In this week's edition of Endnotes, we take a look at Michael Deagler's Early Sobrieties (Astra House, May). The book, which charts one man's struggle with alcoholism, received a starred review from PW, with our reviewer calling it a "pitch-perfect debut novel."
Here's how the book came together.
Michael Deagler
Author
“I had been sober for two years. At that time, fiction was my primary method for working through things emotionally. I found an agent, Samantha Shea, who believed in the book, but we weren’t able to find a publisher. I set the manuscript aside for a few years. One day, quite a while later, Deborah Ghim emailed me out of the blue. I sent her the novel, and our discussions helped clarify what the book wanted to be. Her enthusiasm really brought the project back from the dead.”
Samantha Shea
Literary Agent, Georges Borchardt Inc.
“We tried to sell an earlier version of Early Sobrieties a few years ago but were unable to find a publisher. Happily, I was able to sell one of the chapters to Harper’s; they published it as a story titled ‘New Poets.’ It’s my understanding that Deborah Ghim at Astra House read ‘New Poets,’ loved it, and reached out to Mike.”
Deborah Ghim
Senior Editor, Astra House
“They don’t make them like Michael Deagler anymore. Editing Early Sobrieties was entertaining, moving, gratifying—not unlike the novel itself. Michael understands both the outer and interior worlds of his characters with an intuition that feels divinely gifted; he is an immense talent, and it was very humbling to witness the craft and insight that seemed to come so naturally to him.”
Frances DiGiovanni
Junior Graphic Designer, Astra House
“We tried a lot of different concepts. Michael was looking to lean away from the material aspects commonly associated with drinking and sobriety, such as beer labels, bar signs, couches, coffee cups, and anything AA related. Instead, he wanted to gesture at the transcendental. It was challenging to avoid the usual tropes, but in the end this challenge made for a stronger cover that better reflects the spirit
of the novel.”
