The Sunday Times speculates about why Dan Brown’s much-anticipated new novel is nowhere to be seen: “Publishing insiders surmised last week that he may be obsessed with avoiding the factual errors that were uncovered in The Da Vinci Code, or that he may have become bogged down in a doomed effort to avert widespread criticism that he is not a very good writer.”
Snark, snark. Cut the guy some slack. He’s under a lot of pressure. Besides, I thought The Da Vinci Code was terrific fun.
And I don’t know one single writer who resents Brown for his stupendous success.
Hahahahahaha. Sorry, that last remark was my own little fib-onacci sequence.
But here’s another crazy statement, this one from Brown’s UK publisher:
“There is never any clause from [a] publisher to a novelist that they have to deliver at a certain time. We would not impose such a thing on a contract.”
Are you kidding? There’s never a contract clause setting out a required delivery date? Is that a misquote? There’s generally always a specified delivery date. No publisher says, “Yeah, sure, just turn in the novel whenever,” any more than a novelist hands over a manuscript with, “Print it when the mood strikes you.” Delivery is always negotiated before contracts are signed. If an author misses the date the publisher doesn’t send out an editorial goon squad to beat him with rubber hoses. But he goes on the naughty list, the one labeled “Late-running titles.”
As for what’s happened to Dan Brown’s sequel, I blame the Jesuits.
4 responses so far ↓
Dan // January 27, 2008 at 5:03 pm |
Meg, when I read that last line I had an immediate mental flash of Michael Palin bursting into a room with: “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!”
Sharon K // January 27, 2008 at 6:03 pm |
I must print out the quote from Brown’s publishers and show it to my editor! Interestingly, on a walk (8 miles!) today, we were discussing how difficult Douglas (Hitchhiker’s Guide) Adams found it to produce another cracking read. Such incredible pressure…I think if I were Brown I’d take the money and run and become a roving ambassador to encourage more people to go to the theatre (self-interest, I hear you say? Never!).
Just an addenenum (or whatever that Latin word is) to Susan – that scene from Lost Horizon where the young beauty ages by about 300 years and crumbles cruelly in front of the hero has always been etched indelibly and scarily in my mind. I LOVED that film!
susan // January 27, 2008 at 11:44 pm |
You loved it, Sharon? Maybe I should try it again. After all, with environmentally friendly lightbulbs, I could probably sleep with the lights on for the next year and not leave too severe a footprint.
Meanwhile, about Dan’s publisher’s statement: could it be that fiction and fantasy have oozed into their press releases? Or do they just make allowances for Dan, because he is hot stuff?
spyscribbler // January 28, 2008 at 5:14 pm |
I loved Da Vinci Code, too. Hated how he flashbacked, mostly because suddenly I would think there were new characters in the room. And then I’d go on reading, and realize we were back in time. So I’d have to go back a page, and start over with the realization we were about to hit a flashback.
Hated that. But loved the rest of it. May he have much more success. With great success, there sometimes seems to be an almost hope from the public to see him fall, which sometimes causes that fall. I hope that doesn’t happen to him.