Diary of a Mad Editor

Archive for April 10th, 2007

Swimming Blind and Legless in a Big Sea of Shit

Recently, in an editorial in Entertainment Weekly, Author Stephen King lambasted Farrar, Straus & Giroux for it’s poor support of the novel Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski. King pointed to the bland, non-descript cover art and the generic title and wondered, “Why, why, why would a company publish a book this good and then practically demand that people not read it?” Say what you will about King’s talents — love him or hate him, the man is a passionate advocate of literature and makes a lot of sense. Like a lot of small press authors I’ve often lamented my inability to breakout big time and find an audience outside of the small press universe and I don’t deny that I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder with regards to big media conglomerates. I have to laugh at those sad hopefuls in University M.F.A. programs who honestly believe that they will make it big with a book deal with a Random House or a FSG. Because what King is talking about is more the rule than the exception. The United States probably publishes more books in a year than many countries do. Thousands and thousands. Yet, most of them have very short shelf lives.

I recall a former professor of mine, Julia Chang, telling me about her own heartbreaking experience with the publication of her first novel, Year of Favor. As the story goes, William Morrow agreed to publish the book and her editor was initially enthusiastic about the project. Months went by. Then more time. The book was never published. At some point, her editor quit and moved on to greener pastures, leaving Julia’s book floating in limbo unloved, unwanted and unpublished. Eventually, after more time passed, she was assigned a new editor and Morrow published the book with no enthusiam or fanfare or support. The book was barely reviewed, didn’t sell and was remaindered off to oblivion. And like King, we ask why this is so. Why does Danielle Steele get to become a household name? Why is ChickLit so popular? Why do books that seem not only to be written on a computer but BY A COMPUTER get promoted to bestseller status when many books of merit get buried alive? I don’t know the answer, but doesn’t it just piss you off? Berlinski doesn’t have to worry. King has all but guaranteed that Fieldwork will sell. But what about the thousands of authors who don’t have a King or and Oprah speaking for them and endorsing them? Most of us who write are like blind, legless swimmers in a big sea of shit.