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So you want to write a novel. Or you've written a novel and now you want to sell it for big bucks. Or you have a commercial idea for a novel and haven't a clue about how to proceed.
Here are two illuminating--and encouraging--case histories of recent weeks.
Kathleen J. Reichs, a professor of sociology and anthropology at the University of North Carolina and a forensic anthropologist for the province of Quebec, wrote a novel about . . . a forensic anthropologist. The main character, asked to examine old bones, sees a disturbing similarity to other remains she has studied. Which leads her to believe there's a serial killer on the loose. First, she must convince the authorities; then, she is swept up in the hunt for the bad guy.
In August, Reichs sent her finished manuscript to her daughter's boyfriend's friend, Marysue Rucci, an assistant...