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Although I have searched to find any mention of Wambaugh’s correspondence with his first publisher, I have failed to find any mention of what was called the “Wo
by Wistar 3y ago
Although I have searched to find any mention of Wambaugh’s correspondence with his first publisher, I have failed to find any mention of what was called the “World’s shortest letter,” or something like that.
From memory I recall reading an account of Wambaugh having been invited to submit his first manuscript to a publisher and, after not hearing anything back, he sent a letter to them that consisted entirely of a single question mark typed on a sheet of paper. A few days later, he received a response that consisted of a single exclamation point.
- bombcar 3y agoI've seen that story a number of times, attributed to various people. https://www.countrylife.co.uk/country-life/wars-weddings-boiled-eggs-10-memorable-telegrams-ever-sent-174331 https://www.countrylife.co.uk/country-life/wars-weddings-boi... > This has been attributed to both Victor Hugo and Oscar Wilde. In both cases, the writers are said to have telegrammed their respective publishers to ask about sales of their latest published works. > In both cases, the telegram simply asked ‘?’. The publisher is said to have replied with an equally frugal ‘!’.
- daniel-cussen 3y ago[dead]