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Volume 8 , Number 1 The Enduring Value of Libraries (Spring 2002) | Pages 4 - 5+

July 2014 How to Write a Bestseller: Excerpts from a speech given at the Pacific rP ogram Leadership Dinner on Saturday, October 6, 2001 Dave Frohnmayer University of Oregon

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Frohnmayer, D. (2014). How to Write a Bestseller: Excerpts from a speech given at the Pacific rP ogram Leadership Dinner on Saturday, October 6, 2001. OLA Quarterly, 8(1), 4-5+. http://dx.doi.org/10.7710/1093-7374.1604

© 2014 by the author(s). OLA Quarterly is an official publication of the Oregon Library Association | ISSN 1093-7374 | http://commons.pacificu.edu/olaq How to Write a Best Seller Excerpts from a speech given at the Pacific Program Leadership Dinner on Saturday, October 6, 2001

by Dave Frohnmayer … As are so many things following Sep- tales of Agatha Christie. President, tember 11, this talk lies in the shadows of In the 30s, Faulkner brought us Light in University of Oregon terrorism and its aftermath. August, Hemingway gave us Death in the And in that shadow lie many ques- Afternoon, and John Steinbeck took us tions: What do we do, as a nation and a through the best-laid plans Of Mice and Men. people, when no one really cares any In the 40s Ernie Pyle wrote This Is more who wants to be a millionaire, when Your War, and George Orwell wrote the true meaning of “survivor” has put to Animal Farm. shame anything television could offer as By the 1950s some of our tastes were drama, and when the most ordinary of turning just a bit as we read Ray Bradbury’s citizens have proven to be the strongest Martian Chronicles and Ian Fleming’s links to human greatness? Casino Royale. Beyond our national response— We’re half way through the century actually as a vital cord in that response— now. And I’m really not trying to point out most of us are asking questions and any deep or meaningful trends—other than searching for answers in ways far deeper, that the writing and the reading of particu- far more personal and far-reaching than lar times seem to accurately reflect the we have in some time. hopes and fears of that time. So it is in that frame of reference, that By the 1960s, our hopes and fears were shadow, that I offer these thoughts on so varied as to see us reading everything “writing your own best seller”—hoping in from Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s the process to offer some light … to light Nest to Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls. the way, if just a bit. … And in the 70s we embraced a seagull There are many amazing facets of our named Jonathan Livingston, a warren of society that one can look at that will give rabbits living in Watership Down and you clues as to where our culture is generations of African Americans whose going—where we are going. … true story was told in Alex Haley’s Roots. ... Take a look at best-selling books, past By the 80s our concerns were way out and present. I think we can learn something there and deep inside as we read Carl Sagan’s about ourselves by looking at this list. Cosmos, as well as Jane Fonda’s Workout And I think, in the process, we might Book—although some things never change, also be able to see what it is that we value as we pored over several books by Stephen enough to put it into our own best-seller, King, Tom Clancy and Danielle Steele. which—written or not—is the life we each And as the century ended, an interest- live—the leadership we offer in that life— ing thing began to happen. As we started the book we work on every day. to look ahead into a new century and a Best sellers of the past have included a new millennium, we also looked back. We wide variety of titles, reflecting of course their looked back at Ken Burns’ The Civil War, own times and the people of those times. and Scarlet, the sequel to Gone With the In the last century ... each decade Wind. But we also looked ahead, reading brought its own particular books. The first all we could about the future in Megatrends decade of the century gave us Jack 2000, all we could about our health in London’s The Call of the Wild and Upton Eight Weeks to Optimum Health, and all Sinclair’s The Jungle. about money in Wealth Without Risk. The teens produced a book called Here we are now—the 21st century ... America’s Coming of Age and another, The And as we sit here this evening, 4 Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, that looking forward to the leadership opportu- reflected the growing challenge of that age. nities—opportunities that will offer a The 1920s brought us the jazz tales chance for each of us to make a differ- of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the mystery ence—it is worthy to look at ourselves, see OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

