1 00:00:00,201 --> 00:00:02,118 SALMAN RUSHDIE: I think it's quite normal when 2 00:00:02,118 --> 00:00:04,461 you are starting out on a life as a writer 3 00:00:04,461 --> 00:00:07,551 that you should be filled with uncertainty and doubt. 4 00:00:07,551 --> 00:00:09,951 And it's worst at the beginning. 5 00:00:09,951 --> 00:00:12,081 It actually never completely goes away. 6 00:00:12,081 --> 00:00:14,901 You always worry that what you're doing is rubbish. 7 00:00:14,901 --> 00:00:18,550 But at the beginning, you have to overcome that, and I did. 8 00:00:18,550 --> 00:00:22,542 [MUSIC PLAYING] 9 00:00:26,041 --> 00:00:30,021 If somebody says to me, "Can I see what you're doing?" 10 00:00:30,021 --> 00:00:30,691 If somebody says to me, "Can I see what you're doing?" 11 00:00:30,691 --> 00:00:34,141 and my reaction to that is to feel embarrassed, 12 00:00:34,141 --> 00:00:37,931 then I know immediately that it's not ready. 13 00:00:37,931 --> 00:00:42,224 I think embarrassment is an infallible test 14 00:00:42,224 --> 00:00:43,641 because, of course, what we're all 15 00:00:43,641 --> 00:00:47,201 trying to do is to write things that we want 16 00:00:47,201 --> 00:00:50,771 other people to read, you know, that we're happy and excited 17 00:00:50,771 --> 00:00:53,331 for other people to read. 18 00:00:53,331 --> 00:00:56,001 And if we are embarrassed to show it, 19 00:00:56,001 --> 00:00:59,391 it means we know, in our heart of hearts, 20 00:00:59,391 --> 00:01:00,021 that it ain't there yet, you know. 21 00:01:00,021 --> 00:01:01,581 that it ain't there yet, you know. 22 00:01:01,581 --> 00:01:07,053 And I have frequently found that, you know, my book 23 00:01:07,053 --> 00:01:09,261 editor has said, how are you doing with your new book 24 00:01:09,261 --> 00:01:12,311 and can I see something, and I go, you know, 25 00:01:12,311 --> 00:01:17,686 eh, just wait a bit because I know it's not ready to show. 26 00:01:17,686 --> 00:01:19,061 And then, there is another moment 27 00:01:19,061 --> 00:01:21,761 when I become excited to show it, when I think, 28 00:01:21,761 --> 00:01:26,081 OK, yeah, I now want people to read it, 29 00:01:26,081 --> 00:01:29,711 and that the embarrassment reflex has disappeared. 30 00:01:29,711 --> 00:01:30,021 And when that happens, I think you 31 00:01:30,021 --> 00:01:31,391 And when that happens, I think you 32 00:01:31,391 --> 00:01:35,571 will know that the moment has come, you know, 33 00:01:35,571 --> 00:01:40,371 when other eyes need to alight on the page. 34 00:01:40,371 --> 00:01:43,011 There are writers who show people things all the time, 35 00:01:43,011 --> 00:01:44,691 you know, almost every day if they have, 36 00:01:44,691 --> 00:01:47,149 like, a significant other, or they have a good relationship 37 00:01:47,149 --> 00:01:48,921 with an agent or an editor. 38 00:01:48,921 --> 00:01:53,141 They're always sending pages to be told whether they 39 00:01:53,141 --> 00:01:55,481 work or not, to be reassured that the thing is going 40 00:01:55,481 --> 00:01:58,311 a good direction or to be asked questions 41 00:01:58,311 --> 00:02:00,021 which they need to resolve about what they've sent, you know. 42 00:02:00,021 --> 00:02:01,331 which they need to resolve about what they've sent, you know. 43 00:02:01,331 --> 00:02:06,281 And there are other writers who hug it to themselves 44 00:02:06,281 --> 00:02:09,381 until it's much more complete. 