Book Review: On Submission by Michael J. Seidlinger

Reviewed by Shelby Zwintscher | Content Warnings: gore, sexual assault

A gruesome and unsettling tale of the cold-blooded world of publishing and the risks an aspiring author will take to tell their story

Henry Richmond Pendel is the hottest and most cut-throat agent on the literary scene. He’s got clients like J.D. Church, king of horror, under his wing, so maybe he can be cut-throat. Pendel isn’t afraid to back editors into corners to cut epic deals, and then walk away without bothering to remember their name. He’s harsh, manipulative, and, as of late, paranoid.

A seemingly routine query rejection has taken a turn for the worse. Pendel is getting bombarded with emails from Alex Moyer, an aspiring author blinded by his passion for storytelling, when he begins to feel as though he is being watched. Things are out of place at home and an entire book series has disappeared off his shelf.

The timing is horrible for Pendel, as allegations of Church grooming underage students are swirling around, book deals are hanging in wait, and an industry wide dry spell is imminent.

Meanwhile, Alex Moyer is taking his fate as an author into his own hands. He needs an acclaimed agent like Pendel on his side, but to do that, he’ll have to get to know him and his clientele better. After a visit to Pendel’s house, Moyer pursues Church, following him from the airport to his hotel.

“Really, when it comes down to it, there’s no difference between fact and fiction, a story told versus a story lived. A person’s body of work is only as good as what remains in a person’s memory. So when I start my story, I choose one of the biggest names in the business.”

Like any good storyteller, Moyer has set the story up for success, booking the room next door to Church. During a “chance” encounter in the hallway, where Moyer plays the part of adoring fan, one thing leads to another, and the first body in Moyer’s body of work is “edited” to perfection.

Pendel is spiraling. Driven by his paranoia, he is manipulating deals for smaller authors and drinking while he texts Church. Except it’s not Church, it’s Moyer. Church is found mutilated in his hotel room, and his texts are the last contact anyone has had with him.

Told in alternating perspectives, On Submission follows an unraveling Pendel as Moyer sets his sights on Pendel’s client-list. The characters of Moyer and Pendel are curiously parallel. They are both dark, both eerily sterile and detached, yet crisp in contrast. They stand out on their own as complex, bad humans at odds against each other.

The pacing of the story is quick, methodical, and consistent, although it does slow down a bit later on. When the pace slows, the characters lose some of their unsettling edge, but the satisfying conclusion comes in to rectify all of that.

On Submission is good at being weird and twisted. The murder scenes are concise without taking away from the shock-inducing, disturbing gore. A couple scenes, particularly those that include sexual assault, are likely to cause some discomfort for more sensitive readers.

The most compelling part of On Submission is the conversation it opens about the publishing industry. It doesn’t shy away from putting heartless agents, writers’ desperations, and publishing biases under the microscope. Every time I’d put the book down, I’d be pondering what statement the story was making about these things. It’s a showcase of it all, ridiculousness included.

“We all have a story to tell. Some are just willing to do anything to tell it.”

On Submission is sharp in all the ways that matter. If you’re not afraid of gore, want a shadowy look into the world of publishing, or savor the mind of confidently deluded characters, pick up On Submission.

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