Blood & Rhetoric

The Shack by William P. Young: The Surprise Bestseller?

Writing by Jana on Tuesday, 24 of June , 2008 at 1:55 pm

New York Magazine asks: So why didn’t anyone at a big publishing house recognize the best-selling genius of The Shack, William P. Young’s million-selling Christian-publishing sensation profiled today in the Times?

Apparantly William P. Young submitted his manuscript for The Shack to several secular and Christian publishers only to be rejected and forced into self-publishing.

Personally, I wouldn’t pick up a novel touted as Christian (or Buddhist, or Muslim, or Atheist) for the same reason I wouldn’t pick up the Bible or insert-religious-text-here: I’m not in the market to have The Message shoved down my throat.

Now, a novel with Christian themes (or Buddhist, or Muslim, or Atheist, or whatever) is a different story, but I’m weary of things that would proclaim themselves into any religious category as I’d instantly suspect the work in question to less about the story and more about The Dreaded Message.

Anyways, good for William P. Young. A self-publishing success story? That is impressive.

In other news: The Motley Fool has an interesting article about Making Books Interesting Again.

And two 21-year-old women pen a 400 page fantasy novel, Havemercy, in just 18 days — and sell it!

Danielle Bennett, from Victoria, and Jaida Jones, from New York, managed to attract the attention of a major publishing house with a fantasy novel featuring flying metal dragons, magicians and an all-out battle between warring rivals.

Category: books, news

1 Comment

Comment by Neattneort

Made Sunday, 3 of August , 2008 at 4:06 pm

Brilliant!

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