A bit of shameless self promotion

[Patrick G Cox]

In an ongoing effort to get my books taken up by mainstream publishers, I recently attended the London Book Fair - it was an eye-opener to say the very least. The main benefit for me was that I managed to get an interview with The Book Channel, a TV show that talks to authors, publishers and agents. It goes out weekly on Sky 166 and on Freeview as well. My interview can be seen here. My books are building into a series set in a scifi universe, one I hope is believable...

 

[Kevin]

Patrick, nice interview! Thanks for the heads up. Here's hoping we get to see all 12 of those titles.

What were you thoughts on the book fair?

 

[Kevin]

Almost forgot, you can find the Cool Sci-Fi interview with Patrick here that was done between his first two novels, Out of Time and The Enemy Within.

 

[Starbeast from Planet X]

Way to go Patrick! Nice interveiw, and there's nothing wrong with you telling us how your novels are doing. Great job!

 

[Patrick G Cox]

Kevin, thanks for putting up the interview on the thread, that's a great help.

I'm certainly exploring several options at present to get the books out - one being a deal with Macworld in Australia to make them available electronically to iPod. The Book Fair was educational to say the least. Agents will only talk to those they already know or represent and publishers will generally only talk to authors whose agents have made an appointment. Don't think I've ever seen so many "Bouncers" guarding the stands to make sure uninvited authors didn't get in...

The Publishing World is a very tight closed shop at present, but I learned some fascinating things about how books are chosen, promoted or selected for the various "Literary" Prizes - one being that one book "Nominated for the Booker Prize" sold a worldwide total of 140 copies! It was one of the top five finalists as well.

Authors these days are expected to market their wares, the publishers do very little unless you are already one of their best sellers and SF is almost totally ignored by the big publishers in the UK, especially anything "military" based. On top of that there is only one major publisher that does SF - Golanz - and they are a small part of Random House. Their stand was impressive - but no agent, no appointment, no admission to the stand.

So I keep on plugging away...

 

[Patrick G Cox]

Update! I've just signed a deal with AuthorHouse - they published my first book - to publish the "prequel" under the title "Their Lordships Request..."

This book follows Harry, Ferghal and Danny Gunn as they grow and "come of age" on a voyage that takes them south to the Cape of Good Hope, then through the Great Southern Ocean and on to New South Wales. From there they visit Java, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and India. Harry is involved in a little diplomacy and Ferghal almost taken by slavers when they visit Muscat before turning for home and a date with a destiny described in "Out of Time".

As Harry and his friends mature and learn, so the Gunroom bully begins to lose his power over them and his dominance as the senior. In every sense leaders are sometimes born, but seldom made...

The book also introduces Harry's twelve times great nephew as he oversees the building of his new command, the star ship NECS Vanguard. In Harry's day the Government "Contractors" and civil servants robbed the navy by supplying rotting meat, green timber and poor quality goods at premium prices - the new Captain of the Vanguard must face similar scams, though they are now more subtle, as he stands by his new ship.

Both are headed for a convergence of their lives neither can forsee....

 

[Tim]

I saw this up on your blog last night. Well done

 

[Wolfrunner]

Congratulations on the book deal. I hope it's the first of many.