Bangkok’s (S)expat Writers

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Before we start: They’re expat writers, and not sexpat writers, as some people may derogatively assume. They may mention a few bar girl here and there. The bar girls’ unique Issanian-behaviourism may be a reoccuring theme. Their books may cater for the customers of Bangkok’s bar scene. But the authors are strictly expat writers.

Why anyway would you call Bangkok’s most famous expat writers sexpat writers just because they write about some flesh now and then? Truth is, says Bangkok longtime resident and expat writer Christopher Moore, sex had been an ingredient of any respective literature. Take Somerset Maugham.

Bangkok’s honorable Foreign Correspondents’ Club recently had the pleasure to present four of Bangkok’s most famed expat writers at a round table Q&A. Turned out to be a most delightful evening peppered with insights and wit. absolutelyBangkok.com was there.

There on the podium they sat: American Dean Barrett, known for his books on and his rather unconventional lifestyle in Bangkok. (Dean Barrett’s not to be mixed up with John Burdett.)

Colin Cotterill, born in London, who writes like no second expat about life beyond Bangkok in the rice fields and rural domains of buffalos.

Stephen Leather, from Manchester, who’s a household name among addicts of “action packed” novels and thrillers, author of the Bangkok-classic “Private Dancer” whose books have sold more than 2 million copies in more than 20 languages.

And Christopher G. Moore finally, Canadian, Bangkok resident since 1988, who enjoys a major cult status among the Bangkok expat writers.

The grand absentees: Jake Needham. And Burdett. “There’s only space for so many at this table,” a panelist told absolutely.

Not that they’re all rich. Stephen Leather – “blessed with a great name,” he says – may throne above them all with monthly sales of a 100,000 copies after a new book is launched.

Barrett, Cotterill and Moore sell a few hundred copies a month. Or a few thousand if they’re lucky – as their target market is mainly the expat community in Bangkok, whereas Stephen enjoys a reputation that stretches as far as down to South Africa.

Boy, they all know the territory they know about. The Issanian twists of minds and truths. Blessed be the one who remains unscathed.

Being an expat author in Bangkok is not all that glamor.

Remember the Columnist Gods?

Says Dean Barrett: “Luck plays a big role in our life – even though we don’t want to admit it.”

Luck of being published, sold and read it is to say.

Says Chris Moore, slightly on the defensive: “Getting published is nevertheless tough.” Not to mention getting distributed.

Even newspapers such as the Bangkok Post print no more authors and publishers such as Asia Books sit on enough unsold stuff already.

The market gets more competitive by the day, says Chris. “Very commercialized, even Darwinian.”

“And books on Bangkok sell mainly in Thailand”, says Stephen.

With the advantage of Thailand that book shops in Thailand offer a rather small choice of books. “The customer sees the Thai fiction written by expat writers very quickly” – a phenomenon in itself, explains Stephen: “It’s a unique phenomenon, foreign writers writing about Thailand – doesn’t happen in other countries. Or in Spain, do you see foreigners writing that sort of thing about Spain?”

Thailand’s book market is rather a boutique market for that.

And true. Agents have become the name of the game to get a manuscript published and even rejected. Thailand though allows you to publish your book yourself at reasonable prices, says Stephen. “You can even walk up to major retailers and offer them your book. Anyone in Thailand can write a book, print it and get it on sale.”

Says the man who can sell 100,000 copies a month.

Colin Cotterill, driven by the urge to write, had sold 11 copies of his first book in the first months. “I saw,” says Colin, “I had to write for a larger audience.”

Colin no longer tried to trouble potential readers with the “misfortunes of others. People want to be entertained.”

Welcome to the real world.

Being a Bangkok author means hard work.

Being a Bangkok expat author may look like a life rich in milk and honey.

Rich are the hurdles you encounter, as getting published and even getting read becomes harder than ever.

Living proof was a Thai guy present at the FCCT who just published his first novel: Thai Mango – a novel written in English for that.

He wants to earn money with it, he told the audience. Start with changing the novel’s and your own name, recommended Stephen. As the publishing business has become that tough, even the colors and design of the cover can make or break your sales.

And this is nothing, says Chris: “At major book shops in the U.S., books on the front table are not there because they’re better. But because that space has been presold.”

The Thai author, whose novel is now shelved in the veggie-section, intends to change his name to Clive and pray for bumper sales. But then again:

Alone in the U.K., says Chris, last year 200,000 books were published. The average author earned 7,000 pound sterling a book. 14,000 U.S. dollars.

Maybe the few lucky ones, me thinks. The total amount may include J.K. Rowling’s not too meager payoff for her Harry multiology.

You therefore spice up content to increase sales. The basic recipe of the Bangkok expat literature – whose roots date back quite some time.

The tradition reaches back to the first travelers who met that women and thought: “That women and me, that is so unique, I have to write a book about it.”

