That's what Pocket Books is hoping, with its $1-million commitment for world rights to The Messengers, a self-published $16 trade paperback that has sold more than 20,000 copies in the Seattle and Portland areas, as well as to its new follow-up, The Great Tomorrow. The Messengers is written by Portland hypnotherapist Julia Ingram and Seattle ghostwriter G.W. Hardin, but it's about the spiritual experiences of wealthy Lake Oswego, Ore.-based businessman Nick Bunick, who spent some $160,000 to promote the book in Portland and Seattle (and to run ads in PW).
Bunick did a 50,000 first printing of the book through his year-old Skywin publishing company; the book was distributed by LPC Group. Part Two of The Messengers, transcripts from Bunick's regression sessions with Ingram, which revealed that Bunick, in a past life, was Paul of Tarsus (that's right, St. Paul). Part One of the book focuses on more recent encounters Bunick has had with angel messengers. The Messengers raises at least two controversial ideas -- that Paul had on ongoing relationship with Jesus before his death and that the gospel once had references to reincarnation.
Apparently, the message of The Messengers was spread via the heavy use of media. "I don't know why lightning strikes on certain books, but these folks figured out a marketing campaign that was unlike any other I had ever seen," said Miriam Sontz, general manager of Powell's Books. "They advertised on billboards, they took out huge ads in newspapers and they blanketed radio and TV. It was highly successful." The authors also held signings at local bookstores, including Borders in Tigard, Ore., where general manager Betsy Adams told PW she got a great turnout thanks to local ads. "We couldn't keep up with demand," she said.
Like many of the area booksellers PW interviewed for this story, Sontz had "not cracked open the book nor cared to," although she said that it "did strike a chord with folks who are into the messianic angels, messengers-of-God kind of imagery that helps people through life."
Pocket Books editorial director Emily Bestler told PW that a big selling point to acquire The Messengers was the fact that Seattle-based spiritual/New Age wholesaler Moving Books was reporting that the book was selling better than Conversations with God, the small press title Putnam turned into a national bestseller. Additionally, "it's a beautifully written and designed book," she said. Pocket's Jane Cavolina will serve as editor of the book.
Pocket will rush-release The Messengers in hardcover in August with a simultaneous audio. Although local booksellers told PW they saw the best sales for the book at Christmas (during the intense marketing push), the publisher has an extra ace, in that the unagented Bunick has said he'll invest most of his share of the advance to help in the new national media blitz for the book. Beyond that, all proceeds, said Bunick, will go to The Great Tomorrow, a corporation to "be involved in humanitarian and spiritual activities in the U.S. as well as internationally." Bunick also told PW that "my colleagues and I are committed to having at least 10 million copies" of the book sold within two years of Pocket's Aug. 1 pub date. Pocket is more modest at this point: a 200,000-300,000 print run is planned.
