Oilspill dotcom can be read on many different levels. It is a story of one man’s transformation from self-absorbed yuppie to political activist, it is the coming of age of the Internet, it is romance, it is (hopefully) amusing, it is (ideally) an inspiration to people to act and make a difference.
I had originally hoped to launch on May 1st, a day that is traditionally politically charged. This hasn’t happened. My publisher suggested that I read through the proof, as things often read differently when they are in book form. This proved sound advice and I did find a few places that needed tweaking.
So it will probably be another month. My birthday is in June, so I am considering launching a Buy me an Amazon ranking for a birthday present… campaign.
Ariela (my wife) is helping me find a venue for the launch in Berkeley. I think we have found a good place and hope to close it in the next week.
It was an exciting moment holding a copy of my book (the proof), Oilspill dotcom, though not as strong as when I had first held a copy of A Gardener’s Tale. I’ve read some authors talk of the awe they felt when holding their book, comparing it to holding their baby for the first time. You wait so long to hold your newborn baby, imagine how s/he will look through the long months of pregnancy etc. etc.
Having held two newborn sons, I can’t quite relate to that comparison, that wondrous moment. But at least I wasn’t scared about dropping the book on the floor!
Showing posts with label political novels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label political novels. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Happy Passover/Easter/Family Gathering
It has become easier to talk about my upcoming book release and my aspirations to be a known author when talking to workmates and strangers. So why is it still so difficult when it comes to family?
It’s Passover and Easter, and common to most religions, the family gathers. They ask different questions: more probing, analytical, and in the author’s view, more judgmental.
We could avoid it: talk about the kids, the economy, sports, anything, but we feel a need with this group more than any other, for approval. They see the new website but you note that they go straight to the bio and comment on the family photo. Their eyes glaze over when you try and launch them into the blogosphere.
Why do we crave their encouragement? We’re adults, having left the nest decades ago. They probably won’t even buy the book since we’ll feel obliged to gift them. Perhaps it is us who are out of step. Why should they have to oblige us by following every baby step we take? They probably see this as our latest craze (admit it – there have been a few)?
Ironically though, there is only one person who has read my newest, unedited manuscript from beginning to end – my Mum. She cannot always be counted upon for blind support (she hated my 2nd novel – the one that will probably never see its way into the public arena – no connection, I’m sure!). Others have read the first 50 pages or so, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but my Mum loved the book and I feel on fire with my latest creation.
Perhaps these family gatherings that religious and state holidays afford us can serve as a reminder that the most important person who must approve of our work is actually ourselves.
Good Writing,
Alon
It’s Passover and Easter, and common to most religions, the family gathers. They ask different questions: more probing, analytical, and in the author’s view, more judgmental.
We could avoid it: talk about the kids, the economy, sports, anything, but we feel a need with this group more than any other, for approval. They see the new website but you note that they go straight to the bio and comment on the family photo. Their eyes glaze over when you try and launch them into the blogosphere.
Why do we crave their encouragement? We’re adults, having left the nest decades ago. They probably won’t even buy the book since we’ll feel obliged to gift them. Perhaps it is us who are out of step. Why should they have to oblige us by following every baby step we take? They probably see this as our latest craze (admit it – there have been a few)?
Ironically though, there is only one person who has read my newest, unedited manuscript from beginning to end – my Mum. She cannot always be counted upon for blind support (she hated my 2nd novel – the one that will probably never see its way into the public arena – no connection, I’m sure!). Others have read the first 50 pages or so, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, but my Mum loved the book and I feel on fire with my latest creation.
Perhaps these family gatherings that religious and state holidays afford us can serve as a reminder that the most important person who must approve of our work is actually ourselves.
Good Writing,
Alon
Monday, December 15, 2008
The Elevator Pitch
I am sitting in SFO, waiting for a flight out to Baltimore. I will attend a conference for work (my other life), and will share, at every opportunity, my forthcoming novel, Oilspill dotcom. I realize that they will ask what it’s about, and I will only have a minute or so to explain.
