Angel Dust Apocalypse by Jeremy Robert Johnson: A Book Club Discussion

So, yeah... Pete and Jeremy can feel free to post here at any time... don't let my public call-out get in the way

First and foremost, thanks for having me and thanks for picking ADA for discussion. I've been a Cult lurker for years now, and it's been a driving factor in my writing career, so I'm honored to be here. I'll do my best to help make the discussion worthwhile for the participants.

Second, I've been in contact with Pete (who, it turns out, looks nothing like Will F.- weird what message board iconography can make you think) and I know he's working up some excellent questions about the book, which I'm sure he'll post soon.

Third, I should be back here and fully engaged for whatever as of the 16th (I'll be in San Francisco doing book promotion May 10th-15th).

Fourth, thanks to the Cult members who've already emailed me about the book. It's been great to meet you. Anybody who ever feels like dropping a line can find me all over the net- I've got a [URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]website[/URL], [URL=http://thebasementcypher.blogspot.com/]blog[/URL], [URL=http://www.myspace.com/spdoylethe1st]MySpace page[/URL], [URL=http://p103.ezboard.com/fmondobizarrofrm13]forum[/URL], etc.

Fifth, PDX'ers interested in checking out ADA should definitely head down to Powell's Books (the big Burnside one). The book is currently a featured small press title in the Blue Room (I think- that place is HUGE).

Oh, and I wanted to mention that I hope people feel comfortable saying anything in the discussion (positive OR negative) with me there. I've been in ruthless workshops before, so if you don't dig something, I can take it. Any collection that brings together literary/surreal/horror/scifi/mystery elements in a weird sort of slipstream stew is bound to get a diverse response.

Also, I can talk to some degree about the traditional NY publishing process (something I'm just starting to deal with) but I'm [I]also[/I] a decent resource for writers interested in more DIY/underground venues, guerilla marketing, and things like that.

Okay, enough jibber jabber from me.

Best wishes,

JRJ
[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com[/URL]

I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.

I know I've been procrastinating. But anybody who has checked my research forum threads knows that I''ve been going through some shit. So I'm sorry again.

I have actually scheduled some time tomorrow (today?) to work on this. I will definately have something posted. Jeremy pretty much confirmed a couple of the questions that I was going to post. I feel pretty good about it. But I want to work on it and flip through the book a couple times before I post anything.

It's a little intimidating posting discussion stuff on a book you think is awesome when you know the author is right there reading it.

So finally I get this done. Just so you guys know, I spent the time I should have been studying sitting at Starbucks working on this.

So here's a book and an author that many of us at the cult have never heard of. Chuck blurbs the book. Jeremy pays for the advertising. And it blows up. I'm pretty glad it did too. This is a book that has so many different levels and types of stories - it's got something for everyone.

These stories range from the bizzare (and sometimes improbable) to the realistic. Some of the stories read as if they were written for shock value alone (ie Guts). Other stories are more of character studies. There's even a bit of sci-fi for all you geeks out there. This collection really has at least one story that you will like. It's a great book to show off all the aspects of Jeremy Robert Johnson's talent.

I'm going to list the stories here. With a sentence or two that might give a slight glimpse into it without revealing anything.

- [B]The League of Zeroes[/B] - Taking personal expression to an extreme with body modification (or really mutilation).
- [B]Dissociative Skills[/B] - Character study about what some people think is pushing themselves to the limit.
- [B]Amniotic Shock in the Last Sacred Place[/B] - Helplessness. You really are at the mercy of your doctor.
- [B]Precedents[/B] - Awesome job at non-linear story telling. This is my favorite story in the book.
- [B]Stanley's Lips[/B] - What is the guy next to you thinking?
- [B]Snowfall[/B] - I think this is the first brush with the whole Apocalypse theme in the book. Well written story. Ignorance is bliss.
- [B]Ex-Hale[/B] - Short Short. Grotesque Eulogy?
- [B]Working At Home[/B] - Awesome Sci-Fi type story. If you could choose to die and save people or save yourself - What would you do?
- [B]Priapism[/B] - I thought this story was funny. I've always thought that the whole concept was rediculous. And then Jeremy put my thoughts into words.
- [B]Luminary[/B] - Superhero fantasy about the power of the mind.
- [B]Saturn's Game[/B] - Sort of reminded me of a werewolf story from the werewolf's point of view. Very Jackyl / Hyde.
- [B]The Sharp Dressed Man at the End of the Line[/B] - Another apocalypse story. Everybody says that cock roaches can survive anything. Reminds me of one of those old 50's or 60's Sci-Fi movies.
- [B]Two Cages, One Moon[/B] - One of the more realistic stories about Kidnapping.
- [B]Sparklers Burning[/B] - When dealing with obsession, when does fantasy become reality?
- [B]Last Thoughts Drifting Down[/B] - I'm not really sure what this is... Stream of conscience death thoughts?
- [B]Swimming in the House of the Sea[/B] - This story makes me think of all those skinny ass gangbangers hanging out at the mall talking about kicking ass when the only fight they've been in is dropping a deuce in the toilet.
- [B]Wall of Sound: A Movement in Three Parts[/B] - This last section is divided into three sections. Each it's own short story. Each drug related. With an introduction that is talking directly to the reader. I thougth the intros were really cool. I honestly fought through these last stories a little. I haven't reread them though so it could have been my mood. The last one of these sort of reminded me of the movie Pi though.

The book ends with a really cool section where he talks about how he came up with the ideas for each story. It's always cool to get into an author's head and see how his brain works.

Alright, I'm going to post some questions under this. The reason I felt I should do it this way was because some of you may not of heard of the book yet, or you may not have read it. Hopefully something in here will spark your curiosity.

P.S. - When I say Sci-Fi, I'm being very loose with the term because I don't know what else to say. None of these stories are very typical. Jeremy has a very different way of handling situations in his stories.

I'm not sure I gave enough info to interest people, but it was already kind of long and I didn't want to ruin any of the stories.

I'm going to post some questions under this and I urge Jeremy to maybe post some of his own too.

Now for some intro questions. I'm sure we'll come up with more. And I'm thinking that Jeremy will want to post some too.

- What was your favorite story?
- What did you like about it?
- What was your least favorite story?
- Why?
- A few of the stories were connected very subtly. Do you think that Jeremy was successful in doing this or do you think that it seemed forced?
- Some of the stories that could be taken as character studies were pretty extreme. Do you think they were believable? I mean, anything is possible with enough drugs, but did he convince you?
- Any things or techniques in Jeremy's writing style that stand out to you?
- What do you like or dislike about his style?
- His style seems to brush on minimalistic in some places and other times he hold suspense with his discriptions (a Chuck technique taught in the Writer's Workshop). Did he find a way to make it work?
- Do you think that there are any central themes running through this collection?
- I think that one might be that it's not always survival of the fittest. Survival of the smartest or maybe survival of the person with the least morals (is that the word I'm looking for damn). What other things against what we are taught show here?

