Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed By Clive Cussler with Craig ...

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CLIVE CUSSLER:Luckily, it worked out OK. One day, as I talked to my new editor about minor
changes in the manuscript, he asked whereNight Probe! came in sequence in relation to the earlier
books. I casually mentionedPacific Vortex as being the first book to introduce the characters, but it was
never published. He sounded stunned. "What?" he gasped. "There's another Dirk Pitt manuscript out
there? How soon can you get it to me?"
By now, since all the books were high on the bestseller list, all the publishers saw were dollar signs. I
called Peter and told him Bantam wanted to have a look atPacific Vortex . "Not on your life," he came
back. "Publish that rag, and you're ruined."
Curious after not having looked at the manuscript in almost fifteen years, I took it off the closet shelf
where it was living underI Went to Denver but It Was Closed , blew off the dust and began reading.
The story was pretty good. It was just that my early style of writing left much to be desired. I spent
about three months rewriting it, then sent it to Peter with instructions to pass it along to Bantam. Peter
wasn't a happy camper, but to make me happy, he gave it to my editor, who received it enthusiastically.
Months later, whenPacific Vortex was ready to be distributed, Peter said he was going on vacation
to Jamaica because he didn't want to be around when the book bombed. I have to give Bantam credit,
they did a terrific job on the book jacket, designing a double cover with a circular die cut on the outer
one that opened to reveal a diver inside.
A week after the book hit the stands and the shelves, I sent Peter a telegram at his hotel in Jamaica. It
read,"Screw YOU, Pacific Vortex just went number two on the New York Times paperback list."
Not long afterward, I had lunch with the president of Bantam. I revealed that I was happy at last to
have all my paperback books under one house and that I'd have taken less money to be there. He
looked at me in shock, dropped his fork and muttered, "Well, I'll have you know that I was willing to pay
more."
One-upmanship lives.
This little conversation came back to haunt me when I turned in my next book,Deep Six . After
entering contract negotiations, Peter was stunned when the head of Bantam offered less money for the
new book than they had paid forNight Probe! which was their first hardcover to make the bestseller list