 |
Eugene H. Malis (1930-2020) and Virginia Lind Malis, nee Conley (1926-2001) - The idea couple behind paperback books (The Journal News 2. august 1981)
The 'Idea' couple behind paperback books
By John Dalmas
Staff Writer
To those who remember the old (and some of the new) Hollywood movies and stars, and to the millions more who are becoming acquainted with them on television and college campuses, "The Great Movie Quiz" offers hours of entertainment and challenge.
This description of a new paperback book written by Gene Malis of Suffern, tells it all, according to the author, a financial planner for Investors Diversified Services in White Plains. As an "idea" man in his spare time, Malis comes up periodically with ideas for new paperbacks, like "ideas sometimes so obvious, people — and publishers — often wonder why nobody has done a book before," he said.
In the case of "The Great Movie Quiz" (Barnes and Noble, $3.95), Malis has come up with a book of "deceptively easy" questions about movies that, in his own words, "everybody can sort of have an answer to."
"I wanted a quiz book that the whole family could have fun with, not one in which somebody would get a low score," he said.
The idea occurred to Malis after he had looked at a number of movie quiz books and found they were filled with questions about obscure actors and little-known movies.
"Not one of them limited itself to just the big stars and the great movies," he said.
In putting the book together, Malis stayed with big name people as much as possible.
"I stayed with all the best-known actors and actresses, and the movies that are regularly on TV. Because of TV, more people are seeing movies today than ever before. That's the biggest revival there is — and every member of the family, young and old, is watching those movies," he said.
Malis, who is 50, and did advertising and promotion work before he got into investment counseling, has written several paperback books. His first was "The Boy Scouts of America Workshop Book," a how-to-do-it scout project workbook for which he got official Boy Scouts of America approval before taking it to a publisher.
"There had always been the official Boy Scout manual, but there had never been one book that explained in step-by-step detail how to do all the crafts and shopwork Boy Scouts are likely to take on," he said.
Next, Malis got the idea for a kids' cookbook based on make-believe "favorite" recipes of comic strip heroes. Marvel Comics went for the idea and "The Mighty Marvel Superheroes' Cookbook" was published in full color, featuring the likes of Captain Marvel, The Human Torch and others. Just prior to the movie quiz book, Malis sold a publisher on the idea for a single paperback containing all of the toll-free "800" telephone numbers in the United States.
"I was amazed when I found an 800-number telephone book had never been put together before, but that's the way it is with a lot of these ideas," he said.
In turning out paperbacks, Malis, who is married and has two teen-age daughters, actually is following in his wife's footsteps. Virginia Malis, a former rock n' roll record producer and television music director ( "Romper Room"), who uses the pen name of Jody Cameron, began writing paperback cookbooks a dozen years ago. Incorporating herself as Celebrity Kitchen. Mrs. Malis turned out 16 cookbooks her first year and a half. Many of her titles ("The Supermarket Cookbook." "The Office Cookbook," "The Newlywed Game Cookbook") remain on the market today, a remarkable record in a business where six months is considered the average life of a new paperback.
While continuing to write cookbooks. Mrs. Malis branched out into other areas, putting together paperbacks on sewing and astrology. A practiced seamstress, she even invented a device to iron seams without using an iron. Manufactured as the Celebrity Seam Steamer, the device was marketed by Sears Roebuck and brought her considerable profit from royalties.
In going from an idea to a printed paperback, Malis and his wife do not put up any of their own money, preferring to bring into the project one or more organizations and demonstrate that it would be in their best interests to have the book published.
"When you look for water, you don't just start digging in the ground. Better to find out where a stream is running. and divert the water to you." Malis said.
A few years ago, Malis and his wife got the idea for a fresh fruit and vegetable paperback that would be sold only from a rack in the produce sections of supermarkets.
"What happened was, we discovered there is a national Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association headquartered in Minneapolis that all the farmers and supermarkets belong to. The association had never put out a book, we learned. Then we found out no supermarket in the country sold any publications about fruit and vegetables right where the stuff is being sold. So, we got everybody together and wrote a book for them. The book has sold millions of copies," Malis said.
Working entirely from home, Malis and his wife prefer the isolation of Rockland to the centers of writing and publishing in New York City.
"When you are around other writers all the time, you tend to think like them. You' re influenced by what they say about ideas, for example. If someone says: `They'll never buy it,' or 'It's already been done,' it's too easy to let yourself be discouraged. Out here we stay fresh and optimistic, and it has paid off," Malis said.
Recently Malis appeared on television on the Joe Franklin Show discussing "The Great Movie Quiz." So many calls about the book were received from viewers that Franklin invited Malis to return and talk about it some more.
"People say to me: 'I really enjoy your book.' The secret of its success, I think, is that I've stirred up in people a lot of old memories of old movies. We all have total recall, and, in some way, the quiz has tapped that recall, while, reviving other memories associated with the movies that are pleasurable. Old movies put people in touch with a time and place in their lives. At the same time, they are a mirror of the society that made them.
"Movies," he added, "are more important in our lives than we sometimes give them credit for." |
Slektstavle til 
1930 - 2020 (90 år)
Has ingen aner men 2 etterkommere i Familietreet.
Jennie Virginia Lind Conley, f. 25 Mai 1926, New York City, New York, USA 
Nålevende
