People sometimes talk about books as if they are babies, raised by the author and ultimately sent into the world to make their fortunes. We even wish authors a "happy book birthday" on their publication day! In the last month, I've been thinking about the similarities and differences between "book babies" and actual babies, since I'm in the position to compare the two directly; as it happens (as it was meant to happen), my new book and our first baby were both scheduled to debut in the first week of November. :-o

My son turned up a little early, which made the launch of The Silence of Six slightly easier, but it has still been an interesting experience juggling my new life as a father with my life as a writer with a day job. I decided to put books and babies side by side in the chart below. Like books and babies, it's still a work in progress, and I left a few things out.

(click to embiggen)

Do you have anything you would add or disagree with? Let me know in the comments below!