SAW A GOOD IDEA

It Takes “Guts”

Chuck Palahniuk (Fight Club, Choke, Diary) is known for unusual and shocking elements in his novels.  While on a speaking tour in 2004 promoting his book Diary, Palahniuk read a short story called "Guts" from his forthcoming novel Haunted.  The story was so grotesque and disturbing, it’s been claimed that at least 60 people have fainted during it’s retelling.  The faintings made headlines and readers lined up at the stores to get their hands on the now legendary book in an attempt to see if their constitutions could withstand the horrors described within.  (In a case of life imitating art, Palahniuk’s earlier novel Lullaby creates a similar situation when a certain story is read to people.)

It has been said that members of Palahniuk’s fan club, referred to as "The Cult," staged the faintings to add to the horror of the book.  Whether or not this is true, it drove word of mouth and increased the visibility of the novel.

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Hipper than Thou

(from Business 2.0)

Zondervan, the world’s leading Bible seller, has created a new line of Bibles that can be described as "youth-oriented lifestyle accessories." Zondervan’s VP said, "It’s a Baskin-Robbins world. Young people have so many choices, we need to keep things fresh to keep them interested." Below are a few examples of their new line of Bibles they have created to connect more with today’s youth:

1. True Identity targets women by using "gender corrected" text (for example, "sons" is used instead of "children") and by binding the Bible in faux alligator. 
2. Sports Devotional Bible includes comments made by professional athletes that involve Scripture and religion in general. The covers of these Bibles look and feel like footballs and basketballs.
3. Word on the Street includes "tabloid-style headlines, epistles written as e-mails and psalms structured as rock lyrics." This product has been advertised on MTV.com, the Onion and Rolling Stone.

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