And here's one from him that I didn't mention above. He deserves credit for this because I wouldn't have thought of this one.

- Johnson's stories have appeared in both genre and literary magazines. At what point does genre fiction (horror, mystery, etc...) shift to "slipstream" or "literary"? Do you think there are any examples of that happening in this book?

And feel free to ask any questions that you want of him. In his words - "Since I'll be active in the discussion it's cool if you want to ask questions of me too. Topics about the craft, guerilla marketing, the underground press, influences, the publishing industry, etc."

I'd like to hear about influences for starters. Jeremy really has his own style and I'd love to hear what he steals from other writers and makes his own.

im in if i get to powells to get the book, and then actually make myself read it

I think I can run some of them down before I head out for San Francisco.

Long term influences:

Chucky P, obviously, although I work as hard as I can not to imitate, especially his specific phrasing and choral techniques. The guy's voice is almost viral, though, once it gets into your head. Plus his books, like James Ellroy's, are the kind where you can feel the love for the craft- they make me want to write. Second short story I ever sold was one I "had" to write immediately after reading Choke.

Ellroy, who is a genius in ways I can't even fathom yet. I pretty much cancel my life when a new Ellroy book is about to drop. I tried my hand at a modified version of his stacatto style from Cold Six Thousand in my "The Sharp Dressed Man..." short.

Selby, who in my view is the finest horror writer of all time. Last Exit to Brooklyn shook me in ways I can still feel when I look at the spine of the book on my shelf. He couldn't figure out why humans were so cruel to each other, but he understood that cruelty on an amazing level.

David Foster Wallace knows his way around a page (I'm trying not to go hyperbolic about the guy, which I tend to do), and is always willing to experiment, which I admire. I still need to get the new essay collection. His short about the toddler and the boiling water in Oblivion showed how few words it takes to totally break a reader's heart.

Burroughs, whose work fueled my love for the bizarre.

Vonnegut and Irvine Welsh, for their experimentation, humor, and real sense of heart.

Barker, King, Skipp & Spector, McCammon, Crichton, Ludlum, and Benchley who proved that mainstream fiction could be wonderfully written and kept me up till 3AM with a flashlight under the sheets throughout my childhood.

Mailer has crafted some of the finest sentences in the history of the written word. If I could pop out something as fine as The Executioner's Song in my lifetime I'd die happy.

Writers I'm new to but whose work definitely influences/impresses me:

Craig Davidson's Rust and Bone is a knockout collection. He manages to be very spare but kick out a lot of emotion. Writes great fight scenes, too. With Chucky, BEE, and Thom Jones all vouching for his collection, I'm surprised it hasn't become a Cult favorite yet. I think the paperback hits soon, and he's got a new novel called The Fighter coming up.

Cody Goodfellow has written the two best cross-genre anthropological Lovecraftian military thriller stew books ever with Radiant Dawn and Ravenous Dusk. He's like the Ellroy of speculative fiction, as far as his plotting and character work go.

Tom Piccirilli seems to be able to write anything. His Choir of Ill Children is this bugged out southern gothic with incredibly lush settings and prose that reads like poetry.

So, there are a ton more, but that gives you an idea of the sort of media my brain-sponge has been sucking up.

I'll be back from San Francisco on the 16th.

Best,

JRJ
[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com[/URL]

[QUOTE=Jeremy R Johnson]Skipp & Spector[/QUOTE]
Hey jeremy,

As many cool things as I could comment on while this thread is heating up, your mention of Skipp & Spector really stands out to me. Their story "Not With a Whimper"--which appeared in [i]Twilight Zone Magazine[/i] sometime in the mid-1980's--was my absolute favorite short story when I was a teen. I didn't think anyone else in the world had even heard of this fantastic duo... much less would remember them.

[QUOTE=Jeremy R Johnson]I think I can run some of them down before I head out for San Francisco.

Selby, who in my view is the finest horror writer of all time. Last Exit to Brooklyn shook me in ways I can still feel when I look at the spine of the book on my shelf. He couldn't figure out why humans were so cruel to each other, but he understood that cruelty on an amazing level.

snipped for brevity
[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com[/URL][/QUOTE]

Hello Jeremy it's Beastly from elsewhere.

I have to agree with you about Selby. The Demon fucking kills me. I read it at least once a month anymore. It's amazing.

Hey Jeremy, glad to see you've finally registered and are a contributing member of our little forum. The question I've been dying to ask you involves the marketing of this book. I am an avid and passionate Judger of Books By Covers and I have to tell you that I never would have picked up [I]Angel Dust Apocalypse[/I] based on the cover art and description. I had my doubts up until the second I started reading, actually! But I was pleasantly surprised to find interesting and literary-minded stories that most anyone could enjoy, which is a far cry from what the artwork and description might suggest. So, the question, then, is who decided to market your book this way and why appeal to this niche of readers? Also, you mentioned in an e-mail that you are in discussions with other publishing companies; any idea how they intend to market your book?

p.s. Thanks (again) for doing this

[QUOTE=moe.ron]Hey Jeremy, glad to see you've finally registered and are a contributing member of our little forum. The question I've been dying to ask you involves the marketing of this book. I am an avid and passionate Judger of Books By Covers and I have to tell you that I never would have picked up [I]Angel Dust Apocalypse[/I] based on the cover art and description. I had my doubts up until the second I started reading, actually! But I was pleasantly surprised to find interesting and literary-minded stories that most anyone could enjoy, which is a far cry from what the artwork and description might suggest. So, the question, then, is who decided to market your book this way and why appeal to this niche of readers? Also, you mentioned in an e-mail that you are in discussions with other publishing companies; any idea how they intend to market your book?

p.s. Thanks (again) for doing this :)[/QUOTE]
You stole my question that I was saving for later. I was wondering why the cover was so dark and depressing. A lot of people do just books by their covers as sad as that is. Covers should try to appeal to a broader audience than the book does. That way you increase sales. You can sell the book to more people than are actually going to read it that way. Or so I would think.

I'm going to school for advertising. Jeremy talks about Guarilla marketing. Something I know nothing about. So another thing I want to hear about is that.

