It has been suggested Michael Korda may know more about what makes a bestselling book than anyone alive.

A bestselling author himself, Korda states, “Real editing is a profession, unlike publishing, which is merely a business . . . No one teaches it [editing], of course: You’re born to it, the way a good surgeon is born with the right hands; it is something you either can or can’t do.”

Korda was instrumental in convincing Simon & Schuster to make an offer acknowledging Clive’s bestseller status - $1 million for Deep Six - but Clive soon had reason to question his superstar editor’s “right hands.” When Deep Six was returned for revisions, Clive was appalled. “The editing was terrible, just terrible! I ended up writing ‘stet’ nullify a correction on all 600 pages and sent it off to Peter.” Lampack not only agreed with Clive, he is convinced to this day Korda had absolutely nothing to do with the editing. “Michael was probably busy with another project,” Lampack says. “An assistant probably farmed it out to some NYU graduate student.”

Faced with a dreadful job of editing, ostensibly executed by a celebrity editor known for his monumental ego, Lampack was in no hurry to return the manuscript, but Korda forced the issue. In September 1993, he contacted Lampack, suggesting he, Lampack, and Clive meet for lunch in New York so he could review the revised manuscript. Despite the probability of an unpleasant showdown, Clive was delighted with the prospect of a trip to New York. After Dirk had graduated from Arizona State University in 1983 and earned an MBA from the University of California at Berkeley, he started working for the General Accounting Office in Washington, D.C. Following his meeting with Lampack and Korda, a short flight would have Clive and Barbara in the nation’s capital in time for dinner with their son.

When Clive and Lampack arrived at The Four Seasons, the maître d’ escorted them to Korda’s back wall booth in the Grill Room. After ordering drinks, Clive handed Korda the manuscript. Without glancing at its contents, he deposited the envelope on an empty chair. Later, as they were getting ready to leave, Lampack could not resist asking Korda who had actually done the editing. Korda nonchalantly affirmed it was his work. “Peter and I looked at each other,” Clive says. “This guy is supposed to be one of the world’s sharpest editors, and he’s sitting there taking credit for the worst job of editing either of us had ever seen.”

After arriving at Washington’s National Airport, a cab delivered Clive and Barbara to the Mayflower Hotel. Clive was paying the cab driver when the hotel manager stuck his head in the window. “If you’re Clive Cussler, there is an urgent call for you at the front desk.” Clive, concerned it could be a family emergency, was surprised to hear Korda’s voice.

After leaving Clive and Lampack at the restaurant, Korda returning to his office. Flipping through the manuscript, he discovered the 600 pages marked “stet.” Korda wanted Clive to return to New York - ASAP! Clive explained he and Barbara were spending a few days in Washington with their son. “Michael wasn’t listening,” Clive says. “Our discussion was getting pretty hot, and Michael finally demanded to know why I wouldn’t jump on the next plane back to New York. After thinking for a moment, I replied, ‘Because it’s inconvenient.’ The phone went dead.”

When the story about the confrontation got around Simon & Schuster, Clive was known as “the guy who didn’t give a damn.” “Michael and I,” Clive says, “enjoyed what could best be described as a ‘distant’ association.” Asked to comment on his relationship with Clive, Korda stated succinctly, “He was extremely professional.”

“Ultimately,” Clive recalls, “Michael and I ended up compromising, and the final editing of Deep Six turned out to be no more problematic than my earlier books. We made very few changes, but I did take out one chapter he objected to.”

Dirk Pitt’s seventh adventure kicks off with Pitt and his NUMA team dispatched to find the source of a deadly poison killing everything in the waters off the coast of Alaska. When one of his crew is killed, Pitt vows revenge and the trail leads to Mim Bougainville, an elderly Korean shipping magnate who plans to kidnap the president of the United States and implant a mind-control chip in his brain. After thwarting the villain’s plans with a rousing chase in a vintage paddle-wheel riverboat, Pitt dispatches the dragon-lady, sending her on a one-way ride down an elevator shaft.

Released in hardcover on May 21, 1984, Deep Six appeared on The New York Times bestseller list two weeks later, where it remained for fifteen weeks.