Welcome to my message board.
New member registration has been disabled due to heavy spammer activity. If you'd like to join the board, please email me at MaxDevore at hotmail dot com.
New member registration has been disabled due to heavy spammer activity. If you'd like to join the board, please email me at MaxDevore at hotmail dot com.
The Road to the Dark Tower - what is it?
The early days:
The Road to the Dark Tower will be a NAL trade paperback in November 2004. It's an exploration of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, the first book to investigate the intricacies of the entire seven-volume epic that brackets King's publishing career. He started work on the first volume, The Gunslinger, in 1970, prior to publication of Carrie, and will publish the final volume, The Dark Tower in 2004, after which he has announced his intention to retire from publishing.
Read an interview with me about THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER.
Before I started this message board, I made occasional additions to a web page to update people on the project. I've now moved this all here.
The Road to the Dark Tower will be a NAL trade paperback in November 2004. It's an exploration of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, the first book to investigate the intricacies of the entire seven-volume epic that brackets King's publishing career. He started work on the first volume, The Gunslinger, in 1970, prior to publication of Carrie, and will publish the final volume, The Dark Tower in 2004, after which he has announced his intention to retire from publishing.
Read an interview with me about THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER.
Before I started this message board, I made occasional additions to a web page to update people on the project. I've now moved this all here.
Comments
Tuesday, 10/15/02 : Bounce idea off some people I respect. Receive encouraging feedback.
Thursday, 10/17/02: Propose book on Dark Tower series to King.
Friday, 10/18/02: King approves my book proposal, authorizes his office to send me DT 5-7.
Monday, 10/21/02: Submit proposal to Scribner - response the same day: an encouraging rejection. They're doing Robin Furth's Concordance so can't justify a second tie-in.
Thursday, 10/24/02: Query an unnamed agent. Never receive a response one way or the other. His loss!
Friday, 10/25/02: Query Penguin Putnam, the publisher of DT1-4 in paperback.
Thursday, 10/31/02: Positive response from Ron Martirano, assistant editor in charge of Dark Tower at NAL (Penguin Putnam) requesting full proposal. Penguin is the country's second-largest publisher and encompasses a number of imprints including NAL (New American Library), Signet, Plume, and Dutton, among others.
Monday, 11/04/02: Further response from NAL VP and Publisher, expressing interest in the project.
Wednesday, 11/06/02: Finish reading DT7 for the first time.
Friday, 11/08/02: E-mail query Ellenberg Literary Agency for representation. Favorable response later the same day: requests proposal.
Saturday, 11/09/02: Prepare proposal. Solicit promises of blurbs from appropriate authors.
Tuesday, 11/12/02: Send proposal to Michael Psaltis at Ellenberg Literary Agency.
Friday, 11/15/02: Ron Martirano at NAL requests proposal to read over Thanksgiving. Send proposal the same day.
Friday, 12/06/02: Ron Martirano passes proposal on to his publisher. “Cross your fingers,” he writes.
Thursday, 12/12/02: Favorable response from publisher.
Friday, 12/13/02: Ron Martirano presents project to head of sales.
Monday, 12/16/02: Michael Psaltis agrees to represent THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER. I put him in touch with Ron Martirano, who he already knew.
Wednesday, 12/18/02: NAL makes an offer to Michael Psaltis. It's a nice offer. I would have accepted it without argument. Michael says, “But, of course, we’ll ask for more. That’s just how it’s done.”
Thursday, 12/19/02: Negotiations proceed favorably. Advance increased, we retain translation rights. Publisher would like 80,000 word manuscript by August, 2003.
Monday, 2/3/03: Publishers Lunch announces THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER to the publishing world. I'd been keeping the news quiet until now, waiting for an official announcement. I start spreading the word far and wide.
Wednesday, 2/12/03: Sperling & Kupfer, King's publisher in Italy, made an offer for THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER. We've had inquiries from two other countries already.
Thursday, 3/6/03: News of my book deal appears in Locus magazine. It MUST be true. Received the signable contracts from Signet/Penguin. Eleven legal-sized (of course) pages of legalese. I'm sure glad I have an agent!
