Literary Magnet

Here’s how Creative Byline began: Somebody whined.

That’s right—somebody complained about how outdated the manuscript submission process was. Brad MacLean listened patiently and with great empathy to the rant, at first only because said whiner was his wife.

But the longer he listened, the more interested Brad, a former executive at one of America’s most admired companies and the kind of guy who enjoys a good business challenge, became. Once he understood how frustrating the submission process is for everyone—writers, editors, publishers, and postal workers—he saw a problem worthy of his time. He knew there had to be a better way. Also, he wanted his beloved to stop complaining.

Over the next two years, he brought his 20 years of business experience to bear on solving the problem. He interviewed editors, heads of publishing conglomerates, and writers to validate the problem. He did exhaustive research on the industry. He created spreadsheets, databases, business plans, and other things that sound slightly geeky. The result is Creative Byline, a web-enabled, database-driven tool that brings together people who write books and publishers who buy them. It’s set to go live later this fall.

The five-second pitch? It’s a match.com for writers and editors. And its time has not only come, it’s long overdue.