{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Behind the Book Cover","title":"Jeanne Darst on Landing Every Author's Dream Deal (and What Happened Next)","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2564,"description":"Jeanne Darst's story is what happens when everything goes right—and then you realize \"right\" is more complicated than you thought.\n \nAfter years of doing plays for 200 people in Vermont, she hit the publishing lottery: a bidding war sparked by a “This American Life” appearance that had publishers hunting her down by the next morning.\n \nRiverhead Books won with serious money, the New York Times loved it, Vogue excerpted it, HBO optioned it and she wrote the pilot. It was the full fantasy—except the show didn't get picked up (Girls was coming out), and she spent the next decade in the Hollywood machine.\n \nHer TV writing career was a success—she got a series of TV staff writing jobs—but her second book, Dad's Trying to Kill Me, couldn't find a publisher (despite glowing rejections). Now she's back to putting on shows while continuing to write, because sometimes the dream coming true teaches you what you actually want.\nEpisode Highlights:\nHow Jeanne's This American Life story triggered a massive publishing bidding war overnight\nThe strategic decision to write a proposal instead of submitting a completed manuscript\nWhy Jeanne chose Riverhead and editor Sarah McGrath over the highest bidder\nThe simultaneous media blitz: book launch, Vogue excerpt, and This American Life feature\nHow HBO optioned the book before publication, leading to pilot writing opportunities\nThe reality of post-success hustle: why the dream is \"just the beginning of heartbreak\"\nJeanne's second book rejection and the lesson about going to small presses\nWhy she's returning to grassroots theater after a decade in Hollywood\nThe father-daughter dynamic when children outachieve their parents professionally\nKey Takeaways:\nTwo years of persistence can lead to overnight success \nAgents and gatekeepers are \"smart secretaries\" - you must drive your own career\nWomen wait 8 months to resubmit after rejection; men wait 3 days\nBig advances don't guarantee book tours or sustained marketing support\nPublishers only...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UCEB2n_nvgUQzlnfTs-39SC2dlssng3NDLqkGEuUaBM/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8xYjhj/ZDM5N2VjMzUxZmQ4/NWE5NDQ1ODEwZGI0/YWE5Ny5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}