What are you reading?

annis · Post by **annis** » Tue November 25th, 2008, 7:31 pm

Thanks for that, Michelle. Is it being reissued in conjunction with the publication of "Book of Unholy Mischief"?
The story looks good, but I couldn't justify spending so much on it, so I'll wait until it's available at a more manageable price

michellemoran · Post by **michellemoran** » Tue November 25th, 2008, 8:11 pm

No, I don't think the publishing house would be happy for the vanity press to reissue it. I'm pretty sure they want to be the only ones selling the book if at all possible (besides, the new version will have been edited and changed). I'm really not sure how that all works and what the legal issues are of publishing your own book, then having a traditional publisher pick it up... But I'm guessing most people will wait to buy the publishing house's version.

cw gortner · Post by **cw gortner** » Tue November 25th, 2008, 8:36 pm

As long as the rights fully belong to the author, you just take the previous version out of print and that's that. Her first version - Bones of The Dead - will not be re-issued. The book has been revised and re-titled as The Book of Unholy Mischief and a lot of money was paid for it, so the publisher has full rights to it. That probably explains the high price of those first versions; she only had the book out for a brief time before it was snapped up by an agent and now of course used-copy sellers are hoping to cash in.

I'm almost done with it It's quite interesting and reads quickly. I'm scratching my head a bit at the seven-figure pay-out but, hey, more power to her.

annis · Post by **annis** » Tue November 25th, 2008, 9:05 pm

Thanks, CW- that answers several questions. "Book of Unholy Mischief" is a revised version of "Bones of the Dead" and not the second book in a series -- that's good to know, as it wasn't clear that they are in effect the same book.

Amanda · Post by **Amanda** » Tue November 25th, 2008, 10:05 pm

[quote=""cw gortner""]
I'm almost done with it It's quite interesting and reads quickly. I'm scratching my head a bit at the seven-figure pay-out but, hey, more power to her.[/quote]

I agree CW. I just finished reading it too. It was a good read, lots of lush descriptions of richness in food and fabric, versus the poverty of life on the streets, the business and colour of the markets of Venice, and the struggle for power in the city, and Rome. But not as great as the hype.

sweetpotatoboy · Post by **sweetpotatoboy** » Tue November 25th, 2008, 10:15 pm

[quote=""EC2""]I quite liked the opening lines about the glittering shingle - as I recall. I was put off big-time by his author's note where he says that mistakes in the novel are fair game for 'swots, anoraks and letter-writers.' I have an Anglo Saxonist friend who wall-banged the novel for that author's note because it was disrespectful to the readers. He spoke at the HNS Conference in London a few years ago where he said that when he wrote TLEK he was pushed for time re deadline. What he really wanted to write was a novel set in the 18thC but knew he wouldn't have time to do all the research reading required. With TLEK there were apparently only five books he needed to read to get the job done so that was what he plumped for. Yeah, right. And it showed.

[/quote]

Yes, I know that you and others have had some problems with his admission of mistakes he may have made. I just wonder whether, if he hadn't included such a stark statement upfront (in the author's note before the novel rather than at the end), it would have been such an issue.

For me, I find it fair enough and definitely don't find it disrespectful to me as a reader. At least, he's being open and saying: yes, before you go any further, I admit there may well be some historical errors in this novel; I'm not a historian, I'm a novelist; I've done a certain degree of research but not spent months and months on it and I'm writing my fiction based on what I've assimilated but it won't be perfect. I hope I got a lot right but I won't lose any sleep over what I may have got wrong. Enjoy it as a novel based, somewhat loosely, on history. If it interests you more in the period, go out and do your own reading.

That's all I really ask for. Any time I read historical fiction (or any other fiction) I know that it's just one person's interpretation based on a certain amount of research that will vary significantly and that they may have got completely wrong. Granted, if I were an expert in the period, I'm sure I would find many errors in most novels, even in those where the author did far more research than he (Rathbone) probably did. And I have read novels where the author clearly did far too much research and did not focus enough on the art of fiction - and they suffered for it.

I didn't notice any glaring mistakes the first time I read it and I wonder if I will this time around. I'm no expert in the period but I have read more since then and I'll be discerning this time round.

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Tue November 25th, 2008, 10:23 pm

[quote=""sweetpotatoboy""]Yes, I know that you and others have had some problems with his admission of mistakes he may have made. I just wonder whether, if he hadn't included such a stark statement upfront (in the author's note before the novel rather than at the end), it would have been such an issue.
T[/quote]

Probably not. I have several re-enactor friends who wall-banged it and commented on that remark in his intro, so I do think it was an own-goal as far as the historical in-the-know community goes.
The other thing that I think annoyed me (thinking about it) was that he was prepared to give the 18thC his tender loving care by researching it thoroughly but not the 11thC - and I think you should go into whatever you do with a whole heart and your determination to do your very best by it. To say 'Oh this is just a stop gap' is taking the pi** IMO. If I hadn't been at the HNS conference and heard him say that, I might also have been better disposed!

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Wed November 26th, 2008, 12:05 am

On a Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens

nona · Post by **nona** » Wed November 26th, 2008, 1:09 am

[quote=""cw gortner""]Isn't Rose of York by Sandra Worth?[/quote]

yes I'm sorry I was looking at another book on my tbr list when I was typing and wahlah but your right.

Carine · Post by **Carine** » Wed November 26th, 2008, 7:13 am

[quote=""Tanzanite""]On a Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens[/quote]

Oh, I have that one on my TBR pile, I'd be very interested how you like it Tanzanite.