When The Author's Platform Is Murder

It seems like only yesterday that we learned of the first book to be published about the infamous Graham Dwyer, Dublin's freshly convicted killer architect. The cell door was only just clanking shut when Niamh O'Connor announced the release of I'M SORRY SIR. The author was wisely getting her work out there while the public's interest was high, to better assure solid sales figures.

Ms. O'Connor isn't the only author out there seeking to capitalize on the publicity that still surrounds the bondage-tinged murder case.

She had her platform, as a crime writer with credentials. Now we have a pair of authors with a very unique platform. The authors are, in fact, the brothers of Graham Dwyer.

The plot involves murder but has nothing to do with bondage

Not that they wish to trade off the relationship. James and Brendan Dwyer are upset, actually, about all the free publicity coming their way since their brother was sent down. They are clearly novices in the publishing game.

The Dwyer brothers co-wrote CULT FICTION, a science fiction novel that features a woman accused of murder, and then published it themselves when they could not convince a publisher to pick up the manuscript. They did their own promotion and managed to sell about 600 copies in both hard and digital forms, which is not the makings of a best-seller.

James Dwyer was bitten by the writing bug and penned another novel, staying within his genre of science fiction/fantasy. FIREBORN was published in March of this year, while his brother Graham was sitting in a courtroom as the prosecution aired the most depraved details of a sick sexual relationship that led to murder. A man would want something to occupy his thoughts at such a time, when the family name was getting blackened on a daily basis.

CULT FICTION is getting talked about, and you would think that buzz generation would be a good thing, but people read the book's synopsis and start to think it's a murder mystery, not a sci-fi action yarn. The Dwyer brothers put their hearts into their prose. They don't want people to talk about their novel as if they put into words what their brother was about, like some sort of private family confession. Their story has nothing whatsoever to do with brother Graham's troubles.

With all the notice of late, who could say but some publisher might take an interest in their self-published opus. Author interviews or a book tour sort of thing would follow, however, and the brothers would have to decide if literary success was worth the pain of being asked about the family and the infamous brother, instead of their book.

Publishing is a cold-hearted business. There isn't much art about it, once you get past the product being made.

Self-publishing is not for the faint of heart.