The Accidental Life: An Editor’s Notes on Writing and Writers

Early on in this engaging memoir, McDonell jokingly defines hubris as his hope, when starting out, that “I could become a great editor, by editing great writers and getting to know them.” As this book’s short, anecdote-rich chapters show, hope became reality during a career that included stints at Sports Illustrated, Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Newsweek. McDonell covers the nuts and bolts of getting weekly and monthly magazines out—deadlines, budgets, ad sales, cover selections—and the transition from print to digital media; these sections have the same verve that energizes his profiles of people whose talents he tapped, including Thomas McGuane, Peter Matthiessen, Jim Harrison, Richard Price, and Richard Ford. His prose zings with witty insights, such as this recent appraisal of a 2005 blog post about a panel discussion dismissing the Internet’s relevance to journalism: “Reading it was like snorkeling over a ship that had wrecked on the hidden reefs of some long-ago trade route.” He also writes with great warmth about former colleagues, likening his rowdy relationship with George Plimpton and Hunter S. Thompson to the plot of Treasure Island: “Adventurous boy kidnapped by pirates; joins pirates.” This book will fascinate anyone interested in what goes on behind the scenes in publishing. 18 b&w photos. Agent: Amanda Urban, ICM. (Aug.)