#1 NYT-bestselling novel becomes enhanced with music.
Since we here at Notes N Time are dedicated to enhancing books with music we are always on the lookout for new examples of how the two disciplines are merging. Imagine my excitement when I realized my favorite book series of all time became enhanced with a musical soundtrack and beyond.
The Outlander series was released twenty years ago and quickly hit the New York Times Best Sellers list. Diana Gabaldon, the author, gathered a huge following; as every reader fell in love with the amazing lead characters; Jamie Fraser and Claire Beauchamp Randall. This historical sci-fi romance series has sold over 19 million copies, was printed in 23 languages, and sold in 26 countries. The Outlander takes place in Scotland, which also happens to be where Mike Gibb, a lyricist and playwright resides. Mike too fell in love with the series and an idea bubbled up inside him.
When Diana was visiting Edinburgh in 2009, Mike approached her with the idea of creating a compilation of songs that expressed the highlights of the original Outlander novel. When first hearing his idea Diana describes her reaction as, “That’s the screwiest idea I’ve heard yet–go ahead.” Mike and his composer friend, Kevin Walsh, worked up a couple demos songs which Diana described as "stunning and charming", and thus she gave approval for Mike and Kevin to proceed with their stage production. Mike and Kevin's combined talents ultimately resulted in Outlander - The Musical which Diana bundled inside her 20th Anniversay Leather-Bound edition of the book. Outlander - The Musical had a showcase performance in Aberdeen last year and film rights for the Outlander are currently held by Essential Entertainment.
Case in point:
1. Authors and songwriters have an unprecedented opportunity to work together in todays digital age to create the next generation of enhanced books ... ones with a soundtrack.
2. Most of the 2012 Oscar nominated movies originated from a book. While this is nothing new, a book already enhanced with music would more easily be adopted to a stage production or screenplay.
3. This series thrills the multitudes ... but its compelling to know that Outlander The Musical
has stayed on Amazon.com's "Bestseller Musicals" list ever since it was released,
usually in the top ten, and routinely outsells such classics as "The Lion King" and "Les Miz."
4. Obviously this is no passing fancy -- so we here at Notes 'N Time challenge the authors, songwriters, & wordsmith community to expand your creative discipline and combine storytelling with just the right music.
20th Anniversary Edition of OUTLANDER - It's Time to Fall in Love All Over Again !!