The Australian Literature Review is running 6 week suspense novella writing courses in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, starting at the end of March.

Two groups will run in each city.

Each course will comprise a 1hr45min session each week for six weeks and cost $395 (which can be split into two or three monthly payments). In addition to face-to-face classes, writers will receive ongoing online support to develop their suspense novella writing skills. EARLYBIRD SPECIAL: enrol by midnight Fri Feb 24 and pay only $295 for the six week course and ongoing support.

The 6 week course will help each writer build a solid foundation for writing suspense novellas, using suspense novellas from Stephen King (who needs no introduction), Cornell Woolrich (best known for his novella adapted as Alfred Hitchock’s renowned film Rear Window), and Leonardo Sciascia (whose novella Open Doors was adapted as the critically acclaimed and award winning Italian film of the same name). The course will also include a mix of novels and graphic novels as examples to help build suspense novella writing skills. These skills will be transferrable to a broader range of fiction writing.

EXTRAS:

Private blog on writing suspense novellas

A private blog will be available to workshop participants with articles on writing suspense novellas. Access to this blog will continue beyond the end of the workshops.

Private Facebook group

A private Facebook group will be available to workshop participants so writers from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane can network with each other. Access to this group will continue beyond the end of the workshops.

Double novelist feedback for two writers

Workshop participants will be invited to submit a one-page suspense novella outline and the first 1500 words of that novella at the end of the six weeks. The two judged most promising as a well-crafted and commercially viable novella will each receive 500+ words of feedback from both Michael White and JF Englert.

Two books of four suspense novellas to be published in 2013

Two books of four suspense novellas will be published in 2013 – one with contemporary realistic suspense and one open to suspense of all sorts – and workshop participants will be well placed to submit for these two books.

TIMES, DATES AND VENUES:

BRISBANE (Riparian Plaza boardroom, Eagle St)

Tue 9:15am – 11am. Begins Tuesday March 27

Tue 11:15am – 1pm. Begins Tuesday March 27

SYDNEY (World Tower penthouse, Liverpool St between George St and Pitt St)

Wed 4:15pm – 6pm. Begins Wednesday March 28

Thu 6:45am – 8:30am. Begins Thursday March 29

MELBOURNE (Melbourne Central Executve Suites, La Trobe St between Elizabeth St and Swanston St)

Fri 9:15am – 11am. Begins Friday March 30

Fri 11:15am – 1pm. Begins Friday March 30

To enrol, email auslit@hotmail.com with your desired location and timeslot and you will receive a response confirming availability and payment details.

ABN: 96 236 786 730

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

Your short story Glittering Were the Leaves is in the Ho Ho Horror anthology. What can readers look forward to in Glittering Were the Leaves?

I think they can look forward to having their preconceptions challenged, that the world as we see it isn’t the only one that’s out there. As well I think that the mix of the ordinary and the extraordinary is something that will drag them into the world of the narrator as well as J.L. I think I’ll have done my job if one reader checks the leaves on the trees or sees something flicker at the edge of their vision and wonder if it’s happening to them.

Glittering Were the Leaves and the other stories in Ho Ho Horror are Christmas horror stories. Have you read many Christmas horror stories before, or do you think writing Glittering Were the Leaves will entice you to read more Christmas horror stories in the future?

I can’t remember reading too many Christmas horror stories before but there must be some hanging in the memory banks somewhere. I do think I’ll read more but probably sparingly. I’d probably avoid some that run the the risk of becoming cliched. I’ll definitely write more. There is a rich trove of Christmas legends, carols and tales that seem to be crying out for a twist and a spooky take on them. I mean, what could have happened if Good King Wenceslas looked out and saw something he shouldn’t? I’d like to examine that a bit more.

Of the other Ho Ho Horror stories, what is one of your personal favourites and what made it work for you as a reader?

I thought Glittering Were the Leaves was…oh shit, sorry, that’s, mine isn’t it? Umm where was I? Oh yes, to my mind Christmas Secrets and Rainmaker stood out. They both had a good narrative drive and drew you along into the story and you felt the characters were real and reacted like I would, or as I think I would.

What kinds of fiction do you most enjoy reading, and what are some of your favourite recent reads?

Surrisingly I’m not a big horror reader but I prefer tales that depict ordinary people in life-changing experiences. Some can be like Tim Winton, others by Paulo Coelho. It depends a lot on my state of mind. I’ve just started reading Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series after hearing about them for so long. I guess stories like that are my inspiration despite the twist I like to put in mine.

Who is one of your favourite fictional characters from a story you have read recently, and what makes that character work so well for you as a reader?

In Tales of the City there is a character called Michael. He’s my favourite character because he can be related to on many levels. He’s serious, funny, looks for love in all the wrong places which is something I think we’ve all done from time to time. And despite that he keeps on going, knowing the something better is just around the corner and if not that one then the next. I guess he’s irrpressible and I like that trait.

If you could bring one storyteller back from the dead for a day for the sole purpose of talking to them about writing fiction, who would it be and why?

Charles Dickens without a doubt. In these days of getting degrees in writing he was a man who shows us all how it can be done without getting one. I’d love to know why he focussed so strongly on social and ethical issues yet still wrote such wonderful characters and plotlines that we can only marvel at today.

