Keepin’ it Real

Like everybody else who once wrote TV and movie scripts and now writes books (okay, book), I made the switch largely in an effort to become less collaborative. In saying that I prefer to work without people looking over my shoulder, I should stress that I am not one of those bitter scribes who believe that every studio and network executive is a feckless swine. In fact, I’ve known several who weren’t feckless. In any case, my complaint is not with the people, but rather with the process. If we all traded places and it was my job to guide their creative efforts, I can assure you that TV would be in even worse shape than it is now (if such a thing is scientifically possible).

What’s got me reminiscing about the Good Ol’ Days, you ask? Why, it’s the task of choosing a cover for “Keep It Real,” which took much longer than the writing and editing of the 100,000-word text. We went through dozens of concepts and endless variations on each, none of which pleased everyone involved. In the end, we decided to go with two completely different designs, one for the hardcover and another for the paperback. I like them both very much, and I greatly appreciate the extent to which I was allowed to participate in the process – highly unusual for a first-time author. But if the whole book-writing process were like this, I think I’d go back to TV. It’s pretty much the same bullshit, except they actually pay you.

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