Success Story Interview - David Churbuck

An Interview with David Churbuck (dchurbuck on QT) upon receiving an offer of representation from agent John Rudolph of Dystel Goderich & Bourret LLC.

07/31/2025

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

David Churbuck:
The Marginal Sea is a true story about the wreck of the Nantucket whaling bark "Phoenix" in 1858 and the survival and rescue of her crew from an island in Siberia's Sea of Okhotsk. I started researching the book in 2017 after reading a mention of the incident in my great great grandfather's reminiscenes.

QT: How long have you been writing?

David Churbuck:
Since 1976.

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

David Churbuck:
Seven years.

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

David Churbuck:
I drafted the book in 2017, but lacking any account of what occurred to the crew over the winter of 1858-59 decided it was an incomplete story that had slim to no chance of finding a publisher. I continued to search for first hand accounts and finally discovered a series of letters written by one of the survivors. With that missing piece I was able to complete the book.

QT: Is this your first book?

David Churbuck:
No. I published "The Book of Rowing" in 1988 (Overlook) and co-authored "The Illustrated History of the Union Boat Club" (private printing)

QT: Do you have any formal writing training?

David Churbuck:
I studied fiction at Yale under John Hersey and Gordon Lish.

QT: Do you follow a writing routine or schedule?

David Churbuck:
Early mornings I begin by transcribing two pages of whaling ship logs for the Nantucket Historical Association, then I write 1,000 words before noon.

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

David Churbuck:
Three major rewrites.

QT: Did you have beta readers for your book?

David Churbuck:
Yes. A few author friends and family members.

QT: Did you outline your book, or do you write from the hip?

David Churbuck:
I outlined the story extensively.

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

David Churbuck:
Over a year.

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

David Churbuck:
15

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

David Churbuck:
I sought an agent with a stated interest in history and who had editorial experience to help me polish the book.

QT: Did you tailor each query to the specific agent, and if so, how?

David Churbuck:
Yes. I researched each agent's roster of clients and titles published and customized the query letter to indicate why I was pitching them.

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

David Churbuck:
Never give up, grow a thick skin, and believe in your work. And above all keep writing during the query process. I had an agent for thirty years (Muriel Nellis) who passed away in 2024. I asked friends with agents for introductions, shared my query letter and proposal and requested examples of successful proposals, and never let the disappointment of rejection linger too long.

Query Letter:

Dear John,

I'm submitting this query for my latest book to you because of Dystel's strength in representing historical topics, and your own agent's profile which indicates an appetite for work such as mine.

I'm seeking a new literary agent after my former agent, Muriel Nellis, passed away a year ago. After a long hiatus from journalism, I tackled this latest work, The Marginal Sea in the belief it is an extraordinary story that deserves to be told.
Here's the pitch with the proposal appended to this email. I look forward to your thoughts:

Imagine the first bone-chilling crack of rock against the hull of the Phoenix, a Nantucket whaling ship, as its anchor dragged under the full force of a furious blizzard, sliding backwards in the unforgiving grip of the Siberian Sea of Okhotsk in October 1858. What followed was not just a shipwreck, but an extraordinary saga of survival: the crew's desperate fight on an uninhabited island in the remote Shantar Archipelago, and a captain's audacious mid-winter trek through hundreds of miles of sub-Arctic wilderness to find salvation at a distant Russian prison camp. This is The Marginal Sea, an untold chapter of American history, offering a fresh perspective on the whaling era and the perilous encounters between American ambition and the savage shores of the Russian Far East.

The Marginal Sea tells the story of a deep friendship and rivalry between two young captains from Cape Cod. Their bond is deepened when they marry each other’s sisters, setting the stage for a fierce competition to command a ship in their mid-twenties. They ultimately find their fates are intertwined by disaster, fortitude, and an indefatigable will to survive. In an act of selfless bravery, one rushes to save the other in an act of redemption and indefatigable friendship.

Now, after years of research into one of the most colorful and dangerous periods in American maritime history, drawing from the first-hand accounts of the men and women who witnessed the thrilling events that unfolded over a single year, the story of the wreck of the Nantucket whaling bark Phoenix and the survival of her crew can finally be told.

My background as an award winning national business and technology journalist at daily newspapers and Forbes Magazine honed my commitment to rigorous research and compelling storytelling. Combined with my deep interest in maritime history nurtured at Yale, a lifetime of sailing, and my understanding of narrative structure gained while writing an unpublished novel under Gordon Lish and John Hersey, I am uniquely positioned to bring this forgotten historical drama to life. This is my third book, the previous two were The Book of Rowing (Overlook) and The Illustrated History of the Union Boat Club (private printing).

There is a large audience of readers hungry for this kind of historical adventure and survival story, especially as demonstrated by the current success of David Grann’s The Wager and Hampton Sides' Wide Wide Sea. Like Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, The Marginal Sea plunges readers into the heart of a maritime disaster, showcasing the raw power of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. And in the tradition of Nathaniel Philbrick's meticulous historical research and gripping narrative in In the Heart of the Sea, this book unearths a never-before-told story from America’s maritime history with vivid detail and compelling characterization.

With its dramatic setting, high stakes, and colorful characters, I believe The Marginal Sea is destined to take its place among the classics of the sea and survival.

The book is 135,000 words, divided into fourteen chapters; and will be illustrated with maps, photographs of the principal characters, and contemporary art work and illustrations taken from the primary source material. The book will include endnotes, a bibliography, and a glossary of nautical terms and Russian place names.