You used to live in Australia and studied a Grad Dip in Creative Writing in Australia before moving to the Ohio in the United States. Have you personally noticed major differences between writing in Australia versus writing in the United States, or do you think the internet just opens up opportunities and the ability to connect with people wherever you are?

With the internet you can connect with other writers and agents and publishing companies I don’t think it matters in that respect. But being in another country opens you up to the differences between the two as well as the similarities. The writing process itself doesn’t change for me but the themes and people do and the stories I write will probably reflect that. Time will tell I guess.

What is next for your fiction writing?

At this stage I really have no idea other than keep on observing people in action and then thinking ‘what if’. I suppose that although most writers would like to write a novel I like the concept of the short story and making something happen in a limited number of words. It’s a different form of writing and for me I’d like to master it and in time get a collection published. Any publishers out there?

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

Your short story Naughty or Nice is in the Ho Ho Horror anthology. What can readers look forward to in Naughty or Nice?

Most Christmas tales are set in the northern hemisphere but Australian readers will enjoy the familiar setting of this story. This is especially true for fellow Queenslanders who may have grown up in a typical Queenslander house with creaking floor boards and a tin roof and who, as I did, wondered how Santa Claus got into houses with no chimneys. However, the setting is secondary to the characters in this tale. The story is about a little boy who has behaved naughtily and is afraid that he might miss out on a visit from Santa. It explores character traits that are particularly relevant to children such as innocence and selfishness.

Naughty or Nice and the other stories in Ho Ho Horror are Christmas horror stories. Have you read many Christmas horror stories before, or do you think writing Naughty or Nice will entice you to read more Christmas horror stories in the future?

I haven’t read many Christmas horror stories before apart from Charles Dickens’ legendary Christmas Ghost Stories. Ho Ho Horror has definitely enticed me to read more. I think that the contrast between the love and purity that Christmas represents and the darkness of horror stories makes for entertaining and thought-provoking fiction.

You write short stories but also have a novella and a novel published. To what extent do you treat each length as having distinct structural differences, or do you treat them as much the same but just different lengths?

They are very different. Novels show the reader how a character changes –for better or for worse – as a result of a series of challenges. They enable the writer to invent a setting in detail and to link characters to each other in ways that are often subtle and complex. For me, the novella is great for adventure or mystery tales. You don’t necessarily want to go into the depth of character development or use numerous interweaving plots the way you do in a novel. The novella gives you enough length to introduce a character but gives emphasis to the plot. I like my novellas to be fast-paced and intriguing. The short story is my favourite length and the most important aspect of it is the story idea itself. You can’t develop characters and evoke the atmosphere of the setting as profoundly as you can in a longer work but you can thrust the reader into a particular moment in time and give him a nasty surprise.

What kinds of fiction do you most enjoy reading, and what are some of your recent favourite reads?

I mostly read fiction that falls into the genres of mystery, suspense and horror and tend to read more short stories and novellas than novels. I’ve been spending more time writing than reading recently but am finally working my way through “Flesh Wounds”, one of Christopher Fowler’s early short story collections. I am a big fan of his urban psychological suspense. 

What is it that draws you to writing mystery/suspense/horror, as opposed to other kinds of fiction?

That’s a difficult question to answer. I guess it’s the ability that these genres give you to get the reader thinking about what is happening in the story. I like inventing strange events and settings in which a character has to try to solve a problem or discover a secret. Sometimes I let them succeed and sometimes I don’t – maybe the former is more my mystery side and the latter my horror side.

Who is one of your favourite fictional characters from a story you have read recently, and what makes that character work so well for you as a reader?

I read Tony Richard’s “The Harvest Bride” a couple of months ago and found it very easy to imagine the main character who was a dysfunctional journalist with a mysterious past involving the Vietnam War. He suited the story well and was the perfect stereotype of a has-been journo.

If you could bring one storyteller back from the dead for a day for the sole purpose of talking to them about writing fiction, who would it be and why?

My first reaction would be Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but I think an encounter with Edgar Allan Poe would be far stranger. He was a master of the suspenseful plot and invoked chilling gothic atmospheres. I think that just being in the same room with him without even asking him any questions would provide me with plenty of inspiration.

What is next for your fiction writing?

I’m trying to get better with every page I write. The art of writing is the same as any other art – it takes time and dedication. I just want to write stories that I like and hope that people will enjoy reading them. I am going to self-publish my debut short story collection early next year (2012) and am busy planning the marketing for that at the moment. I also have one novella (that I intend to be the first in a series) about a green tea addicted private investigator of strange occurrences currently under consideration with an Australian dark fiction publisher. I have numerous short stories under consideration with magazines and anthologies and am working on more short stories. I am also slowly working on a second suspense novel.

***
More on Cameron Trost and his fiction can be found at www.trostlibrary.blogspot.com and you can read a recent interview with him about writing short stories on Authors Compare at http://www.authorscompare.net/2011/12/cameron-trost-author-interview-short.html.

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

Your short story Satan Claus is in the Ho Ho Horror anthology. What can readers look forward in Satan Claus?

