"First" Jackson Biography Making Moves in China
Bio written in 48 hours and released just days after his death
By MARK MORALES
Updated 3:45 PM PST, Tue, Jul 7, 2009
The first biography on the life of Michael Jackson hit shelves in Beijing -- after two Chinese authors produced the tome during a two day marathon writing session.
"Moonwalk in Paradise," was made available for pre-order to fans online Friday and landed on bookshelves Saturday according to the China Daily.
The 130,000 word paper back was written in 48 hours by Jiang Xiaoyu and Xing Han, who were both contacted by Chinese Publishing house, Xiandi, to produce the bio hours after Jackson's death. Although the writers never met Jackson, they wrote the book from their own knowledge of the pop icon, surviving the two-day writing marathon on coffee and cigarettes.
"I am not only a music critic but also a fan of the King of Pop, so I understand what fans really need," said Jiang, who has written blogs and reviews about Jackson in the past. "The 'painkiller' could be a book I fought the deadline around the clock, as fans cannot wait for months."
Fans rushed out to get their copy of the instant book, and some, like a shopper at a Beijing book store, feel comfortable reading the retrospective.
"If the author can finish writing Michael Jackson's biography in just two days, it means that he is very passionate about him," the shopper told Reuters. "I believe in the credibility of the book because the author clearly likes Jackson very much and should know a lot about him."
Others, like Chinese publisher Jiang Zengpei, are not sold on the quick release of the Jackson bio, sighting possible concerns about the authenticity of the book.
"I am worried about the publishing industry in China, because many instant books have been fabricated with information from other books on the Internet," says Jiang.
Zhao Xin, a PhD student of literature at Beijing Normal University, worries because the authors never met Jackson.
"The writers might infringe on copyright if they never had the chance to interact with the subject," says Zhao.
Zang Yongqing, general editor of Xiandai, says release of the retrospective was necessary because of popular demand.
"It is enough to justify an 'instant book' written in only two days, isn't it?" said Zang.
More than 10 Chinese publishing houses are also planning to launch instant books about Jackson. U.S. biographies won't be so immediate.
Two biographies, "Michael Jackson: The Magic, the Madness, and the Whole Story: 1958-2009" and "Life Commemorative: Michael Jackson" are both due in August, reports the L.A. Times.
First Published: Jul 7, 2009 12:06 PM PST
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