How does one submit a news item? ... Or how a best-selling author misses a deadline

[Mercator]

Iain Banks has committed the cardinal sin of failing to meet a deadline.

The award-winning novelist's latest work, Matter, was due to hit the shelves in a couple of weeks as a shoo-in for the Christmas bestseller lists.

It now won't be released until some time next March.

"It's all because I became a serial addict of the computer game 'Civilisation'," Banks said at this month's Edinburgh book festival.

"I played it for three months and then realised I hadn't done any work. In the end, I had to delete all the saved files and smash the CD.

"It is very unprofessional of me. I had to ask for an extension for the first time, which made me feel just like I was a student again."

Source: http://news.independent.co.uk/people...cle1220060.ece

(Iain Banks: official site, wikipedia)

Oh, and if you do turn this into a news item, please credit Nanimo, not me, because she let me know about this.

[Japher]

that sounds about right...

[Mercator]

Shouldn't you be working?

[Illuminatus]

The most effective way to submit news is PMing DanQ, me or Snoopy369 with the information. Thank you for this interesting newstip. I'll take it from here.

[Mercator]

Thanks

[Illuminatus]

You both deserve the credit, Nanimo for telling you, and you for informing us.

[Mercator]

If you insist.

You misspelled Iain in the title.

[MMC]

Description

The book describes the Wopuld family, who made a fortune on a board game called EMPIRE, now a computer game. A U.S. firm, the Spraint Corporation, wants to buy them out.

Alban Wopuld is distracted from affairs of business by his relations with his family and with a former girlfriend, Sophie.

Even before its publication, the book has attracted comparison with The Crow Road.

This might be relevant... it's the wikipedia description of the book in question (the one with the missed deadline)

[Adagio]

In the end, I had to delete all the saved files and smash the CD

[Zopperoni]

So much for altruism, eh?

[DrSpike]

Great story.

IIRC one of Bank's earlier book (Complicity I think) had a character obsessed with a civ like builder game. I think his interest in Civ is not new.

[Nanimo]

I think that game was called Despot

[Nanimo]

In fact.... it looks like he just imagined what Civilization was like whilst he was writing Complicity...

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,790236,00.html

[DrSpike]

That's quite telling as it is dated 2002! His addiction is far from being new.

[Generaldoktor]

I'm behind on my book for about two years because of Civ3 and Civ4. I don't have a deal for it, as it will be my first. But considering I've gone on sabbatical for it lately and am living off savings, I better not do...one more turn. Aw shucks, maybe one more.

It is easy to do, for intelligent people, the kind that usually; and I do mean usually, desire to write; they can also really be stimulated by the stuff in these games. I liked CTP, SMAC and GalCivII also, but my self-imposed deadlines weren't strict then.

Aren't there some other writers on this forum, like Vel or somebody? I wonder what they do to fit it all in. Probably don't play much Marathon, I bet.