where we have been and decide just And then there’s Ballot Titles In where we want to go. Oregon: The Secrets to Life as Gleaned from What kind of best sellers do we want Oregon Ballot Titles—with a foreword by our lives to write? Bill Sizemore—a book of several volumes. Or if someone wrote a best seller about As you see, the books we read come our lives, what book would it be like? from all directions, they entertain, inform, Pride and Prejudice? inspire, make us laugh, make us think, The Odyssey? make us look back and look forward, as Heart of Darkness? well as look inward and outward. Pilgrim’s Progress? There are two types of books being The Trial? published and selling quite well that Being and Nothingness? impress me—and that I think have some Or maybe something a bit more relevance on what I am trying to say. ... contemporary … One of these is the book that takes a Misery? (Stephen King) seemingly small incident in history— Waiting to Exhale? (Terry McMillan) perhaps a small or simple thing done by Bag of Bones? (Stephen King) an individual or group of people—and Or A Man in Full? (Tom Wolfe) shows how it has made a real difference in There’s just about something for every our world today. life. Even our current best sellers give us a Two books of this sort that stand out lot of leeway—and say something about are How the Irish Saved Civilization and where our society is today. Longitude. The number one best seller this past The first book, by Thomas Cahill, tells summer in the non-fiction hardback category of how a small group of monks on a small is a book about a horse—Seabiscuit. island in the Atlantic kept some of Maybe it’s safer nowadays to look civilization’s key writings from being back through the life of a famous horse destroyed and then spread out across the than through the lives of famous people— continent of Europe teaching from these and you’re less likely to get sued ... sources and shaping the making of the The advice best sellers are of particu- Western mind. lar interest and range from the number The second book, Longitude, written one The Prayers of Jabez, a real surprise by Dava Sobel, tells the story of 18th from a publisher in Sisters, to books about century John Harrison and his five-decade improving things at work (Who Moved My long quest to create a timepiece that could Cheese), improving your body (Body for be accurately used to determine longitude Life) and improving your baby (Secrets of aboard sailing ships. It was his success that the Baby Whisperer). ... truly opened the world to more than Given this variety of best sellers, I’ve random exploration. had a few ideas myself that I’ve been What I like about these books is the playing around with: same thing I like about some of my Winning Friends and Influencing People heroes—John and Abigail Adams, While Running a University. It will be filled Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt. ... with lessons learned from a fictitious college They are stories of people who may not president on the utter frustration of trying to have at first realized it, but most every- keep all your constituents happy all the time. thing they did had meaning and pur- Great Recipes from the Chicken pose—most everything they did mattered. Dinner Circuit—a compilation of all the Those nameless monks in the 5th, 6th 5 ways I’ve been served chicken during the and 7th centuries who cared for the texts course of four decades in public life. Sure to be a best seller. See How to Write a Best Seller page 23 OREGON LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

