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ENTRY

"Murder Makes the Magazine"
February 7, 2009

The late John Updike and I collaborated on a book. It's true and it's a great conversation starter although it's not as great as it sounds. We never met, and the "book" was a promotion in the early days of Amazon.com when all they sold was books instead of every product available in the known universe.

The promotion worked like this: John Updike started the book with a title and a couple of paragraphs. Each day, anyone could submit the next section of the book. The "editors" at Amazon would select the winning entry--the winner got a cool grand.

And, more importantly, the honor of collaborating with John Updike!

I think there were thirty or forty winners out of the five - seven thousand entries each day. I won early on, I think it was the third day. The title was "Murder Makes the Magazine". The story started out about a frumpy, middle-aged magazine editor, having an identity crisis--pure Updike kind of stuff. The story was moving along kind of slowly in my opinion, so I thought it needed spicing up. And what better way to do it than introduce a previous (and kinky) fling between the editor and the magazine publisher.

Pure Updike.

The only problem was, I came up with this idea only a few minutes before the 6:00 a.m. deadline. And surely if I could come up with the idea of a messy affair, then someone else would too. I dashed off my couple of hundred words and hit send at 5:59 a.m.

A few hours later I was a thousand dollars richer and had a great add to my bio. Interestingly, a friend of mine won a couple of days later; amazing because of the sheer number of entrants each day. I was interviewed in several media outlets about the competition, mainly because I'd so narrowly squeaked under the wire (and possibly because I added sex to the storyline).

There was talk about printing and selling the book but that never happened. Actually the whole story was rather forgettable, despite John Updike's beginning and ending.

© 2010

COMMENTS

Number of comments: 3
click here to add a comment

Lee Witte
I submitted several entries to the contest. Drove me crazy 'cause I always thought mine was better than the one selected. (Except yours, of course!!)

Jo Reed
5 bucks a word. Not bad! What did Updike make...500?

Todd
I read he was paid ten grand for his contribution, so I guess that's about twenty dollars a word.

ARCHIVE

date (comments)

Review: Kissing the Mask
August 22, 2010 (1)

Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins
July 12, 2010 (2)

Review: Love in Translation
June 22, 2010 (3)

Jose Saramago
June 18, 2010 (0)

Marketplace of Ideas interview
June 11, 2010 (2)

Imagining Memory
May 6, 2010 (1)

Upcoming Los Angeles events
April 7, 2010 (2)

Time and energy
March 30, 2010 (2)

Review: Botchan
February 28, 2010 (2)

J.D. Salinger
January 28, 2010 (1)

2009 Reviewed
December 31, 2009 (5)

Review: The Word Book
December 12, 2009 (1)

Chaat and Chat event with OH!
November 6, 2009 (2)

Home at last
November 2, 2009 (2)

Los Angeles events
October 17, 2009 (1)

Poets and poetry
October 7, 2009 (1)

Time + place
September 24, 2009 (1)

The future of books
September 23, 2009 (1)

October book tour
September 6, 2009 (1)

Blogging at Powell's Books
August 28, 2009 (2)

The evolution of an idea
August 3, 2009 (1)

The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey
July 9, 2009 (2)

Tour debrief
July 2, 2009 (3)

Book tour events
May 18, 2009 (3)

Simply in the mood
April 24, 2009 (2)

Book tour
April 8, 2009 (6)

The Necessary Book
March 2, 2009 (2)

"Murder Makes the Magazine"
February 7, 2009 (3)

John Updike
January 27, 2009 (2)

2008 misc. (good news, bad news)
January 1, 2009 (3)

Publishing woes and query letters
December 13, 2008 (4)

Punctuation compunction
November 16, 2008 (3)

The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas)
October 10, 2008 (2)

David Foster Wallace
September 14, 2008 (2)

Ending it all
September 12, 2008 (2)

The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries
August 29, 2008 (3)

Blocking out the block
August 20, 2008 (3)

"What kind of books do you write?"
August 8, 2008 (2)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4
July 21, 2008 (3)

Show and tell
July 14, 2008 (3)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3
July 7, 2008 (7)

Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me)
June 30, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2
June 18, 2008 (3)

To be or not to be
June 10, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1
June 3, 2008 (6)

