Not that I would know bodily, but it seems like a book being published is something like giving birth. It takes several months (perhaps years, in the case of books) from conception to delivery and there are certain milestones along the way. And you worry like Rosemary. Has something gone wrong? Is this still going to happen? The book production process is a long and complicated one. Just this week, however, the next recognizable stage occurred for The Wicker Man. An ISBN has been assigned and a new book announcement has fed out through various channels. It’s not on Amazon just yet but a Google search of 9781837643882 will bring it up. I’d been worried about this because I saw a new book announced on The Wicker Man due out in October. This is the fiftieth anniversary of the film, and I suspected I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed that.
Ironically, another film turns 50 this year. The Exorcist released in December of 1973 to far greater acclaim than The Wicker Man. Both films became classics in their own right, but The Exorcist would become a household name. Even if they’d never seen it, most people had heard of it. The Wicker Man is more of a cult classic. It’s known among horror fans and a certain kind of Anglophile. And those interested in paganism, particularly of the Celtic variety. Although the cover isn’t available yet, I was glad to see the feed for my book going out. It looks like I might scoop the other book by a month or so. If that happens it will be the first time that I’ve actually had a book on horror release before Halloween. The last two missed the deadline by a couple of months.
Having said that, if you’ve had your appointment with The Wicker Man you already know, it takes place on May Day. And you likely know that a large number of people claim it isn’t a horror film at all. Indeed, the horror element only becomes clear in the last ten minutes or so. It’s the build-up that makes the movie. And it was really a one-film wonder for the director, Robin Hardy. He did other movies, but this was the one that lasted, and spawned imitations and parodies. It’s exciting to see that the discriminating, or very persistent, searcher can now find the book announcement online. I haven’t seen much to-do about the 50th anniversary just yet, but now when I do I’ll have something to point to. More on this to come!