I'll try to be orderly with my responses, but please pardon any fudge-brained fat fingering that may take place. San Francisco was a great trip- sold a lot of books (particularly the brand new ones- [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933929014/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_3/103-9672297-5135865?%5Fencoding=UTF8]Extinction Journals[/URL] & [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976249898/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_3/103-9672297-5135865?%5Fencoding=UTF8]Siren Promised[/URL]), drank a substantial amount of beer and some blindness-inducing moonshine, and potentially sold a shared author collection of shorts. Still, it's good to be back in Portland.

Vigorous- I'm glad you remember Skipp and Spector. I'm surprised more people outside of the genre fans may not (a sure sign that I'm getting old), especially since they were New York Times Bestsellers for a significant stint of time. That short you mentioned is an awesome story, and I still recommend their novels (particularly The Scream and The Bridge) to my friends on a regular basis. Their books did a great job of making horror (occasionally very over-the-top stuff) out of coming social issues. Like Chuck lauded Levin for doing. In fact, the rumor mill is that at one point Oliver Stone had optioned The Bridge and planned to film it as this crazy, NBK stylistic mash-up.

I'm not sure what Craig Spector is writing these days, but I know that [URL=http://www.johnskipp.com/]John Skipp[/URL] has a new short novel out called Conscience, a film called Long Last Call in the works, and is planning a new multi-book assault via the NY Press. I'm excited to see what he comes up with.

Beastly- I can't imagine reading The Demon or The Room on a regular basis. You must be of stronger stock. Beautiful, crushing work, but I would probably only repeat read every five years or so. And even then I'd want a bottle by the bedstand so I wouldn't have to think so much about the characters when done reading.

I can agree 100% that the guy was amazing. Wish I could have caught one of his readings before he was gone. He had a great voice.

Moe & Pete- I can explain the cover. I know, I know...it and the title are totally lurid, very heavy metal.

The thing was, I never expected nor really intended for the book to have crossover appeal. It was being released by the cult publishers Eraserhead Press, the people behind books like Satan Burger and The Baby Jesus Butt Plug (both Carlton Mellick III works). The goal was to get the people who liked the Eraserhead Press looks to give a new guy a shot at telling them weird stories. So the publisher and I figured "The more over-the-top, the better."

I'd suggested some more elegant covers and titles but I trusted the instincts of the people I was working with. After all, Carlton Mellick III has managed to turn his weird shit into a micro-industry, and is one of the few writers I know that doesn't require an extra job to supplant his income. I mean, I know people with multi-book deals with major New York houses who still have to work as janitors or script editors to get by. So I worked on trust with this one. Carlton and Rose knows their business. With a small press that sells most of its books via Amazon and doesn't have much of a big box presence, we had to pick an image that popped out as strong [I]and[/I] bizarre at thumbnail size. And I've got a few comments from people that have bought it [I]because[/I] of the cover. Personally, as a fan of old Italian Fulci movies, I enjoy the image, although I don't think it encapsulates the sensibility of the book that well. (Not to say that the book isn't pretty fucking weird.)

Having planned on being a small, "culty" author I thought the cover worked fine. It did what it was supposed to do, and as you can tell from the Amazon "also bought" section for the book, the Eraserhead fans picked it up. Had I known that Chuck would end up blurbing the book and that it would pick up literary recognition from the [URL=http://girlondemand.blogspot.com/2006/02/angel-dust-apocalypse-by-jeremy-robert.html]Needle Awards[/URL], I might have picked a more mainstream cover image. But that's a que sera sera deal at this point.

Going forward, with NY, ADA won't likely see daylight as the book that it is [I]now[/I]. For one thing, although it was ADA that got NY's interest, we've all decided that a novel is the best first step to take with a major publisher. Besides, ADA is doing well as it is and somehow it picks up a little more steam every month (maybe that's people finally getting over the cover and title and checking it out).

Side note: Collections aren't always that lucrative a first book, for the author or publisher. The publishing world isn't super-hot on them (Charles D'Ambrosio or the occasional wunderkind aside- and I'm sure even Charles' agent is anxious for a novel). I know people who have had their collections published only because their agent made it part of the contractual deal on a hot novel, and the publisher begrudgingly accepted.

So, now I'm hard at work on Tuning Fork, which is going to be my first novel going through the traditional publishing routes. And since the folks I'm dealing with are much more keen on my non-genre literary work, we may decide to package selected pieces from ADA along with a batch of newer shorts and sell that as a collection titled Under Rides. Which I'm sure will have a tasteful cover that won't alienate such a large percentage of the general readership.

My newest book covers are also a bit intense. The one for Siren Promised has an overtly horrifying image, showing off the work of Alan M. Clark, whose art is interwoven throughout the book. Again, here's a book whose market is primarily horror fans (the book is even up for a Bram Stoker award this year, alongside Chucky's Haunted), but would likely be enjoyed by the literary market too. Really, the thing is my ode to Selby, as filtered through some Lynch-style surrealism. But that cover, wonderfully rendered as it is, might spook some folks off. But since Alan's art was such a big part of the book, and his following is so substantial, we would have been crazy not to feature his cover.

The cover for Extinction Journals was the first one that was solely my choice, and I think it retains an air of the strange while being kind of, well, pretty. I think it's closer to the mainstream market than the others. The irony being that it's the weirdest book.

Okay, this is already an overlong post... I'm headed to the Laurelhurst to watch some Russian movie and drink a pitcher of Terminator Stout. I love Oregon.

Best,

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]JRJ[/URL]

mmm terminator
i prefer hammerhead though

I'm a Hammerhead fan too, but I'd heard that this movie (Nightwatch/Nochnoi Dozor) was pretty incoherent, so I figured I better belly-up to a pitcher of stout.

However, having confused the McMenamin's beer theaters with the Laurelhurst, I ended up stuck with Shakespeare Stout, which appears thick but tastes very mild. Luckily the couple sitting next to me were so annoyed by the film that they bailed halfway through and bequeathed me their pitcher of Dead Guy. So, all was well.

I'm still not sure what happened in that movie though. At one point I think a sausage exploded and destroyed a munitions factory (I'm not kidding). And there's a guy named Zavulon who plays a video game that tells the future.

Beerless this thing would have been tragic, but as it was, I had fun.

never heard of that movie. but i cant imagine paying to see it seriously or humorusly without invibing of some form of beer or spirits

[QUOTE=Steve Vernon] Marilyn Monroe is having a plunger-humping-orgy with a Bigfoot Elvis, lighting up little prayer candles in the darkness to something that's crawling from beneath my moldering laundry heap.
[/QUOTE]
The yeti live. Tell the pinks to give us some slack.

Vig Pup- I was thinking the same. That dream is a sign. JHVH-1 may finally be ready to call down the Rupture. The true pinks will be revealed, false non-Subgenii yetis will fall, and the reign of slack will be upon us.

