--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I worked in the book publishing business…" description: "\"I worked in the book publishing business for nearly two decades before I turned my attention to writing, first with a couple ghostwriting projects, plu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/chris-pavone-3124_attention_i-worked-in-the-book-publishing-business_2562289.jpg" --- # I worked in the book publishing business for nearly two… ![“I worked in the book publishing business for nearly two decades before I turned my attention to writing, first with a couple ghostwriting projects, plus a crappy novel that absolutely no one wanted to publish. Then I moved to Luxembourg for my wife's job and found the inspiration for 'The Expats.'” quote by Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/chris-pavone-3124_attention_i-worked-in-the-book-publishing-business_2562289.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/chris-pavone-3124_attention_i-worked-in-the-book-publishing-business_2562289.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/chris-pavone-3124_attention_i-worked-in-the-book-publishing-business_2562289.jpg) > “I worked in the book publishing business for nearly two decades before I turned my attention to writing, first with a couple ghostwriting projects, plus a crappy novel that absolutely no one wanted to publish. Then I moved to Luxembourg for my wife's job and found the inspiration for 'The Expats.'” [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Career shifts and personal experiences can inspire new creative projects, even after setbacks. **In simple terms:** Life changes spark new writing. Key Takeaway Leverage personal change for creativity. Themes career transition creativity inspiration Mood reflective optimistic Type motivational creative When to use this quote - career change - relocation - writing projects Key Concepts personal growth storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What personal events could fuel your next project? - How do you turn setbacks into ideas? A Different Perspective Success isn’t guaranteed after a move. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Book publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-publishing/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Expats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expats/) [Job](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/job/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Publishing is a business and writing is an art. The two have to be crammed together despite the clearly different motivations behind them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-m-pillow/publishing-is-a-business-and-writing-is-an-art-the-two-have-to-be/) [Michelle M. Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-m-pillow/) > ['The Expats' would not exist without e-books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/the-expats-would-not-exist-without-e-books/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [Expats are a self-selecting group of outgoing, confident people - if you're not those things, you probably don't choose this adventure - and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/expats-are-a-self-selecting-group-of-outgoing-confident-people-if-you/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > ['The Expats' is a thriller, but one that tends more toward general fiction than toward breathless pulp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/the-expats-is-a-thriller-but-one-that-tends-more-toward-general/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [I know that 'The Accident' is not a completely accurate reflection of the reality of the book publishing world, which, like nearly any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/i-know-that-the-accident-is-not-a-completely-accurate-reflection-of/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [My only requirement for that first story was that there had to be a fight or an explosion on every page. Naturally, no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-foglio/my-only-requirement-for-that-first-story-was-that-there-had-to-be-a/) [Phil Foglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-foglio/) > [I have one very bad experience with a U.K. publisher, who gave it out to be understood that she wanted to publish my book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neel-mukherjee/i-have-one-very-bad-experience-with-a-u-k-publisher-who-gave-it-out/) [Neel Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neel-mukherjee/) > [And books that were published in much larger numbers than Selfish, Little are hard to find. And publishers who wanted to publish my last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sotos/and-books-that-were-published-in-much-larger-numbers-than-selfish/) [Peter Sotos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sotos/) > [I almost once wanted to publish a self help book saying, 'How To Be Happy, by Stephen Fry: Guaranteed Success'. And people buy this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/i-almost-once-wanted-to-publish-a-self-help-book-saying-how-to-be/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [Writing was a way to get away from my life as a programmer, so I wanted to write about other things, but of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-ullman/writing-was-a-way-to-get-away-from-my-life-as-a-programmer-so-i/) [Ellen Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-ullman/) > [I just submitted what I had to the 'Octopus Books' contest open reading period, and they said they wanted to publish my poetry book.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-zhang/i-just-submitted-what-i-had-to-the-octopus-books-contest-open-reading/) [Jenny Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-zhang/) > [I have seen journals with good financial backing and editorial support die because they looked so bad nobody wanted to publish them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-dutton/i-have-seen-journals-with-good-financial-backing-and-editorial/) [Denis Dutton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-dutton/) > [Before social media, if I, as an individual wanted to publish something to the world, unless I could get some local TV crew to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/before-social-media-if-i-as-an-individual-wanted-to-publish-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Around the time I turned 30, I wanted to publish a novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/around-the-time-i-turned-30-i-wanted-to-publish-a-novel/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [ I actually wanted to publish \[ interview with Donald Trump about Citizen Kane\] in the New York Times, but the circumstances under which I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-actually-wanted-to-publish-interview-with-donald-trump-about/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) ## More by Chris Pavone > [“They were ticking off items on a to-do list that was magnet-attached to the fridge. There were nineteen items on the list. They'd crossed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/they-were-ticking-off-items-on-a-to-do-list-that-was-magnet-attached/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [Lexicon grabbed me with the opening lines, and never let go. An absolutely thrilling story, featuring an array of compelling characters in an eerily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/lexicon-grabbed-me-with-the-opening-lines-and-never-let-go-an/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“You talking about computer weaknesses?" "Yes. But also human weaknesses." "Meaning what?" "Meaning the types of weaknesses that make humans let down their guard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/you-talking-about-computer-weaknesses-yes-but-also-human-weaknesses/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“She didn’t want to give the murder-pornography frame by frame. Didn’t want to recite her route across Manhattan, the length of the knife blade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/she-didn-t-want-to-give-the-murder-pornography-frame-by-frame-didn-t/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [In 'The Travelers,' everyone is defined by his or her relationship to work. I put each character on a different rung of the ladder:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/in-the-travelers-everyone-is-defined-by-his-or-her-relationship-to/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > ['The Expats' would not exist without e-books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/the-expats-would-not-exist-without-e-books/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“It was impossible to understand how brief it is. It seemed like youth would last so long; it would last forever. But it's just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/it-was-impossible-to-understand-how-brief-it-is-it-seemed-like-youth/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“Back before her life had begun to unravel. Or before she knew it was unraveling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/back-before-her-life-had-begun-to-unravel-or-before-she-knew-it-was/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“I thought you make your living as a thief." "No," he said. "That’s what I do for fun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/i-thought-you-make-your-living-as-a-thief-no-he-said-that-s-what-i-do/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [There's so much published by so many different publishers. Most of the time, I don't have to confront that, but walking into a conference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/there-s-so-much-published-by-so-many-different-publishers-most-of-the/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“Circumstantial evidence may not be enough to convict. But it’s almost always enough to reveal the truth. Isn’t it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/circumstantial-evidence-may-not-be-enough-to-convict-but-it-s-almost/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“It hasn't taken long to find herself thinking that people are watching. And that they always have been, all the time. It was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/it-hasn-t-taken-long-to-find-herself-thinking-that-people-are/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“But when Kate returned home he was gone. Back to the video camera that had recorded her. Back to his unexplainable office. Back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/but-when-kate-returned-home-he-was-gone-back-to-the-video-camera-that/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“She needed friends, and a life, and this is how you acquired those things: by talking to strangers. Everyone was a stranger, all on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/she-needed-friends-and-a-life-and-this-is-how-you-acquired-those/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [“So she forgave him. And instead she berated herself for her suspicion, for her snooping. For the things she promised herself she wouldn't do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/so-she-forgave-him-and-instead-she-berated-herself-for-her-suspicion/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) [Explore all 139 Chris Pavone quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I worked in the book publishing business for nearly two decades before I turned my attention to writing, first with a couple ghostwriting projects, plus a crappy novel that absolutely no one wanted to publish. 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