No-Advance Publisher Strikes Again

PW Rights Alert Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 5/11/2001

Beau Friedlander of little New York-based Context Books has a policy of
offering no advances but being generous with royalties, and has now made
the same kind of deal with Elissa Wald for a first novel that has won
admiring blurbs from Junot Diaz and Pat Conroy.

It is "Holding Fire," a novel that explores the world of firefighting from
the viewpoint of a Vietnam vet turned fireman and an aspiring writer who
strips for a living. According to Friedlander, the author, whose last book
was "Meeting the Master" (Grove), and who does have an agent (Amy Dyer at
AMG) is a "strong-willed person" who turned down an offer from SMP in order
to work with Friedlander. The publisher also does the work of Daniel Quinn
("Ishmael"), who publishes on a similar nothing-down basis.

The book has been optioned by former Sundance Productions exec Jeff
Kleenman, with actor Pierce Brosnan attached as producer.

A book Friedlander published last year, David Means's "Assorted Fire
Events," just won the Los Angeles Times fiction award.