Georges Ugeux is a global
financier by trade and at heart. He is the former head of the international
group at the New York Stock Exchange and the founder of Galileo Global
Advisors. He is a frequent blogger for The Huffington Post and Le Monde in Paris, and teaches financial
regulation courses at Columbia Law School. Georges Ugeux’s latest book is The Flying Dragon. Read more at http://georgesugeux.com/.
Find out more about The Flying Dragon on Amazon.
Questionnaire:
Thanks
for letting us interrogate you! Can you
give us a go-for-the-gut answer as to why you wanted to be an author?
Because I felt it in my gut. I
wanted it - but was not sure that I could do it. Having written several
non-fiction books, I wanted the fun of mystery, exotic and passionate plots and
characters who would live in worlds where power, money and corruption collide.
Tell
us (we won’t tell promise!) is it all it’s cracked up to be? I mean what are the perks and what are the demands?
I’ve already experienced the
perks. I had so much fun writing and publishing the novel, listening to readers
that loved it and were also fascinated by the protagonist: Victoria Leung, the
smart, beautiful and determined Chinese detective.
Which
route did you take – traditional or self-published – and can you give us the
nitty gritty low down on what’s that like?
I tried the traditional. It
took me six months to come to the conclusion that it was a waste of time.
Publishers and literary agents seem to be only interested in blockbuster
stories and celebrity authors and are uselessly conservative. So, I decided to
self-publish with Archway Publications. It was a great experience and Archway helped
me to achieve the standards I wanted and that are expected of the genre.
Tell
us for real what your family feels about you spending so much time getting your
book written, polished, edited, formatted, published, what have you?
My wife thought I was spending
too much time polishing Victoria. But, she always told me I had a real story. My
children have not read it yet but are amazed that I might actually be an
author.
In
writing your book, how did you deal with the phone ringing, your family needing
dinner or your boss calling you saying you’re late?
I only wrote when I knew I
could isolate myself from those nuisances. Otherwise, I didn’t have too much
trouble.
What
was the craziest or insane thing that happened to you in the book publishing
process?
It was the day I had to decide,
at the end of The Flying Dragon, who would THE GUILTY ONE. It was insanely stressful,
but I am happy with the outcome.
How
about the social networks? Which ones do
you believe help and which ones do you wish you could avoid?
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter,
each in their own way, are extremely helpful. They have been a part of my life
for years and I have developed a community of people. They reacted fairly
quickly and positively to the novel!
Book
sales. Don’t you just love them (or lack
of?)? How are you making the sales
happen for you?
The usual: I have a great
publicist. I promote through all kinds of media, give regular interviews and am
even working on developing a screenplay for the movie…we will see!!!
What
is one thing you’d like to jump on the rooftop and scream about?
A general lack of integrity and
the arrogance of the entitlement!
Okay,
too much sugar for you today! Here’s a nice
cup of Chamomile tea and come on over and sit under the cabana and watch the
waves roll in. Now…can you tell us what
you love about being a published author and how all those things above doesn’t
matter because it’s all part of the whole scheme of things and you wouldn’t
have it any other way?
I love seeing the book, hearing
about it and being perceived in a different way. I’m viewed as not just as a
professional, but also as a man who is full of life and imagination. It is so
much more fun….
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