This is called The Elevator Pitch, where you only have the time it takes for an elevator to travel a few floors, to tell your story. I’ve been working on mine for a while, but it still doesn’t come out of my mouth fluently.
Oilspill dotcom is a political courtroom confrontation wherein a multinational corporation tries to silence two young idealists, who level the playing field using a new emerging tool: the Internet.
It is a fictional drama that closely parallels the McDonald's libel case, which captivated England through the 1990’s.
It is a work in process and I will surely change it as I practice (I made about four changes just now!). I would appreciate any feedback or improvements that you might have and will share with you its evolution.
I will be home from the conference on Friday – in time for another blog!
Good Writing,
Alon
This is called The Elevator Pitch, where you only have the time it takes for an elevator to travel a few floors, to tell your story. I’ve been working on mine for a while, but it still doesn’t come out of my mouth fluently.
Oilspill dotcom is a political courtroom confrontation wherein a multinational corporation tries to silence two young idealists, who level the playing field using a new emerging tool: the Internet.
It is a fictional drama that closely parallels the McDonald's libel case, which captivated England through the 1990’s.
It is a work in process and I will surely change it as I practice (I made about four changes just now!). I would appreciate any feedback or improvements that you might have and will share with you its evolution.
I will be home from the conference on Friday – in time for another blog!
Good Writing,
Alon
Saturday, November 29, 2008
What’s in a Name?
Some authors spend days or months agonizing over the title of their book and for good reason. How many of us have picked up a book caught by an intriguing title, or for that matter, passed over a book because the title didn’t engage us? How many of us have looked up a book that someone had mentioned or we’d read in passing, thankfully remembering the name?
The original title, Oilspill.com, came to me pretty naturally. The novel deals with an oil company and the emergence of the Internet through a website that my protagonist creates, at a time when interactive website advocacy was non-existent. The website is what enables the heroes to stand up for themselves in court and battle a top legal team employed by the multinational.
The problem with this title is that it is a website of a company that cleans up … oil spills. The first time I put out an email telling the world about my book, I’m sure the company mentioned received quite a few hits on their website.
And so I changed the title to Oilspill Dotcom, but this surfaced as one of the doubts that I mentioned in my last post. Is Oilspill Dotcom, in particular Dotcom, a recognizable (and memorable) word? Would it confuse the customer, prevent them remembering it and knowing how to order or search for it?
So my latest idea (Alan Rinzler’s actually) is one word: Oilspilldotcom. I hope it is easier to remember, easier to visualize and even … memorable?
What do you think? I would love to receive some feedback. I have another week or so before I’ll need to make a final decision, but it’s a big decision. It’s all in the name.
Good Writing,
Alon
The original title, Oilspill.com, came to me pretty naturally. The novel deals with an oil company and the emergence of the Internet through a website that my protagonist creates, at a time when interactive website advocacy was non-existent. The website is what enables the heroes to stand up for themselves in court and battle a top legal team employed by the multinational.
The problem with this title is that it is a website of a company that cleans up … oil spills. The first time I put out an email telling the world about my book, I’m sure the company mentioned received quite a few hits on their website.
And so I changed the title to Oilspill Dotcom, but this surfaced as one of the doubts that I mentioned in my last post. Is Oilspill Dotcom, in particular Dotcom, a recognizable (and memorable) word? Would it confuse the customer, prevent them remembering it and knowing how to order or search for it?
So my latest idea (Alan Rinzler’s actually) is one word: Oilspilldotcom. I hope it is easier to remember, easier to visualize and even … memorable?
What do you think? I would love to receive some feedback. I have another week or so before I’ll need to make a final decision, but it’s a big decision. It’s all in the name.
Good Writing,
Alon
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Rejections, Rejections: The Road to Print-On-Demand
Every author has gone through rejection, its kind of a rite of passage. Stephen King, John Grisham, Upton Sinclair… the list goes on. But for how long can you go on receiving such letters? How many depressing seminars can you attend about the state of the book publishing business?
