"The profession of book writing makes horse racing seem like a solid, stable business."
—John Steinbeck
It was dinnertime at the Manhattan publishing offices of G.P. Putnam's Sons. The last bag of taco chips had long since tumbled from the corridor vending machine, but Subsidiary Rights Director Irene Webb, 30, and her colleagues were not leaving their desks. June 15, 1978, was a day for executive field rations. Since 9:30 a.m. Webb's ear had been grafted to her telephone, accepting bids for what ended as the...
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