45 00:02:09,381 --> 00:02:12,051 And, again, you have to work out-- 46 00:02:12,051 --> 00:02:14,021 that's a temperamental issue. 47 00:02:14,021 --> 00:02:15,661 I remember going to-- 48 00:02:15,661 --> 00:02:16,961 a long time ago-- 49 00:02:16,961 --> 00:02:21,311 going to a reading given by the writer John Irving, in which he 50 00:02:21,311 --> 00:02:24,071 prefaced his reading by saying what 51 00:02:24,071 --> 00:02:26,561 I'm going to read you now is a first draft of something 52 00:02:26,561 --> 00:02:27,641 I'm writing. 53 00:02:27,641 --> 00:02:30,021 And I want you to tell me where you think all the problems are. 54 00:02:30,021 --> 00:02:30,971 And I want you to tell me where you think all the problems are. 55 00:02:30,971 --> 00:02:34,571 I thought, that's just terrifyingly brave of him, 56 00:02:34,571 --> 00:02:39,581 you know, to show work which he knows to be imperfect 57 00:02:39,581 --> 00:02:44,141 and to actually ask the audience to help him. 58 00:02:44,141 --> 00:02:45,761 That was extraordinary, I thought. 59 00:02:45,761 --> 00:02:51,381 I would be far too nervous to do a thing like that. 60 00:02:51,381 --> 00:02:53,691 My way of doing it has been always 61 00:02:53,691 --> 00:03:00,021 to take it as far as I can by myself without showing it. 62 00:03:00,021 --> 00:03:00,101 to take it as far as I can by myself without showing it. 63 00:03:00,101 --> 00:03:02,941 And I think one of the things you learn 64 00:03:02,941 --> 00:03:04,711 is when you're not making things better, 65 00:03:04,711 --> 00:03:06,086 you're just pushing things around 66 00:03:06,086 --> 00:03:07,381 and making them different. 67 00:03:07,381 --> 00:03:09,901 You know, I think you have to learn to see that moment, 68 00:03:09,901 --> 00:03:10,921 you know. 69 00:03:10,921 --> 00:03:16,141 And at that moment, that's what I would call finishing. 70 00:03:16,141 --> 00:03:18,451 At that moment, I become very, very interested 71 00:03:18,451 --> 00:03:23,281 in what other people have to say, what my editor has to say, 72 00:03:23,281 --> 00:03:28,611 what two or three good friends, who will tell me the truth, 73 00:03:28,611 --> 00:03:29,661 have to say. 74 00:03:29,661 --> 00:03:30,021 [MUSIC PLAYING] 75 00:03:30,021 --> 00:03:33,981 [MUSIC PLAYING] 76 00:03:35,421 --> 00:03:41,461 The most important thing is to know who will tell you 77 00:03:41,461 --> 00:03:44,771 the absolute truth. 78 00:03:44,771 --> 00:03:48,341 What you should not need is somebody to pat you on the back 79 00:03:48,341 --> 00:03:50,311 and tell you you're wonderful. 80 00:03:50,311 --> 00:03:51,991 No, that's not helpful. 81 00:03:51,991 --> 00:03:55,691 Even if it's true, it's not helpful. 82 00:03:55,691 --> 00:04:00,021 You need people who will say this is exactly what I 83 00:04:00,021 --> 00:04:00,761 You need people who will say this is exactly what I 84 00:04:00,761 --> 00:04:02,661 felt when I was reading it. 85 00:04:02,661 --> 00:04:08,461 That over here, you kind of lost my attention, 86 00:04:08,461 --> 00:04:09,974 and over here, you got it back. 87 00:04:09,974 --> 00:04:11,641 Sometimes when you're writing, you know, 88 00:04:11,641 --> 00:04:16,931 you're so immersed in it, you're so close to it, 89 00:04:16,931 --> 00:04:23,001 that it's difficult to have the objectivity 90 00:04:23,001 --> 00:04:24,461 of another pair of eyes. 91 00:04:24,461 --> 00:04:26,891 You know, it doesn't have to be a publisher or an agent, 92 00:04:26,891 --> 00:04:29,953 or it doesn't have to be a business relationship. 