At last.

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]JRJ[/URL]

Steve- A quick perusal of [URL=http://www.subgenius.com/]this site[/URL] might help you find some Slack of your own.

Okay, since recent potential topics of conversation included "influences" and "guerilla marketing," I figure now's a decent time to talk about the importance of Amazon.com as a sales venue (especially for the small/micro press).

Worth Noting- It's past three in the morning and I'm functioning solely on the last vestiges of some ancient coffee, so this may be a bit all over the map.

I posted three new lists tonight, one each for [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R3QUTFR40XBZ9S/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full/103-2477188-7371814]ADA[/URL], [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/RSN2BWL36O6NE/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full/103-2477188-7371814]Extinction Journals[/URL], and [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R1KYH9QC3HINVM/ref=cm_lm_byauthor_title_full/103-2477188-7371814]Siren Promised[/URL]. The lists basically run down very specific books, films, and albums that influenced each of my books. My hope, of course, is that these Listmania lists will float to the various corners of Amazon and occasionally intrigue someone to check out the title.

When you produce lists they can be very targeted ("All The Books By My Two Favorite Authors") or they can reach across the board, like the ones I just created. The targeted ones might be more effective, because a list of, say, all my books and all of James Ellroy's books is likely to pop up semi-regularly on the pages for all of each author's books and really reinforce a message of similarity.

Lists with titles like, "Love (Insert Great Author Name Here), Then Check Out Jeremy Robert Johnson" are dreamy, but I choose to operate in full transparency on Amazon, so I won't be posting any of those. That would be really creepy.

Lists that link to films of a similar strain as the book are very helpful, too. That audience is so much broader that your odds of reaching new people become much higher. I know that many of the Bizarro authors (me/Mellick/Lawson/Aylett/Genoa/etc.) benefit from having our work linked to films by guys like Gilliam, Lynch, and Jodorowsky. That's a niche market of people looking for weird or surreal content, but often those film lovers didn't even know there were analogous books. And I'm sure the Phineas Poe trilogy could get a small boost from some lists attached to a broad range of hard boiled and noir films (I'm unfamiliar with the MacAdam/Cage street teams, but it seems like they're already all over stuff like this- I'm impressed by the whole "bombing" concept they've got going too).

Basically, almost any Listmania or So You'd Like To... lists makes a difference. I've heard from a lot of readers who've said they just happened across my book via some list and decided to take the leap (a lot of marketing people would say that they'd likely been exposed to my title 5-7 times already, and that it finally sank in). And if you happen to be published by a small press (or if you're self-published), Amazon may be the venue that represents 95% of your sales. It certainly is that way for me. With the print method currently utilized for my books it's a real bugger to get into the Big Box stores. Does it happen? Occasionally. But for now most of my sales are split between Amazon, my website, and a few choice bookstores that I love (Powell's, Shocklines, Borderlands). And Amazon is a huge chunk of that pie chart- it's how I reach people.

Facing books out is a classic guerilla tactic for authors who have work in traditional stores. It gets people to see the cover- 75% of the sales enticement according to some stats. But in the ether of Amazon, lists are the best way to have your book "faced out." If your book is the top item on the list, odds are people will be seeing your cover (often multiple times in one shopping session). It's not quite as cherry as having your book listed under a popular title's Also Bought section, but it's a way to induce that into happening.

I'm undecided about the value of the Amazon blogs, or Plogs as they call them. I do them, and they pop up on each of my book pages, but they don't seem to yield the same response as MySpace or traditional blogging. I think people might be wary of a giant store trying to sell itself as a community hub.

A quick note about transparency on Amazon- I choose to post lists and reviews under my real name. It limits my ability to barrage the system, and at the end of the day I feel "clean/honest" because of that. Some people will adopt fake names and post a ton of reviews (either of their own work or under other popular books while making reference to their own title), and [URL=http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~25414.aspx]this guy[/URL] even did it so regularly (on top of boasting false blurbs from people like Stephen King and Dan Brown) that he got booted from Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com. You can still find a lot of his insane marketing shenanigans online if you google his name- it's pretty hilarious. But he had great sales while it lasted, so maybe I'm the sucker.

There was a story going around a while back about a day when the Amazon systems glitched and all the reviewers' real names popped up. It turned out that some very notable authors had been giving themselves glowing reviews under false names, and when asked about it most of them shrugged it off and said they were just trying to eat. Here's an [URL=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1148577,00.html]article[/URL] about the whole ordeal.

My advice- don't do it. It seems like an easy way to boost your book's profile, but you can usually tell when they're cooked up. Repeat phrases. Generic reviewer names. And if that glitch ever hits again, you'll be outed.

I feel good when I see the "Real Name" (tied to the account's credit card name) bit under the majority of (good and bad) reviews of my books. I want to earn a readership the honest way- marketing, building a fan-base, maybe even by writing great books. So yeah, I probably am a sucker. But I sleep okay at night.

Of course, if you have a street team you can gain a bit of control over the reviews and lists by making that a number one priority for them. I'm not "street team" organized just yet, but I do have a handful of dedicated fans who help to spread the word. And I always point them to the Grassroots page on my [URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/frontpage.htm]website[/URL], which houses a number of lo-fi marketing tactics.

One helpful bit of advice- it may be to your benefit if all your ardent fans don't post their glowing reviews at once. That way, if someone later posts a terrible review (which they're entitled to do- you have to accept the scorn alongside the praise and just keep writing and improving), you might be able to call on those other fans and say, "Hey, I could use those reviews now, if you're up to it." Because a bad new review, even on a page full of great old ones, will slow your sales (trust me on this- I'm an avid OCD Amazon sales number tracker- I've got graphs and spreadsheets and all that; you become very focused on the details when the day's sales make the difference between ramen and Taco Bell dinners). And the quicker you can get a good new review up, and that bad review worked to a back page, the sooner your sales will resume a beneficial path. So it might help to keep a couple of your biggest fans set aside for a dark day.

Yes, this is all very micro-press advice, but in an age of ever-improving POD technology where the stigma attached to DIY publishing is beginning to wane, I'm hoping this might be useful to a couple of folks here. And I'm sure elements of this advice hold true at the NY level too.

Fingers crossed that this post will make sense when I wake up later today...

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]JRJ [/URL]

Hey JRJ...interesting post. I wanted to comment on a couple things.

Cover/sales - Yes, the cover is what gets people's notice. But, if I remember correctly, Palahniuk said at the first Postcards from the Future conference in 2001 that something like 2/3 of the final decision to buy stems from back cover text. So, it's a precarious mix. Especially for us in the indie press, as you've pointed out. And you're correct on the exposure rate...data from the NY publishers indicates 7 exposures before purchase. Having a bold cover that stands out seems to help grab attention more quickly, but as others have pointed out that can backfire some of the time as well. Then again, there's no title or cover that will attract 100% of readers.

