The History Book Club discussion

Random House has provided us with a wonderful opportunity to chat with the author of the book Elizabeth the Queen which will be formally released on January 10th, 2012.

Sally Bedell Smith will be dropping in periodically to answer any and all of your questions regarding her book.

Please begin posting your questions for the author on this thread.

Thank you and I hope you will you enjoy this special author experience here at the History Book Club. Many of you who are joining in on this discussion have received and/or will be receiving your ARC very soon. For those of you not as fortunate, we have delayed the start date of the book discussion until January 10th so that everyone will be able to participate fully and acquire a copy of the selection.

Regards,

Bentley

by Sally Bedell Smith

About Sally Bedell Smith

Sally Bedell Smith is the author of the bestselling biographies of William S. Paley, Pamela Harriman, Diana, Princess of Wales, John and Jacqueline Kennedy, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Queen Elizabeth II

A contributing editor at Vanity Fair since 1996, she previously worked at Time and The New York Times, where she was a cultural news reporter. She was awarded a Sigma Delta Chi Distinguished Service Award for magazine reporting in 1982 and was a fellow at the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center in 1986.

Sally lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Stephen. They have three grown children.

Some of Sally's Books:

all by Sally Bedell Smith

Welcome Sally to the History Book Club. We are glad to have you with us and hope to have a wonderful discussion with you about the book, about Britain's most gracious Queen, and any other questions that may be brought up by our readers concerning your craft and writing.

Join us on this thread for a chat with bestselling author Sally Bedell Smith.

We'll be chatting in celebration of her latest book, Elizabeth the Queen!

If you've got a question for Sally, feel free to ask it now by posting it here and Sally will be dropping in to chat with us on line and will answer your questions.

So please give her a warm hello (especially all of the folks who have received a copy of her book) and let her know how you like the book and ask her any questions that you might have about her craft, the subject matter, life as a writer, the book Elizabeth the Queen or any other questions that pop into your head. I am hoping that all group members will post a hello to our visiting author and chat with her and post some questions in advance.

As your questions come to mind, please post them here and begin a chat in advance of Sally's arrival. We want to have tons of great questions and discussion to share with her.

Also, feel free to invite others to our group and discussion. We would love to share this experience with everyone we can.

Bentley

Note: Attached is the url to Sally Bedell Smith's official site.

http://www.sallybedellsmith.com/about/

Question: One question that I have for you Sally deals with choices. How do you decide who you will write about and research? Does your publicist or publisher give you recommendations or do you decide strictly on your own what will interest you next?

Question: Do you and most authors you know work on one book at a time or do you have a number of projects going on at varying levels of completion?

Question: I imagine that since you are a contributing editor at Vanity Fair that you often have to switch gears and think about other stories in progress and other subjects. How do you move between short story writing or writing an article and then get back into writing a major best seller without losing your momentum?

Ms. Bedell-Smith; I am so pleased that you are giving some of your time to the History Book Club. We are looking forward to reading your latest book on Queen Elizabeth II. I have read your book on Pamela Harriman and was much taken with it.

Question Did you have the cooperation of the Royal Family in preparation for your current book on Elizabeth II or did you have to work from public records and other sources?

by Sally Bedell Smith

Question: Where do you do the most writing? Do you have a specific structured schedule; a home office or do you work from a corporate location? How do you blend a family life with writing best sellers and touring to promote your book? Is that a difficult combination?

Question: How do you outline or storyboard your books? Do you start with an outline and research or do you flush out the story by developing a chapter or two?

Question: Have you met the queen and spent a great deal of time with her? If so, is she excited about the publication of the book in January? Who did you interview as primary sources for the book?

Question: Could you discuss with us the process for choosing the cover and deciding on the design or photo choice (which by the way is spectacular). Did you make that selection or did the publishing house?

Question: Do you ever experience "writer's block", and if so, how do you deal with it?

Question: Did the Royal Family influence the writing and conclusions found in the book? If so, how?

Bentley wrote: "Welcome Sally to the History Book Club. We are glad to have you with us and hope to have a wonderful discussion with you about the book, about Britain's most gracious Queen, and any other question..."

Thank you, Bentley, I am delighted to discuss the book with your group,
allbest, Sally

Bentley wrote: "Question: One question that I have for you Sally deals with choices. How do you decide who you will write about and research? Does your publicist or publisher give you recommendations or do you d..."

I have now written six biographies, and the last four have been suggested to me by Random House--for which I am most grateful. The idea for a biography of the Queen came from the president of Random House, and I instantly said yes. It was the perfect subject, and the timing of publication in 2012, Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee year, was ideal.

Bentley wrote: "Question: Do you and most authors you know work on one book at a time or do you have a number of projects going on at varying levels of completion?

