We’ve had passes from both Touchstone and Free Press.  Matthew (Touchstone) loves the idea of this book, but they’re looking for something more clearly propulsive, a la the Ben Mezrick that he mentioned a couple of times. [FYI, another editor just responded—see his comments below about the Mezrick, which parallels what Matthew said.]  Alessandra wasn’t any more reassured by the outline material I gave her—what she said this morning was that it still doesn’t feel like this is really going to be Gregg’s story, and that’s what it needs to be from her perspective; the outline doesn’t change that feeling in her opinion.

 

Clive Priddle at Public Affairs indicated he’s going to bid, and Yaniv Soha at St Martin’s loved the meeting, but won’t know till tomorrow (Wednesday editorial meeting) whether he’s going to be cleared to bid.

 

We have two more meetings today, of course, so there’s no reason to panic.  However, it’s now of paramount importance that we get John Parsley on board.  And we need to do that FAST—not Thursday or Friday, but as soon as humanly possible.  I spoke with him this morning to be sure I understood what he’s looking for, so we need to compare notes on that front.

 

Regarding TODAY’S MEETINGS, it’s important here that we be very clear that we’re telling Gregg’s story, that Gregg really WILL be the through-line here.  Of course you guys will find a way, in the writing, to rope in all the other stuff, the bigger issues.  But—with Ballantine in particular, the first meeting—the emphasis needs to be on Gregg and not on issues per se.  

 

Remember:  right now our only job is SELLING the book.  WHAT the book really is, ultimately, will be a negotiation between you guys and the eventual editor.  But at this stage, the houses with the most money to spend (Little Brown, Touchstone, Free Press) are being scared away by what they sense as conflicting missions:  the encyclopedic “mission of Anonymous” book, and the memoir-driven “Anonymous revealed through Gregg’s personal experience” book.  So for these two meetings today, we need to be on message that we’re talking about the memoir-driven “Anonymous revealed through Gregg’s personal experience” book.

 

Let’s talk this morning, OK?

 

 

 

 

Hey Dan,

Sorry to be slow on this – we were closed over the weekend for a move (and then unpacking yesterday).  But I’m going to pass on this.  It’s a great subject and a great source with some really excellent stories to tell – and I’ve been fascinated by hacker culture since the anarchic phone hacks of the Masters of Deception (a crew that included friends of mine).  But I didn’t think that this rose to the level of Mitnick – an iconic hacker/criminal – or the level of sheer narrative propulsion of Ben Mezrich, for instance (of whom I’m not a huge fan, but still, he delivers easy reads).  I think the problem is that the story is just one beat more complicated than the Mitnick or Mezrich-style stories --  although in many ways far more consequential b/c of the intersection of hacking/politics/media, etc., which makes it tantalizing.  But the first rule of my list here is that the read has to deliver in a big way, no matter how important the story is, and this didn’t quite get there. 

 

Thanks for thinking of me – in many ways, this is right up my alley. 

 

Hey, I’m not sure we’ve ever actually met – is that true?  Can I stop by for a cup of coffee or something some time soon, just to say hi and have a quick chat?  Maybe one Friday in the coming weeks?  Let me know if you’re up for it.

 

Best, Chris

 

 

 

Hi, Chris—

 

Gregg Housh and Barrett Brown are coming to town for meetings this coming Monday and Tuesday.  If you’re potentially interested in meeting them, please let me & my assistant know a.s.a.p.

 

Thanks, and sorry not to connect by phone.

 

All best,
Dan

 

Literary Agent

Writers House

(212) 696-3825