By virtue of its title they can expect a devilish mix of horror and Satanism, set on the backdrop of Christmas. Christmas is a day of hope, a day when we all prepare to share love and quality time. The inextinguishable flame of joyful giving flares profusely like the sun. No one expects anything unusual and, suffice to say, in this story the devil takes advantage of that; and threatens to take over the world by extinguishing that flame of Christmas. He ascends from Hell, with his demonic minions and smears evil on this joyful day. He wants to finally take over the world, and consequently Christmas seems under threat and it’s up to a few friends to decide the Fate of this day which for thousands of years has symbolized joy.

You live near Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe. What is it like for you writing fiction in Zimbabwe?

Well, unfortunately at this point in time my flavour of fiction is a bit bitter for the general populace. There’s not so much passion for Horror, Sci-Fi and fantasy so in that respect it’s rather awkward. However, Zimbabwe’s such a beautiful place, her natural scenery and picturesque environment helps inspire me in many ways. As a writer it is the things around you; the fresh air, the flora, fauna and quietness which determine the sobriety of your work. I’ve also lived in Botswana, Rwanda and Mozambique and all those settings play a great role in adding texture to my work.

What kinds of fiction do you most enjoy reading, and do you have some favourites?

I love Japanese Manga comics. There is something unique about the Japanese’s appreciation of fantasy, it’s as though fantasy is imbued in the fabric of their culture. When reading Japanese Manga or watching anime films are draw a certain supernatural inspiration from them. My favourite, I’ll are Akira Toriyama’s Dragonball comics; which are brimful of action, adventure and science-fiction. Akira Toriyama paints a very vivid alternative, semi-futuristic universe which captivates me. Beyond that I’m inspired by the likes of George Orwell and the French writer Albert Camus.

What kinds of fiction do you most enjoy writing and why?

I’m so much into science fiction and fantasy. And themes I like to explore are often centred on alien life and mankind being obliged to live with the possibility of aliens existing. I’ve written a novel, though not yet published; centred upon an alien conspiracy. It’s a futuristic novel, and in the plot mankind’s forced to live with the fact that aliens have lived amongst us secretly since the dawn of our civilisation. I guess I like to explore such themes because in many ways I like to identify with the idea of being extraterrestrial. Immersing myself in this extraterrestrial complexity makes me come alive as a being from another planet. On another scale I feel that every human being is an extraterrestrial. And, beyond that, the unknown plagues us all. When we gaze at the night sky, and the cosmic soup bubbles with a melange of stars, we’re forced to ask: Are we really alone?

Have you studied a fiction writing course? Or are you self taught? And would you recommend the way you learned to write fiction to others?

I’d say self-taught. I’ve never attended a writing course, other than my experience in high-school, and my own deep-seated passion for creative writing. From an early age I’ve had an inherent passion for fantasy. I really started seriously writing prose about two years ago, even though I’ve been writing poetry more than five years. I guess I started getting bored of school and needed a form of inspiration; so I started to create alternative universes to thrill, kill and chill myself. I can’t say I’d really recommend anything in particular to anyone. I believe that if anyone has a passion, they should go for it, regardless of the barriers in one’s way. Society often prescribes ways in which things should be done, and I believe that that, in some way hampers creative thought. As a free spirit I believe that one should soar freely in the sky of liberty.

Who is one of your favourite fictional characters, and what makes that character work so well for you as a reader?

Admittedly, I’m not the best reader in the world, but I admire Albert Camus’s Mersault, in the Stranger. He is an apathetical human being; a persona removed from society. Though on the surface he appears to be a simple being; one who is not concerned so much about life, he is a very volatile person. What makes him volatile is not the fact that he kills a man and doesn’t seem remorseful; but more so the fact that he is a non-conformist. Such characters inspire me because they disgust, scare us, frighten us and equally inspire us.

If you could bring one storyteller back from the dead for a day for the sole purpose of talking to them about writing fiction, who would it be and why?

I think I’d bring back the Greek tragedian Sophocles.  In Oedipus Rex, or Oedipus the King Sophocles manages to create a psychologically complex play. He creates an interesting paradox in which Oedipus, the king of Thebes inexorably sleeps with his own mother, and begets children with her, inadvertently. The play managed to petrify and frighten me because of its psychological complexity. This is despite that the play was pre-Shakespearean; it was written earlier than 300 AD, yet it has the substance to capture a modern audience. I’d like to know how he managed to create such an interesting play that has entered in the Realm of Psychology through the Oedipus complex; so long ago.

What is next for you fiction writing?

For me writing is like a form of religion. When I’m write I ascend to another realm and I feel like I’m undergoing some form of transcendental meditation. That gives me a sense of purpose; as a result, I believe that I shall keep on writing, and in the near future I hope to finally publish a novel in Science-fiction fantasy. I’m very active in this genre and have written quite a lot of works; short stories and novel. My hope is that in the near future readers will give me the go ahead to inspire, thrill, chill and let them feel an alternative universe.

***
More on Keith Mushonga and his fiction can be found at www.keithmushonga.blogspot.com.

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

Your short story Ho Ho Ho was the inspiration for the Ho Ho Horror anthology. How did you come to write Ho Ho Ho?

