"Personal" question(s) to John Jarrold

[John Jarrold]

Originally Posted by Scarfy

I'm reading Wasp Factory at the moment. On the last chapter now. Very good read, if a little unsettling in places...

It made me laugh uncontrollably when I first read it in 1985! Met Iain for the first time the following year, at Mexicon 2 in Birmingham - and two years later I became his SF editor, when I joined Orbit!

[Scarfy]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

It made me laugh uncontrollably when I first read it in 1985! Met Iain for the first time the following year, at Mexicon 2 in Birmingham - and two years later I became his SF editor, when I joined Orbit!

It made you laugh?!! I'm not sure that's something you should admit to!

But no, bits of it did bring a smile to myself, maybe I was taking it to seriously... I can't wait to read the final chapter tonight, though I think I've figured out the twist. Previous one has made it quite obvious... unless I'm very much mistaken.

And just to be safe I'll avoid these forums until tomorrow morning now

[John Jarrold]

I always thought it was one of the funniest books I've ever read - nothing like black humour to enliven a book! The kite - wonderful!

[Flemcodogmusic]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

I always thought it was one of the funniest books I've ever read - nothing like black humour to enliven a book! The kite - wonderful!

I'm glad you appreciate black humour, John ... my next book's full of the stuff ...

I've never read The Wasp Factory, but I've heard people describe it as Horror/Comedy, which is exactly the type of thing that I'm trying to capture ...

Will have to pick up a copy, and see how Mr Banks goes about it!

[John Jarrold]

And remember this was his first published book, in 1984...

[Scarfy]

Finished it! Yep, ending was just as I thought. I liked the hints that were dropped during the course of the book, though I didn't really notice them at the time...

Ah, yes, the kite... The Angry Bell was good too

[Scarfy]

Originally Posted by John Jarrold

Met Iain for the first time the following year, at Mexicon 2 in Birmingham - and two years later I became his SF editor, when I joined Orbit!

Did you just miss out on Consider Phlebas then..? Editing it, I mean?

[John Jarrold]

I joined Orbit in January 1988, and we published PHLEBAS in paperback that April. These were the days when hardback publishers didn't always (or often) have paperback imprints attached, and sold paperback rights outside the company. Orbit acquired paperback rights for PHLEBAS and THE PLAYER OF GAMES from Iain's then hardback publishers, Macmillan. Then I took him on lock, stock and barrel for USE OF WEAPONS, which I published in hardback at Orbit in 1990.

[Scarfy]

I'm listing a few books of Banks' to read now. Was actually either going to read PLAYER OF GAMES or USE OF WEAPONS next, or maybe MATTER, but I'm not sure it's out in paperback until next year sometime and I'm not big on hardback books.

Reading THE MAGICIAN'S GUILD at the moment though and might pick up THE RED WOLF CONSPIRACY after that...

[John Jarrold]

I love RED WOLF - but I'm biased, of course.

USE OF WEAPONS remains my favourite of Iain's SF novels, and THE BRIDGE, THE CROW ROAD and WHIT are my mainstream favourites - along with THE WASP FACTORY (although ESPEDAIR STREET also has a place in my heart!).

[Flemcodogmusic]

Hi John,

Spotted what looked like a new Ramsey Campbell novel in Borders the other day: The Grin of the Dark ...

Is that his latest offering, or has it been around for a while?

Dave

[John Jarrold]

It was published in a limited edition by PS last year, but this is the first mass-market edition in the UK, the first time anyone will see it on the shelves of W H Smiths, Waterstones and other major bookstores. In fact, it's the first UK mass-market edition of a Ramsey Campbell novel for some years, so I'm very proud to have been involved in bringing him back to mainstream publishing over here as his UK agent. Watch my LJ blog for another announcement re his next novel, in the next couple of days.

[Flemcodogmusic]

Will do!

The was only one other Ramsey Campbell book on their shelves, and that was some kind of non-fiction collection ...

Why have other horror writers - James Herbert, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz, etc - always been in major bookstores, but not him?

[Troo]

I think part of the problem is that Ramsey's been writing horror for, gawd, YEARS now, and when horror fell out of fashion in the UK, and Ramsey seen as essentially the face of UK horror, it was deemed best to get him off the shelves.

Hurrah for Virgin, I say. Buy every copy of their toe-in-the-horror-waters series to encourage them to release more

[John Jarrold]

Originally Posted by David Elliott

Will do!

The was only one other Ramsey Campbell book on their shelves, and that was some kind of non-fiction collection ...

Why have other horror writers - James Herbert, Richard Laymon, Dean Koontz, etc - always been in major bookstores, but not him?

Yes, as Troo says, but also fashions change within genres and sometimes authors who have done quite well go through periods where they're not as much in favour as others. People like Herbert, Koontz (who started as an SF writer, remember) and Laymon long ago reached a sales level where their fans follow them in huge numbers, and they have also sometimes moved into more mainstream, thriller areas. Ramsey has never been on the same sales level as those guys, and he always writes what he loves writing, and that can sometimes be a more difficult road. Once you are a copper-bottom bestseller, like those others, you don't have to worry so much about trends. If you speak to the Head Buyer at W H Smiths, they will tell you that Terry Pratchett is not a fantasy writer, or a humorous writer - he's simply a bestseller.