Who actually wrote "Glenn Beck's" The Overton Window?
June 14, 2010 8:47 am ET by Ben Dimiero
While Glenn Beck's name appears on the cover of the remarkably awful upcoming novel, The Overton Window, the title page lists "contributions from" Kevin Balfe, Emily Bestler, and Jack Henderson. According to a profile of Beck in today's USA Today, these "contributions" include writing the actual book [emphasis added]:
Which is why he takes a team approach to writing his own books, including his first political thriller, The Overton Window (Threshold, $25), on sale Tuesday.
On the title page, Beck shares credit with three contributors. He calls the conspiracy novel "my story," but he says Jack Henderson, one of his contributors, "went in and he put the words down."
Others novelists might not acknowledge such help, but Beck, a self-described "fiscal conservative and common-sense libertarian," says, "I'm a team kind of guy."
Later in the profile, Beck explains that there was "no way" he was going to sit down and actually write The Overton Window. What a silly concept, writing the book with your name on it:
As for his team approach to writing, Beck says, "There's clearly no way that I'm sitting behind a typewriter or word program and pounding this out. ... I have my vision and need someone to make sure that vision stays there."
Balfe offers this explanation: "Glenn has a three-hour radio show every morning. That's obviously 100% Glenn. But if you wanted to translate that into a book, you could take those transcripts. But then, someone has to go in and make it sound good to read in that format. And that's the way I describe the writing. It's all Glenn, but you've got to have the right thriller technique," which is where the contributors come in.
With romantic scenes involving lines like "don't tease the panther," it's understandable that nobody appears to want the credit for writing The Overton Window.
The profile also indicates a sequel may be in the works:
Beck calls his 321-page novel "half the book I wrote. They didn't think an 800-page book, which would have become a 1,200-page book, would be flying off the shelves. So this is only the first half."
Considering that not much actually happens in The Overton Window, a sequel might make sense.
I guess it really doesn't matter. Much like the horrid Left Behind series, Beck's doorstop has a primed army of sycophants ready to plunk their money down and propel it to the Best Seller list.
Shorter version:
"I don't know how to type"
Others novelists might not acknowledge such help, but Beck, a self-described "fiscal conservative and common-sense libertarian," says, "I'm a team kind of guy."
Translated:
"It's all about the money. Why waste my time writing it when I can pay someone else to do it and still have time to make even more money shilling gold for Gold Line."
If there's a sequel, will there be more panther teasing?
Hillary had a ghostwriter also. Taking the time to write is SO overrated.
Living History covered hundreds of real-life events involving hundreds of real people involved in major, national and world events. Real ones. With her day-to-day responsibilities, it would've been impossible for her to do it alone.
Beck's book, otoh, is just a sh!tload of made-up crap by a paranoid wingnut with a tv and radio show. Beck's either lazy, lacking in sufficient attention span, simply unable to write, or (more likely) all of the above.
and who defended people who said that?
hypocrite much?
"The Space Merchants" Frederick Pohl, danged if the hero's role is somewhat reversed though--
typical 50's pulp but I'd wager it's a whole lot better than that churned out by Becky and his wannabee hacks.
Gosh durned shame it's gonna make a lot of Money when there's a whole universe out here that folks would be better off reading.
I wonder if he has read it.
they should have gone ahead with the "whole" book, since i suspect the "half" won't be causing any injuries, from "flying off the shelves". no point in stretching the embarrasment out longer than necessary.
Benjamin Disraeli.
In motion pictures, when a movie is so bad that a director doesn't want his/her name in the credits, he/she has traditionally pulled Director's Guild of America privilege of replacing the true director's name with "Alan Smithee".
I suggest that in the future ALL authors and editors know that if they decide the book is so terrible they don't even want their mother to know their involvement they have contractual permission to put "by Glenn Beck" as the author.