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Monday, March 21, 2016

Coming November 2016: The Secrets of Story

So here’s the thing about traditional publishing: It’s slooooooooooow (especially compared to blogging). Writing a book is slow. Finding an agent is slow. Sending it out is slow. Waiting to hear back is slow. Accepting an offer is slow. Finalizing the paperwork is sloooooooooow. I used to post a lot about the book back when this process was beginning, but that was years ago, before I became weary and wary of the process.

But now we’re here! The book is coming! And it’s coming soon! November 2016, from Writer’s Digest Press! I’m allowed to tell you this now because the deal posted today in Publisher’s Weekly!

Here’s the other thing: They don’t let you pick your own title. So out of all of the dozens of names we bandied about back then, we ended up with something completely different ...but I’m happy with it, in the end. The title they chose was “The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers”. That’s cool with me. What do you think?

(For a long time, they were in love with “Storytelling Mastery”, which I thought was way too pompous, so I’m glad they let me shoot that down.)

So what happens now? Lots of things. For one thing, this site will gradually migrate over to SecretsOfStory.com and then be archived, but that will take a while. In the meantime, I very much need you guys to stick around, because I’d love to pick your brains. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to rope you guys into the process a little bit.

14 comments:

Devin McKay said...

Congrats. I can't wait to read it.

Paul Worthington said...

Congratulations! Tho even November seems a long way off... (or is that only because we all want the election to be over?)

McL said...

Awesome news! Interesting that the title seems to indicate a book for book-writing (Readers) rather than screenwriting (Viewers), which is the main thrust of the blog. I'm excited to see how things change when your ideas are targeted at general storytelling, and to have the essence of your ideas put into an easier to reference form.

Steve said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Scooter Downey said...

Congratulations. 'Script gurus' are a dime a dozen, but you're the real deal: helpful, entertaining, insightful, and very very practical. Look forward to the book as much as I do your blog posts.

James Kennedy said...

Congratulations and well-deserved! I've used parts of Cockeyed Caravan and even some pages from early versions of your manuscript in fiction writing classes I've taught, even though I'm not a screenwriter. So I understand the strategy of selling your book as "Secrets of Story" and not as a screenwriting manual per se, since many of your arguments have general applicability outside of the movies. That said, I imagine the other book-writing folk among your fans are just as eager as I to see how the expanded scope of "The Secrets of Story" plays out. On the one hand, like I said, some of your screenwriting advice has been helpful for my fiction writing. On the other hand, one can see how the lessons earned from a close study of movies might not always apply to novels or other storytelling, and one doesn't want to apply the lessons appropriate to one craft willy-nilly on another craft. Novels and short stories are stranger and shaggier beasts than movies, I think. And yet, as I said at the top, a lot of your screenwriting advice has makes a lot of sense in fiction writing too. I guess that's the needle you'll have to thread with "Secrets of Story": which of your lessons are screenwriting-specific, and which apply to story in general? In any case, I can't wait to see the finished product, and am looking forward to getting my hands on it!

The Mysterious Pi said...

Congrats, Matt. I'm glad the superlative work you've done is (only just) beginning to pay off.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!

Brian Malbon said...

This is awesome news! I will definitely be buying it. Your checklist has already helped my writing so much. I found myself asking checklist questions as I'm writing now instead of back-checking afterwards. Good for you, and congratulations!

Fred Salmon said...

Congrats Matt, and about time. I will be pre-ordering the shit out of this book.

Sean said...

Congratulations, Matt! I'll be ordering one for myself and several for giving away.

Steve said...

Will this be available in Australia or on Australian Amazon etc.?

J.A. said...

Congratulations, well deserved.

Nick said...

Congratulations! I'm so pleased for you. And I love the name - though I would be tempted to lose the 'the' and call it simply 'Secrets of Story.' I think this rolls off the tongue far more easily (or as the saying goes, "it's cleaner").