October 5, 2022
Hi Gang!
Sorry I’ve been out of touch – a lot’s been happening.
One item before an update.
Quite a few of you have e-mailed me worried about my well-being since my last Newsletter was in June(!)
At 86 (come October 22) with a pandemic around, I can understand your concern, and I’m really touched by it. Thank you. I’m fine.
So why the long silence?
Well, the answer isn’t short, so before I update you, make yourself comfortable and I’ll catch you up.
Big news! Good news! Make that great news!
“ICONS, IDOLS and IDIOTS of HOLLYWOOD – My Adventures in America’s First Boy Band” has found a publishing home.
And what a home it is.
Some background.
Like most songwriters, I always have had some great artist I dream will record a particular song I’ve just written.
And like all screenwriters, I fantasize about the Oscar-winning superstar who’d be perfect for my script.
So, when I start to write “ICONS” 8 (!) years ago, I already have a dream publisher in mind. I just don’t know who it is.
I’d first heard of them back in 2007 when my longtime screenwriting partner Michael A. Hoey authored a book about writing several popular movies including a couple for Elvis Presley.
I still remember how he raved about his publisher at the time, but that’s all.
When I finish the book and get ready to start submitting it, my brilliant editor Robert Morgan Fisher (who I’ve given the show biz nickname “Chickie Baby” - “CB” for short; his handle for me is “BS” – for Boy Singer)… anyhow, “CB” throws a hail Mary and submits “ICONS” to a HUGE major house that’s been publishing best- sellers since 1949.
The senior editor reads our pitch and gets right back saying “It’s terrific, but not for us. Your story belongs with a smaller, boutique publisher who has a real affinity for what you and your book are about.”
Then he adds: “It’s a perfect fit for Bear Manor Media.”
Bear Manor Media. Hmm. It sure isn’t Random House or Simon and Schuster, but maybe that’s good.
O.K. Bear Manor. But first, I want to go through my 27 bookcases and I.D. the publisher Mike was so high on back in ‘07.
Finally, I find his book.
You’re way ahead of me.
Yep. Bear Manor Media.
So far, this is all believable. But from here on, you’ll just have to trust me.
Now I know the name of the outfit I’ve been hoping for.
Before I move on that suggestion, I call a friend of mine, Sue Cameron, longtime columnist for the Hollywood Reporter who’s written a couple of popular “inside Hollywood” books.
Guess who publishes her work?
Yep.
One more inquiry. Now and then I have fun visiting with a good buddy TV historian Stu Shosak on his Internet TV show “Stu’s Show.”
I remember some time ago, Stu told me he has a contact with a publishing house run by a man who genuinely loves Hollywood and American pop culture.
Stu says, “He’ll want your book I know it!”
Now if I were an editor, I’d say no reader is going to believe this next part.
The publisher he has in mind is…I swear – Bear Manor.
Somebody is trying to tell me something.
First, I do a little research on the man behind the company.
His name is Ben Ohmart, He loves American Pop culture and has dedicated his career to sustaining its legacy.
Now it’s clear why that bigshot Editor called it “a perfect fit.”
By this point, I have learned a lot about this new world of publishing.
No publisher will accept or read a full manuscript right off the bat.
First, they require a query letter, a two or three paragraph story synopsis, thumbnails about each chapter, marketing angles, the author’s access to media, etc.
“CB” has put together a potent presentation and agrees we should go for broke. We shoot it off to Bear Manor with fingers crossed.
Stu Shosak phones to tell me he’s called Ohmart with a heads up and ends the conversation with, “Just wait. He’ll make an offer within 24 hours.”
24 Hours pass.
No response.
2, 3, 4, 5 days go by. Not a word.
86 and still auditioning. Do ya love it?!
Here’s another thing I learned about publishing these days.
Back in the ’50s through the ’70s, I submitted pieces to mags like Playboy, Redbook, and Saturday Evening Post. If editors weren’t interested, they would mail you a small rejection note saying something like:
“Thank you for letting us review the material you submitted. At this time, it does not meet our needs.”
I got quite a few over the years. In fact, I recently ran across a faded dog-eared envelope with 16 rejection slips.
