Ten Short Bits Of News And Info

1: If you're in Glasgow and free on Mon 30th January, I'll be giving a talk at the University of Strathclyde. This is open to the public, entry is free, and kicks off at 5pm. More details can be found here.

2: Blasted Heath has launched a new daily book recommendation with the bewitching acronym of #broth (Book Recommendation On The Heath). You can join in too. Check it out here.

3: You may have noticed that Criminal-E has been on something of an interview hiatus. Well, that's about to end very soon. I have some fine ebook crime writers lined up who will be revealing all. Well, maybe not all. Although that's an idea...

4: A while back I created a highly indulgent list of my top 200 noir fiction titles. It stops in 1997. My new Italian publisher, Revolver, has asked if I'll update it with a list of the best noir since then. Looking forward to this.

5: More Blasted Heath news. Next month sees the launch of The Unburied Dead by Douglas Lindsay and Wolf Tickets by Ray Banks, stonking books both.

6: And more events: Stuart MacBride is at Blackwell's in Edinburgh on Thu Feb 2nd (free, 6.30pm) and Len Wanner will be grilling Tony Black at Mayfield Library in Dalkeith on Sat 4th Feb (free, 6pm).

7: Will the big publishers drop DRM? Nice to see it being advocated at least. Bookseller Backed By Big Publishers Advocates Abandoning Digital Rights Management.

8: There's some pretty interesting information to be gleaned from Verso's 2011 Survey of Book-Buying Behaviour.

9: I'm very happy to say that the excellent Connie Haag is translating Bye Bye Baby for the German digital market.

10: And finally, I'm currently revising Kiss Her Goodbye, which will be the next of my novels out on Kindle. Here's a first look at the cover.

Tony Black interview: Truth Lies Bleeding

Truth Lies Bleeding by Tony Black
£8.64/$12.00
Amazon UK, Amazon US

Tony Black is an award-winning journalist who has written for most of the UK's national newspapers. He is the author of Paying for It, Gutted, Loss and Long Time Dead.

Can you sum up your book in no more than 25 words?

An Edinburgh-set police thriller exploring the murder of a young mother and the disappearance of her baby daughter.

How much difference does an editor make?

To a new author an editor makes all the difference; an editor can make an unpublishable novel publishable. I have been spared many blushes by excellent editors. As my writing has progressed I've needed an editor less, but another person's perspective can be very useful to any author. I'd never publish in any format without professional editing.

How much difference does a good cover make?

All the difference -- it's a cliche that you shouldn't judge the book by the cover, but everybody does. It's an artform; for too long major publishers have relied on tried and tested shots from Getty images -- the eBook packagers are pushing the boat out, however, and we're seeing some real creativity in these covers. 

What's the best piece of craft advice you've been given? 

Exclamation marks are like laughing at your own jokes!

What's the best piece of business advice you've been given?

Don't leave the publicity to your publisher -- do all you can yourself.

What's your favourite part of the writing process?

The actual writing; I don't get much out of planning, or plotting, or editing ... I like the aspect of carving out the words. Making the sentences come together and sing.

What aspects of marketing your books do you enjoy? 

The actual events. Meeting the public is always rewarding because how else are you going to really know what people think? Writing is a lonely profession and it's one of the few opportunities writers actually have to meet the people buying their product.

What are you reading now?

I've just finished a book but next on my list is Ray Banks' California.

What's your view on eBook pricing?

There is some overpricing, but maybe that's balanced out by underpricing. These things always find their own level though so we're probably going to see them meet in the middle in future.

Do you read outside of the crime genre?

I do, very regularly. I am a big fan of William McIlvanney's work and I regularly read his novels. The Kiln and Weekend are works of genius; nobody has the ability to dissect society like McIlvanney -- he sees beyond all the lazy axioms people live their lives by and exposes the rotten crap beneath.

Truth Lies Bleeding by Tony Black
£8.64/$12.00
Amazon UK, Amazon US