Book Thief Panel Reaction

            After attending The Book Thief panel last Tuesday I am extremely anxious to read the book myself over spring break! My favorite part was being exposed to the background of the book and how it came to be published. When she first read it, the publisher from Knopf fell in love with the novel but was very apprehensive when she first was told of the storyline. She enjoyed it so much that she even felt that there was very little editing to do which is rare.

            As for the marketing of the novel, it was really great to hear the publisher say that both she and the author agreed that to publish the novel as Adult Fiction would be to underestimate and shortchange young adults who they felt could handle the heavy elements of the story. They felt that the element of hope in the novel would make it perfect for young adults despite the fact that it is a holocaust novel told from the point of view of death. It was also really nice to hear that they did this despite opposition from the Australian publisher. This also occurred with the original illustrations of the novel that were commissioned by the author himself. The publisher informed us that illustrations are typically controlled by the editors and publishers, but she felt that the originals really contributed to the novel. It was interesting to learn of all of these marketing techniques and how they were trying to publish something that would appeal to teen boys and it has now become a best seller and popular with all ages and genders.

            Prior to this I never realized how much thought and strategy goes into publishing these novels. The Book Thief’s publisher even told us that in England the exact same book was published as Adult and Young Adult Fiction but with different covers as though they were different in order to appeal to the different demographics.