93 00:04:29,953 --> 00:04:30,021 As long as there are people who you think 94 00:04:30,021 --> 00:04:31,661 As long as there are people who you think 95 00:04:31,661 --> 00:04:33,941 are good readers that you know, who 96 00:04:33,941 --> 00:04:36,341 will read what you've written and give you 97 00:04:36,341 --> 00:04:40,201 a truthful response to it, that's what you need. 98 00:04:40,201 --> 00:04:42,961 There's a kind of miraculous thing that happens. 99 00:04:42,961 --> 00:04:46,051 When your book that you have hugged to yourself for however 100 00:04:46,051 --> 00:04:48,196 long you've worked on it-- you know, it's 101 00:04:48,196 --> 00:04:49,321 just been you and the book. 102 00:04:49,321 --> 00:04:50,611 There's nobody else there. 103 00:04:50,611 --> 00:04:53,791 The moment when the book leaves your desk, and it's just-- it's 104 00:04:53,791 --> 00:04:57,781 on somebody else's desk, before they've said anything 105 00:04:57,781 --> 00:05:00,021 to you, just the fact that you know that other people's 106 00:05:00,021 --> 00:05:01,321 to you, just the fact that you know that other people's 107 00:05:01,321 --> 00:05:03,951 eyes are on the book, it makes you look 108 00:05:03,951 --> 00:05:06,951 at the book in a different way. 109 00:05:06,951 --> 00:05:11,201 And just that, before anybody said anything to you, 110 00:05:11,201 --> 00:05:13,077 that can help you see things. 111 00:05:13,077 --> 00:05:16,805 [MUSIC PLAYING] 112 00:05:19,141 --> 00:05:24,151 When I hand a draft of the book to an early reader, 113 00:05:24,151 --> 00:05:26,311 I say nothing at all. 114 00:05:26,311 --> 00:05:27,571 I tell them nothing. 115 00:05:27,571 --> 00:05:30,021 I want to see how they read the book without my 116 00:05:30,021 --> 00:05:31,581 I want to see how they read the book without my 117 00:05:31,581 --> 00:05:33,381 trying to influence them. 118 00:05:33,381 --> 00:05:36,521 Because, you know, you want the book to speak for itself. 119 00:05:36,521 --> 00:05:39,371 When somebody buys a book in a bookstore, 120 00:05:39,371 --> 00:05:41,681 it doesn't come with the writer's explanation. 121 00:05:41,681 --> 00:05:46,291 It's just the book, and it has to do the work by itself. 122 00:05:46,291 --> 00:05:49,851 So my view is, if I give you the book to read, 123 00:05:49,851 --> 00:05:52,381 I'm going to say nothing. 124 00:05:52,381 --> 00:05:55,591 I'm just going to let you read it and see what your take is. 125 00:05:55,591 --> 00:06:00,021 You can't help the book by telling your early readers what 126 00:06:00,021 --> 00:06:01,081 You can't help the book by telling your early readers what 127 00:06:01,081 --> 00:06:02,611 they should see in it. 128 00:06:02,611 --> 00:06:04,981 The question is whether they do see the things 129 00:06:04,981 --> 00:06:06,961 you want them to see. 130 00:06:06,961 --> 00:06:11,161 And if they don't, how can you make sure that they do? 131 00:06:11,161 --> 00:06:14,491 How can you improve the text to make sure 132 00:06:14,491 --> 00:06:16,459 that they do see what you want them to see? 133 00:06:16,459 --> 00:06:20,203 [MUSIC PLAYING] 134 00:06:22,551 --> 00:06:27,501 When you get notes or editorial comments either from a friend 135 00:06:27,501 --> 00:06:30,021 or from an editor, you should take them seriously and really 136 00:06:30,021 --> 00:06:34,381 or from an editor, you should take them seriously and really 137 00:06:34,381 --> 00:06:35,201 think about them. 138 00:06:35,201 --> 00:06:38,491 But you should also remember that in the end, 139 00:06:38,491 --> 00:06:43,101 this is your book and you know it better than anyone else. 140 00:06:43,101 --> 00:06:47,901 And if it doesn't feel right to you, don't do it. 141 00:06:47,901 --> 00:06:54,741 Very few editors will force you to make a change 142 00:06:54,741 --> 00:06:55,911 just because they think so. 143 00:06:55,911 --> 00:07:00,021 If you can say why you think that you don't want to do it, 144 00:07:00,021 --> 00:07:02,486 If you can say why you think that you don't want to do it, 145 00:07:02,486 --> 00:07:03,861 then you should-- you know, there 146 00:07:03,861 --> 00:07:07,171 are moments when you have to stick to your guns 147 00:07:07,171 --> 00:07:09,401 and just say that you want it that way. 148 00:07:09,401 --> 00:07:11,211 Having said that, I mean, I always 149 00:07:11,211 --> 00:07:17,001 pay very serious attention to my editor's notes. 150 00:07:17,001 --> 00:07:20,781 And I would say, thinking of the last two or three books, 151 00:07:20,781 --> 00:07:27,251 that probably 75% of them were things 152 00:07:27,251 --> 00:07:30,021 that led me to do something, something 153 00:07:30,021 --> 00:07:31,481 that led me to do something, something 154 00:07:31,481 --> 00:07:35,291 small sometimes and something larger at other times. 155 00:07:35,291 --> 00:07:37,901 But and there were about 25% of them where I thought, 156 00:07:37,901 --> 00:07:39,111 no, I don't want to do that. 157 00:07:39,111 --> 00:07:42,881 So you should think about it that way, that everything that 158 00:07:42,881 --> 00:07:45,941 comes to you in the way of notes needs 159 00:07:45,941 --> 00:07:48,911 your serious consideration, you know. 160 00:07:48,911 --> 00:07:52,751 But that doesn't mean that you don't have the right to say no. 161 00:07:52,751 --> 00:07:56,491 I've had, you know, editors very shrewdly 162 00:07:56,491 --> 00:08:00,021 put their finger on where problem points are 163 00:08:00,021 --> 00:08:00,391 put their finger on where problem points are 164 00:08:00,391 --> 00:08:01,261 in a manuscript. 165 00:08:01,261 --> 00:08:03,601 And I mean, I think the great publishing editor 166 00:08:03,601 --> 00:08:06,901 is able to show you where the difficulty is, but doesn't 167 00:08:06,901 --> 00:08:09,163 tell you how to fix it. 168 00:08:09,163 --> 00:08:11,341 You know, just says here, I've got a problem. 169 00:08:11,341 --> 00:08:13,481 See what you can do with this. 170 00:08:13,481 --> 00:08:16,471 And then, you go away and fix it. 171 00:08:16,471 --> 00:08:19,201 It's usually not that helpful when somebody tells you, 172 00:08:19,201 --> 00:08:20,581 you should do it like this. 173 00:08:20,581 --> 00:08:22,621 But to have somebody putting their finger 174 00:08:22,621 --> 00:08:26,711 on points along the way where they think you-- 175 00:08:26,711 --> 00:08:30,001 there's some problem, that can be very helpful, 176 00:08:30,001 --> 00:08:30,021 and you should be open to that. 177 00:08:30,021 --> 00:08:31,651 and you should be open to that. 178 00:08:31,651 --> 00:08:34,891 Not to think about it as an adversarial relationship 179 00:08:34,891 --> 00:08:36,501 is a good thing. 180 00:08:36,501 --> 00:08:38,601 You know, because that-- 181 00:08:38,601 --> 00:08:40,629 if you do, then it makes you defensive. 