Techno-thriller writer Ben Mezrich '91 spoke yesterday in Dudley House about how he broke into the publishing industry.

Mezrich, who is the author of the books Reaper, Threshold and The X-Files: Skin, said the Harvard name was part of what helped him to land an agent and then a book contract.

"The Harvard name really helps in getting them to read your manuscript," he said.

But Mezrich said the troubles don't stop once the writer has gotten into the industry. Profit is a publisher's primary interest, he said, and writers who don't sell well are often considered expendable.

"The publisher is kind of the enemy," Mezrich said. "They don't have your best interests at heart."

Mezrich was also disapproving of first-time writers trying to break into the writing business with what he derisively called "literature."

"I see it as a kind of masturbation," Mezrich said. "Let's say you could write a great literary masterpiece. You should be able to write a great thriller, too, and get published that way."

He reminded the audience that 95 percent of books don't turn a profit.