My first book, Baseball: The Movie, will be published on May 14. This is a play-by-play of how it happened. I share it in the hopes that it will debunk some myths about the process and maybe inspire those of you who are considering putting together a book to throw caution to the wind.
Writing a book is torture. That’s what everyone told me: characters in movies, people I know, strangers on Twitter. And yet I proceeded. What does that say about me?
It says that I really wanted to write a book. Doesn’t every writer? I began my side career as a film critic 11 years ago, and as soon as I started getting published in reputable outlets, the idea of publishing a book one day was added to my list of goals, somewhere after earning a New York Times byline and meeting Willem Dafoe (both accomplished). But it wasn’t until I saw some of my peers start writing and publishing their own books that I really thought it might be possible.
I considered a number of ideas but kept coming back to the baseball movie. There have already been several books written about baseball movies, but none that found that sweet spot between scrutiny and reverence. The books that existed were either too academic or too breezy. They were published because people who love baseball movies would buy them. I noticed that whenever the topic of baseball movies was broached on social media, devotees would rush to respond and cite their favorite entries, their most overrated and underrated baseball movies, and those which get their baseball right and wrong. To my mind, however, the great baseball movie book—the one that takes them seriously as a film genre—had not been written.
The most important factor to consider when choosing a topic to write a book about is passion. You must be passionate about your subject, not just because that passion will drive your curiosity to learn ever more about your subject, but also because it means you won’t get sick of it too easily. From proposal to publication, you will have to spend at least three years of your life with this book. You better love your subject. I have loved baseball movies ever since I was a kid. I loved real-life baseball, too, but the movies were better because you got to know the players and they always (well, almost always) had a happy ending. I grew up on The Natural and Major League and Field of Dreams and Eight Men Out and A League of Their Own. I grew up wanting to be Crash Davis and wanting to meet a woman like Annie Savoy. Of course, I never have. People like that only exist in the movies.
That’s how I chose my topic, but what about the process? Over the past few years, many people have asked me, “How did you write a book?” To be super clear, the emphasis in that sentence is usually on “book” and not “you.” They’re asking how a book gets written, not how an idiot like me could manage to write one. I think most people believe they have a book in them somewhere, but they have no idea where to start. The process is intimidating, as is the fear of rejection. Maybe this will help. Here’s how I did it:
I researched how to write a proposal. I wrote a proposal.
I looked up how to find an agent and got some good tips from friends/colleagues who have written books. One instructed me to find books on similar topics and look in the acknowledgments, where the author invariably thanks their agent. Find that agent’s contact info (usually not too difficult, agents want to be queried).
I sent my proposal to 20 agents. 18 never wrote back. One said no.
Another told me he didn’t think the idea—at this point, it was just a book of essays about the greatest baseball films—was marketable. I wrote back and sort of tried to defend it. He still didn’t go for it, but what he didn’t say was, “Stop pitching me.” I’ve learned from my years as a freelancer that if an editor engages with you, they’re giving you a window to keep trying. Every non-rejection is just an acceptance waiting to happen.
So I kept trying. I came up with a new pitch and, over the course of several email exchanges, persuaded him to take me on. Then over the next several months we worked together on a proposal for publishers. I wrote a four-page pitch for the book, a detailed chapter list, an exhaustive author’s bio, a marketing plan, and two sample chapters. My agent picked over every word of it, chipping away at its flaws until it was smooth and perfect. It was extremely hard work, but what kept me going was the knowledge that figuring it all out then would make the writing of the book much easier.
What was the idea? Instead of a simple book of essays, I would craft a narrative about the evolution of the baseball movie (“a biography of the genre” is the phrase that my agent responded to) that showed how it changed with the times, reflecting shifts in the culture of baseball, Hollywood, and America at large. “As the collision of two national pastimes, the baseball movie is uniquely positioned to tell us what America stands for.” That’s the other line my agent liked.
