I'm sure in a lot of publishing houses that there is a frustration that people feel, that they're not in control, that they are puppets and the corporate bosses are manipulating the strings. |
The demands of publishing and marketing a book today have grown to exceed the ability of a publisher to cope. I felt very keenly that we were leaving so many good marketing ideas unexplored because there were too many authors and too little time. |
They love their jobs, and they love the creative excitement that comes from working there. But when you're sharing an apartment in Queens with four other people because you're getting 3 to 4 percent annual raises on a $25,000 salary, it's not a great thing. |
To get there after one week on any book is remarkable, but to do this on a book that has an $8 million advance is Nirvana. There are a lot of [envious] publishers today. I wish we raised our bid. |