"Best Seller" is a short story by the British comic writer P. G. Wodehouse. A part of the Mr. Mulliner series, the story was first published in Cosmopolitan in June 1930. It was included as a Mr. Mulliner story in the book Mulliner Nights.
Overview
Egbert Mulliner, a literary critic, falls in love with Evangeline Pembury while recovering from an overdose of interviewing female novelists. After ensuring that she doesn't secretly write novels or short stories, he confesses his love to her and she reciprocates. Love, however, makes Evangeline write a romantic novel 'Parted Ways' which ends up becoming a best seller. A literary agent arrives, Egbert finds himself cut off from his love, and the couple 'part ways'. A change comes over Egbert and, whenever a female novelist has to be interviewed, Egbert boldly goes. Thus, he finds himself interviewing Evangeline for an article for his paper. Evangeline breaks down, confesses that she has committed to writing three novels and several short stories but cannot write another word, and Egbert steps into the breach with novels that he had written when but a struggling young man.