logo.png
   

YOOlogin

Between the Lines' Book of the Year (Fiction Division) Print E-mail

helpby Dan Gibson

Sure, Dan Brown's book is the bestselling book of the year, the newest Wimpy Kid volume was the must have book for kids, and the Twilight series kept flying off shelves.  However, tell us a story of a best selling book by a first time author who put five years into writing her book and was rejected by 45 publishers, and that's the sort of thing that brings us joy.  If that book was championed by indie bookstores before becoming the summer's must have purchase, you have our fiction title of the year, Kathryn Stockett's The Help.

 

If you read, you've probably had The Help recommended to you at some point this year, either by a bookstore employee or by another reader.  Although recommendations are a funny business, The Help is actually that good, telling a story of 1960's Mississippi and race relations during that immensely complicated time.  In the spirit of Sue Monk Kidd's Secret Life of Bees, Kathryn Stockett manages to find the authentic voice of an era gone by, but what makes the story of The Help interesting is the work Stockett and her publisher, Putnam, put into turning a first printing of 40,000 into over a half million copies sold.  Stockett appeared via phone at dozens of book clubs and Putnam worked hard to get the book in the hands of tastemakers who would be "evangelistic" about a title they were proud of.  First, the book topped the indie bookseller bestseller list, then started to rise up the New York Times list and staying there for the rest of the year.  Good books sometimes come from nowhere, but they need people to believe in them, and The Help is a publishing success story when there aren't many for underdogs.  The Help is already being fast-tracked for adaptation as a film, and when the book hits shelves as a paperback in February of 2010, a new wave of fans should emerge.

 


Dan Gibson
About the author:
Dan Gibson is a writer and editor who cannot resist the siren's call of Tucson, Arizona, moving away several times only to be drawn back again.  He joined The Editorial Department in spring of 2009 to co-manage Between the Lines and to monitor and report on all manner of publishing trends. Between bouts of glazed-over staring at a computer screen, he tries to spend as much time as he can with his family, the stack of compact discs piled on his desk and playing soccer.
 

Author Testimonials

A very helpful set of services and exceptionally talented staff. My critique and evaluation were delivered to me in a timely manner. The quality of commentary was very helpful and critiques were articulate, allowing me to improve my manuscript.

Lee L.
Lakewood Ranch, FL

con_info Need some professional guidance on a manuscript you've written or are writing? Have you considered hiring TED and want to know more about what to expect? Check out our Downloadable Guide for New & Prospective Clients. (Left click to view or print. Right Click/Save As... to save for future reference.)

find-us-on-facebook twitter-follow-us

 

 

This VisibleWebSite™ is brought to you by The 3rd Party Media Alliance Group and Coastland Technologies