1: General question: can you share any fine stories from the trip you took from rejection to acceptance? (Prize comments from editors or agents, general observations . . .)

2: How did you get through 76 rejections? Did you just file them away, or destroy them, or did you hang them up like Fitzgerald used to do?

3: How long did the publishing of the book take?

4: Did you ever think of giving up the fight?

5: Did one agent submit the book 76 times, or did you go through a few agents or self-submissions?

6: Did you ever alter the book based on comments in a rejection?

7: What different spellings of your name have you seen and which was your favourite?

8: When and how did you transition yourself out of a working life as a film professional and into a full-time writer?

9: Based on what you've seen in your professional life and in the bookstores, what (in your opinion) is it that publishers think we like to read?

10: Followup: Based on what you've seen of most readers, are they right?

11: What difference (if any) do you see between general UK and US fiction reading habits?

12: If Oprah picked your book for her book club, how would you react?

13: Based on your insider knowledge of the film business, would you like your book to be made into a movie? Would you want to write the screenplay?

14: Did you read Harry Potter and If so, were you inspired by J.K. Rowling's success story (or did you secretly think it was a big corporate fairy-tale)?

15: Who is your favourite current author?

16: Are there any current authors who really appall you? (Not just fiction here.)

17: Now that you are a famous author, do you feel self-conscious at all when shopping for books?

18: Are there any books you would be too embarrassed to be seen examining in a public place?

19: Do you get any strange fan mail?

20: As you travel around America in the midst of the Enron scandal, what thoughts do you have about your own Goliath corporation? (Especially as I see you will be in Houston on February 11th.)

21: What's the strangest thing you've seen on the trip so far?

22: You give your readers a lot of credit. Did you ever have any concerns about how people might handle the many literary references in the novel, or did you always have faith that the book would find its audience?

23: You operate in the back hallways of some famous works. What other books do you see great possibilities in investigating? (Without giving anything away, of course.)

24: What literary "continuity problems" are some of your favorites?









1: General question: can you share any fine stories from the trip you took from rejection to acceptance? (Prize comments from editors or agents, general observations . . .)

The one stepping stone I was missing to enable me to leap from amateur to author was that someone actually read my book. Up until I found an agent, none of my applications had resulted in my book being read in its entirety. As is usual, I sent precis after precis with a sample chapter and was sent back a resounding 'no' on all occasions. It took a young agent starting up and who was hungry for material for me to be actually read; she took it first to Hodder who bought it straight off. I did have 76 rejections, but once I was read, then things started to move.

2: How did you get through 76 rejections? Did you just file them away, or destroy them, or did you hang them up like Fitzgerald used to do?

When I finished my first novel I was convinced then and still am now, that it would be enjoyed by the reading public. Sadly, this isn't enough. A far greater battle is convincing a publisher of the same thing. The book business is exactly that - a business - and if a book isn't going to make money or is an unacceptable risk, then only a brave publisher will touch it. After the initial rejections for the first book I resigned myself that this would either take a long time or I would never be published. Once that fact had been entered into the equation and I realised that I was doing this because I enjoyed it, then all the rejections suddenly seemed that much less important. After all, I was earning a good wage in the film business and it wasn't as though agents and publishers were reading my book and rejecting me - they just didn't like the idea of it. So I wrote 'No surrender!' and 'Press on regardless!' on post-it notes and stuck them on the wall of my office. I felt a bit low after each rejection but redoubled my efforts each time.

3: How long did the publishing of the book take?

I was picked up by Hodder in the UK in August 2000, had several meetings and after some editing and rewriting, we had an uncorrected proof out by Christmas 2000. 'The Eyre Affair' came out for real in July 2001. In the US I was under contract in September 2000 but due to the timings (a debut author coming out in the fall is not recommended) I wasn't launched until January 2002. A book will take about a year from contract to publication; production takes about six months from finished manuscript to printing.

4: Did you ever think of giving up the fight?

No. It wasn't a fight. I enjoyed what I was doing. For ten years, my writing was only a hobby - and a very enjoyable one too. It still is - only now I get paid to do it full time.

5: 5: Did one agent submit the book 76 times, or did you go through a few agents or self-submissions?

It took me 76 goes to find an agent. Of those 76 applications, about a third were to agents and the rest direct to publishers. I worked through the Writer's Yearbook, starting at 'A'. I eventually found my agent through a recommendation from a passing acquaintance - when I showed my agent the list of who rejected me, she said she wasn't surprised - but how was I to know who would be the best to approach?

6: Did you ever alter the book based on comments in a rejection?

No. Rejections very rarely give a specific reason. They worry that a writer may think the book will be reconsidered after revision, so they reserve their comments to polite negatives such as 'client list full' or 'we can't see the market value of this book' or -my favourite- 'We didn't fall sufficiently in love with your book to do it justice.'

7: What different spellings of your name have you seen and which was your favourite?

Ford, Forde, fforde, fffordee. I'm so used to my name being spelt wrong that I really don't trouble to correct people unless its of vital importance.

8: When and how did you transition yourself out of a working life as a film professional and into a full-time writer?

It was on September 3rd 2000, a few weeks after my Penguin contract was announced. I 'worked out' my commitments and just stopped. One day I was a camera assistant, the next I was a writer. Working in the film industry tends to generate a certain degree of adaptability and I am very fond of change - I had wanted to be a writer for a while, so welcomed the move with open arms. I'd been an assistant for nineteen years - the fountain of self employment had never tasted sweeter.

9: Based on what you've seen in your professional life and in the bookstores, what (in your opinion) is it that publishers think we like to read?

