New Krakauer book on hold

Anybody who can't wait to get their hands on Jon Krakauer's latest book is going to have to wait a bit longer. Publisher's Weekly is reporting that the author's The Hero - a meditation on the nature of heroism centered on football player Pat Tillman, who was killed by friendly fire in Afganistan - is on hold indefinitely.

The book was scheduled for release mid-October, but PW writes that Krakauer "has withdrawn the title," and that he's unhappy with the manuscript. Doubleday was planning a 500,000-copy first printing; now the publisher is assuming the book won't be ready to hit shelves until 2009.

Krakauer is the author of three of the best nonfiction works I've ever read: Into the Wild (made into a mediocre movie by Sean Penn; nice job, Sean); Into Thin Air (about the Everest disaster of which he was a part) and Under the Banner of Heaven (about Mormon fundamentalists). All are absolutely riveting, and I was really looking forward to this book.

Comments

[Jill Cassidy]

Wow, there's a concept. To not publish something you're not satisfied with, instead of putting it into print just because you spent a lot of time on it. I hope Krakauer can fashion it into something he'll want to put out there. He's a great reporter.

[just sayin]

i totally never connected krakauer to under the banner of heaven, which i read years ago. ive read all of the books you mentioned and it is true: they are great reads.

[Amy]

I just finished listening to "Into the Wild" and enjoyed it, but not as much as I enjoyed "Under the Banner of Heaven." He is, indeed, a great reporter. Somebody must have really done a hatchet job on his ms if he's that unhappy with it. Good for him.

[Connie]

I've been tempted to get Into Thin Air on audio, even though I've read it, because it was such a good book. I probably liked it best, though Under the Banner of Heaven was excellent, too. I'd love to know what about his manuscript he didn't like. Did he not like the editing? His own reporting? Either way, good for him for not just publishing something he wasn't happy with. I'm just sorry we'll have to wait to read it.