ANTICIPATION: THE REAL LIFE STORY OF STAR WARS: EPISODE I -- THE PHANTOM MENACE AVAILABLE FOR SALE
(Portland, Oregon 4/14/05) -- Jonathan Bowen, published by iUniverse, Inc., announced today the publication of Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace to coincide with the release of Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith, the final prequel in George Lucas’s wildly popular Star Wars Saga that comes to theaters on May 19. With his final prequel a much darker, tragic entry in the saga, many experts wonder whether Revenge of the Sith will be able to capture the same audience that made The Phantom Menace the 2nd highest grossing movie in worldwide box office history after its release.
Anticipation tells the story of the most anticipated movie of all time, The Phantom Menace, which inspired a group of diehard fans to wait 42 days outside of Mann’s Chinese Theatre to raise money for charity and enjoy the last days of the sixteen year wait between Star Wars films. Anticipation explains how The Phantom Menace is an integral part of film history, not only because of its position as the most anticipated film of all time, but also for the various records it set during its release. The Phantom Menace was the first film ever to take advantage of Dolby Digital’s Surround EX 6.1 channel speaker setup with an added rear speaker, the first movie ever screened first to benefit charity and then for public audiences, the first movie ever projected digitally, and the first movie to enjoy a simultaneous worldwide release to video.
The Phantom Menace also set a list of box office records from highest opening day gross through highest second weekend gross and was the fastest movie to gross $100 million as well as setting speed records for every $50 million increment through $350 million. Loved by some, reviled by others, The Phantom Menace nonetheless ranks as one of the most important films in cinema history. Anticipation finally tells the real life story of the film’s successes and the obstacles it overcame.
“Bringing Anticipation from research and writing to press has been a long process,” Bowen says. “In 2001, I landed one of New York’s top literary agents, but was unable to interest several major publishers, so the project was on hold for a few years.” The release of the final Star Wars film has provided the perfect opportunity for Bowen to release a nostalgic look at the film that started the prequel trilogy six years earlier. Anticipation won the Editor’s Choice Award from iUniverse’s editorial board, which is an award given only to “the best books” that iUniverse publishes. Bowen says, “Leonard Maltin even gave my project a thumbs up and endorsed the book for publishers, but when we failed to find a publisher he was not comfortable with allowing me to quote him to promote the book.” Bowen persisted, however, and chose to publish Anticipation for readers to judge and enjoy.
Anticipation will delight, amuse, and entertain diehard Star Wars fans, casual fans, and general moviegoers alike because of its informative look at the film industry as a whole, not just the Star Wars phenomenon. Bowen wrote Anticipation to appeal to general readers and inform them about the box office, the toy industry, current issues facing Hollywood such as piracy and digital projection, and the inside story about the famous 42 day lineup.
Bowen, only 22 years old, was 16 when he first started researching Anticipation and completed a manuscript by 18, the same age he signed with New York literary agent Richard Curtis. He is a life-long Star Wars fan who has the pulse of the community and the phenomenon because of his devotion to the saga, his research skills, and his careful, thoughtful analysis. Bowen became a professional freelance writer at age 17, when he began writing articles about film, the Internet, and computers. Bowen runs a large film review site named Orbital Reviews (http://www.orbitalreviews.com) that boasts more than 700 reviews from 1894 to 2005 and has received more than 150,000 visitors since 2003. Bowen graduated Summa Cum Laude from Oregon State University with a BS in Philosophy and currently lives in Portland, Oregon.
About Anticipation: The Real Life Story of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace Anticipation was published in April 2005 in three different formats. It is available for $19.95 in trade paperback (ISBN #0-595-34732-0) and $29.95 in hardcover (0-595-67148-9), or in ebook format at $6 (0-595-79475-0). Readers can purchase Anticipation at iUniverse.com, Amazon.com, BarnesAndNoble.com [delayed several weeks], or through special order wherever books are sold. Also call 1-800-AUTHORS to purchase Anticipation directly.
About iUniverse
iUniverse provides individuals a simple, fast and affordable way to publish, market, and sell fiction and non-fiction books. The company is one of the largest book publishing companies in the United States. iUniverse eliminates the necessity of massive print runs, dramatically shortens time-to-market, and gives authors control over when and how their works are published. iUniverse publishing programs are endorsed by industry leading author organizations, including the Authors Guild, ASJA, and Mystery Writers of America. iUniverse is a proud member of the Association of American Publishers, Publishers Marketing Association, and Small Publishers Association of North America. The company's major investors include Warburg Pincus and Barnes & Noble.
