“The Words” and self-publishing

A film called “The Words” came out this weekend, and I was highly amused to read about its premise.

In it, a young writer works as a mail supervisor as a literary agency, desperately trying to sell his cherished novel, only to meet rejection after rejection. While on his honeymoon in Paris, the writer finds an old manuscript in an abandoned suitcase. Passing it off as his own, he sells the book and becomes a critically acclaimed author.

Of course, he stole the book, and naturally that act of deception winds up destroying his life.

The movie got thoroughly bad reviews, but I suspect the film’s problem comes from its faulty premise. The main character is trying desperately to find an agent to anoint his book and present it. He doesn’t need to do that. It’s like a teenage girl in a slasher flick desperately looking for a pay phone when she’s got an iPhone in her pocket. All she needs to do is pull out the iPhone, dial 911, and the cops will show up and shoot the serial killer chasing her, and the movie will be over in twenty minutes.

Similarly, the protagonist of “The Words” doesn’t need to find an agent and a publisher, and he doesn’t need to steal the Magic Book that will finally make the agents and publishers appreciate his latent genius. He needs only to turn his own book into an ebook, and there’s no need to bother with the agents. Of course, his ebook won’t sell at first, but that will give him time to write additional books, and gradually grow his audience over time.

Still, I suspect a movie about “man publishes ebook and works hard to gradually grow his audience over time” would not have sold as well. Actually, given how badly “The Words” performed, maybe such a movie would have gotten better box office numbers.

-JM