Blount Library Blog

Archival Display, November 2024: The Publishing Process and Sam Patterson's "A Nickel's Worth of Ice"

November is National Novel Writing Month.  In honor of the work of the aspiring novelists among us, and in an effort to partially demystify the process of publication, on display in Blount Library during the month of November is a collection of materials on the publication of alum Sam Patterson's novel A Nickel's Worth of Ice (1966).

Following the time-honored advice "write what you know," the novel is a work of fiction that draws heavily on the experiences and culture of Patterson's own childhood home on Benefield Street in Danville in the mid-1930s.  In the book, Patterson explores the coming of age of a boy of thirteen in a southern community coming to terms with the suicide of a local preacher.

According to a 1971 article in the Danville Register, the novel was relatively controversial in Danville at the time of its publication, as residents appear to have considered it to be an unflattering depiction of the city.  That said, Patterson had always been quick to assert that, although he drew on his background, he "certainly didn't write a book about Danville" (a direct quote from an interview he gave to the same paper in 1966, as the book was about to be published).

Although the collection is small, it walks a budding novelist through the process of publication almost from beginning to end.  The materials include correspondence with Patterson's agent, Helen Strauss of the William Morris Agency, including numerous rejection letters (referencing the book's working title Monkey Cigar Tree), along with the final publishing offer from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.  The process of editing and publication is represented by a typed list of draft changes, the galley proofs (with numerous annotations and corrections), and a copy of both the final manuscript and the published book.  The immediate aftermath of publication is represented by numerous published reviews, along with congratulatory letters and well-wishes from friends and acquaintances.

Born in 1926 in Danville, Patterson's association with Averett was the result of the G.I. Bill, and the postwar push in Virginia to reward veterans with an education.  Having served as a nurse in the Army during World War II, Patterson was one of dozens of students to enroll at Averett College (then a women's college).  He attended Averett for two years, from 1946 to 1948, before finishing a B.A. in English at the University of Richmond.  Although A Nickel's Worth of Ice was his only published novel, he is known to have written numerous stage plays - many of which were produced by the Santa Cruz (CA) Actors Theatre.  For most of his life, Patterson worked in advertising, spending 20 years in New York City with ABC Radio.  He died of cancer in 2003.

Borrow and read a digital copy of Patterson's novel for free at archive.org (assuming you can reach their copy, as they are currently facing threats from both lawsuits and attacks by hackers).  Fair warning: the book is written from the perspective of a 1930s southern White male child.  In depicting that culture, the book features multiple uses of the n-word, among other content choices that a 21st century reader would find shocking or objectionable.