I found the Australian bush an inspiring place for horror fiction – the small town settings, the isolation, a landscape that can feel dangerous and threatening – and I wanted to write a series of horror short stories set in the fictional town of Jemimaville in North East Victoria. ‘Ho, ho, ho’ is the first story I’ve done, the second one ‘Carneval (sic)’ is almost finished. The idea would be that characters from one story would appear fleetingly in the other stories, so a story, say , about Jemimaville’s doctor might start with him treating Danny Coyle, the main protagonist of ‘Ho, ho, ho’.

What can readers look forward to in Ho Ho Ho?

When I’ve sent ‘Ho, ho, ho’ to friends I’ve normally added a health warning along the lines of ‘this is a nasty story – you’ve been warned!’ I think it’s the ending that particularly freaks people out – anything to do with eyes is a hard one (I still can’t watch the eye scene in ‘Un Chien Andalou’). It’s a bit of a comic satire on doting parents and spoilt children I guess too. Lieutenant Danger is based on ‘Captain Scarlet’, from the Gerry Anderson (‘Thunderbirds’) series, which I used to love as a kid and still do – I bought the whole series on DVD in Melbourne last year. I also used to have an Action Man and would to drop him out of my bedroom window – but there (I hope) any similarities between me and Danny end!

Both Ho Ho Ho and your novel Mice feature violence and psychological disturbance. What do you think makes these kinds of stories appeal to readers, or what appeals to you about writing these kinds of stories?

When other kids were reading Enid Blyton, ‘Treasure Island’, and ‘Swallows and Amazons’, I was reading American horror comics. They were gory and violent and full of delicious black humour and irony. I enjoyed the shock and the power of these comics, the melodramatic hyperbole, the extreme plots, the unexpected twist endings, and I suppose they established the paradigm for the type of story I wanted to write. What I’ve learnt over the years is that you can use the horror/thriller genre to explore serious issues and that, ironically, it’s by looking in very dark places that we can shed the most light on the human condition. Arguably, that’s what Shakespeare did – ‘Macbeth’ (murder), ‘Othello’ (jealousy), ‘Hamlet’ (revenge) – characters in extremis, characters buckling and bending out of shape under extraordinary stress, that’s where you find the real meat in the sandwich.

What are some of your favourite horror stories, and what makes them work so well for you as a reader?

I would say my stand out horror stories would be ‘The Monkey’s Paw’ (W.W. Jacobs), ‘Green Fingers’ (RC Cook), Poe’s ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ and ‘The Cask of Amontillado’, Graham Greene’s ‘Proof Positive’ and ‘The End of the Party’ and Maupassant’s ‘The Hand’ and ‘A Vendetta’. Each story has a ‘gory’ element, but they have something else which is more important. You could call it ‘the chill factor’ – Major Weaver talking in tongues and drumming his fingers on the table before collapsing dead in ‘Proof Positive’, or the widow Saverini feeding her lean black dog ‘something brown’ as she returns home after the murder in ‘A Vendetta’. It’s the little details that make the flesh creep that embed a really good horror story in the mind. I read ‘Green Fingers’ once when I was a kid and I haven’t read it since, but I’ve never forgotten the image of the naked old woman growing slowly up out of the soil in the back garden like some hideous shrub.

You recently toured the US for Mice. What was that experience like for you?

I wish it had been a tour of the US, maybe that will come later. I actually just spent a week in New York and did a podcast and a radio interview. The US publication is hugely important for any book and I was chuffed to get good reviews in The New Yorker magazine and the New York Times. Now ‘Mice’ has been optioned by Groundswell, the US movie production company, I think its profile will grow in the US – especially when the director has been assigned and the two female leads have been cast. I am very pleased ‘Mice’ is in Groundswell’s hands now – Groundswell made the movie ‘Sideways’ which is one of my all-time favourites.

What advice would you like to offer for writers starting their first novel manuscript?

I suppose patience is one of the most important things for a new writer to have – I had to wait seven years for ‘Mice’ to be published. Along with patience you need persistence; you have to keep on going even after receiving a million rejection slips. The fact is that you could write the greatest novel ever written and publishers will still return it saying ‘sorry, we do not read unsolicited manuscripts.’ I would also advise new writers to think commercially. There are great opportunities now in genre fiction – the world never tires of detective stories – and once you’ve made money with five novels about your hard-bitten gumshoe you can then write your ‘War and Peace’. I think you have to box clever, look where the trends are (eg crossover novels) and see if you can’t make a name there – no one says you have to do that forever, but getting a start is so hard it’s smart to try to level the playing field a bit. Never forget the Dr Johnson quote: ‘No man but a blockhead ever wrote, except for money.’

If you could bring one storyteller back from the dead for a day for the sole purpose of talking to them about writing fiction, who would it be and why?

