TELEMAKOS THE VAMPIRE

[ewein2412]

This is a follow-up to my post requesting suggestions for a subtitle for the paperback edition of The Mark of Solomon. Viking has moved on again leaving me gasping in its wake, and maybe the idea of a subtitle is redundant (certain of you will be suitably rewarded for effort when the dust clears; I have not forgotten); in the meantime I'm throwing this out to the great collective brain again for further input.

Here's the gist of the note I had last week from sdn:

Your work is terrific but somehow it is just not getting into the right hands. So we're going to try this: We need to position this book as commercial, classy historical suspense. Something not forbidding, something not mass market, something not fantasy. How to do this?

1. New title. THE MARK OF SOLOMON sounds religious. THE LION HUNTER and THE EMPTY KINGDOM sound like nonfiction and fantasy respectively. We need to brainstorm. I am tempted by something as simple as THE EMPEROR'S SPY, but what do you think? Should we play up the King Arthur angle?

2. Cover image. Something strong and singular.

3. Blurbs. Whose readers would like this book? I'd like to try to for the boy market, and also wonder if there are both children's and adult authors we could recommend. M.T. Anderson comes to mind; are there others?

And here's the gist of my response:

Not a single librarian or child reader that I spoke to last summer could figure out the sequence of my books. Giving these books a FOURTH title is going to make the issue EVEN MUDDIER.

To me "The Emperor's Spy" is bland. It just doesn't say anything--it's neither exciting nor informative nor catchy. If you want to go for something sensational then how about "Spy Prince" (or one word... "Spyprince"? ...eh) or, ummm.... "Red Sea Spy" or "Lion Spy" or something. You know I used the word "spy" a total of SIX times in The Sunbird, so using it in the title smacks to me a little of prostitution. But hey. I'll stoop to that. "Telemakos the One-Armed Spy"!

Kingcatcher? Red Sea Kingcatcher? (sounds like a bird!) I'm brainstorming here... King of the Pearl Fishers. Red Sea Spy Prince, Spy Prince of Africa. Do any of those ideas spark the imagination?

OK, Next Question: "whose readers would like this book."

Readers of darkish action/adventure surely? Readers of Garth Nix, Anthony Horowitz, Lancelot Dulac JK Rowling, Philip Reeve, Philip Pullman, Kenneth Oppel, Cornelia Funke. Megan Whalen Turner (hmm, most of them are fantasy writers). Do we have some other examples of "commercial, classy historical suspense" or are we creating a new genre here? And of course I've undercut this entire project, curse me, by writing this article about my books as "historical fantasy" for the next issue of the Horn Book.

Cover image. I always say GO FOR VIOLENCE. or malevolence, at least. How about Abreha looming over Telemakos and Athena with his Unibrow lowered?

So, anyway, I am here and ready to engage. Fire away and I will try to fire back something sensible.

well, maybe something sensible.

Comments

[tigertrapped.livejournal.com]

Damn this business is tough. I hope you hit on something - between you - that sells the book you've written (which is, after all, the book your readers want to read). I like Red Sea Spy.

[ewein2412]

the book you've written

the book I've PUBLISHED, thank you very much! It *is* a tough business. Actually I really, really wish I had a real job right now, partly because what I do seems so self-serving and inward-looking.

the problem is I keep getting new ideas. and then I have to write them down. as you can appreciate, I know!

[tigertrapped.livejournal.com]

It goes to show everyone who thinks that once the dance is "done" and the book is out there then the writer's role is over. Scary.

[ewein2412]

I tried to have this discussion with someone a couple of weeks ago and basically I had to Shut. Up. Because they kept saying, "JUST TO SEE YOUR NAME ON A BOOK!" and eventually I realized that I could keep replying "REMAINDER LETTERS! NO REVIEW IN PUBLISHERS WEEKLY! THE ROYALTIES NEVER EARN OUT!" but they would never hear me. And also that it wasn't very NICE of me.

Also, we have only got an inch of snow and my cat is dead. not that this has anything to do with publishing. But it does make me grumpier than usual.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

I actually like THE EMPEROR'S SPY? *cowers*

However, what I think is great in all this is that your publisher is clearly behind you and looking for a way to get your work into the right hands (and more of them), rather than dumping you and going for the obvious bottom line. Good on them! And good for you, I hope.

I rec your books every chance I get. Eventually, all these silly people who have not read you will surely catch on!

