Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Sales Without End

Did British thriller writer Ken Follett really need any more publicity or money? Apparently, American TV show talk-host Oprah Winfrey thinks so. Follett’s 973-page historical novel, The Pillars of the Earth (1989), is her latest book club choice. As the Associated Press notes, this pick will “likely mean hundreds of thousands more sales for one of the world’s most popular writers.”

Conveniently, a sequel to Pillars, World Without End, was recently released by Dutton Books. How many Oprah watchers do you think will wind up buying both?

It would’ve been better had Ms. Winfrey chosen a less familiar book and author. Somebody who could use the attention she’s able to marshal on behalf of a novelist. But maybe she’s still smarting from having touted another lesser-known writer named James Frey ...

READ MORE:Oprah Focuses on Follett,” by Linda L. Richards (January Magazine).

No comments: