Here's a little story I've told often in private but never in public. Several years ago I was the emcee of a high profile author event.
Whenever I do this, I prepare a lot, reading books by the authors I'm introducing, interviews and bios, writing up intros that are both informative and funny. I love funny.
One of the authors was a guy who wrote middle grade books with sports themes. I thought it would be funny if beforehand we worked out a several-step, silly handshake we'd do when I introduced him.
So my editor and I found him and his editor at the book conference beforehand and I told him I was going to intro him that night and asked him if he'd be willing to do a bit with me.
He said, "No, I don't do that," but in such a curt manor I assumed he was kidding. Everyone in kid lit is supposed to be nice, after all! So I kidded back and said, "Yeah, I heard you were a diva."
I hadn't heard that. Again, I thought we were joking with each other. But apparently I'd hit too close to home, because he turned his back to me, the back of his head literally an inch from my face,
and he began to rant and rave. Like, he was so weirdly upset that for too long I still thought he was kidding, until he said, "And this is why we shouldn't have women in publishing!"
His editor turned to my editor (they knew each other) and he said, "Sorry, I can edit him on the page but not in public."
I guess my first question is, if you know he's a tool, why take him in public? Why pay hundreds of thousands of dollars publicizing his mediocre books? Why not put that money toward talented authors who aren't tools?Later the publicist from my publisher told me publicists from his publisher were asking to know, who had told me he was a diva? Because he was on a witch hunt and someone was going to be in trouble.Um...no one told me! For years I've felt so bad that what I said caused alarm and perhaps harm to anyone from his publisher, but now I'm like, why am I taking this blame? Why isn't he feeling bad?Anyway. That night I took the page of carefully crafted and researched introduction I'd written for him and crossed out 2 paragraphs. Also, can we not send these tools out in public anymore? Thanks.
Oh, and I guess I can share his name. There were plenty of witnesses at the time. The polite lady in me is used to protecting people, but why? It was Mike Lupica.
— Shannon Hale (@haleshannon)
March 19, 2018