One
of the television shows I enjoy watching is Showtime’s
Ray Donovan. It’s a guilty pleasure
of mine, probably because the show depicts everything that I’m not – murderers,
illegal acts, unethical dealings, and gratuitous violence. The hero is a hit-man Hollywood fixer. You have a problem that can’t be resolved
using the police? No problem, Ray can
fix it with a pay-off, threats of blackmail, a good beating, or an
old-fashioned bullet to the head. You
watch because it’s mesmerizing to root for the bad guy, to lust for vengeance
and power, and to see a sense of justice delivered in a different package. You watch because this world of Donovan is so
other from us, a completely opposite world from the one we choose to live in.
But
the show got me wondering: What if there are enforcers and fixers in the book
publishing industry?
Maybe
that’s how some book deals get the greenlight.
Forget great writing, lucky breaks, or friendly connections. Maybe a publisher agrees to do a book to
avoid bodily harm or to be exposed for some illegal act or personally
embarrassing deed. It just takes one
weak link to get the job done. Find an
acquisitions editor with an opioid addiction, a criminal past, or a sexual
harassment history. Or maybe it is a family member of the editor that has
problems. Blackmail him or her.
It could be going on right now!
Why
couldn’t the Donovan world exist in book publishing? Millions are at stake. Egos run high. It’s a world of creative and wealthy people,
which also means addiction, sexual affairs, and crazy criminal activity lurks
closely.
I
guess we’ll never know. Anyone who’s a
fixer won’t talk, for fear of retribution or criminal prosecution. Those taken advantage of by fixers are too afraid
to speak up or risk losing their place in the book world, not to mention their
safety. And usually few witnesses exist
– and they certainly won’t talk. But this would make a great book!
In
our concierge society we hire people to do everything – walk the dog, nanny the
kids, be personal shoppers, help us organize, clean our houses, tend to our
lawns, find us jobs, line up dates, plan our vacations, etc. so why wouldn’t
someone hire a fixer to do the dirty work that others lack the heart, balls, or
skills to do?
Enter
Ray Donovan. Book publishing absolutely
has a bunch of Donovans running around killing book deals that ruffle the
politics and financial interests of powerful entities. They are out there with photos, videos or
false evidence, armed with information or threats and weapons, ready to fix a
problem.
The
book industry prints billions of dollars of commercial activity. It is likely to be as corrupt as other
industries, even though it appears to be the world of gentlemen and ladies of
society.
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