Bethanne Patrick

Mailbag Pitches: Serial Thriller

From time to time (i.e., not that often) I get a pitch that is so interesting I want to share it before even investigating further -- such is the case with the info below (revised and edited for length, links, and blog readability) about the "first ever serialized audiobook thriller," The Chopin Manuscript.

I think this will be good -- I'm a Jeffrey Deaven fan, as well as an audio books fan -- but I'm mostly intrigued by the project because it's new and different. I firmly believe that all of us in publishing should be investigating the new and different (I also believe "new and different" doesn't have to negate "tried and true," although I'm sure many of you would disagree.)

The Chopin Manuscript is “a unique collaboration among 15 distinguished international thriller writers who came together to create a single audiobook with each author contributing a chapter to the ongoing story.” Featured in USA Today and hailed as the “first ever serialized audiobook thriller,” it is a collaboration between the International Thriller Writers Organization (ITW) and Audible.com. Jeffery Deaver created the book’s central character and wrote the first chapter, then turned things over to fourteen authors: David Hewson, James Grady, S.J. Rozan, Erica Spindler, John Ramsey Miller, David Corbett, John Gilstrap, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli, Peter Spiegelman, Ralph Pezzullo, Lisa Scottoline, P.J. Parrish, and Lee Child. Deaver then wrote the last two chapters. 

The plot, involves a former war crimes investigator named Harold Middleton who possesses a manuscript by -- wait for it! --  Chopin. "Within the notes of this work, which was originally found and hidden by the Nazis during World War II, lies a secret that has left death in its wake – and could kill tens of thousands more." Excellent! This means, of course, that Middleton will be "accused of murder, pursued by federal agents and targeted by assassins. But the greatest threat comes from a man known only as Faust – a shadowy figure from Middleton’s past." (I love genre jacket copy. You know what you're getting.)

Readers can listen to a free excerpt of The Chopin Manuscript and watch a video of Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, David Hewson, Joseph Finder, Jim Fusilli and P.J. Parrish discussing their involvement with the project, and read interviews with the participants here. The Chopin Manuscript is being delivered serially. Readers will receive a new installment of 2-3 chapters every Tuesday, beginning September 25th. Those who purchase the book after October 2nd will receive all the previous chapters, then get new chapters the following Tuesdays. The final ("thrilling") installment will be delivered on Tuesday, November 13th. More information can be found here.

What do you think? Would you sign up? I think this sounds like the millennial version of Dickensian serial writing, but it's a bit more involved for would-be listeners, since you have to have yourself set up to download, etc., etc. 

Posted by Bethanne Patrick on October 2, 2007 | Comments (3)