That’s a tough one. Tolstoy would definitely be on the list as would Graham Greene, but I think George Orwell would be my first choice. Orwell’s output was amazingly varied; he wrote ‘traditional’ novels (‘Burmese Days’), memoir (‘A Homage to Catalonia’), political allegory/children’s fiction (‘Animal Farm’), science fiction (’1984’), comedy (‘Keep the Aspidistra Flying’), and campaigning journalism in the tradition of Dickens (‘The Road to Wigan Pier’), so, although maybe not as naturally gifted as Tolstoy or Greene, he was the consummate writer, experimenting in an assortment of genres that required different techniques and aesthetics. I think the variety of his literary output plus his idiosyncratic mind and brutal honesty would afford some amazing insights into the writing process.

What is next for your fiction writing?

I’m writing an adult novella called ‘The Dentist’ at the moment, a thriller/horror set in the UK in the 1950s. When I’ve finished that I’ll return to my Jemimaville stories and the new young adult novel for Allen and Unwin. I’d like to write for cinema and am half way through a script writing course at the moment. Script writing is very different to prose writing, and although the actual writing is easier, figuring out the best way to present your story visually is actually very hard!

***
More on Gordon Reece and his fiction can be found at www.gordon-reece.com. You can read a previous interview with Gordon Reece on The Australian Literature Review at http://auslit.net/2011/03/29/gordon-reece-author-interview.

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

Since the launch of D Publishing about two weeks ago, the issue of their Publishing Agreement has been covered in arrange of articles online. Below is a small selection:

Dymocks Responds to Criticism of D Publishing Contract

D Publishing: Dymocks New Self-Pub Service

Could this be Australia’s worst publishing contract? And bookselling icon Dymocks is behind it.

The Only thing Worse Than D Publishing’s Fees is Their Contract – The Digital Reader

‘Authors Beware’: Interview with Steve Rossiter editor of The Australian Literature Review on the D Publishing Saga

The new agreement leaves the door wide open for a company like CreateSpace to step in and open a local printing hub for print-on-demand books to be printed in Australia, or for an Australian printing company like Griffin to offer a print-on-demand publishing service and cut D Publishing out of the deal. It’s a shame because D Publishing could have been enthusiastically embraced by Australian authors and could have positioned Dymocks to grow into something like an Australasian Amazon, but I don’t see how they are going to attract a lot of quality content with their new Publishing Agreement.

The sad thing is I discussed issues which remain in the Publishing Agreement with Michael Allara, Dymocks General Manager of eCommerce, and suggested solutions.

They have addressed or partially addressed some things, but there are major problems they have been unable or unwilling to adequately address.

***

The agreement now includes a short ‘Guide to Publishing Agreement’ at the start, which includes the assertion that “the agreement is designed to be read in conjunction with the process for publishing your work with D Publishing as some of the concepts in the agreement relate to data or choices that you make when producing and managing your “Completed Work”.” This leaves open ambiguity about what is merely an operational matter which can be readily changed and what is actually being offered and guaranteed to authors. With no means for an author to terminate the agreement, except by permission from D Publishing or where a breach by D Publishing can be proven which is not remedied within 28 days after the author has issued written notification of the breach to D Publishing, this could prove problematic for authors.

Below is a discussion of some of the notable aspects of the new agreement:

An author grants exclusive distribution rights for the work to what D Publishing call their Core Distribution Channels (Dymocks stores, the Dymocks website and Google eBooks).

3.1 If the Author selects distribution through the Core Distribution Channel only then the Author grants to D Publishing the sole and exclusive licence to:

(1) to print, publish and sell the Work in hardcopy; and

(2) to produce, publish and sell electronic book and multimedia (being any format or file that combines two or more media such as text, image, video or sound) forms of the Work; and

(3) to produce, publish and sell audible (or spoken) book,

through the Core Distribution Channels and for the territory of the world in the Core Distribution Channel only.

D Publishing may nominate what they call Nominated Secondary Distribution Channels and an author has 30 days to reject that distribution channel or D Publishing will have exclusive distribution rights for the work in that distribution channel. (An author would have to ensure they are not without access to appropriate means of communication to receive and respond to notifications for 30 days or more.)

If the Author selects distribution through the Core and Secondary Distribution Channel then the Author grants to D Publishing a:

(1) sole and exclusive licence to:
(a) to print, publish and sell the Work in hardcopy; and
(b) to produce, publish and sell electronic book and multimedia (being any format or file that combines two or more media such as text, image, video or sound) forms of the Work,; and
(c) to produce, publish and sell audible (or spoken) book,
through the Core Distribution Channels and for the territory of the world in the Core Distribution Channel only; and

(2) sole and exclusive licence to:
(a) to print, publish and sell the Work in hardcopy; and
(b) to produce, publish and sell electronic book and multimedia (being any format or file that combines two or more media such as text, image, video or sound) forms of the Work,; and
(c) to produce, publish and sell audible (or spoken) book,
through the Nominated Secondary Distribution Channels and for the territory of the world in the Nominated Secondary Distribution Channel only; and

(3) non-exclusive licence, in conjunction with the Author, to:
(a) to print, publish and sell the Work in hardcopy; and
(b) to produce, publish and sell electronic book and multimedia (being any format or file that combines two or more media such as text, image, video or sound) forms of the Work; and
(c) to produce, publish and sell audible (or spoken) book; and
(d) to exercise, including by way of sub-licence, all rights in the Work other than its first volume and electronic publication rights (Subsidiary Rights).

