Don’t-Forget-WWI-Project: George
Washington’s birthday – To foreigners 100 years ago, it led to an act of defiance
against a prison state.
During
the harsh German occupation of Belgium during WWI, all acts and events reflecting
Belgian patriotism were outlawed. Civilians couldn’t even wear or display the tricolors
of their country’s flag. |
| Baron von Bissing, German Governor-General of Belgium who outlawed all displays of patriotism. |
Because
nearly 7 million Belgians were being saved from starvation in large part through
the efforts of the American-led Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB), the
Belgians spontaneously decided to celebrate their own patriotism by honoring
the birth of George Washington.
On
Monday, February 22, 1915, all over Belgium, schools closed, people dressed in
their Sunday best, and strolled through their towns and villages proudly displaying
the colors red, white, and blue in suit button holes, women’s blouses, and hats
and coats. The U.S. Legation office in Brussels was overwhelmed by thousands
who came to pay their respects.
The Germans
were furious, and would take their revenge.
To
learn more about one of America’s greatest humanitarian efforts—the CRB—and to
read a sample of my first book on the subject, Behind the Lines, go to my book’s website, www.WWIBehindTheLines.com
My Post: It
has been an eventful start to the new year. I have continued to work on my next
CRB book, WWI Crusaders. It was going
to be the second in a proposed trilogy of the CRB and Belgium. Unfortunately, I’m
running out of my own money to do this project, and I also believe it’s
important to get a traditional book publisher interested so that I can reach
the widest possible audience.
After
talking with a few book publishers, I learned that they don’t want book two in
my trilogy, nor book three. They were all impressed with Behind the Lines (which covers August to December 1914), but felt
that the CRB topic was a “small slice” of World War I that does not warrant a
trilogy and cannot, in their opinion, sustain reader interest that long.
While
I, of course, disagree, I can also see the handwriting on the wall (and in my
bank balance).
So, I’ve
now pivoted to what these traditional book publishers want – ONE book for the
entire story, which will cover August 1914 through April 1917 when America
enters the war and the CRB delegates have to leave Belgium.
I’m
reshaping the 150 pages I’ve already written and have built a one-book outline.
Through
most of December, I spent a great deal of time preparing a book proposal, which
turned out to be 75 pages. (Fifty of those pages are the first 50 pages of WWI Crusaders.) I did all that because the American Historical
Association held its annual conference in Denver in early January. As part of the
AHA conference there was an exhibit hall where more than 30 book publishers displayed
their newest titles.
I, of
course, saw this as a great opportunity to approach publishers about WWI Crusaders—hence my book proposal.
I also
prepared a one-page book proposal summary for those who weren’t sure of their
interest. Following is that one page:
One of
America’s Greatest Humanitarian
Efforts—Unknown
Today
Narrative
Nonfiction Book Proposal—Summary
Working
Title: WWI Crusaders: The little-known story of German
occupation, Belgian resistance, and the band of Yanks who helped save millions from starvation, by
Jeffrey B. Miller
The Story: During WWI (1914-1918), a small band of neutral Americans in the Commission
for Relief in Belgium (CRB) worked with the Belgian Comité National de Secours et
d’Alimentation (CN) to create the largest food relief the world had ever seen, saving
nearly 10 million civilians trapped behind German lines. It’s a story few have heard.
The Book: In the narrative nonfiction tradition of
books by Laura Hillenbrand, Erik Larson, and David McCullough, WWI Crusaders tells this humanitarian
story through multiple American CRB volunteers, individual Belgians, and the editors
of the underground newspaper, La Libre
Belgique—all within the context of the brutal German occupation. This is
not a treatise or dissertation, it is an accurate re-creation of events as they
happened so that general readers will feel the spirit and suspense of the time.
Marketing: A significant base of buyers/readers
includes members of WWI organizations, war-history enthusiasts, and libraries.
Working with the publisher, the author plans to reach that base and expand it
by implementing a targeted PR/marketing plan to attract general readers who
have bought bestselling narrative nonfiction such as Dead Wake, The Boys in the
Boat, and the perennial bestseller, The
Guns of August.
Jeff Miller’s
Credentials: * Kirkus Best Books of 2014; Kirkus Starred
Review: “An excellent history that should catapult Miller to the top tier of popular historians.” Behind the Lines;
* History Finalist, Foreword Reviews’ Book of the Year Awards, 2014 (eight
other finalists were from university presses) (Behind the Lines);
* Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2002 (co-authored men’s health book);
* Forty years as a professional writer, magazine editor, and book author;
* More than eight fulltime years researching, writing, and public speaking about this
little-known humanitarian story.
Available
On Request: The complete book proposal, which includes the
book’s first fifty pages, descriptive outline, targeted PR/marketing plan to stand alone or complement a
publisher’s efforts, an overview infographic, author’s resume, and reference letter.
More Info: Jeffrey B. Miller: 1265 South Columbine St., Denver, CO
80210; cell: 303-503-
1739; email,
jbmwriter@aol.com; website, www.WWIBehindTheLines.com
That’s it for my one-page book proposal summary. I’ll keep
you posted on if any traditional book publisher is interested in helping me tell this great American humanitarian story.
End of Post.
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