182 00:08:40,629 --> 00:08:42,171 Actually, the only thing that matters 183 00:08:42,171 --> 00:08:44,871 is getting the book as good as it can be. 184 00:08:44,871 --> 00:08:46,291 Because once it's published, it's 185 00:08:46,291 --> 00:08:48,961 going to stay in that form for a very long time. 186 00:08:48,961 --> 00:08:51,561 So the best thing you can do is to have-- 187 00:08:51,561 --> 00:08:54,381 as I say, if you have a good relationship with one book 188 00:08:54,381 --> 00:08:57,861 editor, work with them. 189 00:08:57,861 --> 00:09:00,021 Work with them, and try and come to an agreement. 190 00:09:00,021 --> 00:09:02,421 Work with them, and try and come to an agreement. 191 00:09:02,421 --> 00:09:04,551 You know, and it's to that extent, 192 00:09:04,551 --> 00:09:07,461 it becomes a collaborative process at that moment. 193 00:09:07,461 --> 00:09:11,781 Having been a solitary process for most of its life, 194 00:09:11,781 --> 00:09:13,281 at the very end, the book becomes 195 00:09:13,281 --> 00:09:15,081 a bit more collaborative that you're 196 00:09:15,081 --> 00:09:16,641 working with somebody to-- 197 00:09:16,641 --> 00:09:18,141 with a common goal, you know, which 198 00:09:18,141 --> 00:09:20,568 is to try and get it as good as it can be. 199 00:09:20,568 --> 00:09:23,151 It's difficult because you feel very possessive about the work 200 00:09:23,151 --> 00:09:23,651 you've made. 201 00:09:23,651 --> 00:09:25,761 You feel, you know, proud of it, and you 202 00:09:25,761 --> 00:09:28,841 feel sometimes defensive of it. 203 00:09:28,841 --> 00:09:30,021 But I think you have to be open to that kind of conversation 204 00:09:30,021 --> 00:09:32,681 But I think you have to be open to that kind of conversation 205 00:09:32,681 --> 00:09:35,231 if you feel that the person you're 206 00:09:35,231 --> 00:09:38,471 having a conversation with is basically in sympathy 207 00:09:38,471 --> 00:09:40,421 with what you're trying to do. 208 00:09:40,421 --> 00:09:42,521 You know, that's to say you don't 209 00:09:42,521 --> 00:09:43,901 want somebody who really wants it 210 00:09:43,901 --> 00:09:46,691 to be a different kind of book. 211 00:09:46,691 --> 00:09:48,761 That's not helpful to you. 212 00:09:48,761 --> 00:09:51,353 But if you know that you're, so to speak, 213 00:09:51,353 --> 00:09:52,811 both pulling in the same direction, 214 00:09:52,811 --> 00:09:56,141 you're both trying to make the book that exists as good as it 215 00:09:56,141 --> 00:10:00,021 can be, then it's then that kind of-- those readings 216 00:10:00,021 --> 00:10:00,581 can be, then it's then that kind of-- those readings 217 00:10:00,581 --> 00:10:01,954 can be very helpful. 218 00:10:01,954 --> 00:10:05,818 [MUSIC PLAYING] 219 00:10:08,241 --> 00:10:13,941 To give you an example, after "Midnight's Children" was 220 00:10:13,941 --> 00:10:16,371 accepted by the publishers, before it was published, 221 00:10:16,371 --> 00:10:18,591 when it was going through an editorial process, 222 00:10:18,591 --> 00:10:21,791 one of the readers suggested that there 223 00:10:21,791 --> 00:10:24,671 was a redundant character. 224 00:10:24,671 --> 00:10:26,531 Like, in the original, in that version 225 00:10:26,531 --> 00:10:29,031 of the book that I had submitted, 226 00:10:29,031 --> 00:10:30,021 the narrator Saleem was not only telling his story 227 00:10:30,021 --> 00:10:32,571 the narrator Saleem was not only telling his story 228 00:10:32,571 --> 00:10:36,951 to this woman, Padma, who works in his pickle factory. 