Publishers are like film producers in many ways. They like to hedge their bets and what was selling six months ago is a fair indication of what might sell today. There is always scope for new talent and the public vote on the popularity of a book or movie with their hard-earned cash. Fortunately for me publishers always keep a keen lookout for any new writers than amuse them. Someone took a risk on me. It's very flattering.

10: Followup: Based on what you've seen of most readers, are they right?

In general, I think so. It would be very rare for someone to storm out of a bookstore proclaiming 'There's nothing in here for me!'

11: What difference (if any) do you see between general UK and US fiction reading habits?

Not a huge difference but it's very difficult to say - I don't really make a huge study of the market for my books. I write about whatever takes my fancy, and hope that the readership decides they like what I do.

12: If Oprah picked your book for her book club, how would you react?

I would be delighted, of course - although I don't think my book is anywhere close to the sort of book she chooses.

13: Based on your insider knowledge of the film business, would you like your book to be made into a movie? Would you want to write the screenplay?

I'd love to see 'The Eyre Affair' as a film but wouldn't like to lose control of the characters and plots. My chief concern in getting the movie made would be to maintain the spirit of the original. I'm not sure any film director or screenwriter would want me staring over their shoulder - I'd have to think very carefully before relinquishing the rights. Since I know and understand the Film Industry intimately, I'm not bowled over by celebrities or the razzamatazz. If I don't feel those in charge will do a good enough job, I won't let them do it.

14: Did you read Harry Potter and If so, were you inspired by J.K. Rowling's success story (or did you secretly think it was a big corporate fairy-tale)?

No, I've never read any Rowling. I started writing before her first book was published so can honestly say that her success was not a factor in any of my aspirations. I didn't write for the money. I wrote because it was fun (and still is)

15: Who is your favourite current author?

I don't read much contemporary fiction. I have too many of the classics still to devour, and I worry that either I will copy someone's work or NOT copy someone's work - which is probably worse.

16: Are there any current authors who really appall you? (Not just fiction here.)

Daphne Farquitt. 'The Squire of High Potternews' is just dreadful.

17: now that you are a famous author, do you feel self-conscious at all when shopping for books?

Well, I'm not a famous author and don't feel self-concious in the least. I like to browse in book stores as much as anyone and buy more books now than ever before.

18: Are there any books you would be too embarrassed to be seen examining in a public place?

Not at all.

19: Do you get any strange fan mail?

I'm not sure I'm too keen on calling people who like my books 'fans' - it makes me seem as though I am on a pedestal or something. I prefer 'Readers'. I do get some wonderful letters and emails of support and some of them suggest unexplained plot points in books and conjecturise over whether Thursday is somehow involved. Of all the letters I receive, everyone is firmly 'in the loop' on the somewhat bizarre nature of my books. I get questions asking me to explain some of the more British orientated jokes, and queries from readers in far-flung corners of the globe. It's very enjoyable to read them all.

20: As you travel around America in the midst of the Enron scandal, what thoughts do you have about your own Goliath corporation? (Especially as I see you will be in Houston on February 11th.)

Goliath is not only a company, it's a religion. Every morning Goliath employees sing a hymn of unwavering devotion to the brand, and do the same before leaving to go home. Goliath CEO's and directors would not think to steal from the Corporation as there is no-one in Goliath who is more important than the corporation. That being said, Goliath tend to regard the sharpest business practice of the most corrupt multinationals as Standard Operating Procedure - they don't see it as anything bad becuase the 'greater good' as they see it takes precedence over everything. There was talk of a director who tried to fix the value of Stock at Goliath but he met with a freak accident while making a souffle. No-one ever tried it again.

21: What's the strangest thing you've seen on the trip so far?

A TV program which explained where one could see Grover Cleveland's tumour.

22: You give your readers a lot of credit. Did you ever have any concerns about how people might handle the many literary references in the novel, or did you always have faith that the book would find its audience?

My chief concern was to make sure that there was enough in the book to amuse a reader even if they got NONE of the literary references. I didn't want the book to be elitist. At the moment I have readers aged between thirteen and seventy, so I like to think that I have added the right number of jokes, references and action to suit a wide range of tastes and age groups. I didn't know if the book would find an audience but I always suspected it - many people have a silly sense of humour (The success of 'The Muppet Show' tends to prove that) and I just needed to try and tap into that in an unusual way.

23: You operate in the back hallways of some famous works. What other books do you see great possibilities in investigating? (Without giving anything away, of course.)

TN-2 contains a lot of action in and around 'Great Expectations' - and also a scene from Kafka's 'The Trial' I work with books that I know, so the voyage of discovery is equally exciting for me - I hadn't read either book for at least ten years until I was penning 'Lost in a Good Book'. I'm not so vastly well-read as some might suppose but I'm catching up. It's one of the perks of the job.

24: What literary "continuity problems" are some of your favorites?

My all time favourite is the Dr Watson bullet problem. In 'The sign of Four' the bullet wound is in his arm; In 'The speckled band' it is his leg. Is Dr Watson an imposter? You may have to wait until TN-3 to find out. Another of my favourites (this time closed in TN-2) is the mystery of Robinson Crusoe's miraculous trousers. In Defoe's book he strips naked to swim out to his wrecked ship, conveniently on the reef just off his island, yet when he gets there he stuffs biscuits into his pockets. Shakespere abounds with them: In 'The Tempest' Prospero tells how Miranda and he were kidnapped and taken aboard a Bark and sailed away.. Well, Milan is landlocked, so either Prospero was lying, or...

There are many, many more, and I think Thursday is involved somewhere in all of them...

Jasper Fforde 2002



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