Mark Gilroy

Bringing Books to Life!

What Inspired You to Create Kristen?

Mark Gilroy is author of Cold As Ice

In NYC at the BookExpo America Convention this past summer.

What inspired you to create Kristen Conner? That was the lead question by author, writer, columnist, and reviewer Kim Ford in a recent interview where I am on the cover of Christian Fiction Online Magazine. Click the link to read the entire interview that includes questions on starting a new publishing company, Sydney Lane Press, whether the Russian Mafia – one of the storylines in Cold As Ice – is a real menace in America, and the biggest changes I’ve seen in the publishing industry over the past 35 years. Thanks for a great interview Kim!

Kristen Conner – one of three daughters of a felled Chicago policeman who has contributed more than her fair share toward the elimination of crime in her city. Tell us how you were inspired to create this character.

I am such a fan of character-driven mystery series, I knew that’s what I wanted to create. First question, of course, was male or female? I considered flipping a coin. The decision was simple though. I looked at my own family. With three sons and three daughters, I’ll confess, my daughters provided more drama in my life! Now I’ve probably got myself in trouble again.

Let me mention one other inspiration as I created Kristen Conner. I started with the premise that I would not write a Christian series. I would do my best to write for the mystery genre. But just as Tony Hillerman, Fay Kellerman, and many others have written series with a very distinctly religious and reflective character, I would write Kristen as a Christian – a “church girl.” That may be a nuance but I think she has been very well received by readers who bought the books from the perspective of either genre. Read the full interview.

The Assignment Clause in a Book Publishing Contract

Q: What is the assignment clause in a book publishing contract? Is it important?

A: It defines whether you or your publisher can give-grant-sell to someone else the rights and obligations found in your Agreement. It might matter a lot.

Does the assignment clause ever become a business matter in book publishing?

Does the assignment clause ever become a business matter in book publishing?

I’ve worked on and signed hundreds of book publishing contracts as a publisher, author, agent, and packager. The first Agreement I signed as an author was in 1986 (the book is still in print and I still get a small royalty check every six months) and was just two pages long. Most publishing contracts today go from twelve to twenty pages with the goal of covering absolutely any and every potential situation and conflict imaginable in the ever-expanding and changing publishing universe.

I recently got a call from a friend from the advertising industry who was working on book contract, which was filled with new language and terms for him. He had a checklist of questions, including the assignment clause, [Read more…]

The Best Selling Books and Series of All Time

What are the best-selling books and series of all time?

Presentation Notes:

With so many different formats, editions, and languages, counting the number of units sold of a book is tough – even with contemporary titles. Then there are the classics that have been published across centuries by many publishers and in many languages and editions. I’ve listed such classics, notably The Holy Bible, in a separate section.

I’ve also highlighted several books series as a separate category. But after referring to numerous ” sort of definitive” and “not quite authoritative” lists, here is a consensus of best-selling books of all time.

Any surprises for you? How many have you read?