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Bridie Clark will be reading at the Harvard Coop Thursday, March 8, at 7:00 pm.
Bridie Clark is one brave woman. The Harvard alum recently released the chick-lit book Because She Can. It's a Devil Wears Prada-esque tale of a good-hearted but ambitious young woman who falls into the claws of a ruthless exec.
The ruthless exec in Bridie Clark's debut novel might seem awfully familiar to book fans. Vivian Grant is the head of a book imprint that rakes in the cash with salacious, shocking publications. She's beautiful, ruthless, and so mean that she interrupts an employee's wedding because of supposedly urgent matters.
Bridie Clark used to work for the infamous Judith Regan, the woman who took scandal to the limit by trying to publish OJ Simpson's If I Did It. Vivian Grant is a composite of many bosses-from-hell, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to determine that Judith Regan's legend inspired Clark's work a little bit.
Clark answered some of Bostonist's questions about the book, her writing process, and, yes, life working for Judith Regan:
1. Vivian Grant isn't Judith Regan, but if you hadn't worked for Judith Regan, how would your life and your writing be different?
Working for Judith galvanized my desire to be self-employed. It spurred me to take the plunge and write full-time, something I’d always wanted to do.
2. At what point during your time at in publishing did you decide to leave, and why did you go?
I left in November 2004 because I wanted to write a book. That Christmas, my mother – difficult to shop for — asked us all to give her non-material gifts. From me, she wanted to write a complete draft of a manuscript. It was a “now or never” moment in my career.
3. What did you think of Judith Regan's decisions to publish OJ Simpson's If I Did It?
I was extremely disappointed by it, like most of the country. And I was shocked that it got as close to publication as it did.
More after the jump ...
4. Because She Can has several passages comparing Vivian Grant's trashy and literary books. Which books did you work on while you were at ReganBooks?
Nothing remotely trashy. I worked on Dear Senator, by Essie Mae Washington-Williams, The Good Fight, by Ralph Nader, G-Force, an exercise book by trainer-to-the-stars Gunnar Peterson. I worked on an outstanding non-fiction memoir, Ill-Equipped for a Life of Sex, by Jennifer Lehr, to name a few. I was very proud of my roster of titles and learned a great deal from my authors.
5. Based on Claire's experiences, would you recommend a career in publishing based on the salary, how long it takes you to rise in the ranks, and the people you might wind up working with?
I didn’t exactly make the strongest case for a career in book publishing, did I? Well, it’s true that entry-level salaries tend to be challenging—and it can take a while to get to a position of real responsibility. But it’s an incredibly satisfying profession, bringing books to life. In a way, it’s a public service.
6. OK - moving beyond the publishing world and into writing. Did you always plan to move from editing to writing? What made you take the leap?
I’m not a terrific planner. When I graduated from Harvard, I knew that I wanted to work with the written word in some capacity – but wasn’t sure if that meant creative writing, journalism, editorial work, or even film and tv-writing. I have always wanted to write a novel… I think that working as an editor raised my confidence that with enough hard work, it could happen.
7. What do you enjoy most about writing? And about editing?
Writing: my ten-second commute to “work.” Feeling proud of a sentence or scene. Editing: collaborating with smart writers. Conceptualizing what a book should be, how it should be structured.
8. What is your next project? Could you tell us a little about Gawker's Guide to Conquering All Media?
My next project: working on a second novel. I’ve just started. It feels good to be writing again, especially after a few weeks spent promoting Because She Can. I co-wrote the humor book for Gawker Media, which Atria will publish in July. It was a fun book to work on, with a terrific cast of contributing writers.
9. What are you reading right now? Why?
Right now I’m reading lots of screenplays. And I’m catching up on novels too brilliant (and therefore demoralizing) to read when I was struggling to write my own—among which are It’s All Right Now, On Beauty, and Portnoy’s Complaint. I also read so-called “Chick Lit” every day. I love fun, entertaining, lighthearted books. I read them the way most people watch television.
10. Last of all, as a Harvard grad, what's your take on the appointment of Drew Gilpin Faust to be Harvard's president?
I’m excited by it. It’s only taken Harvard 371 years to appoint a female president. Let’s hope the country follows suit in 2008.
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