City of Dreams and Nightmare reviewed!

Congratulations, Ian.


The reviewer seems to really love your novel.
 
Nice, Ian.

I am saving my copy to read in the quiet times at Eastercon. So when Ian passes me I can turn a page and go, "hmmmmmm":D
 
What an excellent review!

The book sounds irresistible. (Now I'll have to see what can be done in the way of spousal arm-twisting, so that we can agree on the absolute necessity of buying this book.)
 
Thanks, folks, I'm sure not all reviews will be as gentle with me as this one, but it's a great start! :)
 
A very good review. Congratulations. It looks like she's ready to heap praise on your next one, as well.
 
Many thanks for your confidence, Teresa. Nesa, I'm told that Forbidden Planet will be stocking the book at Eastercon. Not sure about anyone else.

I've never met the reviewer, Judge, but, for the record, I'm assured by my friend Ian Watson (who knows such things) that 'Liviu' is a Romanian name of the masculine variety, so I assume this to be a 'he'.

ctg, I honestly don't know. With NewCon Press books I physically send out the review copies, but, as this isn't one I've published, I'm not sure where any such have or haven't been delivered.

I have come across a second pretty positive (if slightly less enthusiastic) review of the book here, though:

Cold Iron & Rowan-Wood » Blog Archive » Ian Whates – City of Dreams and Nightmares
 
Not as enthusiastic, certainly, but still good and encouraging, so well done there also. As a matter of interest, how did you find out about the reviews? Do they contact you/your publisher to provide links, or is someone googling your name a lot?!

Odd, isn't it? I didn't consciously register the name of the reviewer of the first one, but I simply felt the review was from a woman - whether subconsciously the name said something to me, I don't know. Thanks for putting me right, though - I'll have to curb my sexism!
 
Do they contact you/your publisher to provide links, or is someone googling your name a lot?!

That someone doing a lot of googling would probably be Ian, unless he is remarkably cool-headed for an author with a book just out.

At the same time, yes, reviewers do often send copies of their reviews to publisher -- perhaps in the hope that a blurb will be used and their name splashed over the cover of the book -- and the publishers pass on the information.
 
ctg, I honestly don't know. With NewCon Press books I physically send out the review copies, but, as this isn't one I've published, I'm not sure where any such have or haven't been delivered.

Interesting. So for the NewCon you're a co-Editor with Mr Watson (?), and the sole Publicist(?). But for this one the publisher is acting on your behalf, or have I misunderstood completely?
 
Guilty as charged. Theresa's quite right - I googled, not expecting to find anything, and discovered the first review straight off... then, the next day, googled again and found the second.

ctg, you're more or less correct. As a publisher, I own NewCon Press, which is essentially a one-man band: me. I decide on the books I want to produce, commission the stories, sort out contracts/pay etc with the authors, organise the covers and oversee the art, edit the stories, rationalise all content re: punctuation and other conventions (ie single or double inverted commas, how elipses, long dashes etc are represented, whether it's okay or OK, all right or alright etc etc), create the title page, Verso page etc, do the initial layout of the book, oversee the printing and am then solely responsible for the marketing and selling -- storing the books, keeping a record of sales, responding to queries, wrapping up and sending out the books as they're ordered and bought.

Of course, I don't do this entirely on my own. Storm Constantine does the final layout of the text, and Ian Watson sub-edits the stories with me.

With City of Dreams and Nightmare and its sequels, (as with The Noise Within, due out in May from Solaris, and its sequels) the situation is entirely different. These are novels I've written as an author and sold (either once written or as a concept) to a publisher. In essence, once the book has been written and delivered, my roll is over; the publisher does the rest, and I only become involved again when the book is out, on the promotional side of things (for obvious reasons).

So, in a sense, two separate careers within the same industry: author on the one hand, editor/publisher on the other. It keeps me busy.
 
Makes me wonder where do you find all the time and energy? Don't answer. Just let me believe it's another scifi story.
 
Did you know your book is in the "Three for Two" offer in Waterstones, Ian?

I was tempted to pick it up but I could only find one other book I wanted (in the promotion). May come back to it...
 

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