Tayari's Blog: Dick Cavett's Hissy Fit
Posted by TayariJones on May 19, 2007 10:31 AM
Filed under
The Writing Life
Galleycat is snarking about the NYT's premium content which includes a blog by Dick Cavett. In this blog, Cavett recounts an experience he had 30 years ago. I agree with Galleycat that scandal is a dish best served piping hot, but I still enjoyed the recounting of Cavett's experience, even if it happened when I was in kindergarden. Apparently Cavett was told that his publisher wasn't supplying bookstores with his book:
Cavett's publisher was Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, one of the bookstores he visits is a Kroch-Brentano outlet, and his response to the book shortage is to get on the phone and demand to speak with William Jovanovich himself. When that doesn't pan out, he threatens the president of HBJ that if the books don't show up soon, "I'll cancel the Dinah Shore Show, the Carson Show, the Today Show and all the rest of this so-called selling tour and come home."
Oh to be able to put one's privileged little foot down! When I was on tour in Arizona, I was shocked to discover that there were no copies of The Untelling in any of the major chains. I was almost in tears-- book tour is such an emotional crazy-zone. I called my publisher. I called the publicist. I was told by my editor than the chains hadn't ordered my books because there "wasn't much of an African American population in Arizona."
See, if I was Dick Cavett, I would have been able to threaten to cancel all my fabulous interviews. But, whoops. I didn't have any. I wonder if it had anything to do with the same reason my books hadn't been ordered. So what did I do? I went back to my hotel room, ordered room service, and cried.
More on my book-touring, here.
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There are 2 comments on "Dick Cavett's Hissy Fit". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.
Comment #1, by Michael Fischer ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.tayarijones.com/blog/nav-commenters.gif)
This is a sad state of affairs, and I'm starting to understand more clearly how many of bell hooks's arguments/theories apply to the publishing industry.
May 19, 2007 11:37 PM
Comment #2, by Trenee
After this incident, has it made you question how many other cities/states are claiming that there isn't an African-American population? Iowa? North Dakota? What a shameful assumption. Like only black people want to read books by black authors. The cover art on your book doesn't even specify any race in particular, how do they determine whether their customers will be interested or not? Hmph.
May 21, 2007 11:37 AM