And Now For Someone Completely Different

Last updated on: August 3, 2007 at 9:58 am by John Shore

And Now For Someone Completely Different 2007-08-03T09:58:54-08:00 John Shore

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hi. I’m Lucas Smith. I promise I’m not Jack Bauer in disguise. Or a hippy serial killer.

Hey, John Shore Readers! I’m not, nor have ever been, John Shore, but on those dark nights of the soul, I do comfort myself with the thought that perhaps I had a small something to do with a teeny-tiny piece of the big puzzle that brought John Shore to you all. My name’s Lucas Smith, and the publication of John’s first solo book, “Penguins, Pain and the Whole Shebang: Why I Do The Things I Do,” by God (as told to John Shore) is pretty much my fault. I’m an editor at the book’s publisher, Seabury Books. And when I first read Penguins, it hit me in much the same way the inspiration for it hit John: Powerfully and improbably.

In every publisher’s office, large or small, there lives a monster. Usually on a corner of the desk of the lowest person on the editorial totem pole, piled high, are unsolicited manuscripts and proposals. Collectively, we call this “the slush pile,” and that’s not meant in a positive, 7-Eleven, yum-slush kind of way. Most of the books that get published come into the office as known quantities, either directly from an agent, which moves them to about the top of the list for review, or from authors we’ve worked with in the past or whom we have proactively approached about a book. Slush is all the other stuff–much of which is decidedly weird. (In my relatively few years in publishing–all of them as keeper of the slush pile–I’ve gotten books that purported to be from the Virgin Mary [who appeared before and dictated the text to a woman in Tampa, Florida]; William Blake-esque illuminated manuscripts of … idiosyncratic poetry, sent from the good people in our federal penitentiary system; a health care horror story that I had to reject [which I felt awful about doing] that resulted in its author coming to our office and threatening to hit me with her purse; and others that make those look tame.)

Penguins was slush. Which is the only reason I saw it, actually, since at that time I was just a general editorial assistant in the office. The manuscript came in over email, bearing the title “By God!” and accompanied by a suspiciously friendly note from John. (“Suspiciously” being in the eye of the beholder–but we’re located in New York, where anything more than an affirmative grunt feels like prelude to a long-con.) I read the book quickly, and loved it. Humor in print is notoriously difficult to do, and to also be as funny and true as this was, and to have such a powerfully alive sense of heart without once lapsing into the maudlin or treacly is … well, it just doesn’t happen.

With perhaps too much enthusiasm, like an old time newspaper boy with a hot headline, I stepped into the publisher’s office and declared that we had something here. The manuscript got sent around to the various editors and brought up in our next editorial meeting, where it was met with a kind of generalized bewilderment, like I’d presented the book through an interpretive dance. “Who would buy this?” “The author’s doing what, now?” “Is this heresy?” and “Huh?” were the kinds of questions that bounced around the room. By the end of the meeting the editors, darkly, wanted to hear from the marketing department, which is frequently a polite way of giving a project the kiss-off without hurting feelings in the room–marketing people being notoriously tough audiences and otherwise against everything good and pure. (I kid!)

Marketing loved it.

And I’m now the Acquisitions Editor for Seabury Books.

I’m still in charge of the slush pile, though. And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Previous Post

August 2, 2007

About Buying "Penguins"

Next Post

August 7, 2007 What’s in a Word: The Truth Behind Men’s Personal Ads

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Christian Issues Christian Spirituality Dear John En Espanol Everywhere She's Not Humor Look See Pastor Bob's Corner Personal Portuguese Relationships Russian Short-short story Smith Family Chronicles Uncategorized

Select a Month March 2024 August 2022 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 June 2019 December 2018 May 2018 May 2017 January 2017 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Boaz's wife?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Naomi Ruth Sarah Orpah

Books by This Author Books by John Shore

See All Titles »