Naked Came the StrangerIn 1969, on a literary lark, the legendary editor Mike McGrady assembled a group of some twenty writers to create the worst sex novel in publishing history. Though each member of the consortium wrote a chapter independently of the others, the resulting book - Naked Came the Stranger by "Penelope Ash" - promptly became a national bestseller (with more than 100,000 copies in hard cover alone).
McGrady's chief instruction to his team of writers? "There will be an unremitting emphasis on sex. Also, true excellence in writing will be blue-pencilled into oblivion."
[Trivia: In August 2003, Q - a novel written by "Luther Blissett" - was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award. Luther Blissett - the name of a former Watford soccer player - was in fact a pseudonym used by four Italian writers and left-wing activists: Roberto Bui, Federico Guglielmi, Luca Di Meo, and Giovanni Catabriga.]
McGrady, Mike (?- ) American editor
[Sources: Karnataka Quiz Association; ananova.com, 28th August 2003]More Mike McGrady anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Publishing Cynicism Sex Writing Editing Literature Books Collaborations Hoaxes Practical Jokes Experiments
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