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The Key to Publishing Happiness?
April 6, 2007
Romans a clef are nothing new, as Bob Minzesheimer states in the linked USA Today story -- what's new, as M.J. Rose says in the article, is how the emphasis rests on the prurient angle (and, as Carol Fitzgerald adds, on how people like to see "the story behind the veneer"). Of course, in these times of heavy reality TV, books that at least purport to tell the truth are not just buzzworthy -- they have business potential.
However, at least one buzzworthy book,
Because She Can by Bridie Clark, has been
getting flayed for being a flop. Full disclosure: I read the book and I went to the book party. I enjoyed
Because She Can and its send-up of "Rudith Jegan" (apologies to Gawker for borrowing their nom-de-doom), but I told quite a few people after reading the galley that I thought the book might not do astoundingly well because the publishing world's hijinks don't translate as easily to the general public as the fashion world's did in
The Devil Wears Prada.
Although there is some dispute over whether or not Clark's book is a great success, I thought about the book a couple of days ago when I read about the newly christened Grand Central Publishing's cat book buy. The $1.25 million deal for the story of a cat named Dewey who lived in an Iowa library for 19 years is regarded by many people as mind-boggling. Millions for a cat story?
That's not what interested me. As far as I'm concerned, there are hundreds of books that have received advances I don't understand. Why shouldn't Grand Central go after the Marley & Me crowd?
What intrigued me was Jamie Raab's statement “It was one of those books where I thought, ‘We know how to sell this.’ ” Do not peg me as naive -- I know and have known for a while that publishing is about selling. But I think this is the first time I've seen a publisher simply say this in the mainstream media. Again -- why shouldn't Grand Central go after a book it knows how to sell -- especially after
Because She Can did not sell as well as it might have?
Books aren't only about literature. They aren't only about good writing. They're products -- and like any other products, sometimes they are all about quality, sometimes they're about something else -- a community, a subject, a movement, whatever.
Or maybe I'm completely wrong... your turn!
Posted by Bethanne Patrick on April 6, 2007 | Comments (1)
