first novels – The Editorial Department

CASINO ROYALE, by Ian Fleming: A Most Pleasant Surprise Considering thriller craft and the delights of the unexpected in the first James Bond novel
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CASINO ROYALE, by Ian Fleming: A Most Pleasant Surprise Considering thriller craft and the delights of the unexpected in the first James Bond novel

Book Reviews and Analysis, RSB, The Writer’s Craft, Thriller

CASINO ROYALE, by Ian Fleming: A Most Pleasant Surprise Considering thriller craft and the delights of the unexpected in the first James Bond novel

Up until last week, one notable blind spot in my reading life was Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. I loved the movies of the Sean Connery and Roger Moore era but, unimpressed by a later book in the series (written by one of four authors who took the helm after Fleming […]

By Ross Browne|2022-04-04T15:10:11+00:00|Book Reviews and Analysis, RSB, The Writer’s Craft, Thriller|Comments Off

DARKLY DREAMING DEXTER, by Jeff Lindsay Considering pacing, plot, and story setup in the first 50 pages

[by Ross Browne]

Flap Copy: He’s handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He’s a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likable: He only kills bad people.

Ross’s Take: Though Darkly Dreaming Dexter was a book […]

By Ross Browne|2022-02-15T18:22:27+00:00|Book Reviews and Analysis, First 50, General, Mystery / Suspense, RSB, The Writer’s Craft|Comments Off

The Truth about First Novels and Traditional Publication What authors need to know

[by Renni Browne]

What you might hear:

“Acquisitions editors at major publishing houses don’t want to read first-novel submissions.”
“Literary agents don’t want to take on unknown writers anymore.”
“Publishers only want novelists who have a strong platform or a great track record of book sales.”
“If by a miracle you get a first novel published, it’ll […]

By Renni Browne|2022-02-15T20:34:15+00:00|Getting Published, RDB, Traditional Publishing, Trends|Comments Off