I recently read an article on how Amazon is killing the
publishing world. It began by saying: “When you see Snooki’s book on the New
York Times Best Seller List, you know publishing is in trouble.” Publishers
defended their case by saying that they’re only giving the public what they
want. (Side note. I could live without knowing the sordid details of Snooki’s
life.) In other words, publishers will pay an exuberant advance for a celebrity
memoir that has a built-in audience instead of giving a new undiscovered author
his or her shot. The article went on to say how this put the publishing
industry behind the eight ball when Amazon stepped in and offered undiscovered
authors the chance to publish their own books via ebooks or POD (Print on
Demand), with higher percentages on sales compared to traditional publishing.
What’s more, Amazon has offered favorably high advances to established authors
to come aboard their new publishing arm.
As
my new book “Marilyn Monroe: My Little Secret” nears publication, I’d like to
share my own personal insight into what I’ve experienced in the publishing
world. First off, publishers (like book agents) are the gatekeepers for an
author. They play a key role in determining whose manuscript is worthy of being
moved forward and, with any luck for the writer, actually gets printed. Now,
I’ll be the to say that from a publishers standpoint, it would make sense to
take on celebrities and fiction writers with a long history of best-selling
books. What I don’t understand is how they’ve seemed to stop looking for the
next Tom Clancy or Michael Creighton. (FYI: I’m not that egotistical that I’d
compare myself to either.) I mean, even the best-selling authors and
celebrities had to start somewhere. And this is where I applaud Amazon for allowing
the undiscovered writer to share their talent with the world.
When
I first completed my ‘Marilyn book’ a little over a year ago, I knew the
subject matter would be a hot topic and spark attention, but first I had to
write an alluring, eye-catching query letter. Once completed, I emailed my
query letter to the top book agents and publishers in the business. Literally,
within minutes I’d received responses from a majority of them who wanted to
read the manuscript. Before I got too excited, I reminded myself that this was
the initial stage of a very long reading process. I’d been there – and to date
– am still going through the waiting game process with various screenplays of
mine that have been optioned. Still, I had a gut feeling that this book was special…
And my instincts were right. Instead of waiting the normal 6 months to a year,
agents and publishers were contacting me within a month, and they liked what
they read. Then came the million-dollar question about Jane (Marilyn’s once fan
club manager), inquiring if she was alive. For those of you who don’t know the
answer to that, I encourage you to read my earlier posts.
On
the flipside, there were other agents who didn’t care about Jane’s mortality.
Instead, they wanted to know more about my past writing endeavors. Again, as I
mentioned in an earlier post, one of my biggest accomplishments was having a
play produced off-Broadway— But to them, it was like Yeah, so? I’ve also
self-published a series of children’s books, long before Amazon (or the internet
for that matter) were conceived. One of them, “The Littlest Spruce,” won ‘Best
New Children’s Book’ at the North American Book Exchange, was featured on Good
Morning America, and later was picked up and distributed by Waldenbooks… Yeah,
so?
In
all fairness, these were the heavy-hitters in the literary world, and I am
something of unknown. Still, there were some smaller publishing houses
interested in taking the book on, along with a few managers who wanted to
peddle the book for a year to see what they could do— But in the end? I made
the decision to be an advocate for my own work. Thanks to a couple of investors
who believed both in the book, and me, you will soon be able to buy “Marilyn
Monroe: My Little Secret” on Amazon. My only hope is that it skyrockets in
sales, making all those agents and publishers to think twice before giving the
public another book written by – and I quote – “An over-tanned drunk who goes
clubbing.”