RE: Amazon lists - I've done quite a few, eight I think, and according to the user votes people find them helpful. While I do throw in books of mine, or Raw Dog Screaming Press titles, I generally try to focus on all sorts of products related to the theme of the list. When Pocket Full of Loose Razorblades came out I posted a Blade Freaks Annonymous list loaded with all these crazy ninja products Amazon sells, along with shaving goods, the Blade movies, books on making sculptures w/ chainsaws, and other stuff. I hope my lists turn people onto the other products as much as the stuff I'm personally involved with, or at least entertain them with the weird variety of things available at Amazon (they really have some head-scrtchers). Anyway, I do it all under my own name and people seem to appreciate the straightforward approach.

Dishonesty - why? What's the appeal? Even top name authors were doing this? :grumble: It's not just about a review on some store's page; if you can get somebody interested in your work they'll also tell their friends and family, in addition to the review.

Okay, end of insider post. I'll be back in a little bit to actually, you know, discuss the book in question...

Hey, John. Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for letting me know about Amazon's proliferation of ninja goods. When I was a wee fella you had to go through Soldier of Fortune to get that sort of stuff. With the ninja-craze the way it is I'd be surprised if Wal-Mart didn't have dirt cheap Chinese-produced shurikens in their hunting section soon...

Oh, and I forgot another technique for effective Amazon Lists. It's a bit parasitic- could call it the Remora Method if you wanted- but it works. What you do is make a list featuring your products and also include an upcoming or just released title that you know is going to be a blockbuster. It should be at least tangentially related, or you look like a real shill. But, right now, if I was about to release a book of highly experimental fiction I'd definitely make a new list including Danielewski's Only Revolutions (and HoL, of course). From now up until release the Only Revolutions page will be getting a ton of hits from eager shoppers. And much like the remora slopping down bits of shark-noshed chum, a smaller author might be able to sell a Danielewski reader on their own work. Take advantage of a trickle-down effect from all that New York marketing money.

Plus, assuming the list is effective, your title could end up with a permanent spot on Only Revolutions "Also Bought" section (a lovely place to be- assuming the book is going to kick ass the way I hope it will).

I've seen a .pdf sample of a couple of pages from OR (posted by someone with an ARC), and it looks like it's going to be a lot of fun. It'll be amusing to watch other people read it, too. Much more aerobic than regular reading, from what I've heard. Sort of like watching people do the "Two Bookmark Shuffle" with Infinite Jest (amend that to three bookmarks if the person has a dictionary by their side).

Writing question:

What was the first story you ever sold, and to where? Was a burrito party involved?

Question regarding utilities:

Have you ever seen a toilet that flushes by way of a pull-up metal rod? I saw my first one yesterday and damned if I didn't spend fifteen minutes trying to figure out how to flush the thing.

[B]First short story[/B] I managed to sell was Liquidation (the first third of Wall of Sound, from ADA), to Happy (the lit mag, not the surfer one). That was back in 2000. I can still remember the sense of joyful delirium that accompanied the acceptance letter, and I'm sure my roomies were actually a bit concerned that I'd flipped, what with me pacing around the house, smiling and spilling out phrases like, "Holy fucking shit!" and "I goddamned sold one!" over and over again.

Fellow writers- remember your first sale as vividly as you can. Dig into that moment when it hits. I still contend that it's like the first hit of crack- You May Never Get That Same High Again. It's that good.

Other "writerly moments" have come close, but man, I really just lost it for about two days after getting that letter. Since 1996 I'd been (poorly) submitting (pretty bad) stories to a variety of (under-researched) markets. So that's four years of absolute blanket rejection before my first sale. Tons of postage expenditures when I should have been buying something other than Ramen and discount Ho-Ho's from the Hostess Outlet.

But Liquidation had a stronger feel than a lot of my other stories, and I only sent it to a few markets, which paid off. Now, instead of getting yet another generic post-it note sized rejection from Playboy or NAR (I still have these and could wallpaper a decent size outhouse), I had my first check on the way. And a decent one too, clocking in at about $0.08/word. And I had a great letter of encouragement from Happy's editor, Bayard, who believed in me and was nice enough to look past my laughable cover letter and errantly formatted submission (although he pointed me in the right direction for correcting those professional issues). He even picked the story as his submission to that year's Pushcart Prize competition, which was incredibly cool of him (and looked sporty on my still sparse cover letter).

Last I checked, Bayard continues to put out a great, diverse, digest-sized literary mag, and he's fond of finding diamonds in the slush. I've always been amazed (and grateful- he's one of the folks to whom I dedicated Siren Promised) that he's been so open to new writers. Some of the scribes here might consider checking out a copy and running their work in his direction. Here's a [URL=http://www.ralan.com/sfpay/listings/happy.htm]link[/URL] to the mag's submission info.

[B]Regarding burrito parties[/B] (which I first copped to in [URL=http://www.tuginternet.com/jja/journal/archives/003831.html]this interview[/URL]), I didn't have them back when I first started getting published. Back then I used a story sale as a great excuse to buy a bunch of CD's I couldn't afford, eat sushi for dinner every night for a week, and party instead of writing new work. Which was all a little silly and counter-productive, but hey, I was in my early twenties and my whole life was a little silly and counter-productive.

Now that I'm actually trying to scrap by on a writer's budget, I just buy myself a burrito when there's something to celebrate. I know- Glamorous.

[B]I've never seen the pull-up metal rod[/B] on toilets. I have seen a row of oppositional urinals mounted into a four foot tall brick wall, which was an interesting design. During high traffic periods there might be a man [I]directly[/I] across from you, so close you could ID bits of his breakfast on his beard and feel the heat of his breath. And if you both tilted your heads forward to avoid making eye contact your noggins would almost touch. So there you are, dick in hand, having a stare down with Dale from accounts receivable. Strange design. I swear it was part of an experiment.

Speaking of experiments, I re-read DFW's story "Mister Squishy" last night, and admired it even more the second time. He leaves so much off camera, but once you put all the pieces together it's kind of amazing how he tells this absurd story while not [I]really[/I] directly telling you a story. Admirable work. Like maxi-minimalism or something.