Question: I imagine that since you are a cont..."

When I am working on a book, I need to be completely immersed in a subject, so I don't typically work on anything else. Writing magazine pieces takes several months--valuable time away from the tight schedule for my books, which involves three years of research, organizing and writing.

Welcome Sally, we were not told when you might pop in and start answering some of our questions; otherwise more folks would be over here chatting. It is terrific of you to spend some time with us (when you have a few minutes here and there) to answer our questions about your book. We look forward to the exchange. Thank you and I will give a heads up to the group.

Sally wrote: "Bentley wrote: "Question: One question that I have for you Sally deals with choices. How do you decide who you will write about and research? Does your publicist or publisher give you recommendat..."

Yes, that makes a lot of sense.

Welcome, Sally, thanks so much for taking the time to discuss your book. We look forward to the discussion and your answers.

Glad you found time in your obviously very busy schedule to stop by and answer our questions. I was surprised that your last four books have been suggested by your publishers. I always assumed that as an established author you would make those choices.

Jill wrote: "Glad you found time in your obviously very busy schedule to stop by and answer our questions. I was surprised that your last four books have been suggested by your publishers. I always assumed that..."

I guess they always beat me to the punch!

They certainly make good choices!!! I am very curious about the issue I mentioned in message 7 above.
Did you have the cooperation of the Royal Family in preparation for your current book on Elizabeth II or did you have to work from public records and other sources?

I was fortunate to be the first American biographer of the Queen to have access to her inner circle, including top advisers and close friends. Although the Queen has never given an interview in her 60 years on the throne, Buckingham Palace gave me its full cooperation, which meant I was able to travel with the Queen overseas and in the UK, and to watch her at key events in the yearly royal calendar. Palace officials also offered guidance and information.
I interviewed more than 200 people, did research in archives in the U.S. and UK, and had access to private sources of information such as correspondence and journals. I was also able to talk to the Queen at a garden party at the British ambassador's residence in Washington, and at two private parties at St. James's Palace in London.

Wow, that is pretty amazing. Was there any expectations by Palace officials or family members about the book before you started?

Yes,there were no strings attached to the cooperation Buckingham Palace gave me.

That is astonishing really and very good to hear.

Question: From your viewpoint, how did someone (Queen Elizabeth) at such a young age take on such responsibility and carry on and perform her duties with such grace?

What a fantastic assignment! Congrats- I am sure you earned the privilege. Did you find the Queen to be interested in discussions with you and other people? Did it seem like a chore or something she enjoyed?

Sally we will be having a full blown discussion of your book beginning January 10th when it is released and we are thrilled with the opportunity to do just that.

Question: How did the choice for the cover of the book come to be made? I absolutely love the photo chosen. Was that your choice? If so, it was a spectacular one.

Bentley wrote: "Question: Where do you do the most writing? Do you have a specific structured schedule; a home office or do you work from a corporate location? How do you blend a family life with writing best se..."

I work in my home office, and I start each day in mid-morning after my husband has left for work. He is an experienced editor, so he understands a writer's life better than anyone. I usually work all day, taking a brief break for lunch, and try to get in some exercise in the late afternoon. While I'm writing, it is especially useful to take long walks, when I can often untangle problems and work out ideas, sometimes dictating into my iPhone as I walk (not looking too ridiculous, I hope!).
Re my approach, I spend about 6 months reading and preparing for my interviews, then a year of interviewing and research (as well as more reading), about six months to organize my material and prepare detailed chronologies and chapter outlines, then a year to write the book. Detailed outlines are essential!And I only begin to write after I have everything assembled, although I do necessary updating as I am writing.

Bentley wrote: "Question: Have you met the queen and spent a great deal of time with her? If so, is she excited about the publication of the book in January? Who did you interview as primary sources for the boo..."

Think I already answered this in earlier query. The Queen pays attention to what is written about the royal family, but she keeps her thoughts to herself regarding what is writtten about her. My acknowledgements at the back of Elizabeth the Queen list all my on-the-record sources.

The publishing house selects the cover image, and I was completely thrilled with their choice. The actual cover is even more beautiful than it appears in photographs.

You sound spectacularly organized and have a proven formula for getting things done. Since I love using my iPhone similarly, looking ridiculous never enters my mind (smile).

I do find sometimes that home offices can be distracting; but it sounds like you have the peace and quiet to get things done.

You touched on an important aspect of interviewing - the preparation. If you haven't prepared like you obviously do, you won't have the right questions to ask and that you have found is key.

Question: How did you approach asking the difficult questions which I am sure you had to ask? Especially since they were going to be asked about the Queen of England. And at Buckingham Palace - an environment which may in fact be a bit intimidating.

