Book Publishing Secrets with Marilyn Horowitz, author of The Book of Zev

The Book of Zev Book Tour 

Name: Marilyn Ida Horowitz

Book Title: The Book Of Zev

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Koehler Books

Thank you for your time in answering our questions about getting published.  Let’s begin by having you explain to us why you decided to become an author and pen this book?

Marilyn: I have been writing my whole life—plays, screenplays, books, and articles—and for the last fifteen years at New York University, I have been teaching people how to use my trademarked writing system to write screenplays and novels. I met a man on a train, a religious Jew having a crisis of faith, and our conversation inspired me to write The Book of Zev. I wrote a novel rather than a script because the story is involved with the characters’ inner thoughts and the screenplay form limits that.

Is this your first book?

Marilyn: Yes and no. I have written several books on screenwriting, two of which are textbooks at NYU, and many years ago I wrote a novel that was optioned by a Hollywood producer but has not yet been published.

With this particular book, how did you publish – traditional, small press, Indie, etc. – and why did you choose this method?

Marilyn: The Book of Zev is structured a bit unusually. A small boutique house, Koehler Books, shared my vision and picked up my book in a traditional deal.  One day I may self-publish, but I am so thrilled to have the support of a publishing house behind Zev.

Can you tell us a little about your publishing journey?  The pros and cons?

Marilyn: For eight difficult and frustrating months, my agent tried to sell the book. No one would even read it. Finally, I got the deal with Koehler Books. It was a dream come true. My work was improved, and the physical book is beautifully designed with a perfect cover. One of the cons is that it can seem to take forever to land a publishing contract, but the biggest pro is that if you stick with the journey, your book can get published!

What lessons do you feel you learned about your particular publishing journey and about the publishing industry as a whole?

Marilyn: Don’t wholly depend on an agent to sell your work. You have to be prepared to promote your own work and to educate yourself about all aspects of publicity, both traditional and online.

Would you recommend this method of publishing to other authors?

Marilyn: All forms of publishing have their pluses and minuses. Make a decision based on your book, not on any prejudices you may have regarding the publishing process.

What’s the best advice you can give to aspiring authors?

Marilyn: Writers, write! Write about everything, write all the time, scribble notes, and be patient with the process. When you are writing and start to stress out, remember that you can’t read the label when you are inside the jar.

The motto of my trademarked writing system is: Don’t Get It Right, Get It Written, and I live by that.

The Book of Zev Synopsis 

The Book of Zev is a black-comedy thriller that tells the story of two gentle people who change the course of history. Zev Bronfman, a strapping 32-year old-virgin, angry atheist, refugee from a religious Jewish life, and former engineer for the U.S. Patent Office in Alexandria, Virginia, drives a cab and sleeps around in New York City. After a bitter divorce, Sarah Hirshbaum, a beautiful, redheaded, depressed, God-hating kosher chef, seesaws between yoga and too much red wine. Independently, the two consult the same psychic who inadvertently sends Sarah Zev’s session tape. When Sarah contacts Zev to pick up the recording, a series of events forces them to connect with a powerful terrorist in order to thwart his plans to destroy the UN and Israel.

Click here to read an Excerpt of The Book of Zev  

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Author Marilyn Horowitz

About Marilyn Horowitz

Marilyn Ida Horowitz is a producer, writing coach, and award-winning professor of screenwriting at New York University. From her books on her trademarked writing system—now standard reading at NYU—to her appearances at Screenwriters World and The Great American Screenwriting Conference & PitchFest, Marilyn has guided the careers of literally hundreds of writers. She is currently featured in the Now Write! Screenwriting Anthology (Tarcher/Penguin) and in the upcoming The Expert Success Solution (Morgan James). Her production credits include And Then Came Love (2007), starring Vanessa Williams.

Follow Marilyn at her website, www.marilynhorowitz.com

@marilynhorowitz