BESTSELLERS & BEST FRIENDS
My book publishing blog, with murder mysteries woven through it.
If this is your first visit, be sure to start with “1. Let’s do it!”
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For several years, Matt and I were both in the Boston area. He went to Harvard Law School and got deeply involved in an initiative known as “Reinventing Justice.” And I was Director of Marketing for Addison Wesley’s trade division. That trade operation was small but when it came to top-notch nonfiction, we traded punches with the best of them—Random House, Harper, Simon & Schuster, etc.
“Reinventing Justice” was all about a bunch of smart people—from those on the front lines of the judicial system to those hanging out behind the ivy walls of academia—who had a plan for faster trials, less judicial bureaucracy, and a reduced prison population.
Upcoming presidential candidate at the time, Michael Dukakis, was all over the subject and the country was starting to take notice.
And Matt had written the “Reinventing Justice” book. The book’s title was, well, Reinventing Justice.
Matt sent me the manuscript. It was a hell of a subject that was also a hell of a read. My old Pitt writing buddy still had the writing chops.
Addison-Wesley acquired the book. Cool! I was going to publish a book by my old roommate. Amazing.
But just as amazing that day was that the front pages of major newspapers featured another old roommate, Rich Wilson:
Washington Post: Wilson Quits Washington Times
Boston Globe: Washington Times Editor Resigns in Protest
New York Post: Major Newspaper Has a Major Headache
Wall Street Journal: Wilson Resignation Hits Market
New York Times: What’s Next for D.C.’s Powerful Editor
And on, and on.
The Los Angeles Times lead.
It turned out that the Washington Times publisher told Rich to lie.
And Rich told him to go to hell.
That a boy!
It was a busy week for the old crew.
Rich’s resignation shook up D.C. and journalism.
Matt signed a book deal with my publishing team.
And at the Pittsburgh Press, Freeman exposed massive corruption in the coal miners union. His articles ran on the newswires and in national newspapers, and threats against his life poured in.
Yep, Freeman’s car was torched and his dog killed and gutted. (It’s not a good idea to piss-off coal miners.) Freeman went into hiding and his wife grabbed their little boy and left her marriage behind. And Freeman increasingly drank his way through the threats and losses.
Tomorrow: New Hampshire, hotel bars, and a bestseller