I always remember the first fifteen publishers who saw the manuscript rejected my favorite book, The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. Finally, in 1973, a small independent publisher bought it. Random House later bought that publisher, The David McKay Company. Mr. Shaara’s second novel received very little attention and mixed reviews. It was a surprise to both Michael and the literary community when the announcement was made that The Killer Angels had been awarded the 1975 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Killer Angels never enjoyed commercial success during the author’s lifetime. Michael died in 1988 thinking the book a failure. Five years after Micahel Shaara’s death the film “Gettysburg” (based on the book) was released. The movie propelled The Killer Angels to number one on the New York Times Bestseller List (19 years after its publication!). Never give up … you never know what will happen unless you keep trying.
