The Failed Cities

I met – at least in a cyber way and later on Skype – Matt Wallace. In those days it was MySpace. Must have been circa 2005. I was impressed with his no-nonsense style, as much in non-fiction as his fiction, and eventually I took him into my confidence: I’m gonna publish a dark sci-fi anthology magazine mixing short stories with comics. It was Matt, in those early days, who gave me purpose and gave additional energy to my enthusiasm. His story The Dead Man and The Berserk that appeared in the promo Murky Depths #0 was exactly the type of short I was looking for and he rode Watcher editor to my Maven editorship to keep me on the crooked and broad (you’ll understand that if you’ve heard The Failed Cities monologues podcasts or picked up the Kindle edition). It was a dream ride. Although Matt eventually left the team his legacy remained in my mind with each issue and we never lost contact. I’ve never been one for podcasts, although I love listening to stories on the car radio – at home I always feel I have more important things to do – but I did follow the success of The Failed Cities. I knew it would be good, it’s Matt Wallace after all, and I wanted desperately to publish a solid hold-in-your-hand print edition of The Failed Cities. Matt was moving in circles that (I thought) negated me from having that chance, so I never put the proposition to him. It came as a bolt out of the blue therefore when Matt contacted me and said he wanted The House of Murky Depths to publish The Failed Cities as a limited edition hardback. I knew it would be good, like I said, it’s Matt, and I should have realised it would be very good, but this good! Thanks, Matt…

No, it’s not a graphic novel but if you order now you’ll also receive a free eight-page booklet featuring artwork from some of the artists that we used on Murky Depths. Such as Neil Roberts (2000AD covers), Kev Levell, Huy Truong, Neil Struthers, Donna Evans and Macabu. I commissioned them, with a free rein, to give us their interpretation of the eight main characters in the novel.

http://www.murkydepths.com/fc.php

The Dog Faced Gods

I’ve recently reserved my reviewing pen for the BSFA’s Vector magazine’s graphic novel and comics reviews column Picture This – yes, it’s also the title of a Blondie song (I guess you can see a link coming), so a little foray into literature.
I’ve met Sarah Pinborough (that’s the link) at several conventions but never read any of her books. I’ve heard good and bad things about her writing so I thought I’d make the effort to form my own opinion. So, free from spoilers, here’s what I thought of Sarah Pinborough’s The Dog Faced Gods trilogy.
The first book, A Matter of Blood, introduces us to a number of characters but Cass Jones is the main protagonist, a flawed London detective in a flawed world; ours but the double-dip recession is crippling the average family, jobs are hard to find and on top of that a more prevalent form of HIV is scaring the populace. Pinborough paints a bleak and depressing tomorrow (and I mean the day after this one as opposed to a far off future) that’ll make you appreciate your lot. Cass Jones is self-centred and job-focused, a copper willing to cut corners to resolve a case. Bribes are the norm in a police force decimated by budget cuts. It all starts to sound a little too real. And that’s one of the beauties of this and the following two books; you can’t deny the possibilities of what Pinborough conjures in her tale, and that makes the final revelation so much more powerful and, dare I say it, acceptable.
What starts out in the first book to be an almost straight detective mystery builds to something a whole lot more interesting. Sure, there are supernatural undertones to A Matter of Blood – Cass is forever seeing his dead brother – but these could all be purely psychological.
It’s difficult to cover the other books without giving away a consistently good plot that supplies enough twists and surprises to make you want to discover what makes Cass the person he is.
The trilogy does turn into something that’ll make you think, and being a sci-fi fan I’m inclined to say that at the end of the day that’s what The Dog Faced Gods trilogy is. Someone interested in other genres might disagree, and that’s another feather in the cap of this tale. It’s whatever you want it to be, and more.
I thoroughly recommend this trilogy to the top of your reading pile. It won’t be there long.

Continuing the convention theme

Thought Bubble is the biggest comic (only) con in the UK. Of course, it’s never going to be as big as a US con, but, then, we haven’t quite the same audience size – and there’s likely a growing percentage who can’t read English, or is that a contentious statement to make? Whatever.

I wrote the following for someone else’s blog in reference to Thought Bubble, with some minor amendments in this version:

It’s very difficult for those of us who have tables at conventions to fully appreciate the success or otherwise of a particular convention, particularly if you’re the only bod manning the tables. Dealers tend to gauge success purely by sales, and one dealer can do well while the next dealer has a bummer. Thought Bubble has to be the biggest comics-only con in the UK and is blessed with a multitude of amazingly talented people, both famous and aspiring. I don’t think there’s any other comic con in the UK that has such a huge yet somehow integrated mix. You can’t help but respect the time and commitment that the creators have put into projects whether it’s their own or commissioned – and, as a publisher, the amount of money! I challenge any other con to equal the Thought Bubble party on Saturday night in the awesomely breath taking Corn Exchange. That has to be the icing.

