"Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold

[Scarfy]

Finished it! Yep, ending was just as I thought. I liked the hints that were dropped during the course of the book, though I didn't really notice them at the time...

Ah, yes, the kite... The Angry Bell was good too

 

[Scarfy]

Met Iain for the first time the following year, at Mexicon 2 in Birmingham - and two years later I became his SF editor, when I joined Orbit!

Did you just miss out on Consider Phlebas then..? Editing it, I mean?

 

[John Jarrold]

I joined Orbit in January 1988, and we published PHLEBAS in paperback that April. These were the days when hardback publishers didn't always (or often) have paperback imprints attached, and sold paperback rights outside the company. Orbit acquired paperback rights for PHLEBAS and THE PLAYER OF GAMES from Iain's then hardback publishers, Macmillan. Then I took him on lock, stock and barrel for USE OF WEAPONS, which I published in hardback at Orbit in 1990.

 

[Scarfy]

I'm listing a few books of Banks' to read now. Was actually either going to read PLAYER OF GAMES or USE OF WEAPONS next, or maybe MATTER, but I'm not sure it's out in paperback until next year sometime and I'm not big on hardback books.

Reading THE MAGICIAN'S GUILD at the moment though and might pick up THE RED WOLF CONSPIRACY after that...

 

[John Jarrold]

I love RED WOLF - but I'm biased, of course.

USE OF WEAPONS remains my favourite of Iain's SF novels, and THE BRIDGE, THE CROW ROAD and WHIT are my mainstream favourites - along with THE WASP FACTORY (although ESPEDAIR STREET also has a place in my heart!).

 

[Flemcodogmusic]

Hi John,

Spotted what looked like a new Ramsey Campbell novel in Borders the other day: The Grin of the Dark ...

Is that his latest offering, or has it been around for a while?

Dave

 

[John Jarrold]

It was published in a limited edition by PS last year, but this is the first mass-market edition in the UK, the first time anyone will see it on the shelves of W H Smiths, Waterstones and other major bookstores. In fact, it's the first UK mass-market edition of a Ramsey Campbell novel for some years, so I'm very proud to have been involved in bringing him back to mainstream publishing over here as his UK agent. Watch my LJ blog for another announcement re his next novel, in the next couple of days.

 

[Flemcodogmusic]

Will do!

The was only one other Ramsey Campbell book on their shelves, and that was some kind of non-fiction collection ...

Why have other horror writers - James Herbert, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz, etc - always been in major bookstores, but not him?

 

[Troo]

I think part of the problem is that Ramsey's been writing horror for, gawd, YEARS now, and when horror fell out of fashion in the UK, and Ramsey seen as essentially the face of UK horror, it was deemed best to get him off the shelves.

Hurrah for Virgin, I say. Buy every copy of their toe-in-the-horror-waters series to encourage them to release more

 

[John Jarrold]

Will do!

The was only one other Ramsey Campbell book on their shelves, and that was some kind of non-fiction collection ...

Why have other horror writers - James Herbert, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz, etc - always been in major bookstores, but not him?

Yes, as Troo says, but also fashions change within genres and sometimes authors who have done quite well go through periods where they're not as much in favour as others. People like Herbert, Koontz (who started as an SF writer, remember) and Laymon long ago reached a sales level where their fans follow them in huge numbers, and they have also sometimes moved into more mainstream, thriller areas. Ramsey has never been on the same sales level as those guys, and he always writes what he loves writing, and that can sometimes be a more difficult road. Once you are a copper-bottom bestseller, like those others, you don't have to worry so much about trends. If you speak to the Head Buyer at W H Smiths, they will tell you that Terry Pratchett is not a fantasy writer, or a humorous writer - he's simply a bestseller.

 

[Sylvetra_Snake]

Just wondering if yopu could give me an idea of how tax is worked out and paid for when you earn money from sales or advances from publishers. It is always something I have wondered. I suspect that it automatically comes out of the funds before it goes to the author.

 

[Susan Boulton]

There is a whole section covering income tax in the Writers' and Artists' year book. It is quite complex, but I think the bottom line is that you are classed as self-employed, so you have to do your own books, tax and pension and national insurance, bit like running a small business in your spare time, while working at the day job.

I would suggest if you get to that point is to get some professional advice. Your bank usually has financial advisors on staff.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Just wondering if yopu could give me an idea of how tax is worked out and paid for when you earn money from sales or advances from publishers. It is always something I have wondered. I suspect that it automatically comes out of the funds before it goes to the author.

So far as I understand it, writers are effectively self-employed, and therefore will pay income tax at normal rates on all income minus allowable tax relief, plus voluntary National Insurance contributions on top.

 

[Brian G Turner]

If you speak to the Head Buyer at W H Smiths, they will tell you that Terry Pratchett is not a fantasy writer, or a humorous writer - he's simply a bestseller.

That quote needs framing.

 

[John Jarrold]

So far as I understand it, writers are effectively self-employed, and therefore will pay income tax at normal rates on all income minus allowable tax relief, plus voluntary National Insurance contributions on top.

Yep, that's pretty much it. As Susan says, look at the Writers and Artists Yearbook and talk to your bank. You may want to talk to an accountant, too...

 

[John Jarrold]

I should have some more very interesting news about new SF novelist Hannu Rajaniemi, whose three-book deal I mentioned earlier in the month, next week...have a good weekend, all.

 

[TheEndIsNigh]

Can't be any worse than the last one especially if your name happens to be Brian and for your perverse pleasures you indulge in a bit of forum web page building.

The usual caveats prevailing of course.

http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/47011-a-very-personal-crash.html#post1174564

Sorry to leap into your thread John, just couldn't resist.

 

[John Jarrold]

I am so sorry to find out about Brian's problems with the hard drive and the forum. I was away at an SF con last weekend, so didn't see it at the time. He does a truly great job and I wish him all the best, as do we all, I'm sure.

 

[dustinzgirl]

I am so sorry to find out about Brian's problems with the hard drive and the forum. I was away at an SF con last weekend, so didn't see it at the time. He does a truly great job and I wish him all the best, as do we all, I'm sure.

Plus he's just so darn sweet and adorable. Sometimes I just want to give Brian a big old huggle. He works so hard!

Hey John, I was wondering, and you don't have to answer this, but how many people do you employ, not contract authors but actual employ, like secretaries ect ect...just wondering about the technicality stuff of your end of it. Actually that interests me a lot, so if you have any info you'd like to share in that end I'd be awed to hear it.

 

[John Jarrold]

None. I do all the reading, typing, updating of files, dealing with e-mails, sending out stuff myself. I do have a contract associate, so when I do a contract with a new publisher she can run her eyes over it - she's run contracts and rights departments in London publishing for twenty years. But she lives in London and I just e-mail her stuff - which I've only done on three occasions through this year.

One-man-band, me...