Re: Authors Who Should Retire

In article <87fxuxtoou.fsf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
Charlton Wilbur  <cwilbur@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>>>>>> "KfC" == Ken from Chicago <kwicker1b_nospam@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> writes:
>
>    KfC> But seriously ... ****rley we need the umpteenth Jimmy
>    KfC> Patterson and Nora Roberts' novel about a trinity of pairs of
>    KfC> women and men (of Irish / Celtic descent) finding love, and
>    KfC> unravelling some crime and / or mystery or one of those
>    KfC> alphabet A is for Attorney / Affidavit / ADA / Appellate
>    KfC> novels far more than fresh new--untested, unmarketed,
>    KfC> unsold--materials. Right?
>
>    KfC> Okay, really seriously this time, what is the impetus for
>    KfC> publishers to take risks on new unsold talent over reliable,
>    KfC> proven best-selling authors?
>
>A reliable, proven best-selling author can't realistically produce
>more than two books a year

	This is not a contradiction because I have no idea if he's 
a best selling author but just on the basis of the Destroyer novels
alone, Warren Murphy and his writing partners have averaged one book
every four months for almost 40 years.

	Of course, the basic plot for a Destroyer novel is Remo
and Chiun kill a thinly disguised version of whoever has pissed off
Murphy this week and since Murphy is fairly cranky I imagine new
plot ideas come to him every day.

	I know he and Trevanian had a bit of a friendly feud going 
over which of Go (which Trevanian played) or chess (which Murphy plays)
is better. I wonder if that ever found its way into a Destroyer novel. 


-- 
http://www.livejournal.com/users/james_nicoll
http://www.cafepress.com/jdnicoll
(For all your "The problem with
defending the English language [...]" T-****rt, cup and tote-bag needs)