Sending manuscripts to Oprah

Jennyg · Jul 19, 2008

Hi! Does anyone know who Oprah's right hand person is at Harpo? I want to send my manuscript but would like to address it to someone close to Oprah.

Have no fear, I'm under no delusion that I'm going to be the next book club pick or that anyone at Harpo is even going to read it, but I'm from the school of "you never know!"

Thanks ahead of time for any info. any of you might have!

- Jennyg :Sun:

Bufty · Jul 19, 2008

I wouldn't be surprised if Oprah's associates are drowned in unwanted submissions which they will make sure never get anywhere near her.

Appalachian Writer · Jul 19, 2008

A manuscript and a book are two very different things. I though Oprah picked "books", implying that the manuscripts had been accepted and subsequently published before any hope of inclusion.

maestrowork · Jul 19, 2008

Good luck finding the info, and when you do, post it here so we can all flood her trash bin.

Kalyke · Jul 19, 2008

Yeah, I thought they were already published, and on the market.

escritora · Jul 19, 2008

Granted she's a semi-celebrity and it was an actual book, not a manuscript, but submitting something worked for her. Click here.

Oprah's executive producer is Sheila Sitomer (double check if that's still the case). Good luck.

JamieFord · Jul 19, 2008

I'd try the book review editor at O Magazine instead.

Gillhoughly · Jul 19, 2008

Considering how things went with James Frey, I'm surprised she's still reading anything.

Jennyg, you're right to not have any delusions on this. Chances are excellent that a raw manuscript, if that's what you've got, will simply be recycled.

If, against all odds, she reads and loves it, you might hugely luck out and get a cover quote to show to an agent as validation for its commercial worth. Otherwise the most you can expect is a stamped thank you note.

Expect that you are not the first writer to try this, though. She probably has more submissions stacked in her mail room than Random House.

The books she pushes on the show are available for immediate purchase in the bookstores by her fans.

Finished books from the big publishing houses have to compete with dozens of others for her attention. You can bet that the publishers have Harpo's phone number and a direct address to send their wares.

Keep your hopes up, but sell your book to one of those publishers and let THEM get it to her for you.

Be writing the next one.

Good luck!

Jennyg · Jul 19, 2008

That's great advice, thank you!

Nateskate · Jul 19, 2008

I like the idea of creative solutions.

donroc · Jul 19, 2008

Then there's the Alan Drury fantasy. His book Advise and Consentwas seen and photographed in the hands of both JFK and Nixon during the 1960 campaign, and did that ever make his career.

benbradley · Jul 19, 2008

I saw the James Frey book when it was first published (it was strongly promoted, it was in the supermarkets when it was first released), and it was about a year and a half later when Oprah endorsed it. And since the Frey affair I've heard she has mostly endorsed 'classics', so living authors have much less of a chance nowadays.
I know a published author (non-fiction, general "organize your life" self-help category) who's been on local TV spots (such as the local noon news shows where they have short author interviews) as well as Good Morning America. I heard her talk about submitting to the Oprah show - she didn't get on, but she said how nice they always were in Oprah's organization, she always got a nice response back, even though it was a rejection.

ORION · Jul 19, 2008

If your manuscript is unpublished and you do not have an agent or publisher -- they are precluded from reading it for liability reasons.

Cassiopeia · Jul 19, 2008

I bought his book and couldn't get past page one. I bought it when my daughter was first arrested for possession of meth paraphernalia and I was looking for an inside perspective. She said the book was bogus then and that was in 2004.

Scrawler · Jul 20, 2008

ORION said:
If your manuscript is unpublished and you do not have an agent or publisher -- they are precluded from reading it for liability reasons.

That's what I was thinking.

Oprah's website says "Please be advised that The Oprah Winfrey Show no longer accepts unsolicited packages or fan mail. Please remember, Harpo Productions is not a publishing house or agency. Scripts or manuscripts will not be read, reviewed or returned."

So I'd have to ditch the Oprah idea.

ORION · Jul 21, 2008

I think it's hard to comprehend just how many manuscripts and ARCs that reviewers and entities such as Oprah receive.
When I was being interviewed for USA today, the interviewer said they get hundreds A DAY...They end up looking at the return addresses and selecting those that come from editors or publicists they are familiar with.
When your manuscript is unpublished and unagented it is not a matter of 'you never know'
You DO know.
It will be shredded and disposed of as they cannot take the chance. They won't read it. They won't hand it to an editor or agent. That's not their job like scrawler said.

txgrl · Jul 21, 2008

WARNING! This is seriously off topic:
Is anyone else bugged by the fact that Harpo is Oprah backwards?

maestrowork · Jul 21, 2008

Nothing wrong with that. And I think my new company, Yar Production, has a nice ring to it.

benbradley · Jul 21, 2008

maestrowork said:
Nothing wrong with that. And I think my new company, Yar Production, has a nice ring to it.

Named after the late Tasha Yar from Star Trek: New Generation?

Scrawler · Jul 21, 2008

txgrl said:
WARNING! This is seriously off topic:
Is anyone else bugged by the fact that Harpo is Oprah backwards?

I read that she was meant to be named Orpah, from the Bible, but someone at the birth certificate desk made a mistake and wrote Oprah.
Hapro doesn't quite do it.

IceCreamEmpress · Jul 22, 2008

txgrl said:
WARNING! This is seriously off topic:
Is anyone else bugged by the fact that Harpo is Oprah backwards?

No, I think it's cute to name your company after your name backwards. I am envious of Ray to have a name that works.

Of course, if your name is Eve, Hannah, Otto, or Anna, you're SOL.

CaroGirl · Jul 22, 2008

My full first name seems to have the correct ratio of vowels to consonants but doesn't quite work. It looks like a brand of infant formula: Enilorac.

WendyNYC · Jul 22, 2008

JamieFord said:
I'd try the book review editor at O Magazine instead.

I think that O Magazine sometimes prints fiction, so the magazine might be a better way to go. Although I think they are typically short stories and excerpts from already famous authors.

IceCreamEmpress · Jul 22, 2008

Sending an unpublished manuscript to a book review editor anywhere is a waste of time.

willietheshakes · Jul 22, 2008

CaroGirl said:
My full first name seems to have the correct ratio of vowels to consonants but doesn't quite work. It looks like a brand of infant formula: Enilorac.

Have pity on poor Rob -- would anybody see a movie from Bor Productions?

Sending manuscripts to Oprah

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