Right now, Patel is putting final touches to The Gray Veil before sending it off to his publisher. A Paperboy's Fable is set for release in June 2016 and the book has
Rob Margolies, Hollywood director, screenwriter and producer of movies starring actors like Hilary Duff and Charlie Sheen says Patel's second book may be "the next Goodfellas."
Intrigued by all of Patel's accomplishments, I followed up with the young author to learn more about him.
Q. You've had the chance to connect with influential professionals - ranging from Hollywood directors to a former Director of the CIA. How were you able to accomplish that?
Linkedin is an extraordinary community full of professional and influential people. I thought it would be a great resource for my book. I set up my profile and started networking with people I thought could help me. I networked with the people I already knew, who had larger connections, and continued to build connections. There were people who didn't have time to respond, but I just kept trying. Honestly, I thought it was a numbers game. I expected to hear back from 1 out of every 25 people I contacted.
Q. There are writers twice your age who are still trying to get a book published. How were you, at the age of 17, able to get your first book published?
I posted a book listing that included a description of my book and a little about my background on the Publishers Weekly website. Their database also gave me access to hundreds of literary agents' information. I made inquiries to nearly one hundred agents, and heard back from four who were willing to offer representation. I also heard back from an editor who said a publishing company named Post Hill Press, based in New York, was interested in publishing A Paperboy's Fable. We arranged a call, and later we sealed the deal.
Q. You're 17. I imagine it can be a bit challenging to focus on writing at times. What is your writing routine?
I don't have a strict routine for writing, but I try to get in at least one or two hours of writing each day. For some odd reason, my best ideas come to mind at 3 AM, so I just turn on my laptop and type whatever comes to mind or jot down notes on my phone for later. But of course, that makes for a pretty groggy morning the next day.
Q. Did you take any advanced writing classes in high school to help prepare you to write your book?
I am very fortunate to attend Stratford Academy, a high school that has an exceptional environment, great teachers and really intelligent students. In my sophomore year, I was accidentally placed into a Creative Writing class, an elective I didn't sign up for. I also enjoyed my sophomore English teacher's class. Those two classes made me realize I had a love for writing I never knew I had.
Q. How did you come up with the ideas for your books?
My dad was a paperboy at my age. He made less than minimum wage. He eventually used the money he made to own a dry cleaner with my uncle and grandfather. Later, he owned a hotel. When he told me about his experiences, I realized that his story was just the story I was looking for: a story that is both inspirational and informative. I knew then that a book that uses a paperboy as its central theme in order to illustrate business points would be really cool and groundbreaking.
As for my second book, I've always been a huge fan of old mafia movies such as The Godfather and Goodfellas. I also read an article on The Guardian about a daughter of a mafia boss, and it dealt with the question of who would take over the operation after the boss - who had a brain condition - died. After reading it, I thought to myself: can a violent criminal change his perspective on life if he got a disease like Alzheimer's? All of this is served as inspiration for my second book.
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