I was then asked my views on how the downturn has affected publishers:

Well, starting a publishing house as a recession hits (that was back in 2006) is probably not a good business plan, but to even think about starting a business you need optimism in gargantuan proportions, and a bottomless wallet. You hear tales of small press publishers mortgaging their houses, and I could have saved up and been able to buy a brand new BMW with what The House of Murky Depths has cost me, but we struggle on with our dreams. Marketing is the downfall of the small press – we just don’t have the budgets – and social media isn’t all it’s cracked up to be for the majority who try to use it for promotional purposes, unless you just hit lucky. High quality limited editions still seem the best bet for small press, but then production costs are higher and margins lower, but talk to a small press publisher, after a few drinks, and he’ll boast about all the boxes he has stacked away somewhere with unsold stock. Most of us talk ourselves up when in fact we’re all struggling. The downturn has certainly a lot to answer for but I think it’s always going to be difficult for small press publishers. We still struggle on with paper too, when online content is beating us down. Bottom line? If there hadn’t been a recession there’d be a lot more comics around but we probably wouldn’t be that much better off (or should that read, we might actually be breaking even).

So, what does all that mean for The House of Murky Depths?

We’ll be looking a lot closer at what conventions we attend. We won’t be attending the likes of Fantasycon (World Fantasycon next year) and Eastercon unless there’s a big upturn or organisers make their table deals more attractive. Sure, you’ll most likely achieve greater sales at these cons … but at a cost. Of course, there’s always an optimistic dealer who’ll take up a table, if you don’t, so it’s unlikely that table prices will go down, and organisers have to pay their bills too. The main difference between a comic con and a literary con is that the former has the dealer room as its main attraction whereas the latter tends to just tag the dealer room onto a busy panel schedule.

Another option we’ll be investigating is more one-day events or conventions that allow us to book just one day (many don’t), thus avoiding additional hotel costs. Each one will be weighed up against the pros and cons (snigger). Of course, you never can tell from one year to the next how a convention is going to pan out. A good con one year can be a disaster the next, and vice versa. Have no fear, you’ll be seeing us somewhere next year. In the meantime we’ll be a feature in the Lincoln Artists’ Network shop from 6 December until 9 December (18 – 20 Sincil St., LN5 7ET). Lincoln has a lot going for it, so if you haven’t visited this city yet, pop along and say hello.

Con support

The House of Murky Depths has supported Bristolcon since it started, and the first year there was virtually just Murky Depths in the dealer/panel room, so unusually I was at all the panels and talks. A bonus. There was I believe around 60 people at that event. This year it was nearer 250; I sign of Bristolcon’s success, and I think one of the reasons is that it runs for just the one day and therefore makes it possible for people living within a few hours journey to avoid the problems and added cost of staying in a hotel – though missing some of the evening entertainment. A reason why I liked Thought Bubble in Leeds which has now gone to a two-day event. Great for visitors, not so good for dealers.

For me it’s a chance to visit my son, so the stay-over at his amazing new pad was worth the visit and a few bevies catching up on his achievements and plans is always enjoyable. Aside from that it’s good to meet old con friends for a drink in the Ramada bar, and leaning on it and sharing whiskey tasting with Jim Burns was the Friday night highlight after some quick catch-ups with Robert Harkess and Kim and Del Lakin-Smith. This year I set up the dealer tables on the Friday night so it was a casual ten-minute stroll in the morning for a Colosseum (just around the corner from the Ramada) breakfast – something I always look forward to, though this year the two pissed young ladies with wine and lager alongside their platefuls made me feel a little queasy.

The dealer room at Bristolcon has never been huge but spills out into the corridors, and I sometimes think the corridor might be a better place. At least everyone passes you, whereas some people never visit the dealer room itself. This year Murky Depths was at 90 degrees to Forbidden Planet, who invariable have the best spot – directly facing the entrance – with Danie Ware promoting her new novel Ecko Rising amongst other best-selling book.

From a dealers point of view, well mine anyway, Bristolcon has never been a viable proposition. I rarely sell enough to cover travelling costs let alone anything else. Initially I’d made the excuse it was a promotional exercise but, now that Murky Depths is no longer published, plugging the publishing houses, that’s The House of Murky Depths and the new YA imprint Murkee, and new titles alone doesn’t seem to excite me so much.

Despite being unable to visit the panels and reading – I’ve always been there on my own – I know it’s a good con from the attitudes of the people who speak to me at the table, or maybe my ukulele playing just makes them smile! There were several con virgins who seemed to be having a good time and I’d suggest Bristolcon for anyone unblooded at a con. It’ll give you the right vibes.

It’s a hugely well-organised con. And how many cons have you been to where tea and coffee is available all day for free! I hope everyone who picked up a goody bag on the Saturday were pleased with their free copy of Murky Depths and a big thank you to everyone who purchased a signed copy of my new short story collection Probably Maybe Perhaps.

