They say that having children changes your life and they are right – but the bald statement
does nothing to prepare you for the moment when that gurgling, crying bundle is
in your arms for the first time. It would take a book to communicate just what
that means and how your life changes over the ensuing weeks and months, and I’m
sure there are lots of good ones... but don’t hold your breath waiting for
mine.
Some of the
consequences of Aiden’s arrival became clear very quickly; the regular trips to
the gym, the surfing and paddle-boarding, movie nights and bike rides all went
immediately. Eating out with my wonderful wife survived a bit longer, at least
until regular child bedtimes became a necessity. Reading and watching tv
struggle on in the gaps in the household routine, at least when I don’t just
keel over with the sheer overwhelming exhaustion of it all.
Babies absorb the
time and energy of their parents like black holes absorb light. Get over it. All
of the above were luxuries and I know that one day those things will be back in
my life. Meanwhile, I have the joy of the smiles, laughter and astonishing
growth and development of my little boy to weigh against what’s gone.
Other consequences
have been slower to emerge. For a while now I’ve pursued a career as a novelist
around the edges of a career as a journalist and non-fiction writer. Followers
of this blog will have watched my thrillers transition from big trade
publishing houses to independent- or self-publication. I’ve charted the process
of commissioning covers and editors, of formatting, finding translators, booking adverts and writing blurbs.
It’s been a blast
and before Aiden, I had time to do all this and to write the books. But
suddenly time has become a lot more precious and I now find myself making
choices that I don’t want to make. Should I reformat the backlist to include
links to the newly published book, or write another 500 words on the
work-in-progress? Should I book an advert and run a price promotion, or write
another 500 words on the work-in-progress?
I’ve been choosing
the former (and the short-term gain) far
too often. The consequence has been that the work-in-progress just isn’t
progressing. I’m a lot less philosophical about that than I am about the
surfing and movies; writing fiction isn’t so much a luxury as a fundamental
part of who I think I am… cue a minor existential crisis.
All this was in my
mind when I was flicking through my blogroll over the Xmas holidays, and I
found Bob Mayer talking about expanding his Cool Gus publishing list in 2014.
I’ve been a regular follower of the work of Bob and his partner Jen Talty for a
couple of years now, and I very much like what they do, how they operate and
their strategic view of the fast-changing publishing world.
So I emailed them
the same day, we chatted a bit on email and then on Skype, and to cut a long
story short, I’m very pleased to say that Cool Gus will be taking over the
publication of all my novels, old and new, starting right now. Jen is already
working on new covers (the first of which you can see here, a stunning new cover for Powder Burn), and you will soon
start to see the changes roll out on Amazon, in the iBookstore and on the Nook.