An Open Letter To Kal Penn

Dear Kal Penn,

Congratulations on your new book.

I read all about it in the New York Times this morning.

I particularly liked the part where you describe how you came to write a book:

“The first idea, which I rejected, came the day I left the White House. My manager called me. I describe him in the book as like every character from the TV show “Entourage” in one person. Heart of gold but also a lion.

And he said, “You need to write a book. I’ll set you up with meetings.” I said, “Dan, what am I going to write a book about?”

What am I going to write a book about?

I love this.

I love it almost as much as I love the part where your manager says: “I’ll set you up with meetings…”

And next thing you know, presto — there you are, with a book deal with Simon and Schuster.

Amazing!

For the rest of us, who not only already had an idea for their book, but who spent years in some cases, grinding it out, only to receive a seemingly never-ending stream of rejection letters (some, I have to say, quite complimentary!), your story is quite, well, maybe astonishing is a good adjective here.

I know. You were both an actor (by the way, I thought you were great in The Namesake) and you worked in the Obama White House — but we’ve all done stuff.

Anyway, I was wondering if you’d take a moment to read our newest novel — Medieval Madness. Trust me, you’re gonna love it. A friend from college who is now an executive at Netflix told me: “as soon as this gets published, producers are going to be breaking down your door.”

Don’t wait. My door is open now!

And even if you don’t want to star as Monte Levine, the neurotic reality TV producer who makes the mistake of casting a deadly New Jersey mafia boss in his latest show — The Real Unfaithful Housewives — crazy adventures follow — you could still write a blurb for the back jacket.

What do you say?

Very best

Michael