Do the Hustle
My 2024 promo performance review
Welcome to the free newsletter of David (D. V.) Bishop, author of the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers set in Renaissance Italy. This time I’m looking back at what I did in 2024, including more than 40 promotional events.
But first…
Paperback publication week
The fourth Cesare Aldo novel A Divine Fury comes out in paperback this Thursday, January 2nd. In it Aldo investigates a series of religious murders that set him against the most cunning killer he has ever hunted. Throw in exorcisms, zealotry and dark secrets – it’s a heady mix packed with danger and devilment! Get your copy here.
A Divine Fury was a finalist for the 2024 McIlvanney Prize, was a Times Historical Novel of the Month, and attracted the best reviews yet for an Aldo book. That’s gratifying as it was written during a tough year of unrelated external stresses. Once the paperback is out, focus shifts to promoting Carnival of Lies, coming June 26th.
Speaking of promo efforts…
Been a busy year
Contemporary writers are expected to help spread the word about their books. I enjoy that, though it can eat a lot of time. This newsletter – inspired by a piece author David Goodman posted - offers a sense of my promo efforts in 2024, though not in quite the same level of granular detail. Short version: a writer’s gotta hustle!
Festivals: Appeared at Granite Noir in Aberdeen, the Colonsay Book Festival, Crimefest in Bristol, Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, Bloody Scotland in Stirling, the Bookmark Book Festival in Blairgowrie, and the Bloodshed Festival in Swindon. There are a few I have yet to (dis)grace – maybe in ‘25?
Bookshop events: Waterstones in Perth, Kirkcaldy, Braehead and Edinburgh West End, along with the Book Nook in Stewarton and The Edinburgh Bookshop. Also took three fellow crime writers on a mini-tour to celebrate Independent Bookshop Week, visiting Far From the Madding Crowd in Linlithgow, Atkinson-Pryce Books in Biggar, Kesey’s Bookshop in Haddington, and Night Owls Books in East Linton.
Articles & prose interviews: Wrote for or was interviewed by Shots, Historia, The Book Trail, Imagining History, Five on Friday, The Listener, Reading Between the Lines, Good Reading, Ink & Inspiration, plus a photo essay for the Macmillan website.
Podcasts, Radio & Youtube: Appeared on Rock, Paper, Swords!; Writer’s Routine; Power of 3; Little Miss Morfett; Criminally Inspred; The Hobcast Book Show; A J Hawley’s World of Crime; Oban FM; the UK Crime Book Club; and Scots Whay Hae. Have recorded a new podcast for this Thursday for paperback publication day, too.
Awards & Prizes: Ritual of Fire won the Ngaio Marsh Award for best novel and was shortlisted for two others, while A Divine Fury was a McIlvanney Prize with crime writing legends Val McDermid, Christopher Brookmyre & Abir Mukherjee. Nice!
But what about writing?
I had more than 40 promo activities and events in 2024, but also did some writing. Drafted the fifth Aldo novel, Carnival of Lies, which came to about 100,000 words. Structural edits were done by August, cutting the manuscript to 93,000. Copy edits in November took the text to 95,000, but it will still be the shortest Aldo to date.
Wrote two issues of Fantomen comic for Egmont Sweden (10,000 words in total). Both needed a couple of drafts, and were preceded by synopsis pitches to satisfy my editors and King Features Syndicate, which owns the rights to The Phantom. This is a multi-year project and an enjoyable challenge, keeping my comics writing skills active.
Lastly, I wrote a Contessa Valentine Coltello story which went to ever newsletter subscriber as a thank you. That was an additional 5,000 words of work when I should have been doing other things (such as my long-neglected PhD in Creative Writing), but it was a fun experiment. I definitely have more plans for the Contessa!
I’m happy with my writing output during 2024, especially as I was also teaching postgraduate classes four days a week. (Well, I got paid for four days a week; my workload was calculated as closer to six days a week – welcome to dark academia.) Keep hoping the job will ease off, but it doesn’t look likely right now…
Looking ahead to 2025
Next month I start drafting Cesare Aldo book six. That and teaching will occupy me for the first half of 2025, as I hope to deliver the manuscript by July – fingers crossed!
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If you ever make it to Liverpool, I'd recommend you speak at "News From Nowhere" which is a lovely independent book shop. Oh, and I'd be grateful if you'd let your subscribers know in good time, as depending on time of year I may have to travel back home from Wales!
Really enjoying your newsletters - I always dreamed of being a writer, but I just don't have the imagination. (rolls eyes!)
Best wishes from beautiful (and much underrated) Liverpool,
Maggie Wallace
Dear David - I'm a subscriber and fan - for some reason I didn't get or have deleted the short story. Could you please resend? natconyer@gmail.com . Thanks!