But these days, all publishers have adopted the same protocol for submitting, and emphasize “If you do not receive a response to your submission within a reasonable time, please assume we are not interested. and no further contact is necessary.”
A week passes. Nothing.
I tell Stu we haven’t heard a word from Ben. Does that mean…?
Stu speculates he may be on summer vacation. Let’s just give it a little more time.
Two weeks go by.
I start to rationalize, “O.K. Boy Singer, you can’t always be as lucky as you sometimes are. Time for a reality check… and a Plan B.”
Four different sources said Bear Manor will be a slam dunk. How could they all be so wrong?!
Two and a half weeks pass.
I begin a dispirited search for an alternative.
Finally, Stu can’t stand the suspense and calls Ben who’s been waiting expectantly and is disappointed nothing’s been sent. We say “Check your SPAM folder…!”
Cut to the chase.
We send our package off again.
Within 24 hours, Ben makes an offer saying “I have to take this book!”
It turns out Ben’s a down-to-earth, accessible guy, and negotiations and a contract are a whiz.
Turns out he’s a writer as well as a publisher and we’re already developing a nice rapport.
Above all, he loves all the things I’ve been a part of.
And again, the Belland luck comes through.
You’ve all waited so long, and I was hoping for a pre-Christmas launch.
But “CB” and my publisher have convinced me that at that time of year, “ICONS” would be buried by all the monster big guys with their full arsenal of Holiday releases, and access to media coverage will be dominated by the big houses.
Also, I’ve learned executing a successful pre-launch promotional campaign requires 5-6 months.
I’m disappointed of course, but everything has to be in perfect order for the launch and I’d like as much time as possible for advance promotion.
So, the book itself will be available early next year.
Meanwhile, many of you have told me that you hoped to buy “ICONS” as a Christmas gift for someone.
No problem.
We’ll soon send you details on how you can still give “ICONS” for Christmas this year.
We’re designing an artful personalized gift certificate that will guarantee the recipient delivery early in the New Year.
And if you pre-order “ICONS” before Christmas, we’ll add a FREE Bonus book… (Sheesh – this is starting to sound like a commercial for a Labor Day mattress sale!)
Here’s what my second book is about.
I call it “FAMOUS FRIENDS and FABULOUS UNKNOWNS.”
It’s a collection of my remembrances about celebrities – “famous friends” I’ve worked with, laughed with, and learned from over the years.
Those famous friends include:
Betty White, Dick Clark, Arte Johnson, Joey Bishop, Alex Trebek, George Burns, Carol Channing, Tom Kennedy and “Name That Tune”, Kenny Rogers, Linda Evans, Larry King, Leonard Nimoy, Mac David, Hugh Hefner, Helen Reddy, Regis Philbin, Sally Kellerman, Doc Severinsen, Dinah Shore, Norman Lear, Merv Griffin, Ricky Nelson, Rita Moreno, Chevy Chase, Charo, Willie Nelson, Peter Lawford, and Soupy Sales.
And there are tales of fabulous unknowns that changed my life, from the Capitol engineer who resurrected the “26 Miles” track we thought was lost and saved our career – to two different pilots and a gutsy fireman who saved my life.
There’s no chronological narrative in “FAMOUS FRIENDS.” It’s a random collection of personal behind-the-scenes experiences with stars whose off-stage personality was often the polar opposite of the public’s perception… Dick Clark and Phyllis Diller for instance.
Most chapters take no more than ten or fifteen minutes to read, and I’d love to see it on nightstands everywhere.
“That’s right! Two books – that’s two books – for the price of one!
Operators are standing by, and if you order now we’ll also include the steak knives, the vegetable blender, and the nose hair trimmer.”
Sorry. I let my advertising alter ego take over for a minute.
That’s the news up to now.
I’ll try not to get too schmaltzy here, but before I sign off, I want you all to know how deeply I appreciate your interest, support, and encouragement over these last few years.
I feel like my book is your adopted child.
Hey gang. We did it. We’re going to press!
More news coming. Lots of blog interviews, etc.
I’ll get back to you in plenty of time to order your Christmas gift certificates.
Till then, as always, take good care of yourself and each other.
All the best,
bb
Now where did I put that bottle of champagne I bought eight years ago?
