Last Tango in Buenos Aires

Publishing a Book - Brave New World 2010

Now that I am the publisher of a newspaper, thoughts turn to publishing books. At this point in history, when the biggest revolution since the printing press is getting underway, it is not as vanity driven as it sounds.

It may be a little premature because although 'Last Tango in Buenos Aires' is finished (the book and the screenplay jaja), now that it has come back from advance readers, the torturous process of editing and re-drafting begins. I wonder if people really are aware of the graft that goes into writing a book. There are none on the shelves that have been written without major re-writes, tweaks and twinges.

Scoring a major publisher in the world of celebrities as authors and diminished advances seems redundant now. Most of what the reader is paying for is cartons of books sitting in distributor's warehouses, the endless trucking back and forth of returned and remaindered books and the 25% that go to the pulping machine. Surely POD makes more sense, ecologically and financially for the author. And if you use POD why do you need a publisher?

Vanity (or Self) Publishing has a very dirty name and in many cases it should but in many others, the bad rep derives from publisher's spin. As in the music industry, publishers will go out of business if the lunatics start taking over the asylum. In centuries past, the only way onto a book shelf was through the closed doors of the publishing industry. Now with internet marketing and foruming and the Kindle, the reader will have more opportunity to find the book they really want.

I remember when I first came to Buenos Aires, there were virtually no books on the city or country. 'Bad Times in Buenos Aires' seemed as though it was written by someone in a different place entirely, so negative was its writer. I suffering the first pangs of infatuation with the city had yet to see how right she was. And for tango, I could only find Marina Warner's heinous concoction, so badly written it proves publishers know nothing.

Now I could Google or Amazon search and books about my chosen subject would be instantly downloadable. You don't want a major publisher to work POD, with typical greed they are charging more for electronic books than printed ones. And if you load it yourself and you do it professionally - reader and author come out ahead. Where's the downside?

Last Tango - The Book

The first seven chapters of the book have been uploaded to a publisher's website for comments.

It's cultural, it's about dancing but it's mostly about relationships - love of course but also between women friends. I hope it will be a call to women in a comedic fashion, to re-evaluate how they think of being attached to a man.

As many have asked to have a read when it's ready - here it is - if you drop me a line I will mail you a link directly. Not trying to create marketing tool just dont want certain elements reading my baby yet...

Writing a book is one of the hardest things you might ever do - that and delivering a baby.

TYPEPAD Rubbish Again - Apologies to Readers

Typepad started a new system whereby the comments are directed to my Email address and I can reply directly from there.

As with everything on Typepad - is doesnt work and I have just realised that all my replies for the past however long - must be a couple of weeks - are not posting. I am really sorry. I will try to go back and post them again manually as some were rather important.

Especially to Arlene - I replied with a long comment firstly saying that the comment she thought had been deleted never arrived. I would never delete one of Arlene's interesting thoughts. In fact I never delete any comments - even the insulting ones that always come from men. They only serve to prove my point. Secondly that the post she thought was directed at her was absolutely not - it was directed at one of the aforementioned males in response to the only comment I have ever deleted.

The first thirty thousand words of my novel on Argentina and relationships are available on a publisher's site. Anyone who would be interested in reading them and sending me much desired feedback, please send me a note and I will send you the link.

Lots of love and thanks to everyone for the support.

Writing Tango Addiction

I think I may have to beg to come back and promise to do everything you want this time and never flirt with your friends just to make you jealous and put some distance in between the intensity of our intimacy.

I wanted to get away from the goons who comment on this blog and to me privately through the blog who think they know me and those who do know me and then go to the blog to dig up my privacy because they can't get me to discuss it.

I didn't think of the lovely people who read and sometimes comment. The people who tell me their stories because hopefully they think someone might validate their experience.

I did start another blog but it's directed at writers. AS I am now going through a hellish editing process where I am expanding the theme of how heinous women can be in friendship and living through all those love affairs again. Also there is a problem with the title. It was to be 'Men With Axes' but my editor says it sounds like a slasher movie. 'Dancing in Dulce de Leche'  has been pushed but that wont play in Peckham. A reader suggested 'Last Tango in Buenos Aires' and I had almost reached that conclusion myself. 'Tango Intensity' and 'Tango Addiction' have also been suggested as a way to mix the dance and heated relationship themes.