If an author rejects any of the Nominated Secondary Distribution Channels put forward by D Publishing, D Publishing can choose to amend their agreement with that author to remove all Nominated Secondary Distribution Channels.

D Publishing may, from time to time, give notice that a Secondary Distribution Channel has become a Nominated Secondary Distribution Channel. Where this occurs the Author will be notified and given 30 days to object to the nomination of the relevant channel. Where the Author rejects the nomination of a Secondary Distribution Channel D Publishing may, at its option, elect to stop distributing the Work through all Secondary Distribution Channels (including Nominated Secondary Distribution Channels). Where this occurs the Licence is automatically varied to remove D Publishing’s right to distribute the Work through Secondary Distribution Channels.

An author can work with distributors to distribute the work to channels which have not been established as Core or Nominated Secondary distribution channels, but cannot license any rights for the work to another publisher.

Clause 3.2(3) expressly permits the Author to personally distribute the Work through Secondary Distribution Channels until such time as that channel or distribution method is nominated by D Publishing as a ’Nominated Secondary Distribution Channel’. The Author may at any time grant to a third party distributor the right to distribute the Work on its behalf but may not enter into an agreement with another publisher in relation to the Work which would result in part or all of copyright in the Work being licensed to the publisher.

This means that an author locks themself into D Publishing as the sole publisher for the work apart from self-publishing carried out by the author (without the assistance of other publishers).

An implication of this is that authors cannot sell territorial rights to various publishers in various countries to take advantage of the capabilities of different publishers suited to doing a good job in different regions of the world. If an author rejects a Nominated Secondary Distribution Channel and D Publishing removes all Nominated Secondary Distribution Channels from that authors agreement then their only remaining option for publishing the work to be distributed beyond Dymocks and Google eBooks is self-publishing.

An author now grants non-exclusive subsidiary rights to D Publishing (but they cannot ‘reasonably withhold permission for D Publishing to exercise a subsidiary right’). Although subsidiary rights are granted non-exclusively, the scope of the exclusive license for distribution channels established under the agreement still allows for exclusive audiobook and movie adaptation rights for those distribution channels.

The new Publishing Agreement has a range of notes added throughout the document. However, a clause near the end states “notes in the document are inserted for reference only and do not form part of the agreement itself”. D Publishing still has the ability to make changes to the agreement written in but a note includes: “D Publishing cannot use the clause above to change the commercial terms set at the time the Author enters into the contract.” I will leave you to judge what level of assurance that provides.

A note also states: “The Author controls the quantity of physical books produced, not D Publishing.”

There is now no mention in the Publishing Agreement or the Rate Card of what rates an author receives for subsidiary rights.

There is now mention in the agreement that authors who hold an ABN in relation to their writing activities should ask D Publishing for an agreement amended to cater for this. It no longer says that an author should not have an ABN at all.

***

I think this is a big opportunity being wasted by Dymocks. I also think most authors are not going to be prepared to license their rights to a publishing service which takes the rewards of an upper-end traditional publisher while taking on obligations similar to a hands-off self-publishing service or vanity press in return.

***

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

Your short story Let It Snow is in the Ho Ho Horror anthology. What can readers look forward to in Let It Snow?

Jake Wellman is on an idyllic Christmas holiday: a secluded resort in the middle of a beautiful pine forest. Jake strikes up an unlikely acquaintance with the overly-friendly owner, Duncan Mackay. But after they share a dark secret, Jake realises there is something not quite right. Suddenly Jake finds himself alone in his cabin, his wife and family are gone. And then he finds the blood. Let It Snow is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Jake Wellman, a father desperately trying to find his family to save them and uncover the truth. But sometimes the truth is best left hidden.

Let It Snow and the other stories in Ho Ho Horror are Christmas horror stories. Have you read many Christmas horror stories before, or do you think writing Let It Snow will entice you to read more Christmas horror stories in the future?

I have read a couple of Christmas horror stories before, and usually enjoyed them. It’s a fascinating mix: Christmas (a time meant for cheer, happiness, and love) mixed with horror (fear, loss, and that warm feeling that is briefly comforting before you realise that you’ve actually just wet yourself in sheer terror). A collision of totally different concepts. I’m really looking forward to reading the other stories in Ho Ho Horror.

The setting of Let It Snow is secluded holiday cabins in the forest. To what extent did you draw inspiration from other horror stories, such as Stephen King’s The Shining, for Let It Snow?

I think seclusion is one of the most important aspects of horror (whether that be physical, emotional, or even psychological seclusion). Seclusion allows things to happen that couldn’t normally happen, and it brings that sense of hopelessness. Stephen King did it brilliantly with The Shining, and his earlier work, Misery, and Agatha Christie did it very well in And Then There Were None. All of these stories created a believable and hopeless seclusion, and I hope Let It Snow brings a similar feeling of being totally and utterly helpless.

What kinds of fiction do you most enjoy reading, and what are some of your recent favourite reads?

