Gregg, I've taken this a little further.  See what you think.  I've tried to expand it a little based on the things I think he's interested in and what it is *I* might want to hear if I were an editor in Stephen's position.  But you should cut anything that doesn't sound true to you, and change any language that feels fake.  Like I say "preachy," and that doesn't sound like you, and probably there's a more apt term of art for that in your world.

Anyway, once you've done what you want to it, send it, the earlier the better, OK?  Whatever you say, there's no way it hurts our chances.  This should be in your name; you should cc Barrett and me.  Stephen's email is stephen.morrow@us.penguingroup.com.

-Dan


Hi Stephen,

I wanted to reach out and say that Barrett and I were intrigued by your thoughts on the book.  We are very interested in the more political side of this, and on what the future holds.  And your way of framing it as a (non-) manifesto is kind of brilliant--I mean, whatever I do is going to get me into hot water with some Anons, but what's more important is I would like the book to get more people to take action, and this could be a blueprint for that. Bringing in China as a probable goal, something to aim for, and something to bring more light to is important.  The Chinese spend far more time on us than we spend on them, and the public needs to know this, just as they need to know what capabilities exist in other realms (personae management e.g.).  I think that in the end China is a target, and the biggest possible one.  I personally have been contemplating it, and to a lesser extent North Korea.  The possibility for a book like this to make people think along those same lines seems important to me.

You were the only one to focus in on some of the more political issues, and specifically the future, and in our hearts that's the book both of us really want to write.  I admit, I am not really a fan of many manifestos, or anyway haven't read many I can think of, so in that sense we'd need your help, if that's possible, in terms of figuring out how to do that in a way that's interesting and doesn't come off preachy or whatever. Preachy, that turns people off.  More like, here's what I'm doing, what some others are doing; here's how we did some things in the past, how the process works, how we identify targets; here are some of the principles that concern me, anyway (not speaking for all Anons, of course); here are the tools that are available, ways of connecting that maybe you haven't thought of, and in some cases aren't nearly as hard as you probably thought; and here are the targets that are likely to be increasingly important going forward, things we need to be on the lookout for.  But also, and I hope this can be part of it too, that doing this sort of thing, it's tremendously exciting, fun even.  It's changed who I am, and what I believe is possible in the world.

Barrett and I would both be on board for taking the book in that direction, that's what I wanted you to know.  Thanks for meeting with us--it's been a real interesting process.

Gregg

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Dan Conaway
Literary Agent
Writers House