I had the pleasure of meeting Audrey Niffenegger, author of the New York Times bestseller, The Time Traveler’s Wife, when I was going to Columbia College Chicago. During our meeting, she spoke about her next book, which would take place at Highgate Cemetery in England. She said she would be researching the book by becoming a caretaker of the cemetery. Not only did she end up helping another New York Times bestselling author research his Newbery-winning novel, Neil Gaiman; Ms. Niffenegger’s new book snagged an unprecedented $5 million dollar book deal.
It’s nice to know in our nose-diving economy, the written word can still be so profitable. Now, if only I could make a small fraction of that $5 mil with my book…