and from within our professional organiza- posed Anti-Terrorism Measures,” a state- tions. Any reactions on our part as a profes- ment outlining specific concerns about sion will have to reflect the need to honor impending anti-terrorist legislation. At its that variety. Our precious diversity often Web site, ALA has begun providing makes it difficult to speak in one voice on all assistance to libraries and librarians topics. We also need to concede that our regarding the PATRIOT Act and its poten- profession in this country, conceived not tial impact on library users. Finally, at our long before the Civil War, does not rank most recent midwinter meeting, ALA among older, more established professions Council voted to reaffirm principles of when we envision the entire span of human intellectual freedom found in several history. Our maturity and experience as a important documents, the “Library Bill of profession, and most importantly, the Rights,” “Libraries: An American Value,” development of our professional ethics and and the “Freedom to Read Statement.” principles, have been shaped by the context As a result, we cannot employ our of the times, especially during and immedi- profession’s often insidious bureaucracy or ately following acts of war. its splendid variety of voices as an excuse To our credit, our profession has to take no action to oppose the abuse of already responded. Before the final the PATRIOT Act’s intended legal use. passage of the PATRIOT Act, ALA, the Neither should we rest on the laurels of our Association of Research Libraries, the profession’s heroes. As individuals, we can American Association of Law Libraries, and choose to follow the example of the Medical Library Association issued the Bowerman, Steiner, or Horn when the need “Library Community Statement on Pro- to act arises and our conscience dictates. How to Write a Best Seller Continued from page 5 of Plato and Aristotle, who copied them to Another type of book that I see selling keep them alive, and who later went out well—and that I am happy to see selling and taught the rest of Europe, were really well—is the book that looks back in only doing their small, individual work. history and tells us—reminds us again—of And while they knew it had impor- the accomplishments of people we think tance in the eyes of their fellow monks— we already know—or of people we’ve and in the eyes of God—they had no idea never been exposed to. what importance or how far down the These are as varied as Stephen reaches of time it would extend. Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage, the story of And John Harrison, though highly the Lewis and Clark expedition; or The aware of the importance of his invention, Professor and the Madman, the story of how was at least initially concerned with a murderer and certified lunatic helped winning the prize money being offered by compile the Oxford English Dictionary; or the king. He did not know that his inven- The Founding Brothers, the intertwining tale tion would enable his nation to create an of seven men who gave our nation its start. empire that would—for better or worse— There is yet another book I want to last for two centuries. mention … Shackleton’s Way, by Margot The point is that we don’t know what Morrell and Stephanie Capparell. … our story is—often until it is long over— Sir Ernest Shackleton was an Antarctic 23 but we constantly, every moment of every explorer whose mission in 1914 began with day, have the opportunity to make it the abject failure when his ship with 28 men best story possible. aboard became stranded, then crushed and Vol  No  • SPRING 

destroyed by advancing ice floes nearly 1,200 until the challenge of World War II. And the miles from the nearest human habitation. example I just mentioned—Shackleton— Incredibly, through his leadership failed in most of his business ventures, yet skills, the crew not only survived but even succeeded marvelously when faced with thrived until ultimate rescue nearly two the challenge of a lifetime. years later and after a daring 800-mile I am intrigued by these books because of journey across open water in little more what they say about us—and again it is much than a rowboat. Among the lessons of the same—it is that what we do matters—that Shackleton’s leadership example: what we do can have consequences that reach far beyond our own lifetimes. … • The path to leadership is through an Each of us chooses who we will be. internal value system, one which is Yes, some of us are given seeming capable of turning bad experiences advantages, skills and abilities. into valuable attitudes and skills. Some of us, it might seem, are in the right place at the right time. • Choice of associates is crucial: look Some of us seem to have a better sense for the best, not the second-best— of good storytelling than others. optimism is a key attribute. And in terms of leadership, some seem born to it, while others have to work harder • Create a spirit of camaraderie— to get there. But leadership is a learned through the creation of order and behavior and we can get better at it! routine, let people know where they … The truth is that … each of us has stand. Be fair and use informal gather- the ability to write the story we want, given ings to foster a sense of teamwork. the material we have—to write a great and meaningful story—our own “best seller.” • Work to coach the best from each As a part of this we can also … help individual. Work one-on-one to help each write the stories, help create the best sellers person reach his or her highest potential. for others. This is what a vital part of leadership is— • Lead effectively in crisis by letting the to enable others to write their own stories. group know that the leader is in charge In the end, as in the very best of and confident of success. Project stories, the very finest of writing, the optimism and keep the malcontents strands of the stories all weave together. close to you rather than ostracize them. What we do—each of our own stories— affects the other stories they touch—and in • Form teams to attack tough assign- the process makes those stories either better ments—balance talent and expertise, or worse—the choice is ours. … remain visible and vigilant and shore As in a Dickens tale, no one is here by up the weakest performers. accident. Each person we meet—each character in our stories—is here for a • Be ready to overcome obstacles to reach purpose. I believe we have to believe that a goal. The biggest obstacles call for now, more than ever. It is my hope that in taking the biggest risks and for unyield- each of our stories—best sellers that they ing focus on the big-picture outcome. are—we work out our plots with care and kindness, through joy and pain, laughter and I believe we’ve seen examples of this tears—the stuff of life—to enable many kind of leadership in the past few weeks. other stories to become the best sellers they 24 It is interesting how the worst brings out deserve to be. This is the need for our time. the best. Churchill was a failed politician This is the heart of leadership. …