Trivia Contest

And it begins! Remember to email me your answers at info@lyonsliterary.com.

1. Which book begins with the following line: “Theodore is in the ground.”

2. Name three national or international awards that Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union won (not just nominated for).

3. Who was the literary agent that represented S.E. Hinton, Robert Cormier, and Clement Hurd?

4. Which famous Scribner editor worked with F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Thomas Wolfe?

5. How many championships have the San Antonio Spurs won?

6. How long is the term of copyright in the United States for books created after 1978 (and not a work for hire)?

7. What are the colors of the three vampire courts in the Dresden Files book series and how are they different from each other?

8. What is the name for a fear of long words?

9. Who is the current president of the Association of Authors' Representatives?

10. Which editor found The Diary of Anne Frank in a rejection pile while working as an assistant in France?

11. What was the first book ever printed in English?

12. What are the benefits of registering your copyright within three months of your book's publication?


13. What are considered industry standard hardcover royalties for regular trade books in the publishing industry?

14. Who is J.K. Rowling’s primary literary agent?

15. What is the difference between “its” and “it’s”?

16. What is the last thing that is said “good night” to in Goodnight Moon?

17. What planet is Takeshi Kovacs from?

18. Which real political figure is Willie Stark loosely based on?

19. What book ends with the following line: “Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger."

20. What disease does Lionel Essrog have?

21. Who hit Norman Mailer on the head with a hammer in a fight?


22. What song was parodied in the famous copyright law case Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc.?


23. Which book begins with the following line: “The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.”

24. How many total television shows or series are currently on HBO, Showtime, CBS, NBC, CW, FOX, and/or ABC that are adapted from books? Please do not include reruns, miniseries that have completed their run and are now available on demand, canceled shows, etc. Also, do not include shows that led to book spin-offs (for example, Heroes). Next, any new show that has not premiered can’t be included. Finally, this question only applies to shows that new episodes air during prime time (i.e. 8-11pm EST).

25. What is the industry standard literary agency commission for domestic sales and foreign sales?

26. What type of books did Da Capo Press publish when it was first founded?

27. When did Knopf become a part of Random House?


28. Which agent represents Mike Lupica, Leigh Montville, Thomas Friedman, and Steve Martin?


29. Which editor threatened to resign if his employers did not agree to publish The Fountainhead?

30. At the National Book Awards, which author said the following to industry professionals who take pride in having not read writers like Grisham, Clancy and other popular writers: “Do you think you get social academic brownie points for deliberately staying out of touch with your own culture?”


31. What was the major issue in the landmark copyright case New York Times Co. v. Tasini? Please be brief (a few words is enough).


32. How much did Harlan Coben’s first novel sell for?


33. List 3 examples of authors who have children who are also authors and 3 examples of husband-wife writing pairs.

34. Name one country that at one time banned Black Beauty.

35. What is the fee for registering your copyright electronically with the U.S. Copyright Office?