229 00:10:36,951 --> 00:10:41,571 There was a second audience figure as well. 230 00:10:41,571 --> 00:10:44,129 And this reader said to me, you don't need that. 231 00:10:44,129 --> 00:10:45,671 You already got your audience figure. 232 00:10:45,671 --> 00:10:49,131 You don't need another one. 233 00:10:49,131 --> 00:10:52,281 And my initial response was defensive. 234 00:10:52,281 --> 00:10:55,911 You know, hang on, my book-- you know, 235 00:10:55,911 --> 00:10:58,511 not an unnatural response. 236 00:10:58,511 --> 00:11:00,021 Two or three other people read the book, 237 00:11:00,021 --> 00:11:00,491 Two or three other people read the book, 238 00:11:00,491 --> 00:11:03,538 and they all said the same thing. 239 00:11:03,538 --> 00:11:05,371 So then, I thought, OK, I'm going to try it. 240 00:11:05,371 --> 00:11:08,561 I'm going to try and remove this character. 241 00:11:08,561 --> 00:11:11,431 And if it's very difficult to remove the character, 242 00:11:11,431 --> 00:11:15,141 I will tend to believe that I'm right and you're wrong. 243 00:11:15,141 --> 00:11:16,628 But let me try. 244 00:11:16,628 --> 00:11:18,461 And when I sat down to remove the character, 245 00:11:18,461 --> 00:11:21,511 I removed the character from the book in 24 hours. 246 00:11:21,511 --> 00:11:24,491 It just fell out on the floor. 247 00:11:24,491 --> 00:11:27,041 And that showed me that they had been right. 248 00:11:27,041 --> 00:11:30,021 And the book now, as published, is much better 249 00:11:30,021 --> 00:11:30,791 And the book now, as published, is much better 250 00:11:30,791 --> 00:11:32,696 for having lost that character. 251 00:11:32,696 --> 00:11:36,881 [MUSIC PLAYING] 252 00:11:38,741 --> 00:11:42,501 With "Midnight's Children," I thought, if this doesn't work, 253 00:11:42,501 --> 00:11:44,741 then maybe I don't know what a good book is, 254 00:11:44,741 --> 00:11:48,761 you know, and maybe I should do something else with my life. 255 00:11:48,761 --> 00:11:50,571 You know, so it was like Hollywood or bust 256 00:11:50,571 --> 00:11:51,251 with that book. 257 00:11:51,251 --> 00:11:55,471 You know, and fortunately, it wasn't bust. 258 00:11:55,471 --> 00:11:57,601 But yes, I was full of doubt. 259 00:11:57,601 --> 00:12:00,021 I have to say pretty scared all the way through writing it, 260 00:12:00,021 --> 00:12:02,561 I have to say pretty scared all the way through writing it, 261 00:12:02,561 --> 00:12:07,171 and indeed, when I'd finished, because it's an immense book. 262 00:12:07,171 --> 00:12:09,871 You know, I mean, it's something like a quarter 263 00:12:09,871 --> 00:12:11,071 of a million words. 264 00:12:11,071 --> 00:12:14,131 You know, it's like 600 pages. 265 00:12:14,131 --> 00:12:20,591 And I had no reputation as a writer at all at that point. 266 00:12:20,591 --> 00:12:22,781 I mean, I had published one previous novel 267 00:12:22,781 --> 00:12:24,941 that, to be frank, had not done very well. 268 00:12:24,941 --> 00:12:30,021 You know, and so, yeah, I was completely afraid 269 00:12:30,021 --> 00:12:33,091 You know, and so, yeah, I was completely afraid 270 00:12:33,091 --> 00:12:36,491 that the book would have no future. 