Thomas Nelson anticipates high sales from formerly self-published novel

A sold-out crowd filled Christ Fellowship’s Gardens campus in South Florida Aug. 31 to watch as storyteller Michael Neale’s The River came to life in a multimedia event dubbed The River Experience. The novel, which was self-published with a small print run, was picked up by Thomas Nelson and released Sept. 18.

With themes of loss, forgiveness and redemption, The River tells the story of Gabriel Clarke who learns to face his fears and become a man, coming to grips with the sacrifice that led to his father’s death but saved a foolish young kayaker’s life.

Having journaled ideas for the book for years, Neale believes the story was given to him by God.

“It was like the story chose me,” he said in a WAY-FM radio interview.

The idea for the story began more than a decade ago when Neale and his wife, Leah, were on a Colorado River rafting trip, when she fell into the river but emerged unhurt. Just the day before, another rafter had died in the rapids.

Performing what some have described as a “living book,” the live event featured Neale, who narrated passages from the novel and presented original music along with a small group of musicians. A cinematic experience, the audience watched as much of the story was told through film on a large screen. A brief message at the end of the evening by the church’s teaching pastor, author John Maxwell, brought home the gospel story inherent in The River.

This year’s multimedia event marked the second time the story was brought to life at the church where Neale is artist-in-residence, Todd Mullins is lead pastor and Tom Mullins is founding pastor. The event was a benefit for Hope for Freedom, a Christ Fellowship initiative to aid the victims of modern-day slavery.

The previous event, in October 2011, saw 1,200 copies of the novel sell out to the enthusiastic crowd, and this year attendees stood in a long line at a photo booth where they could have their photo taken with Neale after the performance.

Songs by Neale—a Dove Award-winning songwriter whose music has been recorded by artists such as Michael W. Smith (“Rise Above”), Natalie Grant (“Your Great Name,” Dove Awards for Worship Song of the Year), Rebecca St. James (“In A Moment”), Todd Agnew (“I Need No Other”) and Phillips, Craig and Dean (“Saved the Day”)—were part of The River Experience, which he produced with collaborator Michael Whitaker.

The softcover book and e-book ($16.99 each) and the novel in Spanish, El Rio ($14.99, Grupo Nelson), were simultaneously released in September. On Nov. 6, Thomas Nelson will release The River Discussion Kit, an eight-session DVD study featuring short videos by the author and extra footage not used in The River Experience.

An adaptation of the full-length event was scheduled to be performed Oct. 6 at Women of Faith in Portland, Ore.

For pictures from The River Experience, visit www.christianretailing.com/photos/theriver.

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