My Book Has arrived
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So my book (to be published 9th December; buy it here) has been printed and sent to me.
It came in a big box with 24 copies and it was so exciting I did a little wee.
If you are thinking of writing a book and are wondering what the upsides might be, one of them is opening a big box with a penguin on it and seeing your words in a bound collection of pieces of paper that’s exactly like Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, only possibly not quite as good. Upsides to come include having it in the poor, long-suffering British Library, along with literary salons such as Tesco, Asda and Smiths, each of which have been kind enough to take on 10,000 copies to make 30,000 Christmases just peachy.
Here is a short guided tour:
Well done! A pre-order for 30,000 copies is just amazing – doesn’t happen very often. A huge achievement.
I’m so jealous.
Where did you get that T-shirt?!
Only joking. Fucking brilliant. I’d cry if i were you.
Both tears of joy and milk from a single eye…
Massive congratulations.
V jealous of the box opening moment.
Can I option the film rights?
I promise to be faithful.
To the source.
Congratulations dude. you’re the new James Patterson!
Congrats…will wait fr the book to hit the shelves in India and then grab it.
congrats.
and don’t be so modest.
Bloody marvellous Ben!
Hope it’s a big success.
Oh…and love your shelving unit.
Nice one. I will buy one too. Will you write another one?
Subbu: funny you should say that. It will be on sale in India and for anyone in Australia, New Zealand, Russia and Germany, it’s also coming out there, but I think it might be early next year.
Jim, I’m just coming to the end of the sequel, then I’ll write something different.
Obviously, if this one tanks, the sequel will have been an interesting waste of a year.
Whenever I imagine a box of books being delivered to an author for the first time (as I often do), I always picture the end of Back To The Future.
You know, where Marty’s dad’s big box of books arrives and he takes one out and goes ‘that’s nice’ and then fucking discards them to go play golf or some shit and waves Marty off.
Which is weird, because if it had been me, I’d have been running round the house screaming about how full of win that moment was. Bunch of twats.
Anyway, congrats on the book. I’ll buy it at an airport one day. 🙂
Nice glass bricks too
I’m jealous of your work ethic. I congratulate myself if I come home and write one line. Then I have a muffin.
Well done Mr K!!
Fantastic achievement.
Hope that 30k go flying out the door and that the 2nd edition is just around the corner.
Congatulations Ben.
Here’s a question (I apologise if you’ve already answered it in an earlier post).
I imagine, when it comes to writing a book, most readers of this blog back themselves on style, ie, they reckon they can write sparky, interesting prose.
The thing that is a complete mystery to me – an for which copywriting is no help at all – is plot structure. How did you pick that up? Any good books on the subject you could recommend?
Splendid Ben. And the whitey T is very Brando.
Johnny: I also picture the Back To The Future moment. We actually filmed the unboxing but the floor was a bit of a mess (we’re getting a new floor put in) and I didn’t want to look like a tramp (with a flat).
Kevin: the glass bricks are a permanent feature of all the flats in my block. We weren’t sure when we moved in but we’ve grown to like them.
And Damo, I congratulate myself if I come home and don’t eat a muffin.
LJP: a simple amswer is to buy and read Story by Robert McKee.
I meant answer. Not amswer.
Fair play to you. That’s something to have done.
Awesome work, Ben.
By the way, I just thought of a possible title for you – ‘Swarm’. Too late?
Great work Ben and very happy for you, must be a cracking moment
Where did you school Ben?
Do you mean where did I go to school?
Yup, although Uncle Monty would disagree with you on that one.
Westminster, although I think Uncle Monty would also have a problem with that.
For some reason I thought you were Scottish.
Interesting. One last question.
Ever crack it on with Bonham-Carter in Yard?
Tanks for the memories? Nah, you’ll be right.
Well done.
Anon: I am Scottish on my dad’s side. No accent, though.
Blah: how old do you think I am? I think Dido might have been around when I was there but I don’t remember her.
And Tom: not a lot. I’m on 63p a book but then my agent gets 15%. Most authors can’t make a proper living out of it but you never know. I hope lots of Russians and Germans go for it, and there’s loads of people in India, so I’ve heard.
Fantastic stuff. Congratulations Ben, a great achievement. I hope it sells bucketloads.
Will you Kindle it? There’s a link on the Amazon page suggesting it if you’re the author or publisher.
Thanks, S!S!
I’d guess Penguin will do that. Maybe I’ll email my editor.
Ben,
Any chance on giving us the breakdown on it all?From what you have said so far it would seem the author gets approx. 10% of the retail price and out of that you pay 15% to your agent (who does what? – sell it to retail outlets or is that the publisher’s job. Get you on with Richard & Judy or at Hay?). The publisher then takes 90% of which they are responsible for the printing costs and what else? I assume any potential film rights are still your property?
Fancy adapting a screenplay into a novel? : )
ben
can I have one of your spare 23 copies please? times are tight as I’ve just gone freelance and no c**t’s going to pay me until well after its released. oh, and I schooled with you too, if that makes any difference?
thanks in advance
not that it shows, given that I missed the apostrophe in it’s.
PS, good work.
Why not.
By the way, your attitude towards capital letters is also somewhat lax.
never liked them.
oh – ta very much!
caliente, pendejo. fuerteventura.
speaking of freedom, do you know if franzen is good looking at all at all? I’m reading it at the moment, and on the strength of that, he’d have to be a proper 18-hole boot for me not to at least think about taking a walk on the gay side.
Did you see this? One for the weekend?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2286857153166840371&hl=en#
Congratulations.
John: funny.
Brake: distinctly average.
“The real secret about being a writer is knowing how to lie.” Quite. Trip to the cinema due, Ben?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56hwLwCTngc
Forget this tripe and watch ‘Winter’s Bone’!
congrats, ben. so is bush the protagonist?
brake, he’s not fallen out of the ugly tree AND he is divorced, probably feeling lonely and disappointed. don’t be shy now.
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2010000,00.html
Congratulations, Mr Kay – both for the book, and for the touchingly sweet video.
Admit it – you just liked the word ‘motherfucker’.
I like wasps. I also like penguins. But which is better? There’s only one way to find out…
i see what you did there
Congrats on the book, I’ll check it out.
Something for the weekend?
youtube.com/watch?v=yHbekhZ5EKs
proper link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHbekhZ5EKs