William Landay

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The latest on Defending Jacob

It’s been a while since I posted one of these updates about Defending Jacob, so here we go.

The biggest news: Warner Brothers has optioned Defending Jacob for a movie. No actors or directors are attached to the project yet. It will likely be a year or so before we have a screenplay, which will make or break the project since it is the screenplay, not the novel, that will attract actors and directors. Now, what I know about the movie business would fit on the head of a pin, so I won’t predict how this will turn out or even whether the movie will be made at all. But every indication is that the producers are intent on making this happen. Stay tuned.

Last week, Defending Jacob was published in the UK. My English publisher, Orion, has orchestrated a phenomenal publicity effort. Luckily, I will be in London in April to see it (and to drop by the London Book Fair, briefly). The first reviews from England have arrived as well, all quite favorable. In The Times, Marcel Berlins wrote that Defending Jacob is “worthy of being mentioned in the same breath [as Presumed Innocent], which is a high compliment.” It certainly is.

Another exciting aspect of this whole adventure has been foreign sales. Defending Jacob has sold in nineteen foreign countries, an absurd number. Now, the trouble with selling so many foreign-language editions is that sooner or later you run out of places to keep selling. Which is why it was so remarkable when we sold the book in Macedonia last week. Because, well, it’s Macedonia. The advance will barely cover a dinner out with my family, and the print run probably will be around 500 copies. Still, I would bet that more American novels are optioned for film than are translated into Macedonian, so let’s pause to savor this milestone, too.

Finally, yesterday morning was a remarkable one here in Boston, where I scored a publicity twofer. First, my hometown newspaper, the Globe, ran an interview with me — and put my mug at the top of page one. This is the very definition of a slow news day, one would think, but there it was. And second, I appeared on the popular morning drive-time show “Matty in the Morning.” The show’s host, Matt Siegel, is a Boston institution and a genuine, enthusiastic fan of Defending Jacob. (You can listen to the interview here.) So Bostonians on their way to work yesterday could hardly escape me.

What a long, strange trip it’s been.

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Comments

  1. It was great to walk into Waterstones over here in the UK and to be able to buy it at long last. I’m only on Chapter 6 but well worth the wait so far! Are you doing any signings over here? Thanks, Andrew

    • Glad you’re enjoying it, Andrew. Can’t wait to walk into Waterstone’s myself and see it. No plans for signings in London at the moment. I will have my family with me so it will mostly be a family vacation. I’m actually trying to keep the book stuff to a minimum.

  2. I recently read “Defending Jacob” (in English) and was completely enthralled. As I finished, I paused and felt
    my heart distinctly racing.That is writing of the highest order.
     

  3. I HAVE WRITTEN TO YOU BEFORE BUT DIDNT GET A RESPONSE.  WILL THERE BE A SEQUEL TO DEFENDING JACOB?  WAS THE DA TURNING DEFENSE ATTORNEY DEFENDING LAURIE IN THE GRAND JURY?
    pennyajk@earthlink.net  or  PENNY KATCHEM ON FACEBOOK  THANK YOU

    • Hi Penny,

      Sorry you did not get a reply before. I never got your message for some reason. I don’t expect there will be a sequel to Defending Jacob, but you never know. I may change my mind down the road. As for the second question, I will have to answer offline to avoid spoiling the story for other readers.

  4. I haven’t been this excited about a book in a long time! It was so well written, I absolutely could not put it down! I was not expecting the ending, which I had to read again a second time to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Brilliant!  What a movie this would make! 🙂

  5. Really enjoyed reading Defending Jacob by William Landay. Excellent page turner.  Couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait to get his two earlier books.

  7. I just began reading MISSION FLATS and loving it, so I ordered THE STRANGLER. 

    The description of DEFENDING JACOB reminds me of a local murder in which a 13-y-o kid, who looked like Opie Taylor at the time, killed a 4-y-o. The gruesome details made national news. That was 20 years ago, and the guy is up for parole again. I doubt he’ll get it. http://www.the-leader.com/topstories/x760610290/Eric-Smith-to-seek-parole-in-mid-April

  8. Just finished the book.  Got it Saturday afternoon – finished it Sunday evening !!!  WOW !!!  Never, and I mean, never saw that coming!   Superb!       While I’m generally a “skimmer” reader — there were very few pages I skimmed over in this book… and for me, that’s saying a lot 🙂 !!!  This will make a great movie – really!