Will The House of Murky Depths be at next year’s Bristolcon? We’ll have to wait and see what next year brings. Cons are beginning to be a liability as far as finances are concerned – maybe they always have been – although some are still a good earner. There will always be traders willing to take up tables so organisers rarely feel any obligation to dealers who have supported them from the off (Bristolcon’s an exception there too), but if more organisers don’t help us out with deals then you won’t be seeing The House of Murky Depths at so many cons in future. Shame, but that’s the way it is.

Not another con!

The Cult Publishers Expo was an interesting little gig yesterday. In the dark depths of Kennington at the Cinema Museum (even the locals, hah!, didn’t know where it was). But, heh, worth the trip if films is your thing (even without the expo). It was well organised so I’d like to thank Dexter and Fat Bird in particular. Financially lucrative? – who else but me gives a flying frak about that – Paid for the tables and half the travelling costs (parking was free!) and I didn’t pay myself for leaving home at 7am and getting home at 9.30 pm including the six-hour round-trip drive. Then, I never do (pay myself, that is).

Good to have Richard Calder at the table signing the first three Dead Girls comics, and Lavie Tidhar rushed back from his Croydon (Osama) signing to be on hand to sign Going To The Moon.

My brief interview in the panel room seemed to go okay, and that should be available online soon.

Asked by the organisers if I’d be back next year I probably hesitated too long, but I would like to return. Needs a bigger footfall but it was the first one so fingers crossed.

That old convention chestnut

If you’re a member of a convention, and I’ll use the recently passed Fantasycon for my example, you may have been lucky to pay your membership at last year’s event which was, if I remember rightly, £40. You would have been very pleased to receive a full goodie bag at this year’s event; lots of free books and stuff like that.

As a dealer you still have to pay the membership fee plus table costs – for me, that was £70 – so a total of £110 gets me stuck behind my table all day unable to go to any panels, signings, readings, workshops, etc. But I do get to hang out with people in the evening, and a single price with a couple of free memberships is what you’d get at most other cons, so can’t really grumble at £110. If you’re a dealer though (and it’s your living) you expect to get decent sales.

The trouble with everyone getting so many books in the goodie bag means there’s a reluctance to actually buy any. I’d say that of the 500 or so members at this year’s Fantasycon less than half actually looked in the dealer room – that wasn’t why they were there. Not what a dealer wants to hear. And positioning – I was facing the back wall (that’s not a complaint as I always accept where the guys who do all the arranging put me) – can be all important to sales.

The hotel price seemed a bit steep to me so I bagged a b&b not far away – Joel Lane was staying at the same establishment, though he probably doesn’t remember handing me the Best Magazine award for Murky Depths back in 2010 – for two nights at £110.

Travelling costs at 45p a mile came to nigh on £183 and the car park was £50 for the weekend. A couple of evening meals came to about £30 and I did over £100 on booze (though I never put alcohol on my expenses, so I shan’t be putting that in these calculations).

My costs for the weekend was therefore £483. Like I said, not many people were buying books, and it takes a lot of book sales to get anywhere near £500 so I actually lost nearly £200. If it wasn’t for the sales of my new short story collection things would have been a lot worse. Next year, World Fantasycon prices are double what I paid this year so I can add another £135 (at present costs). That means I have to make £600 before I even start to think about production costs and paying out royalties. If the argument is, ‘you’re product’s no good’, or at the least, not suitable for the fantasy market – which I would strongly argue it is, then there is certainly little point in attending Fantasycon. I can no longer say I’m there to promote Murky Depths. I really want to be at Word Fantasycon but the scales are tipping against it at the moment. What to do…

Short stories are dead…

It has been said for years that short story anthologies are dead; that no one is interested in reading them anymore. When magazines like Murky Depths fold it often seems that the case rests. However, publishers – at least the small press – continue to take the risk with their money to produce collections and anthologies into a market that supposedly doesn’t want them. Why? Mainly I guess because the bigger boys are purely out to make a buck and the little guys are more prepared to take a risk. That’s not to say the small presses aren’t trying to make money, but they seem to do it with a little more honesty and integrity, with the interests of their writers at heart. Often they are writers themselves and understand the doubts, trials and tribulations that writers go through.

The small press, though, is quickly being caught up and smothered by the self-published writer. The blurring of the lines at the “lower levels” may one day drown the bigger boys too. Time – and that seems forever to be squeezed into a speeding clock – will tell. For now, I help that blurring by publishing a collection of my own stories under The House of Murky Depths banner. I’ve been deliberating on this for years. Do I, don’t I? Well, here it is: Probably Maybe Perhaps, and it’s available right now on Kindle (so you can check out about two-and-a-half stories in the preview) or at the launch at FantasyCon next weekend. http://www.amazon.com/Probably-Maybe-Perhaps-ebook/dp/B009ENSZL0