Jon Samsel

Writing a book is a marvelous adventure, and the only way to find out if you have the spirit for it is to take the plunge and do the book. It’s like having a child of your own and watching it grow. Does the idea of bringing something new into the world appeal to you? If so then you should gain real satisfaction from writing.

John Berendt was a magazine editor in New York. Then he answered the call of his adventurous spirit. He went to Savannah, Georgia with a tape recorder, walked the shady squares of that charming city, and soaked up some of the town’s flavor, atmosphere, and got to know its people. The result was a legal saga involving a killing. He called his book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Not too shabby for a book deemed “of limited regional interest” by certain publishers. Crucial point. Book publishers make mistakes and sometimes big whoppers. Never forget this truth as long as you write.

Darryl Wimberley, an unpublished author toiling away at his craft in Austin, Texas, could not arouse the interest of agents or editors in any of his five completed novels. He decided he could not wait around for his career to “happen” so he hired a woman to submit ten manuscripts at a time to agents and, selectively, to editors at a limited number of publishing houses. The woman he hired sent him a clipping of a writing contest. Darryl’s novels did not fit into any of the book categories the contest called for, but he figured, “What the heck, if I submit a manuscript, maybe it will spark the interest of one of the readers.” Darryl submitted a manuscript and a few weeks later, he received a telephone call from one of the contest organizers. His novel was not one of the semi-finalists. But one of the readers loved Darryl’s work and asked the contest organizers if they could put them in touch with the author. Two weeks later, Darryl had a two-book deal with St. Martin’s Press!

The late Jim Fixx wrote what he knew. He was a daily jogger and well able to do a first-rate book on the subject. He thought his book would sell 30,000 copies. It did far better. It brought him $1 million in royalties in only fifteen months. But Jim was lucky. His book came out just as the national jogging craze was hitting full force. It was great timing, and Jim’s book quickly became a blockbuster success.

This anything-can-happen feature of the book business generates an excitement, a gusto in its potential, and an aspect of romance. There is a sense of satisfaction in being a part of such an industry.

Despite being turned down, often by leading publishers, some books go on to become great successes and carve their own special places in the marketplace. This book in your hands definitely reflects the truth that you can’t keep a good book down. Agents and editors may give the heave-ho to certain books, only to see them still make it to the bestseller lists. The real lesson here, for every author, is that no one agent, or editor’s rejection, should ever be taken as the final word.

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 23rd, 2008 at 3:02 am and is filed under Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.