First draft of Bad Penny finished

ByJohn Brown

Folks, this book was a blast to write. I feel like I did when I wrote “Loose in the Wires.” Here are my stats.

  • Pre-draft work: 135 hours
  • First draft: 252 hours
  • Total: 387 hours
  • Words: 93,131
  • Words per hour for draft: 362 (holy crap, that’s glacier speed!)
  • Chapters: 29
  • Words per chapter: ~3,100

I’m surprised at my drafting speed on this one.  I’m usually between 500-600 words per hour. Of course, there were a few spots where I ran into huge gaping holes in my invention.  For example, at the end of June I finished the climax. But I couldn’t write the last two chapters, which usually take no time at all, because I realized I knew nothing about the criminal justice system.  I knew TV generalities, but not the kind of detail I need.  Not enough to envision the last 5,000 words.  So all my writing time in July was spent researching.  There were a couple other invention stops earlier on.  So that’s my excuse.  Let’s hope the next one goes faster so I’m not totally embarassed.

If I were full time, I could have finished this in 10 weeks. As it was, I started drafting in January.  My goal is to write two books a year. I’m not going to make it at this speed.  Let’s see how book 2 goes.

Here are my next steps. I’m going to let BP sit for three to four weeks to cool.  I’ll then read it and revise.  Then it goes out to my readers. I hope to be shopping this one around by the end of September.

In the meantime, I’ve already been noodling around with the ideas for book two in this series. My goal is to finish the working outline while this one’s cooling off.

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  • Another positive review for Servant of a Dark God: Kirk Shaw of Covenant Communications

    ByJohn Brown

    This review of Servant of a Dark God comes from Kirk Shaw, a fiction editor who works for Covenant Communications which is a part of Deseret Book. I think he points out something interesting about how I structured the story.

    This is no simple epic. Brown has essentially written in three major plots: (1) the Dark Mother’s resurgence in the world and her cunning plots, (2) Talen’s family’s struggle against the Divines and the oppression he and his face from those who aren’t Koramite, and (3) the epic struggle of all those who are oppressed by the tyranny of the Glory and the Divines. The complexities of these three struggles overlap and complement one another in the story, with each group and entity relating to each other in different ways. For example, the Dark Mother is seeking out those who are fighting against the Divines to cull them, but she also plans to attack the Divines. In other words, groups that have mutual enemies are also fighting against themselves. These interacting conflicts I’m certain will generate quite an epic series (just as Robert Jordan’s tri-fold conflicts have held readers of The Wheel of Time series spellbound–Dark One vs. Artur Hawkwing’s returned armies vs. Rand and the gang)…

    …I highly recommend this debut novel for those who enjoy a good coming-of-age epic fantasy, and I hope to see many more great things from debut author John Brown. Full review here.

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  • See You at LTUE on Friday

    ByJohn Brown

    My schedule has changed. You can see the updates below. As I said before, LTUE is one of the best writing conferences around. There are going to be quite a few authors there sharing tips on craft and the business of writing. BTW, it’s NOT going to be held in the Wilkinson Center as it has been in the past, but in the Conference Center on the NORTH side of campus. See map below. Find the full schedule here.

    Romance vs. Story with Romantic Elements: Injecting romance into saving the world

    • Panel 
    • John Brown (Moderator),  Ami Chopine, Stacy Whitman, Lynn Kurland
    • FRIDAY: 12 pm – 1 pm

    Plotstorming from Character: In some cases the plot of a book drives the characters. However, characters that instead drive the plot can make for a more compelling story. In this hour, we focus on how to grow your plot from your main characters.

    • Presentation
    • Paul Genesse (I want to hear what Paul has to say; I think this will be interesting)
    • FRIDAY: 3 PM – 4 PM

    How to Get and Develop Killer Story Ideas

    • Workshop 
    • John Brown & Larry Correia (oh, yeah–it’s the dynamic duo)
    • FRIDAY: 6 PM – 7 PM

    Lessons on Story from THE HUNGER GAMES (and let me tell you, there are a lot of good lessons)

    • Presentation
    • John Brown
    • FRIDAY: 7 PM – 8 PM

    Click the map to see details

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  • Drovers Update: Draft 2 finished

    ByJohn Brown

    Huzzah!

    I just typed the final words of draft 2 of the first book of The Drovers. It now goes to my beta readers (I’m the alpha reader, the one who sees draft 1). And while they’re reading, I will begin draft 2 of the second book.

    This is the shortest novel I’ve ever written, clocking in at 61,000 words. My target was 50,000 words, the average size of a Louis L’Amour western. But this will do. Depending on the beta reader feedback, I may add or cut a few thousand words. But not much.

    I still don’t have a series name, dang it!

    The Queen’s Drovers?

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  • Amazon vs. Macmillan–hey, wait, you pulled my book!

