Van Whitfield
Van Whitfield is a 1-Time AALBC.com Bestselling Author
Van Whitfield’s debut novel, Beeperless Remote was cited as the number one hardback fiction book in Emerge Magazine’s 1997 Year End issue and earned 6 Ben Franklin Award nominations including Best Author and Best New Voice in Books.
German Publishing giant, Knaur Verlag, which sought to acquire the top new releases from around the world at 1997’s American Book Association convention, selected Beeperless Remote as the sole American title for its upcoming Urban Landscape Series (release date - August 15, 1999). When asked about the author, the publisher commented: Whitfield is by far the most substantial and significant voice to emerge from the American book scene in years. He is an amazing talent with an uncanny, refreshing style. We believe he will undoubtedly lead where others are certain to follow."
Whitfield started writing because of a bad blind date which is chronicled in Beeperless Remote.
"I didn’t aspire to write and never considered it as a career option," he says. "But after that date, I was so frustrated I went home and put it down on paper."
The budding author soon secured the services of high power literary agent, Marie Brown, and together, they set about pitching his manuscript to publishing’s top houses. Though many were quick to acknowledge Van’s writing talent and unique comedic flair, his work was tabbed as "not black enough" (no violence, not enough sex, profanity, etc.).
He eventually teamed with a small, Baltimore based publishing firm and despite outstanding sales, the relationship ended when Whitfield was forced to file suit against the publisher. He then landed on his feet with Pines One Publications which released the successful hardcover edition of Beeperless Remote. Doubleday-Random House has published his current release, Something’s Wrong With Your Scale! (as well as the paperback edition of Beeperless Remote). Ironically, Doubleday was the first publisher to reject his original manuscript.
Van has also proved to be a popular guest on numerous television and radio broadcasts including Tavis Smiley’s BET Tonight, Good Day New York, New Jersey’s Talking, Nite Talk with nationally syndicated radio host Bob Law, LA Book Talk with Connie Martinson, New York’s Tony Brown Live, NPR’s Derrick McGinty Show, RadioScope (syndicated to over 300 stations), The Peter Solomon and Louise Collins Shows in Philadelphia, and the National Book Club’s Newsmaker of the Day program, which is syndicated to nearly 100 radio outlets across the country.
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