I love good horror, from King to Koontz to Laymon. But I enjoy anything that feels fresh and keeps me guessing. I’m a big fan of legal thrillers, such as Grisham and Grippando. I really enjoy action thrillers, such as Lee Child, Gregg Hurwitz, David Baldacci. I recently picked up an old Joseph Finder book, High Crimes, which was a great read, and just about to finish Vince Flynn’s, The Third Option.

What is it that draws you to writing suspense/thriller/horror fiction, as opposed to other kinds of fiction?

I find there is a lot of truth in horror–not on the fictional surface, but deep down where the vein of reality runs. A stark snapshot of what we are, and what we can be, as humans. Writing horror is like doing a live autopsy on the human psyche. Horror also throws away a lot of the “rules” that govern day to day life. With horror, anything can (and probably will) happen. It keeps you guessing.

Who is one of your favourite fictional characters from a novel you have read recently, and what makes that character work so well for you as a reader?

I’ve just started reading a novella by Dean Koontz, The Moonlit Mind. The main character is a little boy, 12 years old, alone in a city where adults kill, and ghosts walk. I’m only about 10 or so pages into it, but already the little boy and his side-kick companion, the golden retriever mix, have already grown on me. When “weak” characters show commendable strength, we can’t help but admire, and even like, them.

If you could bring one storyteller back from the dead for a day for the sole purpose of talking to them about writing fiction, who would it be and why?

Michael Crichton. When Crichton left us, it was one of the saddest days in fiction, in my opinion. He had a style no one else has matched, and I believe he had a LOT more to offer. I love his ability to not only entertain and make you think, but also to make you imagine, and to make you ask, “What if?”

What is next for your fiction writing?

Next will be my full length novel. This is a story that has stuck with me, in essence, ever since I rediscovered my love for writing about eight or nine years ago, and demanded to be written ever since. It’s a thriller that asks the question, “How far would you go to protect your family?”

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More on Sam Stephen and his fiction can be found at www.samstephens.com. You can read prvious interviews with Sam Stephens on The Australian Literature Review at http://auslit.net/2010/09/22/sam-stephens-author-interview and http://auslit.net/2011/04/28/sam-stephens-author-interview-2, and on Authors Compare at http://www.authorscompare.net/2011/09/sam-stephens-author-interview-short.html.
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Between now and Christmas, search ‘let it snow’ on Google (or click http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=let+it+snow&btnK) then wait for a little surprise.

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

I had a positive phone conversation with senior management at D Publishing about redrafting their publishing agreement to better express their intentions and address authors’ concerns. Major concerns should be addressed this week and could result in a good offering for authors.
UPDATE: Dec 16
I spoke with Michael Allara, Dymocks General Manager of eCommerce, at Dymocks Head Office on Wednesday and apparently a new Publishing Agreement will be released soon. Let’s hope they get it right. [A follow-up article to that new agreement is now online at Dymocks D Publishing - An Opportunity Being Wasted.]

The launch of Dymocks’ D Publishing yesterday was anticipated by many aspiring authors as a potential avenue for them to have their work published and distributed, and for them to pursue an ‘author-driven’ strategy for their writing career.

However, after reading the Publishing Agreement made available at www.dpublishing.com it is evident that serious issues could arise for authors signing (or clicking acceptance of) that agreement. (There was a page that could be linked to directly yesterday but this has since been replaced by a PDF download initiated by scrolling down and clicking on Publishing Agreement in the menu at the bottom.) [UPDATE Dec 10: The original Publishing Agreement has been removed from the D Publishing website and a second version has replaced it. The substantive change to the agreement is negligible. The major change has been to bury key details in less direct language and disperse that key information piecemeal across more clauses. This may make key details less obvious to inexperienced authors until they have accepted the agreement but doesn't address the problems. Plus once an author has clicked their acceptance of the agreement there is a confidentiality clause which prohibits the author from discussing the agreement. The second/latest version of the agreement can be downloaded as a PDF by clicking on http://www.dpublishing.com/UserControls/download.ashx?format=PubAgreeDymocksWeb - for now at least.] The agreement has been taken down, so here is a PDF of the D Publishing agreement that was available before it was taken down.

If you think anything here is an issue, I recommend you get hold of [the latest version of] the Publishing Agreement yourself and make up your own mind.

Authors grant an exclusive license to Dymocks for commercial rights worldwide for the duration of the copyright, including all subsidiary rights to the work

While an author would have the right for their name to be attached to the work, they are essentially HANDING OVER CONTROL OF THE COMMERCIAL ASPECTS OF COPYRIGHT WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING ALL SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS, FOR THE DURATION OF THE COPYRIGHT.

Authors inexperienced in the business of publishing and in dealing with publishing contracts may not realise the implications of what they  are agreeing to.

This is far from ‘author-driven’ for an author to make Dymocks the exclusive publisher, distributor, agent for that work and for all derivative works such as sequels and spin-offs, film and TV adaptations, audiobook adaptations, foreign language adaptations, etc.

Authors basically cannot terminate the license unless Dymocks is proven to be in breach of the agreement, which would be difficult for an author to prove, as the agreement does not put much obligation on Dymocks to do specific things. There is a clause allowing Dymocks to change the terms of the agreement at their discretion by amending the agreement on their website.

