tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post5904947081278459283..comments2023-12-14T10:28:43.397+00:00Comments on Declan Burke: The Big Question: Is Crime Writing Recession-Proof?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-81452332135776249282008-07-18T01:51:00.000+01:002008-07-18T01:51:00.000+01:00Yes.Related article in the Wall Street Journal tod...Yes.<BR/><BR/>Related article in the Wall Street Journal today! (I think they stole it from Crime Always Pays)<BR/><BR/>http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121624737790059931.html?mod=PersonalFinance99_1Patricia https://www.blogger.com/profile/10822225172221208861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-86390052280880024652008-07-17T00:13:00.000+01:002008-07-17T00:13:00.000+01:00I lean to Adrian's way of thinking. It at least ho...I lean to Adrian's way of thinking. It at least holds true for cinema. It's a Wonderful Life tanked when it was first released after WW2 because the American public couldn't stomach anything so sugary in such difficult times. The 70s saw a boom in darker cinema, and a similar wave followed the recession of the early 90s.<BR/><BR/>It depends whether storytelling's purpose is to reflect the reality of a time, or counter-balance it with opposites. You raise a valid point that the Celtic Tiger gave us Cecelia Ahern, but I suppose it also gave us Ken Bruen.<BR/><BR/>Books do represent good value for money, though, and there's also what's called the 'lipstick phenomenon', whereby people who can't afford the big luxuries anymore, like holidays or a new three-piece suite, will treat themselves to smaller items instead, for example, lipstick. Maybe the same applies to books. Christ, I hope so; it'd be just my luck to get published at exactly the moment when no one has any money to buy my book!<BR/><BR/>A side note: What gets me these days is how everybody is going, "Huh? Recession? Housing slump? Credit crunch?" as if this hasn't been looming for the last few years.Stuart Nevillehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03883631620345577504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-8124153132118519332008-07-16T12:23:00.000+01:002008-07-16T12:23:00.000+01:00THIEVES LIKE US v THEY SHOOT HORSES.I read both ea...THIEVES LIKE US v THEY SHOOT HORSES.<BR/>I read both earlier this year, and have to say McCoy was more enjoyable.<BR/>Not read anything else though, by eithercolmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06424511035468126206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-41321830485308746582008-07-16T12:19:00.000+01:002008-07-16T12:19:00.000+01:00HAKAN SUKUR.....4 MILLION?He must be about 90 by n...HAKAN SUKUR.....4 MILLION?<BR/>He must be about 90 by now.I thought I saw him in a kebab shop in Leighton Buzzard!colmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06424511035468126206noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-70952150374987766582008-07-16T09:57:00.000+01:002008-07-16T09:57:00.000+01:00The depresssion, Greek myths (and I've just publis...The depresssion, Greek myths (and I've just published Orpheus Rising), long dark nights of the soul, the Celtic Tiger stuffed and mounted...my Crime Always Pays has taken a dive into the deep end. It reminds me of primary school for some reason when we went to the local swimming pool and a boy in my class thought he would be clever and put his arm bands on his feet and jumped in, and almost drowned. I'm not sure why it reminds me of this, but there you go. I think if everyone is feeling gloomy they should check out Simon's Cat on Youtube. <BR/>'Bateman'Colinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08433332584935362768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-39515301806349554422008-07-16T08:45:00.000+01:002008-07-16T08:45:00.000+01:00Adrian – I hear what you’re saying about the ’30s ...Adrian – I hear what you’re saying about the ’30s Depression, but Hammett, Chandler and Cain were writing in what was probably the most prosperous state at the time, California … certainly prosperous enough to be the Promised Land for half the country who headed there. But you’re probably right about prosperity breeding smugness and irrelevance … the Celtic Tiger era will be remembered in Ireland, books-wise, for chick-lit, not crime fiction. David – I’m a big fan of Horace McCoy, KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE is terrific … and They Drive By Night is the best of the Thieves Like Us adaptations, definitely. Josh – I’ve heard of HUNGRY MEN