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Young Swiss-Born Writer Storms Publishing World
27-year-old Joel Dicker this year threw the publishing world into a scramble for rights at the Frankfurt Book Fair, with his second published novel being touted as the next global phenomenon.

One month after the Frankfurt Book Fair, a novel by little-known writer Joel Dicker has been sold to 30 countries, won three literary awards in France and knocked sales behemoth 50 Shades of Grey of the top spot of Amazon France

Although not a slim offering at 665 pages, his novel The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair (La verite sur l'affaire Harry Quebert) has rocked the publishing world, and is already being called the 'Swiss Millennium', referring to the huge success of Stieg Larsson's Millennium trilogy. The story that goes along with the success is certainly one for all young writers to hear.

"Every once in a while there's an element of surprise, an against-the-odds story that adds a little bit of magic to the publishing industry world", writes Olivia Snaije of Publishing Perspectives; without doubt, the talented youth author still maintains the ability to seize that publishing world and shake some life into it. Dicker seems to have turned the tables.

At Frankfurt, so much buzz was being created by Dicker's novel, that editors began to sneak away from the fair to chase down Dicker's publisher in Paris, and to try to convince him to sell them the rights. 

The rumours were rife, and speculation wild: "it was said that the writer was too young and handsome to be the real author". The author himself said modestly that he felt "lucky, surprised and overjoyed".

It is certainly worth taking note of the fact, however, that Dicker did not stroll into the writing business and casually take control. He wrote 30 different versions of the novel before settling on the current one, which is his second published novel but sixth completed one. 

As his book sales continue to rise along with his international profile, keep in mind the mixture of hard work, talent and, according to Dicker, luck, which has proven that the relationship between young writers and publishers can be just as electric and successful as that of established authors.

Source: http://publishingperspectives.com/