Jill wrote: "Question: Do you ever experience "writer's block", and if so, how do you deal with it?"

I sometimes get stuck while I'm writing, and whenever that happens, I switch over to another task that needs to be done, maybe doing some additional reading. My husband, who is an amamzing editor, long ago told me that there's no such thing as writer's block, and he is a wonderful sounding board whenever I need to talk through something that is confounding me.

Bryan wrote: "Question: Did the Royal Family influence the writing and conclusions found in the book? If so, how?"

Think I answered this one earlier. But no, they had no influence on my approach or conclusions.

Indeed, it is a first rate picture of her. So, what kinds of things did you find in the archives? And is Her Majesty more open with her thoughts in letters than in public?

I'm going to have to sign off for today, but keep the questions coming, and I'll get to them whenever I can. Thank you for your interest, and I hope you all enjoy the book!

That is terrific that you are able to bounce ideas off of your husband. And even more convenient that he is an editor. He sounds like a great partner.

Question: Why does he feel that there is no such thing as writer's block when so many writers seem to complain about it at one time or another. What is his rationale and how should these writers who believe that this is their problem overcome those feelings? What would your husband say is their real issue?

One last answer for today. Having worked with literally hundreds of writers over the years, my husband is a great believer in talking things out. It's true that if you are forced to think and talk about your writing, the problems tend to disappear.

Thank you so much for your time and we will be delighted to chat with you when you have time to sign in. We will be here.

There was a recent news article that revealed the Queen had two childhood cousins growing up, who likely had autism and who were institutionalized for their entire lives because of it. Is this true, and was this ever discussed while you were doing your research within Royal circles? The story has hit a nerve with me because I have a nephew with autism. Thanks in advance.

Thank you so much for your time. We are quite excited about our book discussion coming up after the first of the year.

Sally, I am looking forward to reading your book.

My question : Do royal authors collaborate or offer each other advice on how to approach a specific subject, contact or archive? One assumes from credits and acknowledgements in books that authors of similar subjects do share and encourage each other.

Yes, thanks. I have asked two. One: Sally, did you find that the Queen seemed to enjoy chatting with you (strangers, writers in general) or did she seem to find it a chore? Two: Have you come across information relating to her feelings about being separated from her children for so long? I believe she was separated from them for months at a time during her travels.

Sally wrote: "The publishing house selects the cover image, and I was completely thrilled with their choice. The actual cover is even more beautiful than it appears in photographs."

It is an incredible choice - simply beautiful.

Sally, thank you so much for answering questions for us. You mentioned that the Queen has never given an interview. Did you get a feel for how this has impacted her public image and whether this has really helped her maintain her popularity?

Also, did you feel that being an American made you more objective, less objective, or had no impact on your research?

Question: Sally, when you observed Prince Phillip with the Queen; what did you pick up on their relationship together and with each other? Their marriage has endured for sure.

Suzy wrote: "There was a recent news article that revealed the Queen had two childhood cousins growing up, who likely had autism and who were institutionalized for their entire lives because of it. Is this true..."
It didn't come up in my research, so I'm not in a position to comment

Geevee wrote: "Sally, I am looking forward to reading your book.

My question : Do royal authors collaborate or offer each other advice on how to approach a specific subject, contact or archive? One assumes ..."

You will see in my acknowledgements that I did talk to royal authors I have come to know over the years such as William Shawcross, Hugo Vickers, Anne de Courcy and Robert Lacey. They are especially helpful with ideas on sources.

Welcome back Sally; glad to see you on again.

Curious about Prince Phillip and the Queen's relationship. From what you observed - how well do they complement each other; how has their marriage evolved - is it now a marriage of convenience with an understanding or an accommodation? They do seem to respect each other; but I was wondering what you observed.

Toni wrote: "Sally, thank you so much for answering questions for us. You mentioned that the Queen has never given an interview. Did you get a feel for how this has impacted her public image and whether this ..."

I think her strict policy against interviews has helped maintain her aura. It has been a sensible policy for her.
As an American who has spent a lot of time in the UK and has many British friends, I think I brought a fresh perspective. I am an Anglophile and I have great respect for and understanding of British traditions and institutions. For ten years, my son-in-law was an officer in the Coldstream Guards regiment of the British army, which gave me fascinating insights into the role of the military in Britain and the relationship of the regiments to the monarchy, and the Queen in particular

Bentley wrote: "Question: Sally, when you observed Prince Phillip with the Queen; what did you pick up on their relationship together and with each other? Their marriage has endured for sure."

Yes, I got a much better feel for their working relationship, especially how he supports her when they are doing public engagements together. But my knowledge of the dynamics of their relationship came from talking to their close friends and advisers, as well as other sources who saw them from different vantage points--clergymen, for example, and the managers of their estates.