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Summarized by Kent Larsen
HarperCollins Nails Deal on 'Dad Was a Carpenter'
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH --- Alta Films &Press announced today that
U.K.-based HarperCollins Publishers and filmmaker and author Kenny
Kemp have finalized a reprint deal for Kemp's 1999 memoir, Dad Was A
Carpenter: Blueprints For A Meaningful Life. HarperCollins is one of
the world's largest and most prestigious publishers, with more than
50 books currently on the bestseller lists. Kemp's book will be
published under the Harper San Francisco imprint, which specializes
in inspirational and spiritual titles. The book will be included in
the publisher's spring 2001 releases.
"This is a very short turn-around time," says Harper San Francisco
editor Gideon Weil. "Most self-published books that come to us
require a great deal of work to get into shape. But Kenny's book is
so well-written and respectful of the reader, that our job was quite
easy. And we have every confidence that Dad Was A Carpenter has the
chops to become a national best-seller."
The book deal comes hard on the heels of Kemp's winning the National
Self-Published Book Award, announced in August by Writer's Digest.
Within days, Kenny was beseiged by literary agents who saw the
potential in the book. "I went with Joseph Durepos, a former
bookseller turned agent," says Kemp. "He is very persistent and
caught the vision of the book instantly. I knew his insights and
energy would be invaluable in obtaining a sale. And he's a straight
shooter---I know, because he just scored a direct hit!"
"Kenny is that rare breed of author who understands both storytelling
and marketing," says Joe Durepos, whom we reached by telephone in
Chicago. "He's been very successful in selling this book for the last
year, doing book signings and talking to readers and retailers. He
has a good grasp on the book business and has been very helpful in
getting this deal."
And how did they pitch it? Durepos says, "We told people it was
Tuesdays With Morrie meets The Greatest Generation," to which Kemp
adds, "With Everything I Know I Learned in Kindergarten thrown in."
Durepos would not specify the dollar amount of the deal, except to
say that it was in the "six figure" range. "Ecstatic is too weak a
word for how I'm feeling," says Kemp. "I've been working toward this
for twenty years." He points out that although his projects and books
have consistently received awards and accolades, "a real, serious
payday has always been just out of reach, over the horizon. This now
frees me up to do what I've always wanted to do."
And what's that? "Publish my next book!" he says, smiling. "I guess
that proves I'm addicted. I get this incredible deal and all I can
think about is how I don't have to max out my credit cards on my next
book!"
Source:
HarperCollins Nails Deal on 'Dad Was a Carpenter'
Alta Films & Press News Release 26Oct00 A2
By Alan Smithee, Jr.
Kenny Kemp's Self-Published Memoir Will Now Go National
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