Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald's career itself is a metaphor for the vagaries of book publishing. If Fitzgerald would have had his way, we would today refer to The Great Gatsby as either Gold-Hatted Gatsby, Trimalchio in West Egg, or The High-Bouncing Lover. A few years before Gatsby, Fitzgerald had become a literary sensation at the age of 23; Helen Hooven Santmyer, a contemporary of Fitzgerald's, would not have a successful novel published until she was 88 and living in a nursing home. In this book, the author explores that mysterious place in publishing where art and commerce can either clash, mesh, or both. Along the way, a wide range of authors-from the literary greats to today's commercial superstars-editors, agents and publishers share their thoughts, insights and experiences: What inspires writers? (John Steinbeck, for example, wrote every novel as if it were his last, as if death were imminent.) Why are some books successful and appreciated, while others fall into oblivion? The answers are often elusive, never absolute, but the stories and anecdotes are always fascinating.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"A blurb--for a man who knows about blurbs and everything else that goes into the making of bestsellers, even including the writers thereof." -- Tom Wolfe
"It's a joy to take this tour of the book business with its eye-opening emphasis on writers." -- Judith Appelbaum, author of How to Get Happily Published
"Mr. Vanderbilt's book is teeming with lore and advice and warnings and imprecations. It is a joy as a book to read." -- William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Publishing a book is something like going to the track. There's a favorite--but you never know. It's a mystery--though Arthur Vanderbilt's book, The Making of a Bestseller, goes a long way towards penetrating it. Apart from scrutinizing the mystery, Mr. Vanderbilt guides us, with wit and erudition, through the Byzantine world of publishing. Why shouldn't The Making of a Bestseller be a bestseller? It's a hell of a good read." -- Frank McCourt, Pulitzer prize winning Author of Angela's Ashes
"Vanderbilt tells all that every aspiring writer should know about publishing today, and every reader too." -- Louis Auchincloss
"It's a joy to take this tour of the book business with its eye-opening emphasis on writers." -- Judith Appelbaum, author of How to Get Happily Published
"Mr. Vanderbilt's book is teeming with lore and advice and warnings and imprecations. It is a joy as a book to read." -- William F. Buckley, Jr.
"Publishing a book is something like going to the track. There's a favorite--but you never know. It's a mystery--though Arthur Vanderbilt's book, The Making of a Bestseller, goes a long way towards penetrating it. Apart from scrutinizing the mystery, Mr. Vanderbilt guides us, with wit and erudition, through the Byzantine world of publishing. Why shouldn't The Making of a Bestseller be a bestseller? It's a hell of a good read." -- Frank McCourt, Pulitzer prize winning Author of Angela's Ashes
"Vanderbilt tells all that every aspiring writer should know about publishing today, and every reader too." -- Louis Auchincloss
About the Author
Arthur T. Vanderbilt II served as deputy attorney general of New Jersey and is now a partner in a New Jersey law firm. He wrote Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt, and his Order in the Courts: A Biography of Arthur T. Vanderbilt won the American Bar Association's award for book of the year. He lives in Summit, New Jersey.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Celebration of Creative Writing,
By Dan Poynter "Author-Publisher-Speaker" (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)
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This review is from: The Making of a Bestseller: From Author to Reader (Paperback)
This hand-wringing book is about bestsellers; it does not (and can not) define how bestsellers are made. This celebration of creative writing is about writers paying their dues and being discovered. Vanderbilt discusses the effects titles, advertising, author name recognition, perseverance, bestseller lists, reviews, testimonials and blind, dumb luck had on books that made it to the charts. It is a well-written, scholarly study of successful literature with references and footnotes. This book makes a couple of references to nonfiction but is almost entirely about fiction. If you like this book, you will also like Seven Strategies in Every Bestseller by Tam Mossman. I liked them both. Dan Poynter, author of 82 books (nonfiction). DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative, interesting and entertaining--Read it!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Making of a Bestseller: From Author to Reader (Paperback)
All book lovers should read "The Making of a Bestseller." All hopeful authors must read it. This isn't another one of those formulaic, "how to" texts. This author has thoroughly researched the publishing industry, and the book abounds with provocative and inspirational experiences. Aspiring authors will be heartened to find the impressive company they're in as the voices of well-known writers speak of the trials and tribulations encountered on the road to publication. Mr. Vanderbilt's book not only provides encouragement to hopeful authors, it presents a frank and invaluable overview of the publication process. No reader or writer should miss this one.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spectacularly Interesting!,
By "maggy9531" (NY, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Making of a Bestseller: From Author to Reader (Paperback)
This book was lent to me by a University Professor who recommended it as the most comprehensive and thought-provoking study of the publishing industry he's read in years. I couldn't agree more. As a potential author, I found The Making of a Bestseller an encouraging and thought-provoking work. It offers a clear look into the world of publishing, therefore, demystifying the process for those of us just embarking on this sometimes frustrating journey. Insightful and uplifting, one cannot fail to come away without a great deal of encouragement. I, for one, found myself wondering, if F. Scott Fitzgerald faced similar adversity and prevailed, why can't I? One thing we writers must learn: A thick skin is required in this business. This book is not for the unrealistic or faint-hearted. But neither is a career in writing.
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