Why is it that some writers of fiction succeed, while others fail? Come hear Tokyo resident Barry Lancet talk about his new spy thriller set in Japan, China and North Korea and how he “jumped the gap” to find a big-time agent that landed him a multi-book contact with a major publisher.
When highly recognized novelist Barry Lancet sat down to write The Spy Across the Table, the fourth in his Jim Brodie series, he focused very quickly on the North Korean threat and the increasingly complicated relationship of Asian countries with a resurgent China. Barry will talk about what those threats mean to him from his perspective in Japan and how it inspired his latest thriller.
He will also share his secrets and own experience in breaking out in the highly competitive world of fiction. Talent, sound story-telling, and a voice are all critical, but so is persistence, business sense and a little luck. He will give tips on how to find a good agent and how to leverage that into a good book contract. He will explore some of the opportunities and challenges that foreigners knowledgeable about Japan face in writing Japan-related fiction.
So if you are a budding writer, have experiences in Japan and Asia that you can’t wait to talk about, and have a passion for telling a compelling story you cannot miss this rare opportunity to hear a practitioner about his experiences and how you can apply those lessons professionally and personally.
 

Speakers:
Barry Lancet
Author
Barry Lancet moved from California to Tokyo in his twenties, where he has lived for more than two decades. He spent twenty-five years working for one of the country’s largest publishers, developing books on dozens of Japanese subjects from art to Zen—all in English and all distributed in the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world.
His unique position gave him access to many inner circles in cultural, business, and traditional fields most outsiders are never granted. Early in his tenure in the Japanese capital, he was hauled in by the police for a non-criminal infraction and interrogated for three hours, one of the most heated psychological encounters he had faced in Japan to that point. The run-in fascinated him and sparked the idea for a thriller based on his growing number of unusual experiences in Japan. Lancet is still based in Japan but visits the States frequently. He is at work on the next novel in the Jim Brodie series.

Schedule:

• 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM   Networking/Registration
• 6:30 PM – 7:45 PM    Presentation with audience Q&A
• 7:45 PM – 8:30 PM    Networking/Reception

Purchase Tickets:

• No refunds after Thursday, June 15.
• Online registration closes at 10:00 AM on Thursday, June 22.
• Walk-Ins accepted at $30.00 per ticket.
• This is a GENERAL JAPAN SOCIETY program.