Dan Kennedy

I said, you go booth to booth, and you interrupt their conversation, and you talk to them. And so I had a bucket list item. I always wanted to do mystery novels but I got enough rejection slips early that you know I'm the Woody Allen thing you know try try try try again and now stop you're making a fool out of yourself so now late gee you know I still would like to do a couple mystery novels

I said, you go booth to booth, and you interrupt their conversation, and you talk to them. And so I had a bucket list item. I always wanted to do mystery novels but I got enough rejection slips early that you know I'm the Woody Allen thing you know try try try try again and now stop you're making a fool out of yourself so now late gee you know I still would like to do a couple mystery novels

So Mystery Writers of America has an event. Every association has an event. So I go, and I'm standing in a room, panels are up front. It's the same crap I heard 40 years ago. I mean, for fiction now. Well, you got to get an agent. And so you got to kiss agent's butts. And you got to try and find a really tiny little agent. We'll take a first-time author.

So Mystery Writers of America has an event. Every association has an event. So I go, and I'm standing in a room, panels are up front. It's the same crap I heard 40 years ago. I mean, for fiction now. Well, you got to get an agent. And so you got to kiss agent's butts. And you got to try and find a really tiny little agent. We'll take a first-time author.

So Mystery Writers of America has an event. Every association has an event. So I go, and I'm standing in a room, panels are up front. It's the same crap I heard 40 years ago. I mean, for fiction now. Well, you got to get an agent. And so you got to kiss agent's butts. And you got to try and find a really tiny little agent. We'll take a first-time author.

And I'm listening to this in the back of my room, and I'm thinking, this is a bucket list item for me, man. I ain't going to live long enough, you know, to do all this. This is a bad plan. And we have, who lives one community over from us, a well-published, mid-list author. I mean, he ain't big time, but he's got like 30 mystery novels published with the same main detective character and so forth.

And I'm listening to this in the back of my room, and I'm thinking, this is a bucket list item for me, man. I ain't going to live long enough, you know, to do all this. This is a bad plan. And we have, who lives one community over from us, a well-published, mid-list author. I mean, he ain't big time, but he's got like 30 mystery novels published with the same main detective character and so forth.

And I'm listening to this in the back of my room, and I'm thinking, this is a bucket list item for me, man. I ain't going to live long enough, you know, to do all this. This is a bad plan. And we have, who lives one community over from us, a well-published, mid-list author. I mean, he ain't big time, but he's got like 30 mystery novels published with the same main detective character and so forth.

So if you think about like Spencer, it'd be a low rent kind of Spencer. And he's right in my backyard, right? So I can do math. I have my nonfiction agent pull his Nielsen numbers. So I know how many books he's selling. I know roughly what his royalty is. I now know what his annual income is. And it's less than impressive. And I happen to now have money.

So if you think about like Spencer, it'd be a low rent kind of Spencer. And he's right in my backyard, right? So I can do math. I have my nonfiction agent pull his Nielsen numbers. So I know how many books he's selling. I know roughly what his royalty is. I now know what his annual income is. And it's less than impressive. And I happen to now have money.

So if you think about like Spencer, it'd be a low rent kind of Spencer. And he's right in my backyard, right? So I can do math. I have my nonfiction agent pull his Nielsen numbers. So I know how many books he's selling. I know roughly what his royalty is. I now know what his annual income is. And it's less than impressive. And I happen to now have money.

So that's a good shortcut a lot of times to the entrenched establishment, right? So I go and say, I'd like to second chair. Do a book with you. I can provide, because all his books are based in Cleveland and around Cleveland. I said, I can provide a setting you haven't used yet that you probably don't know much about, which I'll educate you about. I have some character ideas.

So that's a good shortcut a lot of times to the entrenched establishment, right? So I go and say, I'd like to second chair. Do a book with you. I can provide, because all his books are based in Cleveland and around Cleveland. I said, I can provide a setting you haven't used yet that you probably don't know much about, which I'll educate you about. I have some character ideas.

So that's a good shortcut a lot of times to the entrenched establishment, right? So I go and say, I'd like to second chair. Do a book with you. I can provide, because all his books are based in Cleveland and around Cleveland. I said, I can provide a setting you haven't used yet that you probably don't know much about, which I'll educate you about. I have some character ideas.

And then I basically, I want a second chair. I want to watch. I want to learn. I want to, okay. And I'll write you a check for X. which is roughly twice what he's making from writing the next book, which you'll still get that money, because I don't want any of the money. I just want a published novel. You can keep the money, and here's a check. And, of course, he took it.

And then I basically, I want a second chair. I want to watch. I want to learn. I want to, okay. And I'll write you a check for X. which is roughly twice what he's making from writing the next book, which you'll still get that money, because I don't want any of the money. I just want a published novel. You can keep the money, and here's a check. And, of course, he took it.

And then I basically, I want a second chair. I want to watch. I want to learn. I want to, okay. And I'll write you a check for X. which is roughly twice what he's making from writing the next book, which you'll still get that money, because I don't want any of the money. I just want a published novel. You can keep the money, and here's a check. And, of course, he took it.

We actually did two books together. And you could have probably done it with almost any second tier, you know, if you wanted to spend money. And I don't know if the publisher knows. I didn't tell them, but I don't know if Les did or not. I doubt it. it would be frowned upon by the Mystery Writers Association of America. You know, they might even yank his membership.

We actually did two books together. And you could have probably done it with almost any second tier, you know, if you wanted to spend money. And I don't know if the publisher knows. I didn't tell them, but I don't know if Les did or not. I doubt it. it would be frowned upon by the Mystery Writers Association of America. You know, they might even yank his membership.

We actually did two books together. And you could have probably done it with almost any second tier, you know, if you wanted to spend money. And I don't know if the publisher knows. I didn't tell them, but I don't know if Les did or not. I doubt it. it would be frowned upon by the Mystery Writers Association of America. You know, they might even yank his membership.