The Jewish Cabal Of Publishing
Hey, have you ever noticed that famous bestselling authors like Michael Chabon, Jonathan Safran Foer, Nathan Englander, Nicole Krauss, and Myla Goldberg all have something in common? That's right: Jewiness. I know, you're shocked. But did you also know that an under-the-radar Jewish organization called the Jewish Book Council may be somewhat responsible for these young heebs' rises to fame and fortune? In a column that will run in this Sunday's book review headlined 'Star Search' (heh!), Rachel Donadio explains the inner workings of the Jewish Book Network, which holds American Idol-style cattle call auditions, described as "somewhere between J-Date and a camel auction," for Jewish authors. The winners then get to tour Jewish book fairs around the country, which doesn't sound like such a prize until you learn, as we just did from a publicist, that authors can sell "up to 300 books" at each of these events, which is nothing to sneeze at. The Jew tour does have its perils, though, as one author learned: "Do not follow the woman who has just published a book on how all her children were murdered in Treblinka. It's much preferable to follow the woman who has 100 halvah recipes." Oh, those nutty Jews and their culturally-specific brand of humor!