Virtual unreality
May 31, 2008 (4)

The purpose of this blog
May 21, 2008 (5)

Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog home \| current \| forthcoming \| past \| contact
ENTRY "Murder Makes the Magazine" February 7, 2009 The late John Updike and I collaborated on a book. It's true and it's a great conversation starter although it's not as great as it sounds. We never met, and the "book" was a promotion in the early days of Amazon.com when all they sold was books instead of every product available in the known universe. The promotion worked like this: John Updike started the book with a title and a couple of paragraphs. Each day, anyone could submit the next section of the book. The "editors" at Amazon would select the winning entry--the winner got a cool grand. And, more importantly, the honor of collaborating with John Updike! I think there were thirty or forty winners out of the five - seven thousand entries each day. I won early on, I think it was the third day. The title was "Murder Makes the Magazine". The story started out about a frumpy, middle-aged magazine editor, having an identity crisis--pure Updike kind of stuff. The story was moving along kind of slowly in my opinion, so I thought it needed spicing up. And what better way to do it than introduce a previous (and kinky) fling between the editor and the magazine publisher. Pure Updike. The only problem was, I came up with this idea only a few minutes before the 6:00 a.m. deadline. And surely if I could come up with the idea of a messy affair, then someone else would too. I dashed off my couple of hundred words and hit send at 5:59 a.m. A few hours later I was a thousand dollars richer and had a great add to my bio. Interestingly, a friend of mine won a couple of days later; amazing because of the sheer number of entrants each day. I was interviewed in several media outlets about the competition, mainly because I'd so narrowly squeaked under the wire (and possibly because I added sex to the storyline). There was talk about printing and selling the book but that never happened. Actually the whole story was rather forgettable, despite John Updike's beginning and ending. © 2010	COMMENTS Number of comments: 3 click here to add a comment Lee Witte I submitted several entries to the contest. Drove me crazy 'cause I always thought mine was better than the one selected. (Except yours, of course!!) Jo Reed 5 bucks a word. Not bad! What did Updike make...500? Todd I read he was paid ten grand for his contribution, so I guess that's about twenty dollars a word.	ARCHIVE date (comments) Review: Kissing the Mask August 22, 2010 (1) Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins July 12, 2010 (2) Review: Love in Translation June 22, 2010 (3) Jose Saramago June 18, 2010 (0) Marketplace of Ideas interview June 11, 2010 (2) Imagining Memory May 6, 2010 (1) Upcoming Los Angeles events April 7, 2010 (2) Time and energy March 30, 2010 (2) Review: Botchan February 28, 2010 (2) J.D. Salinger January 28, 2010 (1) 2009 Reviewed December 31, 2009 (5) Review: The Word Book December 12, 2009 (1) Chaat and Chat event with OH! November 6, 2009 (2) Home at last November 2, 2009 (2) Los Angeles events October 17, 2009 (1) Poets and poetry October 7, 2009 (1) Time + place September 24, 2009 (1) The future of books September 23, 2009 (1) October book tour September 6, 2009 (1) Blogging at Powell's Books August 28, 2009 (2) The evolution of an idea August 3, 2009 (1) The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey July 9, 2009 (2) Tour debrief July 2, 2009 (3) Book tour events May 18, 2009 (3) Simply in the mood April 24, 2009 (2) Book tour April 8, 2009 (6) The Necessary Book March 2, 2009 (2) "Murder Makes the Magazine" February 7, 2009 (3) John Updike January 27, 2009 (2) 2008 misc. (good news, bad news) January 1, 2009 (3) Publishing woes and query letters December 13, 2008 (4) Punctuation compunction November 16, 2008 (3) The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas) October 10, 2008 (2) David Foster Wallace September 14, 2008 (2) Ending it all September 12, 2008 (2) The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries August 29, 2008 (3) Blocking out the block August 20, 2008 (3) "What kind of books do you write?" August 8, 2008 (2) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4 July 21, 2008 (3) Show and tell July 14, 2008 (3) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3 July 7, 2008 (7) Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me) June 30, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2 June 18, 2008 (3) To be or not to be June 10, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1 June 3, 2008 (6) Virtual unreality May 31, 2008 (4) The purpose of this blog May 21, 2008 (5)