    ByJohn Brown

    I loved Amazon since the first day we met. But Amazon just sucker punched me, pulling my book from its shelves last Friday. As well as those of thousands of other authors. Why, Santa, why?

    Cash, Johnny. Power. Is it ever about anything else?

    Well, sometimes it’s about cookies, Santa. But money and capitalism are good things.

    Yes, they are, Johnny. And fights are exciting, especially the ones where the one guy cleans the other’s clock, folding his nose over, and the blood spatters everywhere, and his eye swells up like some pig’s eye, and the teeth, the TEETH! It makes you want to pop an elf’s yammering happy singing head off with your thumb and forefinger, stomp his body into oblivion. Ah! Little shooting parties, elves lined up in a row, elf guts (pant) elf blood (pant) power (pant) BBQ roasted elf heads (pant) and Rocky theme music.

    Mommy, Santa looks weird.

    ***

    So, here’s the deal. Listed below are the “big six” publishers in North America, accounting for the lion’s share of sales and titles.

    • Hachette Book Group (owned by French company Hachette Livre)
    • HarperCollins
    • Macmillan
    • Penguin Group
    • Random House (subsidiary of media conglomerate, Bertelsmann)
    • Simon & Schuster

    Tor Books is an imprint of Macmillan. This means Macmillan is my daddy right now. We luvs Macmillan. Amazon, on the other hand, is a distributor. And we luvs them as well.

    But Amazon’s not just any distributor. Amazon wants to take over a bit more of the publishing supply chain in order to make more money. Macmillan said, “um, I don’t think so,” and the fight was on. Actually, I don’t think it was really so much of a fight as Amazon immediately going all North Korean Kim Jong-il on us. Despite what I think was poor strategy, it illustrates the real battle going on in the publishing world at the moment as the ebook and edistribution start to become a reality.

    Changing your business model to make more money is a very logical thing to do, and I have no problem with Amazon trying to do it. I’m not one of those Wal-Mart haters. I like cheap goods. And I like to see children in sweat shops. However, I do have some self-interest. And ultimately there are few situations where a monopoly is a good thing for the consumer.

    No, Amazon isn’t a monopoly now, but Hitler wasn’t always “Hitler” either. For his first 39 years he was Schicklgruber. But “Heil Schicklbruber” doesn’t induce people to rise up and slaughter nations. And so his Nazi PR sensibilities demanded he change it. No really, this is true. Anyway, this just proves that Amazon could start killing bunnies at any moment–don’t ever trust someone who names their company after a river. Or after Adolf Hitler, like if someone called themselves Hitler Lipstick or Hitler Toys.

    I’m not going to rehash the story on my blog because others have already done it so well. So read these.

    1. Scott Westerfield gives the full story and explains what happened.
    2. Charles Stross looks at why Amazon did this.
    3. Tobias Buckell delves into factors involved in pricing a book.
    4. John Scalzi explains why he thinks Amazon lost this round.

    What does this mean for you, dear reader? Well, for the interim, it means you’ll find new copies of SERVANT the cheapest at the select Smiths’ grocery stores out West that carry it. Furthermore, Barnes & Noble has always been an excellent book seller Let me recommend any internet purchasers use their site until Amazon decides to stop bullying publishers and authors.

    Beyond that, I don’t know, we’re only in round one. As for me, I tend to think the publishers have a more viable option with this agency model. But I’ll need to think on it more. In the meantime, enjoy the blood and bashing and the little authors screaming as they flee the building with their clothes on fire.

    Hey, wait, MY back IS ON FIRE!!! AAaaaaaahhhh!

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  • Release Dates for the Novels

    ByJohn Brown

    BTW, I talked to Stacy Hague-Hill today and got the release and due dates.

    Book 1
    Revisions due May 15th, 2008
    Final due July 1, 2008
    Hardcover release Sept 2009
    Paperback release Aug 2010

    She said because it’s my first novel and because it’s a trilogy they want to make sure they properly lay the groundwork, getting cover quotes, working up excitement, etc. And that’s why there’s such a space between the contract, final delivery date, and HC release. Although the schedule repeats for every book. On the one hand, I wish they were coming out on a 9 month schedule. On the other hand, I think my focus should be making these three books the very best they can be. And this gives me the time. Besides, there will be a HC release and then a paperback and so each book will get two pulses each year. Although the paperback is released usually right before the second book comes out.

    Book 2
    Draft due Feb 2009
    Final due July 1, 2009
    Hardcover release Sept 2010
    Paperback release Aug 2011

    Book 3
    Draft due Feb 2010
    Final due July 1, 2010
    Hardcover release Sep 2011
    Paperback release Aug 2012? Not sure.

    That’s a ways out there. Holy cow.

    2011?

    I haven’t planned anything out that far into the future since college and that wasn’t really planning but a lifestyle (grin).

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