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]JRJ[/URL]

Okay, I know I was the last poster, and that if I keep doing this the thread will become more of a monologue (vs. dialogue/discussion), but I had a couple of things I wanted to mention on here, so:

1. Someone pointed [URL=http://www.demontheory.net/?p=86]this[/URL] out to me yesterday. Looks like ADA made it onto Stephen Graham Jones' (extensive) reading list, which is really cool. I couldn't help but wonder what he'd think of it, and it turns out he mentioned it in [URL=http://www.welcometothevelvet.com/showthread.php?t=2169]this thread[/URL] today and had some very nice things to say. Which is great.

Speaking of Cult Professor Jones, looks like [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596921641/qid=1150275249/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-0349808-5735947?s=books&v=glance&n=283155]Demon Theory[/URL] has been unleashed over at Amazon.

Mr. Jones, if you ever lurk this thread, thanks for the kind words, and congratulations on the new book dropping!

2. I mentioned receiving a ton of rejection letters in my last post, and it got me to thinking about an affliction that many writers (even the big time pros) can fall victim to.

It's called [B]Rejectomancy[/B], and it is a multi-tiered killer. Ego, drive, time, personal style, confidence- they can all take serious damage from a bad case of Rejectomancy.

As the name implies, Rejectomancy is a severe obsession with negative response (be it from editors, critics, reviewers, friends, workshop members, family, pets, etc.).

The guy who gets a short story rejection note from an editor and spends an hour trying to deconstruct it ("What does he mean by 'not speculative enough'? How can he not even mention the brilliant twist ending?") is wasting time. Time that could be spent printing that same story again, prepping a new cover letter & SASE, printing mailing labels, and getting that tale back on the market.

The best way (at least for me) in avoiding editorial Rejectomancy is having a list of markets that you'd like to send that story to all prepped in advance. Put those markets in the order of magazines you'd most like the story to go to, and submit to that first market when your story is ready. Shoot high- Ray Bradbury made a practice of sending every story he'd written to the New Yorker first, before anyone else got to look at it.

And when and if that rejection letter shows up, give it the once over, file it for tax purposes, and then make sure your story is on its way to the next editor by the end of the next day. Just keep plowing ahead.

Now if you make it to your tenth rejection and more than one editor has mentioned a "serious continuity issue" or "total lack of characterization" then you might want to take a second look at your story and consider those responses before hitting the next ten on your list.

But if that's not the case, just keep going. At some point your story will meet that editor who digs what you're doing. Or you'll grow enough in your writing to realize that story you're sending around is total junk. That happens, too, and sometimes you'll be thankful no editors bit.

Oh, and don't ever respond to rejections from editors. Especially if you've been drinking pints of Arrogant Bastard all night. Just trust me on this. Not only is it a total waste of time, but it may cement you in the editor's mind as a total jackass. And editors know other editors (especially the genre mag heads).

Also, if you have a story out to a market, chart it and don't think about it until the response shows up. If it's over six months with no response, and that's out of sorts for the place you're submitting to, then it might be good to check up with the mag, but otherwise wondering about the status of a submitted piece is just another thing to distract you from what you should be doing- writing new work.

I know a writer who told me that he's only at peace when he's so busy he can't wonder what editors are thinking about the work he's got out. So staying busy is a key element of avoiding Rejectomancy.

An even more insidious form of Rejectomancy hits when your work finally gets out there to readers and you start to get reviews. This can be a rough one. Especially when it comes to the net, where opinions flourish in blogs, message boards, and in Amazon reviews.

But remember- you could have kept your writing a secret, right? All those boxed up works of genius cluttering the office where you toil away at your prose. But you chose to try and get it published. To place it before the public. And the public doesn't know you. If you're lucky enough to have someone choose to read your book out of all the millions available, they're entitled to their opinion. They spent their finite time absorbing your art. If they love it- great. If they hate it- well, lump it.

There's no such thing as universal love. I think James Ellroy's [U]The Cold Six Thousand[/U] is one of the best works of fiction I've ever read, and I know people that absolutely cannot stand that book.

They're your words, but they're being translated through someone else's brain. Things may not land the way you launched them.

I forgot this recently. I let a review get to me for a couple of minutes. A reader was critiquing my new book [U]Extinction Journals[/U], and they stated that my style was "bland at best." At best! So at the zenith of my work I'd only made it to Bland. Wow. They also noted that my "style has no spark to it and reads like a million things out there." The rest of the review isn't actually that bad, but those two phrases set me back for a bit. I let it into my head.

"Am I a bland writer? Am I that derivative? When does this guy have time to read a million other bland books? But didn't the other reviewers all love the book? Are they all wrong? Shit, they're probably wrong. I knew it. God, why do I bother to do this, anyway. I was making great money in farm lending. I could have a house by now. Everyone's going to know the truth- the emperor has no clothes. I'll die a penniless hack. Shit, does my oven run on gas? Can I blow out the pilot light?"

Again, this was only about a minute of panic, but it was a rough minute. Sweat popped on the forehead. All that. And it was an utter waste of time. I'd fallen deep into the sway of Rejectomancy over some broad hyperbolic generalizations in an Amazon review. But even if the review would have been a well-argued scathing criticism of the book, my stress would have been a waste of time.

Some people will dig your work, some people won't. Lump it. Be the duck. Let it roll off your back.

[I]Know yourself.[/I] This is key. What do [I]you[/I] think of your writing? Find an answer to that question, and believe it. Then nobody else can influence what you think about your work (unless you want them to for pedagogic purposes).

I beat the Rejectomancy by reminding myself of what [I]I[/I] believe about my writing. I'm strong in story/concept, voice, structure, imagery, and various styles of prose. I'd like to improve my ability with character (especially depth- beyond archetypes), setting, vocabulary, and thematic variety (I have a few obsessions). And I'm working constantly to grow and improve my craft in all of these elements.

Bland? If anything I'm over-stylized in my own way.

Derivative? Who else has the exact match-up of experience and neurosis to communicate with the same voice?

Once I reminded myself of this, and the fact that an opinion is [I]just that[/I], I was 100% over the rough spots in that review. Finding that sort of confidence, even if its delusional at first ("Fake it till you make it" and all that), is an important writer's survival tool.

Even if a review called me out for lack of setting description, I'd just think, "Well, yeah, good call. But I'm working on that. Wait till you see where my writing's headed..."

And then I keep writing. That, above all else, is how you beat down Rejectomancy.

3. Finally watched Roeg's Walkabout yesterday. I can't stop thinking about it- it's a haunting film, and much darker at its core than I wanted it to be. I wanted a simple parable about the noble savage and the natural world's superiority to our so-called civilization. But, damn it, the movie was smarter than that. The Criterion print is great, too.

That's the end of my jibber jabber. Thanks for letting me get that out of my head.

