Re: From Barrett Brown
Subject: Re: From Barrett Brown
From: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com>
Date: 12/22/09, 00:48
To: Charles Johnson <charles@littlegreenfootballs.com>

Yeah, I'd assume you'll have no problem with the book. I'll send you the proposal I did for Pat Stack tomorrow evening just so you can see the format and all that and have an idea of what you'll need to prepare as far as content and whatnot. I'd be willing to bet that you can get about $10,000 in advance at the very least and have that money within six months if you can get the proposal and a sample chapter composed by, say, the end of January. The time it takes to get an agent lined up and then have him pick up a publisher varies pretty wildly, but there are a couple reps I have in mind - Michael Bourret and Paul Lucas - who already know me and are thus good about getting back very quickly, so I can definitely help out along those lines. Bourret in particularly is interested in political commentary. You should also let me edit the proposal for you or provide you with notes at the very least, as there's a certain methodology to it, and of course I'd do this all for free.

On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 11:27 PM, Charles Johnson <charles@littlegreenfootballs.com> wrote:
I was just about to link to your latest post on this.

I don't mind admitting that I'm a complete newbie as far as book publishing/agents/etc. goes, although I'm not too worried about the actual writing of it. After 9 years of LGF I've built up some writing chops, but any help you can provide for all of that other stuff would be extremely welcome.

CJ




On Dec 21, 2009, at 8:17 PM, Barrett Brown wrote:

Stacy appears to have declined. I've given the spokesperson for the League of the South the same offer via True/Slant. Busy as hell tonight and heading to Texas tomorrow but will address American Power's latest silly post tomorrow evening, hopefully. 

If you'd like, I can talk to a couple of literary agents I know up here about your upcoming book to gauge their interest and we can start thinking about a book proposal, which I'd be happy to assist you with. I can guarantee that you'll get an agent rather quickly and that a publisher will pick it up shortly afterwards and offer you a pretty nice advance, so it would definitely be worth your time to start jotting down ideas and otherwise putting together notes. It wouldn't take me more than an afternoon to put together a ten-page proposal, and I know of at least one agent that I've worked with before who'd jump at the chance to take a look. 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 6:26 PM
Subject: Re: From Barrett Brown
To: r.s.mccain@att.net


Sir-

The word "offer" does not necessarily entail anything positive at all, much less anything along the lines of "charity" or "generosity." Notice that I have used the term interchangeably with "challenge" and that I originally compared it to a duel, for instance. I am not extending this offer as any sort of good deed, although to the extent that you are actually in the right, such an offer as this would indeed be to your benefit. I am extending it to you for the same reason that you are declining it - because I would win any such exchange.


Regards,

Barrett Brown
Brooklyn, NY

On Mon, Dec 21, 2009 at 6:07 PM, <r.s.mccain@att.net> wrote:

"Offer"? As if you were the soul of generosity, and I in need of your philanthropy. Do your work, do it well, collect your pay and knock it off with the humanitarian posturing. You've never done an unselfish act in your life, and by pretending otherwise, you undermine your own credibility. Better to be honestly selfish than to be falsely charitable.

-- RSM