And then there comes a time that the writer wants to…write. To return to what he or she loves best; to give oneself up to an evolving story, to feel the energy of creative forces, to tell the story that is burning within.
It’s the near misses that hurt the most: the request to see more of the manuscript. Even more so, the requests for exclusivity, 6-8 weeks when you do not approach other agents, and they seriously consider your business potential. Then there are the agents who talk up the foreign markets, the movie potential, and, of course the triumphs and lifestyles of their successful authors.
I’m not blaming the agents (except those who rejected me, of course!). They are a product of the market they function in. The entire book business is in decline and we are desperately in need of more J.K. Rowlings' to ignite and sustain a generation excited to open a book.
But not many of us can or will write the classic, the once-in-a generation, the book whose name is casually rolled out to a group of nodding friends. Many of us write for success, for recognition of our toils, our obsessions, for the knowledge that others are engulfed in a world we created.
I write for change. I have completed four novels, and each deals with transformation: of people who seek to better themselves or right the wrongs around them. My last two novels are about social injustices (Oilspill dotcom – the powers of multinationals, and They Returned As Heroes about the way we treat our war veterans). The use of the pen (I have one somewhere) and keyboard to effect social change is an exciting ideal for me, a huge incentive for my writing.
So I am motivated; I have sent submissions for Oilspill dotcom to about fifty agents either side of the Atlantic (Oilspill dotcom is based in the UK). I have edited and edited it, read it through twice to a very supportive Berkeley Writer’s Group and now written another novel in a 100 day ‘break’ I took from editing and marketing Oilspill dotcom. And I have my next story all lined up.
So it’s time to move on. Oilspill dotcom will be published by a Print-on-Demand company and I will give 6-9 months to marketing it and trying to ‘get noticed.’
Thank you for noticing me. Most of my blog entries will deal with choosing and working with the Print-on-Demand company, with editors, with creating marketing plans and such like. Until then…
Good Writing,
Alon
And then there comes a time that the writer wants to…write. To return to what he or she loves best; to give oneself up to an evolving story, to feel the energy of creative forces, to tell the story that is burning within.
It’s the near misses that hurt the most: the request to see more of the manuscript. Even more so, the requests for exclusivity, 6-8 weeks when you do not approach other agents, and they seriously consider your business potential. Then there are the agents who talk up the foreign markets, the movie potential, and, of course the triumphs and lifestyles of their successful authors.
I’m not blaming the agents (except those who rejected me, of course!). They are a product of the market they function in. The entire book business is in decline and we are desperately in need of more J.K. Rowlings' to ignite and sustain a generation excited to open a book.
But not many of us can or will write the classic, the once-in-a generation, the book whose name is casually rolled out to a group of nodding friends. Many of us write for success, for recognition of our toils, our obsessions, for the knowledge that others are engulfed in a world we created.
I write for change. I have completed four novels, and each deals with transformation: of people who seek to better themselves or right the wrongs around them. My last two novels are about social injustices (Oilspill dotcom – the powers of multinationals, and They Returned As Heroes about the way we treat our war veterans). The use of the pen (I have one somewhere) and keyboard to effect social change is an exciting ideal for me, a huge incentive for my writing.
So I am motivated; I have sent submissions for Oilspill dotcom to about fifty agents either side of the Atlantic (Oilspill dotcom is based in the UK). I have edited and edited it, read it through twice to a very supportive Berkeley Writer’s Group and now written another novel in a 100 day ‘break’ I took from editing and marketing Oilspill dotcom. And I have my next story all lined up.
So it’s time to move on. Oilspill dotcom will be published by a Print-on-Demand company and I will give 6-9 months to marketing it and trying to ‘get noticed.’
Thank you for noticing me. Most of my blog entries will deal with choosing and working with the Print-on-Demand company, with editors, with creating marketing plans and such like. Until then…
Good Writing,
Alon
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