Friday, 3/7/03: News of my sale appears on Ellenberg Literary Agency's news web page.
Monday, 3/10/03: Signet contracts returned to my agent.
Thursday, 3/13/03: Signet contracts turned in to publisher.
Friday, 3/14/03: Contracts from Sperling & Kupfer sent to me by my agent.
Tuesday, 3/18/03: I sign with Sperling & Kupfer to publish the Italian translation of THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER.
Wednesday, 4/9/03: I talked to two Grade Nine classes at Conroe High School about my writing project. I told them I'd mention them here.
Thursday, 4/24/03: My signing advance is received by my agent.
Saturday, 5/3/03: I receive my signing advance, which is 43% of the total advance. Another 43% will come on submission of the manuscript to the publisher and the remaining 14% is payable on publication.
Saturday, 5/10/03: The Official Stephen King web site relaunches after a major face lift. For my contribution of novel synopses, I get a reciprocal link and a blurb promoting THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER.
Saturday, 5/10/03: To receive my advance from the Italian publisher, Sperling & Kupfer, we have to do paperwork that proves I pay taxes in America to keep income tax from being withheld in Italy. We file IRS form 8821 to get an IRS form 6166! I'm SO glad I have an agent...
Wednesday, 06/04/03: Got an advanced copy of the newly revised and expanded The Gunslinger. Good reading material for my trip to New York for the Stoker Weekend. A lot of changes to the text which have implications for my book. Can you say "revisions?"
Friday, 06/06/03: Had lunch with my agent and editor, getting to see them in person for the first time.
Tuesday, 6/10/03: Received a request from another foreign agent wanting to see my proposal. More on this later, I hope
Scribner's Loss!
Very cool stuff Bev!
Author: r1Pped
thats alot of work... i am glad i aint a writer...mind you i wouldnt mind the money
Author: Bev Vincent
Don't be deluded about the money -- notice that I ain't quittin' the day job. Very few writers make enough in the business to do it full time without having some other source of income.
Author: Blaine
It's wonderful to know that THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER will be published here in Italy. I can't wait to have that book in my hands. I would also say that this is an amazing site. Great job Bev!!!
An italian fan of "The King".
Author: LennonWolf
Congratulations, Ben. I'm both jealous and in awe. A question, though: How did you get to know Mr. King? And in such a way as to phone him up and relay your proposal? Kinda cool, I must admit.
A part of me is nagging to pester you with questions about Tower 6 & 7, but no worries, I'm sure you signed NDA's all the way to the furthest reaches of China! I do hope Pennywise will return, but I ain't holding my breath.
As an aspiring author, I'd love to know how you formed your query letter (I am in the middle of trying to figure out mine - and I've already written my manuscript!) it's a lot harder then I'd have ever previously thought. While writing the novel I just assumed it would be a breeze, a last minute thing, slap it together and send it off. Phew, was I ever wrong! Any helpful hints? Thanks a bunch, mate.
Best of luck in all, can't wait to read 'The Road'!
Author: dbarnetth
I'm looking more and more forward to this book with each passing day. So many of the discussions I've had lately with my friends who are into the DT have become repetitive. It'll be nice to read it straight through and hopefully come out with a new way of looking at the saga and more things to discuss and debate.
Author: Darth Pookie
I, too, am looking forward to this book. One thing I find interesting, Bev (and I'm sure this has occurred to you): you have a publisher with the initials S&K, and you're working on a critique of a series by an author with the initials S.K.. It's interesting to say the least. Sorry I'm late catching onto this, I have been quite tired lately and I didn't pay much attention to the name of the foreign publisher until just recently.
Author: Bev Vincent
I just noticed that the other day when I was writing it in short-hand notation. I have a hard time remembering how to spell the publisher's name without looking it up, so I was cheating a little...
Author: Darth Pookie
I just wanted to thank you, Bev. From the description of your book on Cemetery Dance, it said you really went into researching the Breakers and the Low Men, and that's the major thing that got me to buy it as a limited (well, the bookmarks played a part in it, too). Plus I wanted a limited edition of it. As far as I'm concern, though, the Low Men are the coolest villains S.K. ever created. I absolutely cannot wait to find out what they really are.