Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021         Page 560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613613a613b613c613d613e of 1029

Furthermore, when I talk and tell stories, a lot of them, of course, are about authors that I know, Random House authors, and I consequently mention a lot of Random House books in the course of a lecture. So I'm selling at the same time; and I'm meeting the heads of the English departments, hearing about any budding geniuses on the campus, and you never can tell. You're planting seeds!

You don't know when they're going to sprout!

Of course, every time that I go out my editors groan because a flood of unbelievable trash comes in from people who have heard me. I always say that we like the young writers. They say, “Well, I'm a young writer and I have this work of genius,” and in comes this unbelievable trash. But you never can tell. Gone with the Wind was found that way.

Have you ever come across anything that way?

We've published a couple of such books. I don't think that any of them have been great outstanding successes, but I've met in the course of my wanderings some important authors who later came to Random House--not right away, but when they had a fight with their own publishers, they had a back-up that they knew and could come to see. Half the time we didn't want them, but we did sign up a couple of them.