Blind Submission: A Novel (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Memoirist Ginsberg (Waiting; Raising Blaze) gracefully transitions into fiction with a fresh twist on the aggrieved publishing assistant. Angel Robinson is a voracious reader excited to land a job at the prestigious Lucy Fiamma Literary Agency in San Francisco, but she quickly finds herself overwhelmed in the maelstrom of an office. Angel, forever lugging manuscripts home, discovers she has a knack for turning mediocre manuscripts into moneymakers, a talent Lucy handsomely capitalizes on. When an anonymous submission set in a Bay Area literary agency is e-mailed in, Angel begins hammering it into salable shape. At first, the parallels between the manuscript and her life are innocuous enough, but as subsequent chapters appear in her inbox and she corresponds via e-mail with the author (coyly called "G. A. Novelist"), the story begins to reveal intimate details about Angel's life and to contain thinly veiled threats. Could her foundering writer boyfriend be the culprit? A jealous co-worker? Another of Lucy's clients? A game of e-mail cat and mouse unfolds as Angel continues working on the manuscript and her dragon-lady boss angles to sell it. Though not nail-bitingly suspenseful, the plot is twisty enough to keep readers guessing to the end. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Ginsberg has delighted readers with her candor and humor in three popular memoirs, including Raising Blaze (2002). She now brings her wit and pinpoint psychology to fiction in a gleefully caustic tale that is not so much a whodunit as a who-wrote-it. Ginsberg's heat-seeking novel tracks the high-anxiety misadventures of Angel Montgomery, a book lover who becomes a badgered assistant to an extravagantly cruel, histrionic, and elaborately attired literary agent, Lucy Fiamamma. Yes, this is the book-world version of The Devil Wears Prada (2003), albeit more artful. Blind submissions are manuscripts sent in cold to the agency, while Lucy's staff practices a stunned compliance one might describe as blind submission. Angel is learning to hold steady under Lucy's onslaughts, but she is growing alarmed over the creepy parallels between her life and Blind Submission, an anonymously authored mystery set in a literary agency and sent to her in e-mailed installments. Is the author her wannabe writer boyfriend? Her angry, possibly deranged coworker? An affectionate skewering of the ludicrous side of the book business and a claws-out send-up of the perversities of power, Ginsberg's blithe blend of mystery, romance, and satire is smart, classy, and fun. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (September 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307346382
• ISBN-13: 978-0307346384
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #144,598 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mislabeled as a "Mystery", August 30, 2008

By	Bart King (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This novel shared my nightstand with two well-reviewed novels, namely Laura Lippman's What the Dead Know and The Sister by Poppy Adams. I read the first 30-ish pages of all three books, and then figured I'd continue with the one that hooked my interest.

That'd be "Blind Submission."

This book has mistakenly been labeled a mystery. Not so; our protagonist works at a highly successful literary agency where every unsolicited submission is read carefully by two people. These two prepare and compare notes on these manuscripts before passing judgment. Further, this agency made and continues to make its fortune by carefully culling the ideas sent in by beginning writers.

So clearly "Blind Submission" is science fiction!

Issues of believability aside, Debra Ginsberg has concocted a very entertaining tale. I especially enjoyed the invented snippets of novels and memoirs that came in the agency's slush pile. I hate to call this book an "entertaining lark," but there it is. Nice work, and I look forward to Ginsberg's next book, The Grift.

Sidelight: As most of this novel takes place inside the agency's offices, halfway through it, I was starting to feel the story was a bit confined and stifling. At that moment I came across the line, "It occurs to me that my novel might be...a little claustrophobic." Eerie!

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not One Good Character, December 29, 2006

By	A. Luciano (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Blind Submission: A Novel (Hardcover)

Angel is an avid reader, working in a bookstore that is going out of business. Her boyfriend, an aspiring novelist, encourages her to apply for a job at a small but prestigious publishing company.

Right from the beginning when Angel gets the job, there is a strange vibe in the office. The boss is absolutely horrible, terrorizing her employees, rewriting history and reality to suit herself.

Angel immediately stands out as a star in the office, working well with authors, rescuing promising manuscripts from the trash and even seeming to earn a bit of respect from her dictator boss.

Because of the stress level of her job, though, Angel's relationship with her boyfriend suffers. She is unhappy and withdrawn, and feels she might be going crazy when an anonymous manuscript seems to be telling the story of her life.

The concept of this book is promising, but I found it disappointing. The characters are one-dimensional and I thought it was glaringly obvious who the anonymous author was. The nastiness of Angel's boss was terribly cliche and the book's romance seemed far too convenient.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Devil Wears Prada Redo, December 21, 2006

By	Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blind Submission: A Novel (Hardcover)

The writing is good - that much cannot be denied. But, the plot is identical to that of The Devil Wears Prada. The only difference? This is set in a publishing company and not a fashion company. A unique plot would have made the book stronger.