but haven’t been able to lay my hands on it yet … one to look out for, no doubt. As for the Kindle thing – one step at a time, squire. Let’s get the book on the shelves of the U.S. before we go stark raving mad … John, Hakan Sukur isn’t worth that kind of money, not by a long chalk … plus the guy’s practically on a Zimmer-frame at this stage. As for writers profiting from crime – crime is always going to be there, and telling ourselves stories about our fears is as ancient as mankind itself. If I ever turn a profit at it, you’ll be the first to know. Ms Witch? Behave, ma’am … Cheers, DecDeclan Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14322645323239292406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-15995941637014288342008-07-15T22:49:00.000+01:002008-07-15T22:49:00.000+01:00We'll see about all this recession talk. The big r...We'll see about all this recession talk. The big rumour in Toronto this week is that we've offered Hakan Sukur four million bucks for a year and half to play "soccer."<BR/><BR/>Serioulsy, though, in the value for money category books are very much near the top. There's a lot of fat to be trimmed this time around that just wasn't the case last time.<BR/><BR/>Besides, as you say, there'll be plenty more 'crime' so there'll be even more interest. <BR/><BR/>We just have to be able to live with the fact that we profit from all this - I guess we should be glad we profit so little....John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-28764336476755103702008-07-15T19:53:00.000+01:002008-07-15T19:53:00.000+01:00speaking of people not reading, have you (or Hag's...speaking of people not reading, have you (or Hag's Head) given any thought to putting your books on Kindle? While it would mean I couldn't get a signed copy... I could have read the Big O by now. ;)Josh Schrankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00962399653280903290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-75546976119645794032008-07-15T18:20:00.000+01:002008-07-15T18:20:00.000+01:00Is that your house? Where's the deck where you tal...Is that your house? Where's the deck where you talk to Karlsson?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-35611349555539793462008-07-15T18:19:00.000+01:002008-07-15T18:19:00.000+01:00Dec, Anderson's first book, "Hungry Men" was as go...Dec, Anderson's first book, "Hungry Men" was as good, if not better than "Thieves Like Us." It was more raw, and in a way much more honest to what he had experienced in his personal life.Josh Schrankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00962399653280903290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-53320763261523145692008-07-15T16:23:00.000+01:002008-07-15T16:23:00.000+01:00PS: Incidently, the Nicholas Ray film version of ...PS: Incidently, the Nicholas Ray film version of Edward Anderson's novel with Cathy O'Donnell and Farley Granger made in 1948 is terrific!David Baynhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15962187709078871621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-85454280058505649482008-07-15T16:19:00.000+01:002008-07-15T16:19:00.000+01:00Dec, Another depression era novel, the great "The...Dec, Another depression era novel, the great "Thet Shoot Horses, Don't They" as people dance marathons to keep up. Sound familiar? It should, as the couples go round and round not getting anywhere in order to earn pennies, but they wear themselves out trying to keep up. A great novel with contemporary resonance, written by Horace McCoy.David Baynhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15962187709078871621noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4938060587020568315.post-55923341472050010202008-07-15T16:02:00.000+01:002008-07-15T16:02:00.000+01:00DecIn the US during the 30's when the country was ...Dec<BR/><BR/>In the US during the 30's when the country was in depression there were hobo camps in NYC, 29 percent unemployment, banks busting, food shortages, what happened? Well we got five brand new Hammett novels and the invention of a genre. The prosperous 50's and sixties were the era of sci-fi, but then again in the 70's the oil shock sent the world into a death spiral and we got The Conversation, French Connection and the rediscovery of crime fiction. Prosperity = Beverly Hills Cop, Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code. Recession = introspection, moodiness and sales.<BR/><BR/>Or maybe we're all screwed.adrian mckintyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03349942973907386269noreply@blogger.com