[tigertrapped.livejournal.com]

I understand your grumpiness, I really do. I'm stuck at the stage where people say to me, of my unpublished books, 'Oh well, you'll just have to write another one!' No, really? Will I? Grrr.

[ewein2412]

I rec your books every chance I get.

You are my hero! As to The Emperor's Spy, my agent liked it too, so maybe I am just too close to the damn thing. Noted and tallied...

[estara.livejournal.com]

Promo ideas: Unshelved has a new daily changing banner spot which particularly caters to the Librarian crowd. Explanation here
http://www.unshelved.com/blog.aspx?post=1300

Write an article on the book for Scalzi's Big Idea
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2008/02/28/publicistseditorswriters-im-seeking-big-ideas/

As for genre: how about "alternate Arthurian history"

And a catchphrase on a blurb like "See an Ethiopia you never imagined" - being as the average person I know would think of starving children first. Or "Arthur's Descendents" as a collective name for the series...

my two cents right now, off the top of my head

[ewein2412]

grrr, indeed. That *is* worse than "just having to write another one" when they *are* published, which is my situation.

I'm not convinced it's true for you, though... I suspect revision and/or connection with the right person will kickstart things eventually. (and if it's any consolation, I, too, have written a couple of unpublished books.)

[ewein2412]

you are *awesome*. I am going to send all your comments straight to my editor.

[tigertrapped.livejournal.com]

When I get the "write another one" comment I always see Alfred Molina in "Prick up your Ears" furious with Joe Orton:

"Have a wank? Have a wank? I can't just have a wank. I need three days' notice to have a wank. You can just stand there and do it. Me, it's like organizing D-Day. Forces have to be assembled, magazines bought, the past dredged for some suitably unsavoury episode, the dog-eared thought of which can still produce a faint flicker of desire! Have a wank, it'd be easier to raise the Titanic."

[ewein2412]

ok, thank you for that, now I am laughing.

[tigertrapped.livejournal.com]

Have you ever seen it, the film I mean? Script courtesy of Alan Bennett. That scene - Molina is just brilliant.

[ewein2412]

No! I will keep my eye out.

[tigertrapped.livejournal.com]

It's classic Alan Bennett, with great performances throughout. You can watch quite a lot of it on YouTube, although I couldn't find the Have a Wank scene (or not easily - I gave up).

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

Is he an abstinent vampire? Because that sells....safe for moms and daughters.

Oh, wait...

[ewein2412]

funny, I've just finished reading The Uncommon Reader. it also made me laugh very much.

[ewein2412]

*chokes*

i need a "Telemakos the Vampire" icon.

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

I'm sure someone can cut and paste in little fangs... ;o)

[ewein2412]

hee hee hee

I might have to do it myself

[estara.livejournal.com]

Not sure about awesome, but if something goes awry you can say it was all my fault ;-).

I'm thinking like that because I alerted P.C. Hodgell to the Unshelved opportunity and she bought the very first day appearance of that add (running this February 2nd). I sure hope it will be money WELL SPENT!!

Scalzi does his Big Idea's thing for free, but he has a lot of people waiting for their turn, as his site is very popular indeed (and plain fun to read).

You could join a genre team blog or something and keep yourself in people's thoughts that way.... I'm just not sure there is already one out there for alternative history, and building one with readership and all is darn time-consuming, I'm sure...

hummm

[estara.livejournal.com]

Addendum: This is what Pat Hodgell told me about the Unshelved fees
QUOTE Anyway, I contacted unshelved.com and learned that the fee is $600 for a day, with an extra fee to create a 728x90 GIF for my banner. "It can be animated" they say, "but please keep it tasteful and under 200k." UNQUOTE

[rainbowjehan.livejournal.com]

IIIIiiii should not have laughed as hard at your reply as I did. UNIBROW OF DOOM.

I'm responsible for Telemakos the Vampire, right? I feel like I am.

/useless comment

[ewein2412]

i feel sure you are too.

wouldn't it be a good title?

[cc-lemon.livejournal.com]

I've devoured every one of your books since I ran across the Winter Prince, and made it my personal mission to bring the entirety of my circle of friends into your fandom. I've bought up every copy I've found of any of your books, wherever I've found it to give as gifts and it's been really difficult finding them in actual brick and mortar stores.

It's good to hear you finally have a publisher who's willing to push for you, because your work is amazing and needs to be out there, where people can stumble across these books, the way I did, and get drawn in to these brilliantly wrought tales and fall in love with your complex, loveable, hateable and always fascinating characters.