271 00:12:36,491 --> 00:12:41,471 You know, even when I finished it, one part of my head 272 00:12:41,471 --> 00:12:45,141 was saying that I was pretty pleased with it, that I felt 273 00:12:45,141 --> 00:12:48,021 that, as far as I could tell, it was as good a book as I could 274 00:12:48,021 --> 00:12:49,261 write. 275 00:12:49,261 --> 00:12:52,021 And another part of my head was saying, 276 00:12:52,021 --> 00:12:53,911 who's going to want this? 277 00:12:53,911 --> 00:12:58,301 Here's this kind of weird novel that 278 00:12:58,301 --> 00:13:00,021 has no European or American characters in it. 279 00:13:00,021 --> 00:13:02,321 has no European or American characters in it. 280 00:13:02,321 --> 00:13:04,129 It's all brown people. 281 00:13:04,129 --> 00:13:06,671 Actually, there's one white guy in it, but it's a small part. 282 00:13:06,671 --> 00:13:08,321 And I thought, you know, who is going 283 00:13:08,321 --> 00:13:10,571 to want to read this, apart from a few close friends 284 00:13:10,571 --> 00:13:12,731 and family members? 285 00:13:12,731 --> 00:13:16,661 And I was full of doubts about whether it would even 286 00:13:16,661 --> 00:13:18,491 find a publisher. 287 00:13:18,491 --> 00:13:26,351 And that went on until, I mean, I was lucky in that, basically, 288 00:13:26,351 --> 00:13:29,111 the first publishers in the UK who 289 00:13:29,111 --> 00:13:30,021 saw it wanted to publish it. 290 00:13:30,021 --> 00:13:32,481 saw it wanted to publish it. 291 00:13:32,481 --> 00:13:35,731 And then I discovered afterwards that even 292 00:13:35,731 --> 00:13:39,371 that hadn't been a certain thing, that actually 293 00:13:39,371 --> 00:13:43,891 the first reader's report on "Midnight's Children" 294 00:13:43,891 --> 00:13:47,411 that was sent to Jonathan Cape with the British publishers, 295 00:13:47,411 --> 00:13:50,411 now part of Random House, was very negative. 296 00:13:50,411 --> 00:13:51,811 It was actually very short. 297 00:13:51,811 --> 00:13:54,771 It said something like this novel 298 00:13:54,771 --> 00:13:58,731 is a fat ramble through the author's mind, 299 00:13:58,731 --> 00:14:00,021 and he should concentrate on short stories 300 00:14:00,021 --> 00:14:00,691 and he should concentrate on short stories 301 00:14:00,691 --> 00:14:03,321 until he has mastered the novel form. 302 00:14:03,321 --> 00:14:05,541 I mean, about as bad a review as you can get. 303 00:14:05,541 --> 00:14:08,481 And fortunately, I had a-- well, there 304 00:14:08,481 --> 00:14:11,901 was an editor at the publishing company 305 00:14:11,901 --> 00:14:14,631 who thought better of it than that. 306 00:14:14,631 --> 00:14:17,001 And she sent it out for a second reader's report, 307 00:14:17,001 --> 00:14:19,351 which was very favorable. 308 00:14:19,351 --> 00:14:21,391 And then the editors between them at the company 309 00:14:21,391 --> 00:14:24,321 decided that they would go along with the favorable report 310 00:14:24,321 --> 00:14:25,321 and not the unfavorable. 311 00:14:25,321 --> 00:14:27,361 And I never knew about this at the time. 312 00:14:27,361 --> 00:14:29,521 You know, I found out about it later. 313 00:14:29,521 --> 00:14:30,021 When the novel had been published 314 00:14:30,021 --> 00:14:31,021 When the novel had been published 315 00:14:31,021 --> 00:14:33,661 and when it had won the Booker Prize, 316 00:14:33,661 --> 00:14:36,031 some newspaper got hold of this story 317 00:14:36,031 --> 00:14:39,731 that it had had a bad reader's report and published it. 318 00:14:39,731 --> 00:14:43,991 And I called my publisher, and I said, what's this nonsense? 