Says Dean: “Jack Reynolds’ A Women of Bangkok was that first book. A book that was shocking at that time and set the pattern.”

Reynolds was followed by Richard Mason’s The World of Suzie Wong.

The writers’ sexpat-market was born – and doesn’t exist to this day out of Thailand.

A uniquely Thai-farang phenomenon.

But then again: Colin hasn’t written a single sentence about the diabolic bar scene. And those bar girls and Don Quixotesque adventures of virgin farangs are considered “entry level stuff”.

Says Stephen: “You’re looking for a larger audience. Still, that entry level is tempting with this complete lack of sordidness in Thai life. Sanuk penetrates every sector in this society.”

Potential writers’ who haven’t published yet the podium recommends: Love what you do, believe in yourself, write for an audience and research, research, research.

Despite all the hassles involved – such as tons of unreadable other books being printed and bloodsucking publishers who always promise and don’t always pay: “Persistence is 99% of getting a story published,” says Dean.

And Chris with the sentence of the evening and concluding remark: “There’s always room for serious hoax.”




Sphere: Related Content

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  3. Chris Coles’ Bangkok Vanilla Sky
  4. Sorta Henry Miller? Lawrence Osborne’s Vulgar-Prose “Bangkok Days”
  5. Navigating The Bangkok Night
  6. Harem Culture & Colonialism’s Dirty Little Secrets

March 27, 2008 | Filed Under Being Farang, Culture & Arts, Nightlife & Entertainment, The Thai Mind, Truly Bangkok 

Comments

10 Responses to “Bangkok’s (S)expat Writers”

  1. Thaigolfer on March 27th, 2008 6.18 pm

    Very true, every Tom, Dick and Harry can get their book published here. Most of them are utter crap. If only I banged more ho’s I could have been rich …

  2. BangkokDan on March 27th, 2008 7.06 pm

    Mentioned writers produce truly good stuff though. Entertaining, insightful, even instructional and witty with sarcastic undercurrents. But as said, it’s hard labor. From not too much (e.g. hanging out in bars) comes hardly much.

    BangkokDan

  3. Carl Parkes on March 28th, 2008 10.07 am

    Dan, another good one. I’ve been thinking about writing something about that exact same subject, but you did it first. You also have the advantage of living in Bangkok while I live in San Francisco, so you have closer contact and can go to those FCCT events. I think the whole subject could use plenty more background and stories, and somebody will do it, but it probably won’t be me.

    OK; somebody claim http://writersinthailand.blogspot.com

    and then get other writers there to discuss their books, sales, editors, rip offs, etc.

    I’ve got something about the trials and tribulations of travel writers at: http://travelwriters.blogspot.com

    And, a Facebook page, for those crazy enough to join that networking site.

  4. BangkokDan on March 28th, 2008 4.23 pm

    Spot-on Carl – but is there demand for such forums?

    A friend of mine tried to start a writers’ forum here in Bangkok. Didn’t take off so far. Writers are not the most sociable beings, they love a cozy, protective isolation.

    And yes, a write about the expat writers is highly promising. There is so much more to tell about this milieu – which it is.

    Got something more extensive on the subject in the pipeline that’ll be up soon.

    BangkokDan

  5. Stephen Leather, Bangkok’s Most Immortal Expat Writer on April 12th, 2008 1.33 pm

    [...] +++ You may also want to read our Novelist Burdett: Mission Soi Cowboy and Bangkok’s (S)expat Writers. [...]

  6. Cat on September 10th, 2008 3.14 pm

    And Christopher Moore finally, from Ohio, who enjoys the Wikipedia-entry of being “a best-selling author with major cult status.”

    Right name. Wrong Moore. Wrong wiki entry.

    The one you want goes by Christopher G Moore. He was born in Canada, not the US, and is a long time BKK resident.

    I made the same leap at first (when researching for an article due out next week).

    There’s actually two Canadian authors of the same name. Just be sure to add the G when googling …

  7. BangkokDan on September 10th, 2008 3.31 pm

    Cat, thousand thanks, how embarrassing.

    Corrected.

    And I thought Chris added that “major cult status” himself …

    BangkokDan

  8. Cat on September 10th, 2008 3.43 pm

    If it wasn’t for a friend drooling over a fellow Canadian’s proliferation, I wouldn’t have picked up on it myself.

    (embarrassing is spending way too long trying to figure out how Chris was born in Canada but raised in Ohio and has a home with loving family in California yet spends most of his time in Bangkok with his wife and four dogs … there’s more but it gets really bad …)

  9. BangkokDan on September 10th, 2008 3.49 pm

    Well, maybe the American original created a Canadian double – or vice versa -, just to be on the safe side as you never know in Thailand …

    BangkokDan

  10. Cat on September 10th, 2008 5.01 pm

    Hah! You got that right …

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