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Divided We Fall manuscript acclaimed by Publishers Weekly

Published by Adam on April 18, 2013

Publishers Weekly has praised the manuscript for my unpublished second novel, Divided We Fall.

An independent reviewer from the literary mag wrote that the story “raises interesting questions about the influence of propaganda on the construction of the self, the idea of true tabula rasa and the power of memory.” In addition, “the central love story propels the narrative energetically.”

Divided We Fall received the review after finishing as a quarterfinalist in this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, one of the top 100 novels selected in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror category. Unfortunately, it was not one of the five entries to go onto the next round, but I’m quite happy with how well it did and look forward to seeking representation.

While you’re waiting for the release of Divided We Fall, please check out my first novel We, The Watched as well as my recent short stories “Life Trade” and “Smokers Corner.”

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What’s Up?

Published by Adam on December 18, 2012

I know, I know. It’s been too damn long since my last blog post.

What have I been doing? Well, journalism mainly. As you may have figured out, I’ve made it to Sydney and have been writing tech stories a plenty for Computerworld, CIO and Techworld. Check out this handy Evernote shared notebook for a selection of my best recent stuff.

On the creative side of things, I have been busy sending my new novel Divided We Fall to literary agents. This has been quite a bit of work but I am hoping for the best. I will also be entering the novel in this year’s Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, which opens for entries in January. Whatever happens, I want to try to get this novel out to the public as soon as I can. I am open to self publishing, as I did with We, The Watched, but I’m giving the traditional route a “fair go,” as they say in Australia. If you’d like to help, please review my first novel on Amazon or other stores where it’s sold–this helps get it more notice, which in turn increases demand for the sequel!

Hmm… I guess sending my novel to agents is more marketing than creative. So, on the actually creative side of things, I’ve been working on a screenplay adaptation of We, The Watched, and would say I’m about a third of the way through. It’s a fun challenge converting the story to screen. The good news is the story adapts pretty well, perhaps due to its relatively short length and emphasis on action and dialog. And the three-act movie structure is really making me think hard about how to tell the story as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Oh yeah, and I updated the blog design. Cleaner and looks better on a smartphone. Suh-weet!

So yeah, that’s me.  Will try to have more updates soon. Been listening to a lot of really good music and reading a bunch of cool comics–so yeah, look out for some new posts, yo!

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The End

Published by Adam on January 18, 2012

On Monday I typed those two words that are the goal post for any author writing a novel: The End.

Yes, that’s right. I have finished my second novel, Divided We Fall. As I mentioned last month, there is still some polishing to do, but I think it’s in good shape. I’m shooting to enter the novel in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest, which begins accepting submissions next week. After that, I will begin to circulate the novel around the publishing world. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you a release date at this point because it all depends on if it’s accepted by a publisher. I’m open to self-publishing (as I did for my previous novel, We, The Watched), but I’m going to hold off until I get more feedback from agents and publishers.

For now, here’s my current tagline for Divided We Fall:

A revolutionary and a government agent try to mend their fractured nation and reconcile a broken romance.

For more updates, please keep checking back here and also my official Facebook page.  Now, back to writing…

 

 

 

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Perspective & Cereal Prizes

Published by Adam on November 5, 2009

Still working on getting my novel WE, THE WATCHED in the hands of literary agents. I’ve had two bites on my query letter so far. One of them asked me to physically mail the first 75 pages of my manuscript. It’s in their hands now, but I’m not expecting a reply for another few weeks. It’s kind of like mailing box tops to Kellogg’s cereal to get a prize — most agents take 6-8 weeks to get back to you.

The second bite, if you were wondering, didn’t work out. The agent asked to read the first two chapters, but a few weeks later e-mailed me to say he wasn’t enthusiastic about the first-person narrative. Even though it hurts to get a rejection, I was glad to get some constructive criticism. If you haven’t taken a look at it already, my book is written in first-person present tense. That’s not exactly the most traditional style, especially for a first novel. I liked how it turned out, and peers have told me they did as well, but I can see how it might be a bit polarizing at first.

As it turns out, I’m going with a more traditional third-person past tense in the new novel I’m working on. One of the things I want to do as an author is explore a variety of different narrative styles. I actually have quite a bit of fun figuring out how best to convey plot within different writing structures. While first-person present was a great way to explore what the protagonist was thinking, the third-person style has allowed me to incorporate other characters’ perspectives and jump around a little more in the story’s time line.

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The Business of Writing

Published by Adam on September 28, 2009

So I’ve decided to make a renewed effort at publishing my novel WE, THE WATCHED.

I bought the most recent edition of Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market, and have compiled a list of about 62 literary agents (yes, 62) who I think might be right for my novel. I’ve already e-mailed query letters to about 10.  Since yesterday, six have replied and one asked me today to send the first couple chapters of my novel!

The fact that five agents said no in one day, after reading only a query letter, should give you a sense of how competitive the market is. Check out this response from one agent who I’ll leave anonymous:

I’ve begun receiving more than 30 submissions a day and, as a single agent with no assistants, I simply can not get to them all.

Given my present workload, I must wish you well with another agent.

30 submissions a day? That’s like 900 a month! Good luck with that, guy.

The usual process for submitting a novel, if you were wondering, is as follows.

  1. Send a one-page query letter including a short summary of the work, why people would pay for it, and a bio.
  2. Wait. Hope.
  3. If agent expresses interest, send a synopsis and part of the manuscript — usually the first 5-50 pages, depending on agent’s workload
  4. Wait. Hope.
  5. If they still like your novel, send the full manuscript
  6. Wait. Hope.

So far I’ve gotten to step 3 two times. The first time ended in rejection, the second…is currently pending. The important thing is to keep trying. And if it doesn’t work out, write something else and try again. That’s my plan, anyway.

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Adam Bender | adambenderwrites.com | watchadam.blog