Merging With Monsters

DENVER, CO, - When Joseph Green set out to publish his third novel, Invisible Niggers, he was not surprised by the amount of attention and controversy generated by his title and subject matter. The aptly renamed novel, Merging with Monsters, has just been published by iuniverse.com.

"After completing just three chapters, I was immediately signed by one of New York's top literary agents," said Mr. Green. However, several months went by without any success. One well-known publisher was reluctant to take on the novel's controversial title and themes featuring corporate racism and sexism.

Faced with suggestions that he change the focus of his story, Mr. Green decided to take matters into his own hands. "The stigma against self-publication is fading as technology and the Internet is increasingly making by-passing the so-called 'literary gatekeepers' a viable option."

Mr. Green turned to iuniverse.com, a print-on-demand publisher offering authors the opportunity to have their unique voices heard. As an African-American writer, Mr. Green's novel is a forthright portrayal of the inequalities still prevalent in America's corporate culture.

"My story chronicles the efforts of a woman to overcome a brutal rape and assume a leadership role as a successful corporate executive. She is surrounded by a number of desperate characters, all of whom are fighting for visibility in a world that too often chooses not to see them at all."

When asked if he has any regrets about initially trying to publish a politically sensitive novel with such a controversial title, Mr. Green states, "I think the more important question concerns whether we have progressed as far as we'd like to think when it comes to equal opportunity in America."

Mr. Green resides in Denver, Colorado, and published his first novel while an undergraduate at Stanford University. He is currently employed as a manager with one of America's largest and most successful corporations. Previous novels include Pseudo Cool and Souls Bizarre.

© January 2006 By Afromerica