Thanks for finding this. Having spent 10 years amongst Hollywood agents and 3 months amongst literary agents, literary agents are a lot nicer. A blitz down a similar memory lane http://www.lasfsinc.info/scrapbook/photos/mt02.gif (Harlan Ellison & Poul Anderson, 1966, Westercon, San Diego)
It's all in process. Put it this way: I had an agent. He was at William Morris. then that agent got fired on Black Monday. (He's fine - he's at CAA now and rich as Croesus) That agent transferred me to another agent, who got laid off when that entire department was eliminated (I was tucked in the graphic novel corner of the world). Then nobody sold spec screenplays anymore. Then a friendly author told me to stop wasting my time in Hollywood and told me to write a book and he'd help me sell it. Then I did. Then he realized that everyone he knew in the industry was so high up that they couldn't really read me... there's a bunch of comical shit in there that I just can't get into. So I reached out to another author I'd worked with backintheday and he said "talk to my peeps." His "peeps" requested the manuscript (not the logline and bullshit) within an hour. Within a week they'd read it. Within two weeks they'd read it twice (and it's as long as Fellowship of the Ring). Within three weeks they agreed to "work on it with me." So I'm not officially repped and they aren't taking my book out. But an agent at a dream firm is editing my book. Nothing has been signed. NOTHING IS OFFICIAL. Things could still go totally pear-shaped; after all, I'm a rank asshole and I use too many words ALL THE TIME. But I'm cautiously optimistic.
When, realistically, might your book get published if the process goes as you hope? 2016? (And, it occurs, are you even going to tell us? It'll have your name splashed everywhere....) I've always wondered about the editing part of getting a book published. I just don't get it. Do these people, based solely on their expertise of what they think will sell and not necessarily on any sort of writing ability, edit Michael Lewis' books when he sends in manuscripts? How can that be anything but bad?
If I knew, I'd tell you. There are all sorts of parallel stupid plans in several mediums. I am a complex mutherfucker. "One rule of the road not directly stated elsewhere in this book: The editor is always right. The correlary is that no writer will ever take all of his or her editor's advice; for all have sinned and fallen short of editorial perfection. Put another way: to write is human, to edit is divine. Chuck Verrill edited this book, as he has so many of my novels. And as usual, Chuck, you were divine." - Stephen King, On Writing, Foreward In that article you linked? Stephen King left Kirby McCauley for Chuck Verrill.When, realistically, might your book get published if the process goes as you hope?
(And, it occurs, are you even going to tell us? It'll have your name splashed everywhere....)
Do these people, based solely on their expertise of what they think will sell and not necessarily on any sort of writing ability, edit Michael Lewis' books when he sends in manuscripts?
Could consider publishing under a pseudonym, because the sales you'll pick up from reddit etc are probably significant enough to go to the trouble. -- I really need to read On Writing, but I'm still skeptical. I'd like to get my hands on Gatsby in manuscript form, or something. See for myself.