Success Story Interview - Matthew J. Prigge

An Interview with Matthew J. Prigge (matthewprigge on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent Sandy Lu of Book Wyrm Literary Agency.

10/23/2024

QT: Can you tell us a little bit about the book for which you've found representation? What inspired you to write it?

Matthew J. Prigge:
The book is DOG'S DAY - the true story behind the bank robbery that inspired the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon. The real robbery happened in 1972 in Brooklyn. A gay man and his confederate held up a bank, but were surrounded by police before they could make their escape. A 14-hour hostage situation followed, during which the robber defied the expectations of the time by loudly declaring that he was a proudly gay man and demanding that his transgender partner be brought to the scene. Eventually, the man claimed he had robbed the bank to pay for gender-affirming surgery for his partner - a hook that led to the story being adapted into the film, with Al Pacino becoming the first star to portray an openly gay man. The book explores the fascinating lives of the characters involved and the robbery's place with the early post-Stonewall Gay Liberation Movement. The film - generally considered one of the greatest of the 1970s - has long been a favorite of mine and once I got into the true stories behind it, I was hooked.

QT: How long have you been writing?

Matthew J. Prigge:
I first published about 12 years ago.

QT: How long have you been working on this book?

Matthew J. Prigge:
I did some preliminary work several years ago, but I have been working pretty full-time on the project for over a year now.

QT: Was there ever a time you felt like giving up, and what helped you to stay on course?

Matthew J. Prigge:
I initially put the project aside because of a lack of resources. But last year, I got a job as an academic librarian at a major research university and - with access to an amazing trove of digitized gay periodicals from the early 1970s - I revisited the project. After discovering a few significant archival holdings of material related to the robbery and the people involved, the whole thing took off.

QT: Is this your first book?

Matthew J. Prigge:
I have published five other books, all with small or regional presses.

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

Matthew J. Prigge:
Nah.

QT: How many times did you re-write/edit your book?

Matthew J. Prigge:
I tend to re-write early chapters as I progress. Once I work up that momentum, the later chapters usually need little revision.

QT: How long have you been querying for this book? Other books?

Matthew J. Prigge:
I have queried on a few projects prior to this one, but never got anywhere. Even before I'd published anything. I probably sent my first query nearly 20 years ago.

QT: About how many query letters did you send out for this book?

Matthew J. Prigge:
About 100.

QT: On what criteria did you select the agents you queried?

Matthew J. Prigge:
As long as they were open to non-fiction submission, I was open to them.

QT: What advice would you give other writers seeking agents?

Matthew J. Prigge:
I struggled with this process for a long time, convinced that this was not the type of writing that I was good at, etc. But once I learned to treat it more like a writing prompt than actually trying to sell myself (something I was never comfortable with), it was much easier.