HIT LIT

From THE DA VINCI CODE to THE GODFATHER to THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, all of us have followed closely the success of the mega-bestsellers, that have shaped the fortunes of writers, editors and publishing houses, wondering of course what draws the reading public to these books and not others. What do they have in common and what (wouldn’t we all love to know?!) is the secret to their success?

Now, in this entertaining and eye-opening read, longtime professor and successful thriller writer, James W. Hall, takes us inside twelve of the biggest books that have defined popular taste for the past 100 years, giving us a tantalizing glimpse behind the scenes of what makes us love the books we love. Over four decades of teaching literature to university students, Jim became fascinated by what some of the bestselling novels of the 20th century have in common and decided to teach a course on 20th mega-bestsellers. He expected a little light fun but nothing could have prepared him or his students for how completely they were hooked by the bestsellers themselves, for how - despite their academic pretensions - they fell deeply in love with Scarlett O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND, Scout Finch in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, Michael Corleone in THE GODFATHER, Robert Langdon in THE DA VINCI CODE, and others. He wondered: what makes these mega-hits so irresistible, and so successful? From tempting glimpses inside secret societies, like submariners in THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER, Opus Dei in THE DA VINCI CODE and the brotherhood of shark hunters in JAWS to pivotal sexual secrets like those that propel the action in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY; to an abundance of esoteric factoids that, paradoxically, pull the reader deeper into the story, Hall gives us a tantalizing glimpse into the DNA of a bestseller. Featuring fascinating and little-known facts about bestsellers of the last century, HIT LIT is a must-read for fiction lovers and aspiring writers alike. James W. Hall is a professor of literature and the author of four volumes of poetry, a collection of essays, a book of short stories and seventeen novels (#17, DEAD LAST, published in November to great reviews). His novels, including the Thorn thriller series, have appeared on bestseller lists throughout the US and abroad, and he is also the winner of an Edgar Award for his story THE CATCH. For more informations visit www.jameswhall.com.