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com]JRJ[/URL]

As a pubeless, creditless writer, the only thing to keep me from suffering from Rejectomancy (very D&D of you, btw) is to sit in front of my mirror and think, well, they might have rejected you, David, but Jesus you're a good-looking motherfucker. Then I go on my roof and yell at the moon.

Really, though, I haven't really submitted enough places to develop Rejectomancy, though I'm sure it's coming. The worst thing is when you read the publication you're sending something to, and you're like, "oh yeah, I've got this." And then, BOOM, rejection. Brings me down to Earth, I suppose.

I don't know about everyone else, but I don't think an Amazon review could get me down after I'd been praised by Chuck P. If I were you, I'd wear sunglasses inside. I'd spam messageboards with hot pix of Bob Saget. I'd introduce myself like so: "Hello, my name is Jeremy. I wrote a short-story collection that was blurbed by Chuck Palahniuk. I shall now allow everyone to gaze upon my balls." I just wouldn't give a fuck.

But I guess the point is that it sucks when people don't dig your shit. I get what you're saying.

I dislike 85% of all anime.

There are alligators in a nearby lake. Like, real fucking alligators. I've held the little baby ones before. Nasty fuckers.

Holy crap, Demon Theory is out? Where have I been? I'm gonna have to check this out. I bought a Murakami book yesterday, though I'm not sure why. I'm only about a fourth through Infinite Jest.

My 2-year-old cousin threw his 2-month-old sister off the steps today. She was caught before she splattered. Little kids are fucking evil. I was talking to my grandfather and he went on and on about ibises (ibi?). My family rules.

Writing question: Most people I talk to say that reading makes them sleepy. How can people get interested in books again when they have TV?

Discuss.

Hey Jeremy,

Nice post!
I've also suffer Rejectomancy (who doesn't?), and maybe all writers
have (famous or not). Even Garcia Marquez was rejected in the New
Yorker for a non-fiction piece that didn't fit their standards.
I think a writer cannot be likable to everyone. And the gauging of his
writings comes from the inside (how the story makes him feel), not
from the outside.
Writers as unique as J.G. Ballard believed in their stories, and
although rejected at first, they found their own readers. The same
happened to Chucky P. with Invisible Monsters. They are and will be
rejected and criticized, but they are so confident about their
writing, that it doesn't affect them.
Your post made me think of my past rejections, and, as you said, it
affects you more when you're not working. If you're busy, the story
you're writing will suck your emotions, and a rejection letter will be
unimportant.

Great post,

P.D. Looking forward to order Extinction Journals and Siren Promised!

All best,

Hernan Ortiz

David-

> Rejectomancy (very D&D of you, btw)

Well, yeah. I learned the term in a sci-fi/fantasy-heavy writer's workshop in Eugene. I was sort of the black sheep in that group and had to put disclaimers about graphic content in my story headers so I wouldn't offend the more delicate workshoppers.

I don't know if it's because Le Guin is here and acting like some sort of black hole that attracts sci-fi/fantasy writers, but those folks are everywhere (especially in Eugene and at the coast). And though some of them may write about Mech-Warriors and anthropomorphized mice and things that aren't really up my alley, they do love the craft as much as anybody else and can be fun to workshop with.

>The worst thing is when you read the publication you're sending something to, and you're like, "oh yeah, I've got this." And then, BOOM, rejection.

That's definitely a rough spot. I've felt that way with Zoetrope for a while, like I'm right on the verge of having something they want. I read every issue and have tried to get a sense of what of my work they might enjoy. And although I've finally made it out of slush and managed to get personal responses from the editor-in-chief, I still can't quite crack that nut. Every time I ship a new one off to them I feel like, "This is the one!"

So far, no go. But I persevere.

>I don't know about everyone else, but I don't think an Amazon review could get me down after I'd been praised by Chuck P.

See, that's the trick of it. I have to try and let neither opinion effect my [I]personal[/I] point of view on my writing. Because if I let one person's opinion become part of how I define my work, then I'm in a state where the bad stuff gets in, too. And then I'm letting other people tell me how I feel and that's a fucking roller coaster. At that point I [I]need[/I] the praise to feel good about my craft, and it's a fickle world out there. Praise isn't always so forthcoming.

Not to say, of course, that Chucky's kind words don't mean the world to me, because they do. He's a literary hero of mine and knowing he respects my work provides me with a great deal of happiness (and a bit of extra courage when it comes time to confront a blank page).

But I try not to view myself through Chuck's (admittedly considerable/knowledgable) opinion or anybody else's. And so far that's really helped when confronting Rejectomancy.

Plus, it's always best to stay humble. Unless you're Kanye West. Then you just let your ego expand like that thing at the end of Akira, and that seems to work, too.

>Writing question: Most people I talk to say that reading makes them sleepy. How can people get interested in books again when they have TV?

You know I'm generally apocalyptic to a fault, so you should see my answer coming. I say don't worry about the rising illiteracy or gradual verbicide or inception of Orwellian Newspeak and death of true expression through language. Because when peak oil goes bad faster than we all expected and the electricity goes out, we'll all be back to books and tallow candles.

Or we'll be burning the books for heat and eating the tallow candles. But maybe oral storytelling will make a comeback.

Honestly, I don't know. Something bigger than Harry Potter has to hit the zeitgeist and drive us all back to bookishness.

Hernan-

Excellent points. In particular:

"If you're busy, the story you're writing will suck your emotions, and a rejection letter will be unimportant."

I love the way you phrased that. Writing is a definite emotion-sucker. I don't know about any of the other writers here, but I tend to sweat more when I'm really "in the story" and a lot of times the typing of a final sentence is accompanied by a pleasant jolt of something up the spine.

Both of those sensations might actually be posture issues. I don't know.

Best wishes,

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com]JRJ[/URL]

GOOD MORNInG! SHIGADIGADIGADIGADIGA! IS THAT SuMTHIIN DYIN ALREADY?

Good morning, Dj_iii.

>SHIGADIGADIGADIGADIGA!

Definitely. I was looking for the right word and you beat me to it.

>IS THAT SuMTHIIN DYIN ALREADY?

Good odds. Entropy and all that. I'd put money on it.

Cheers,

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com]JRJ[/URL]

[B]FIRST[/B]

So, as of today, I've officially signed to a literary agent. I've been mulling and fretting about this decision for some time because the Needle Awards magically put me in this dream position where I had multiple agents eager to see my work- I know, it's the best kind of problem. I'm not complaining. But it [I]can[/I] be stressful. I don't want to cross over the NY threshold meekly and have to be sure that I find the right agent who will place my books with the right publisher and help me reach decent enough sales that I'm viewed as viable for later publication. Slow sales tied to the ISBN of your first novel can have a nasty quicksand effect on a writer's career.

