 James Michener was very good at catching the wave. His novel Hawaii came out at the time that Hawaii became a new state, and interest in these exotic islands was high. His novel Texas came out to coincide with the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the existence of that state. |
| Alan Drury wrote political novels in the 1960 and 1970s, such as Advise and Consent and Preserve and Protect. Then in the late 1970s he wrote a novel, A God Against the Gods, about ancient Egypt which was essentially a political novel about the rivalry and intrigues at the time of King Tut. This novel coincided with the magnificent exhibit of fabulous items from King Tut's tomb that traveled around to various museums in the United States at the time. Could he have interested a publisher in such a topic at another time when people were not standing in line for five hours to see this exhibit? |
The Winning Sales Pitch
Sometimes selling an idea is a matter of pitching it to a publisher or producer with vision. |
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When Tennessee Williams wrote The Glass Menagerie, the first producer to whom he submitted it thought it was terrible. The next one thought it was wonderful and produced it, and Tennessee got his start. |
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A few years ago, I read that some prankster had submitted the script of Casablanca to the major Hollywood producers. Apparently none of them recognized it. They all rejected it, saying essentially that it was a stupid story. |
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You may get 35 rejection slips on a piece and then the next place you submit it to wants it. I know a writer who papers his walls with rejection slips. You just can't give up. You need to have faith in your ideas. |
Writer's Block