We finished the proposal, and we pitched. We gave publishers a month to respond. 24 days in, and we had heard nothing
Finally, with two days to go, a sports publisher called Triumph Books made an offer. With one day to go, another publisher made an offer, although it was so small it barely qualified. We got on the phone with Triumph, requested a few changes to the contract, and signed.
This is the part I want to emphasize. One agent out of 20 showed interest. One (real) publisher made an offer. They say it only takes one. In my case, that’s fact.
As for the writing, well, it was mostly a pleasure. Sure, I had to watch a lot of bad baseball movies in an attempt at completism. I also discovered many good ones that I’d never seen before. If you’re interested, here’s my ranking of every baseball movie I watched. About 45 of them are actually good.
And here’s a secret they don’t tell you. When you’re writing a book, you get to talk to a lot of cool people. I interviewed former major leaguers and one current major leaguer. I talked to Joe Posnanski, author of The Baseball 100, and Mike Schur, creator of Parks and Recreation and The Good Place. I interviewed the filmmakers behind Sugar, one of my most underrated baseball movies. I spoke with great baseball writers, brilliant film critics, and heroic activists about my favorite topic in the world. I’m a lucky guy.
And all I had to suffer was the fear that the book wouldn’t turn out well, and the world would know I was an impostor all along. Just to be clear, that fear was nonexistent when I was actually writing the book. Too busy for doubt. It had no purpose. After I turned in the manuscript, however, insecurity hit me like a 100 mph fastball to the face. It was out of my hands then. I could make a few changes here and there (and I did), but the scope of the book was set in stone. And that terrified me.
My confidence was boosted, however, during the blurbs process. There has been a lot of negative talk about blurbs lately. The Atlantic recently published a piece basically calling for the end of blurbs, arguing that blurbs from a few famous authors have too much influence over a book’s sales, and citing authors and agents who feel the process is too painful. It wasn’t for me. Maybe it’s because I spent a decade as a freelance film critic, begging editors for a response, but I had no compunction about reaching out to people I didn’t know and asking them to blurb my book. And with every blurb I received, my confidence was boosted. Smart people liked my book, and were willing to say so in public! Like this one:
“Finally, someone takes baseball movies seriously! Baseball: The Movie blends the passion of a fan with the rigorous analysis of a film critic to create a persuasive argument that the baseball movie matters—to baseball, to Hollywood, even to America.”
—Ben Mankiewicz, host, Turner Classic Movies
Or this one:
"There's analysis and there's storytelling. In my professional life, I practice them in the booth all season long. Noah Gittell not only masters each skill in Baseball: The Movie, but intertwines them seamlessly with humor, depth, and a personal perspective that makes it a must read for any movie lover, baseball fan, or curious observer of American culture."
—Ron Darling, author, baseball analyst, and former MLB pitcher
Receiving those blurbs didn’t hurt my mood, I’ll tell ya. With the blurbs in and the final edits done on the book, I’m about to move on to the press portion of the process, and I’m not dreading that either. Maybe it’s because I’m an extrovert, but I look forward to readings, signings, and screenings, and why wouldn’t I? It’s a chance to talk about baseball films with people who love them. For aspiring authors, I feel I must stress this point: If you pick a topic you don’t get tired of and find the right angle, this doesn’t have to be torture. It can even be fun. Unfortunately, I’ve already used mine up, which means the process of writing the next book is gonna really suck.
You can pre-order Baseball: The Movie at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how important pre-sales are for any book, let alone one by a first-time author. So….you know what to do. There’ll be much more to come on this topic in the coming months. Until then, thank you for reading, now and always.
What a great post, Noah. And, oh boy, you're spilling all the secrets for hopeful writers. Good for You! I'm feeling the love.
Once I'm back in the US, I can actually order the book. Amazon keeps railroading me into "deliver to Germany," which I don't want. So, another week, and I'll be in the queue.
Congratulations, Noah!
Congratulations, Noah! I am looking forward to reading it!