Quotes of the Day

How do you market a book written by a publicity-shy author? That's the challenge facing Penguin Press as it readies the November 21st publication of Against the Day, a 1,120-page epic by the reclusive literary lion Thomas Pynchon.

The exceptionally private Pynchon, whose brilliant post-modern novels include V, The Crying of Lot 49 and the magnum opus Gravity's Rainbow, hasn't released a new book since 1997's Mason & Dixon. Only a handful of photos exist of the author, 69, mainly from his school days and the most recent a dodgy paparazzi-type shot in 1998. A CNN crew had filmed him the previous year, but the news network decided not to identify him after Pynchon, who reportedly lives in New York, called to complain. "Let me be unambiguous," he told the news channel. "I prefer not to be photographed." (He also railed against being labeled a recluse, claiming the term was a journalistic "code word" that means "doesn't talk to reporters.")

Publishers are finding it increasingly difficult to get publicity for new novels, even those by media-friendly writers. You'll rarely find novelists on network or even cable TV, and radio outlets also favor non-fiction. Beyond print ads, most publicity for fiction comes from book tours and soliciting reviews or author profiles, but most newspapers have cut back on space devoted to High Lit. Ironically, although Pynchon's penchant for privacy may have its origins in his personal philosophy, it's also been a great hook for journalists to cover (or uncover) him over the years.

One thing is certain about the much-anticipated release of Against the Day —there'll be no author interviews (sorry, Oprah), not even any email Q&As. Also, no publisher-endorsed events. Nothing outside of an announcement ad and then some follow-up advertising centered around reviewer quotes. "It's a huge, uphill battle just letting people know," says one Penguin publicist about the book's imminent release. "But this is a long-awaited literary event." The author has popped his head out recently, albeit in some quirky ways. Two years ago, he made a couple of cameo "appearances" on The Simpsons —playing himself with a paper bag over his head and poking fun at both his propensity for privacy and his previous works. "It's absolutely his voice," recalls Simpsons writer-producer Al Jean, who personally coached each recording session in New York. "When we did the first one, he half-joked that if he did two he could join SAG."

Last July, an Amazon.com page announcing the new novel appeared with a description written by the author. After blogs started buzzing, the notice quickly disappeared. Was it viral marketing? A hoax? No one is saying.

Now the listing is back up, and the Pynchon-penned teaser is downright tantalizing: "Spanning the period between the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and the years just after World War I, this novel moves from the labor troubles in Colorado to turn-of-the-century New York, to London and Gottingen, Venice and Vienna, the Balkans, Central Asia, Siberia at the time of the mysterious Tunguska Event, Mexico during the Revolution, postwar Paris, silent-era Hollywood, and one or two places not strictly speaking on the map at all. With a worldwide disaster looming just a few years ahead, it is a time of unrestrained corporate greed, false religiosity, moronic fecklessness, and evil intent in high places. No reference to the present day is intended or should be inferred."

Some bookstores around the country are holding "Pynchon Nights" and others may schedule special events around the new book's release. But Penguin is deliberately keeping hands off such hoopla. "We're respecting the author's choice for us to stay apart from these things," says the Penguin rep. "Oh my god, that book will sell itself — there's a built-in audience of his fans," says Charles Day, marketing manager at the popular West Hollywood, California retailer Book Soup. Day expects to trumpet the release with large window displays, staff recommendations, and prominent placement of the hefty volumes near the cash register.

"The fact that he has a dedicated following makes up for him not doing The Today Show," says Michael Russo, manager of St. Marks Bookstore in New York's Greenwich Village. "The morning his last book came out, we had people outside our doors waiting for us to open. It wasn't like a line for a Rolling Stones concert, but it's the kind of interest only a few authors can generate."

• JEFFREY RESSNER
• The legendary reclusive novelist has a new book out next month. But don't try to talk to him about it