“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

The Baby Killers: Good Times For A Change

Good times for a change / See, the luck I’ve had / Can make a good man turn bad …” I don’t invoke those mopey depressmeisters The Smiths very often on these pages, but believe it or not, it is, and for once, good times and good news at Crime Always Pays. As all Three Regular Readers will be aware, I’ve been struggling for quite a while now to get my latest opus, THE BABY KILLERS, aka BAD FOR GOOD, published. There have been ups and downs along the way, and many pleasant rejection letters to peruse, and much by way of support from those of you who wander by here once in a while; indeed, there was much love last year for my proposal to self-publish the book via ‘crowd-sourcing’, with all (any) profits being donated to charity.
  But lo! It has come to pass that a small but perfectly formed Irish publisher has made an offer to publish THE BABY KILLERS. The deal proposed is also small but perfectly formed, to the extent that it’s fair to say that my plan of buying a Greek island will have to be deferred until the publication of my next book, at the very least. I do like the publishing model, though. It’s based on small print runs, firm sales (i.e., no sale-or-return), and a commitment to no-frills publishing of quality, quirky books for readers with an appetite for books that don’t necessarily conform to mainstream publishing’s idea of a commercial prospect. All of which is music to my ears.
  Now, the deal wouldn’t necessarily appeal to every writer. For one, there’s no advance involved, which effectively means that I’m giving away my book for free. Given that I was planning to self-publish it anyway, that’s not an issue for me; far better that the book, which was gathering dust on the shelf, be published without earning an advance than not published at all, or cost me to publish, particularly in these straitened times. It also removes the pressure of earning out the advance, and / or feeling indebted to a publisher.
  In effect, the deal will accomplish everything I wanted to achieve through self-publishing, with many added benefits, the most important of which are that the publisher already has a good reputation for publishing interesting books, and that the publisher also absorbs the cost of publication, and provides the distribution and - crucially - the experience.
  For my own part, I get to see a beautifully produced (if the publisher’s previous offerings are anything to go by) book of mine on the shelf, and to feel a little less of a charlatan when I mumble that I’m a writer in my spare time. Equally important, I get to fulfil that commitment I made to the Three Regular Readers last year, of donating all royalties from the book’s publication to charity. Given the content of the book, and the fact that the story revolves around a sociopathic hospital porter’s plot to blow up the hospital where he works, the charity to benefit will mostly likely be that of a children’s wing of a local hospital.
  So that’s it in a nutshell. Contracts have yet to be issued and details formalised, so it’s only fair that I mention no names as of yet. I have to say, though, that I’m hugely energised right now, enthusiastic and upbeat. Suddenly, naively, everything seems possible again.
  The early word, in terms of blurbs at least, has been good. To wit:
“A genuinely original take on noir, inventive and funny. Imagine, if you can, a cross between Flann O’Brien and Raymond Chandler.” – John Banville, author of THE SEA

“If you want to find something new and challenging, comic crime fiction is now the place to go … Declan Burke [is] at the vanguard of a new wave of young writers kicking against the clichés and producing ambitious, challenging, genre-bending works.” Colin Bateman, author of THE DAY OF THE JACK RUSSELL

“THE BABY KILLERS is unlike anything else you’ll read this year … Laugh-out-loud funny … This is writing at its dazzling, cleverest zenith. Think John Fowles, via Paul Auster and Rolling Stone … a feat of extraordinary alchemy.” – Ken Bruen, author of AMERICAN SKIN

“Burke has written a deep, lyrical and moving crime novel … an intoxicating and exciting novel of which the master himself, Flann O’Brien, would be proud.” – Adrian McKinty, author FIFTY GRAND

“Stop waiting for Godot – he’s here. Declan Burke takes the existential dilemma of characters writing themselves and turns it on its ear, and then some. He gives it body and soul … an Irish soul.” – Reed Farrel Coleman, author of EMPTY EVER AFTER

“THE BABY KILLERS is shockingly original and completely entertaining. Post-modern crime fiction at its very best.” – John McFetridge, author of EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS IS NOWHERE

“A harrowing and yet hilarious examination of the gradual disintegration of a writer’s personality, as well as a damned fine noir novel … Burke has outdone himself this time; it’s a hell of a read.” – Scott Philips, author of THE ICE HARVEST
  So there you have it. The plan is to publish THE BABY KILLERS later this year, with attendant trumpet blasts and the strewing of garlands. In the meantime, and if the spirit so moves you, feel free to pre-order a copy by leaving your name and a contact email address (using (at) rather than @ to confound the spam monkeys) in the comment box below.
  Finally, and at the risk of sounding mawkish, I’d like to thank everyone who has ever expressed an interest in this book. It’s people like you who make all the difference, who give writers like me that most elusive and precious of all commodities in this writing game - hope. God bless you, every one.

23 comments:

Dermot said...

Declan, congratulations!! That is great news for you. You can put me down for an advance copy, please. Mcglone DOT family AT gmail DOT com.

Sean Patrick Reardon said...

I crossed my fingers when I saw the post title and...I will take copy spreardon81(at)gmail(dot)com

tremendous news!

BB said...

Fantastic news Dec, that's brightened up my day no end. I am truly delighted for you and yes, stick me down for a copy, bobburke.mail(at)gmail.com If it's even half as good as The Big O etc etc

Alan Griffiths said...

Many congratulations, Dec and well deserved.

Please put me down for a copy: agriffy(at)dsl.pipex.com

Yay! I'm delighted for you.

Paul D Brazill said...

Fantastic news. Fantastic book.

Rick Ollerman said...

Hearty congratulations!

I'll take one: rick AT ollerman DOT com

adrian mckinty said...

Shite,

Thats great news!!!

Anonymous said...

For a small fee I could offer to write a short blurb thingie as well.

; )

I promise to get a copy as soon as they are available.

Jerry House said...

Happyhappyhappyhappyhappyhappy!
Looking forward to this one!

Declan Burke said...

Much obliged, folks. I really do appreciate it ...

Cheers, Dec

John McFetridge said...

Great news, congrats. The reputation and experience the publisher brings to this easily makes up for the advance and it's great the book is being properly published.

Sure, give away all the royalties, but hang on to the movie rights.

Clare2e said...

I look forward to reading it!

Clare2e said...

Forgot to say- I'm Clare Toohey. E-mail's clare2e {At} me -dot - com or the e-mail attached to my profile's fine, too!

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Declan, that is great news. Put me down for a copy, bhenshaw(at)comcast(dot)net.

Donna said...

How fantastic! I've read it, and know how utterly brilliant it is. Put me down for 2 copies - one for me and one for a giveaway on the blog. Congratulations! I'm chuffed for you.

seana graham said...

Great! Put me down for a copy as well.

seana(at)cruzio.com

Stop saying you've only been pretending to be a writer, though. You've already done it. The publishing scene is it's own thing which has very little to do with anything. Except money.

Stuart Neville said...

Well done, sir!

Naomi Johnson said...

Congratulations! I still need 4 copies.

kevin mccarthy said...

Great stuff, Dec! Put me down for a copy and some warm red at the launch!

lil Gluckstern said...

Put me down for a copy, such good news.
lilhmb(at)sbcglobal.net. But will they ship to the States?

Declan Burke said...

Again, folks, many thanks - I really do appreciate it.

Lil - the book will be available in all the conventional ways, including through the publisher's website and Amazon, so shipping to the States won't be a problem.

Cheers, Dec

@frankamcgrath said...

Well done. Put me down for one also, Frank (frank@frankmcgrath.com)