that feeling: where has this author been and why has it taken me so long to find him? Just wrote about it at www.kirschner.org, but really, consider this just an ordinary fan email.

Sorry to hear that the new book is delayed but since I haven't read your other novels, I have some catching up to do anyway!

Thanks.

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