319 00:14:43,991 --> 00:14:46,031 And then, they admitted that it was true. 320 00:14:46,031 --> 00:14:47,821 So fortunately, I found out about it 321 00:14:47,821 --> 00:14:49,261 when it didn't matter, because it 322 00:14:49,261 --> 00:14:53,851 would have certainly only added to my absolute doubt 323 00:14:53,851 --> 00:14:55,188 about what I'd done. 324 00:14:55,188 --> 00:14:59,004 [MUSIC PLAYING] 325 00:15:00,921 --> 00:15:04,921 These days, you know, for a lot of people, a lot of writers, 326 00:15:04,921 --> 00:15:08,521 their most long-term relationship is not 327 00:15:08,521 --> 00:15:11,641 with their publishing editor, but with their literary agent. 328 00:15:11,641 --> 00:15:16,329 Publishing has become a world in which people move jobs 329 00:15:16,329 --> 00:15:16,871 all the time. 330 00:15:16,871 --> 00:15:19,511 You know, you don't necessarily have the same editor for a book 331 00:15:19,511 --> 00:15:21,721 after book after book. 332 00:15:21,721 --> 00:15:23,261 You do if you're lucky. 333 00:15:23,261 --> 00:15:25,081 But you probably have the same agent 334 00:15:25,081 --> 00:15:28,291 for a lot of your life as a writer. 335 00:15:28,291 --> 00:15:30,021 And that may be the person with whom you need to have a-- 336 00:15:30,021 --> 00:15:33,501 And that may be the person with whom you need to have a-- 337 00:15:33,501 --> 00:15:37,731 if the book isn't finding a home easily, 338 00:15:37,731 --> 00:15:40,341 it may be that it is the agent and you 339 00:15:40,341 --> 00:15:44,108 who can sit down and think about what might need to be done. 340 00:15:44,108 --> 00:15:46,191 And it's possible the agent will say to you, look, 341 00:15:46,191 --> 00:15:47,091 there's a lot of publishers. 342 00:15:47,091 --> 00:15:48,633 You only need one of them who's going 343 00:15:48,633 --> 00:15:51,571 to get it and like what you do. 344 00:15:51,571 --> 00:15:53,031 So let's keep going. 345 00:15:53,031 --> 00:15:55,311 And I know a lot of writers who have been turned down 346 00:15:55,311 --> 00:16:00,021 by 20, 25 editors, publishers, and have then found one, 347 00:16:00,021 --> 00:16:00,411 by 20, 25 editors, publishers, and have then found one, 348 00:16:00,411 --> 00:16:02,681 and then the book's been very successful. 349 00:16:02,681 --> 00:16:06,571 I mean, that's-- most famously, that's true of Harry Potter. 350 00:16:06,571 --> 00:16:10,391 It was turned down by a lot of people. 351 00:16:10,391 --> 00:16:12,031 And look what happened. 352 00:16:12,031 --> 00:16:16,571 So it is true that if you end up with one place 353 00:16:16,571 --> 00:16:18,881 where people get it, people get what you've 354 00:16:18,881 --> 00:16:20,296 done, that's all you need. 355 00:16:20,296 --> 00:16:22,421 So it may be that your agent will encourage you not 356 00:16:22,421 --> 00:16:25,001 to despair and to keep going. 357 00:16:25,001 --> 00:16:29,111 Or you may agree that there's something you need to fix. 358 00:16:29,111 --> 00:16:30,021 You know, if a number of publishers 359 00:16:30,021 --> 00:16:31,031 You know, if a number of publishers 360 00:16:31,031 --> 00:16:34,661 are all coming back and saying the same kind of thing 361 00:16:34,661 --> 00:16:38,231 about what they have a problem with, 362 00:16:38,231 --> 00:16:41,731 then maybe you need to try and think about that.