So after many emails and phone calls I've decided that the agent for me is Mollie Glick with The Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency, Inc. (JVNLA for short- they represent some NY Times Bestsellers like Phil Margolin and Jean M. Auel who both also happen to be PDX'ers.). I've now signed on with her to represent my new novel Tuning Fork, and my amended collection. Mollie's previously worked in foreign rights consulting and did an editorial stint at Crown before joining on with the JVNLA team. She's got a great breadth of industry knowledge, is very well vetted industry-wide (and is an AAR member), and happens to really dig my work (I'm pretty sure that's one of the most crucial elements- to have an agent who's a real advocate for the story you're telling).

And one of the main reasons I'm mentioning all of this here is because this site, and in particular the [URL=http://www.chuckpalahniuk.net/workshops/resource/]Workshop Resource[/URL] page, were of substantial assistance throughout this process. If there are any writers here who haven't taken the time to peruse all of the great resources on that page, set aside some time this week and get to it. It's awesome to have all those bits of great and practical advice so readily available.

The agent section has seen me as a frequent visitor in the last couple of months, and I'm grateful that it was there. So to any and all of the folks who helped to construct that behemoth of writer's wisdom- THANKS!

[B]NEXT[/B]

I don't know how this happened, as I've done only very marginal advertising in the UK market, but somehow both [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976249839/qid=1111016191/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-9555013-2545469?s=books&v=glance&n=283155]Angel Dust Apocalypse[/URL] and [URL=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976249898/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_2/103-9555013-2545469?redirect=true&%5Fencoding=UTF8]Siren Promised[/URL] managed to make the final lists (in collection and novel) for this year's [URL=http://www.britishfantasysociety.org.uk/info/vote2006.htm]British Fantasy Awards[/URL] (established by Ramsey Campbell). Very nice to be on there with guys like Gaiman, Wolfe, Braunbeck, Joe Hill, etc.

I'm not likely to be a front runner for either award, but if by some miracle I won something I'd be on the next plane out. I've always wanted to eat the sort of fish and chips that actually cause small heart attacks. My friend Ben from London said I could acquire that there. And I'd like to see Bristol because I'm attracted to wet, grey cities.

[B]FINALLY [/B]

Just kicked out some free signed books (ADA/SP/EJ) in a pack for the "[URL=http://www.myspace.com/katrinavictimsfashionshow]Hurricane Katrina Victims Fashion Charity Event[/URL]" (my brain keep transposing it as Hurricane Katrina Fashion Victims which strikes me as a particularly cruel phrase). I'm not sure when this thing hits (the MySpace page is a wee rough on the eyes) but the organizers seem to have their heads on straight (okay, aside from the layout of that MySpace page) and will also be auctioning off some signed stuff from guys like Harry Shannon and Will Clarke. So, when this thing drops it's a good chance for somebody in Alabama to score some cool books, kick out cash for a still needy cause, and add another tax write off item into their filing forms next April.

Okay, off to pass out in the ante-chamber. I don't know what that means (my best guess is "foyer"), but damn it sounds cool.

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com/]JRJ [/URL]

Hey Jeremy, sorry to be responding to your news so late; I'm sure you know how it is. Anyway, that's all great news!! Keep us posted on your new book and remember us when you're rich and famous

Hey, Moe, thanks for the encouragement. I recently had my first dinner meeting with my agent and it was a great time (can't hate free food and a good conversation about books) and made me hugely excited for the next few years. Once the new novel is complete we're going big, shooting for Little Brown, Vintage, Norton, St. Martins, etc. Mollie's had some great sales lately so I trust her instincts and have to hope that some of the more mainstream editors will still dig the weirder aspects of my work.

Quick and timely items:

[B]I'm about to head out[/B] for the 2006 PZS- I'll be there pimping Scissor Press/[URL=http://www.scissorpress.com]Verbicide Magazine[/URL], and this year I'll also have copies of Angel Dust Apocalypse, Extinction Journals, and Siren Promised with me ($10 a pop, or 3 for $20, which is a cool deal). I'll be there for the whole event so if any NW Cult people want to drop by and say hello, that would be fun (in fact, if you let me know you saw this on this forum, I'll hook you up with all three books for half the cost- you guys have always been really cool). Here's Verbicide editor Jackson Ellis' rundown on the event:

Author Jeremy Robert Johnson will once again represent Scissor Press at the Portland Zine Symposium in 2006. The PZS will be held on August 11, 12, and 13 on the campus of Portland State University, and Jeremy will be giving away hundreds of copies of Verbicide and selling copies of his books. For more information, visit [URL=http://www.pdxzines.com/]http://www.pdxzines.com/[/URL].

[B]Also of potential interest[/B] to those with ears:

[URL=http://www.fallofautumn.com/indexphp?option=com_content&task=view&id=143&Itemid=47]Fall of Autumn Podcast[/URL]

It's my first ever audio reading/Podcast, of the short story "The Sharp Dressed Man at the End of the Line" (the sort-of prelude to Extinction Journals, stylistically jacking Ellroy's Cold Six Thousand text attacks), and it turned out pretty well. My friend [URL=http://www.myspace.com/remoteview]Remote View[/URL] added some nice sonic touches throughout and tried to make my voice tolerable using some filters.

It's about 11 minutes long, and can take a moment to load, but it's worth checking out for people who like the story or people who like cockroaches or people who like the word Podcast (which I do- seems like a cool alien breeding term).

[B]Also also[/B], I'm happy to say that in the "busy writing a novel" doldrums there will still be some new fiction of mine seeing daylight: At least 4 new short stories in anthologies, 2 new short stories magazines, and potentially 2 more podcasts rounding out my "Nuclear Family" trilogy from ADA. And maybe a couple of print interviews along the way (including an interview with The Mars Volta by me, assuming their publicist keeps things in motion).

And maybe, just maybe, a few Extinction Journals plush toys.

Although I'm probably lying about that last bit.

[B]Also cubed[/B], just picked up the new Cemetery Dance and noticed it kicks off with a Stephen Graham Jones story. Anxious to check it out. Wish they would have held his stuff until #56 so we could have shared mag-space (I think Craig Davidson's alter ego, Patrick Lestewka, is in the next one, too). It's cool to see these guys in there next to old-school experts like Ed Gorman.

I noticed that this thread is now floating free, and I wanted to thank Jenn and Pete and everybody for having me here and reading and writing in the thread. I'll still check this out periodically, and I've had a lovely time so far.

Hope summer is treating everyone well! Don't forget that the sun is a giant nuclear explosion in outer-space...

[URL=http://www.jeremyrobertjohnson.com]JRJ[/URL]