Ill-defined royalties for subsidiary rights

Author compensation for subsidiary rights is essentially that Dymocks gets NO LESS than 20% of what they call the Cost Price (which, for books, is basically defined as 50% of the retail price, so an author gets NO MORE than 40%).
An author could, however, get much less. Whether an author gets 0%, 40% or whatever else Dymocks decide is up to Dymocks.

Dymocks manage distribution and the author is liable for returned books

Dymocks can distribute an author’s work to the Dymocks book store chain and to other retailers worldwide in a manner they deem appropriate but the author is liable for any books returned.
For anyone not familiar with the process, many publishers will provide books to retailers on a sale-or-return basis – so they either sell the book or they can return it. This allows retailers to stock books while putting a lot of the financial risk back on the publisher.

Dymocks keeps 20% of an authors royalties to cover initial returns and the author is financially liable for any returned books, whatever those costs amount to.

It seems if Dymocks distribute to a large retail chain which goes bust and the retailer returns huge amounts of stock, there is the potential for authors to be bankrupt by their liability for returns.

Authors cannot hold an ABN (Australian Business Number)

Authors must declare that the exclusive worldwide license they grant to Dymocks is not subject to GST as the author is ineligible for an ABN because they are not conducting an enterprise in Australia.

Having an ABN prohibits you from granting Dymocks the license to your work, according to the Publishing Agreement.

Rights are granted exclusively and may or may not be used to any great extent

Rights are granted from the moment an author submits the Publishing Agreement but Dymocks can keep exclusive worldwide rights if they do as little as make an ebook available in any language in one ebook store anywhere in the world. Rights do not revert to the author if that’s all Dymocks ever want to do with the rights.

If Dymocks decide your novel does not have movie potential, then no movie. If Dymocks decide there should be no sequel, then no sequel.

An author’s future earnings potential, which could be based on years of time and effort, are put in Dymock’s hands and can be taken away

As the holder of exclusive rights, Dymocks could take punitive measures against authors they have a disagreement with by decreasing distribution or stopping it entirely for the author’s book(s) and not allowing the author have that work published elsewhere.

Dymocks are given editorial control

The relevant clause here is under the heading of Legally Objectionable Material but don’t let that fool you, because another clause states that:

“headings are [for] the ease of reference only and do not affect interpretation.”

Therefore the clause below applies, whether related to legally objectionable material or not:

“If the Author refuses to amend or delete passages in the Work to Dymocks reasonable satisfaction then the Author must, at the request of Dymocks, repay all monies paid by Dymocks. On repayment of all monies this agreement terminates and the rights granted to Dymocks revert to the Author.”

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In my opinion, the Publishing Agreement with Dymocks on the D Publishing website is very Dymocks-driven and not particularly author-driven, unnecessarily prohibitive for authors, and not internationally competitive with options like Amazon’s CreateSpace for print-on-demand books (with well-established non-exclusive global distribution and without expensive set-up costs) and a range of ebook options.

If any key people from D Publishing/Dymocks are reading this, I have nothing against Dymocks (or publishers or booksellers, big or small). This is in no way any sort of political issue for me, nor associated with any sort of author advocacy cause. I think this is a terrible contract for authors and it is the decent thing to do to warn people about what they may be considering getting into. I hope you take this opportunity to rewrite the Publishing Agreement and provide a more stable business proposition for authors.

Good luck to the Dymocks staff, franchisees and shareholders not involved in writing and approving the D Publishing agreement. If anyone wants questions answered or wants to make a comment to D Publishing/Dymocks regarding the issue, I suggest visiting their Facebook pages at D Publishing and Dymocks. The people working at your local Dymocks book store may have had no involvement and may also be unaware of what’s in the agreement. They also have an email address dpublishing@dymocks.com.au

– Steve Rossiter

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The only substantive change to the original Publishing Agreement seems to be the limited ability for the author to self-distribute a book published by D Publishing through sales channels not of interest to Dymocks for any of their books, and must stop if Dymocks becomes interested in those sales channels for any of their books. The author is prohibited from working with a distributor to do this.

On their Facebook page, D Publishing cited the reason for the second agreement as to make things clearer following questions and comments received so far. The issues people are discussing are substantive issues of what is actually in the agreement; not a comprehension issue.

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The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

Congratulations to everyone who had their story shortlisted for the AusLit November 2011 Short Story Comp (Murder).

I hope you all had fun and that the shortlisted writers find lots of new readers and maybe some new friends through participating in the comp.

The winner of the book pack (pictured below) courtesy of Simon & Schuster Australia is Geoff Lambert for his story God Was Wrong.

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net

The shortlist for the November short story comp is as follows:

The Long View, by Michael Grey

Truth Is, by Ross Watkins

God Was Wrong, by Geoff Lambert

Ice Cream, by Yin

Mice of the State, by Talia Walker

The October short story comp is part of a round of monthly short story comps running in September, October and November.

The winner, announced November 30th, will receive a book pack (pictured below) courtesy of Simon & Schuster Australia.

The Australian Literature Review
www.auslit.net