Mike McGrady was a prizewinning journalist for Newsday, rubbing elbows with some of the most respected writers of his day. After reading Valley of the Dolls, McGrady hatched a scheme to make a statement about what he thought was wrong with "mainstream" America. He conscripted many of the gifted writers with whom he was in contact, and, together, they conspired to write a book that was bawdy and lewd, and that wholly lacked a plot and good writing. Believing that the public was more interested in reading trashy books than "good" ones, McGrady masterminded the publication of Naked Came the Stranger to prove his point.
Naked Came the Stranger had its standards. McGrady demanded that the twenty-five writers who were asked to contribute a chapter to the book include at least one sex scene (that is, one or more per chapter). The authors were to take pains to write poorly-- he "rejected submissions that were too well written." The only real parameters established in terms of the story line was that the book was supposed to be about a demure Long Island housewife who decides to get back at her cheating husband by inviting many "gentleman callers" to her home and, well, let's just say each chapter was supposed to capture the wife's experience with each candidate (including a boxer, mobster, progressive rabbi, and a gay man). The cover of the book ensured that readers would not mistake the type of book it was.
The book became a hoax because McGrady submitted it to publishing houses with a cover letter stating that the author was Penelope Ashe, the beautiful housewife caught in her tragically flawed marriage. Stuart Lyle, Inc., offered a ridiculous sum for the book and immediately began promoting it. However, before Stuart Lyle began shelling out serious amounts of money, McGrady came clean (he was too worried about being accused of fraud to allow the publication process to go too far) and revealed that there was no such person as Penelope Ashe and that the book was actually written primarily by men. Stuart Lyle only loved the book more.
The book was an instant success. While Stuart Lyle knew it was a hoax, McGrady perpetuated the idea that the book was a real story by recruiting his sister-in-law, Billie Young, to play the part of Penelope Ashe for public events and book signings. The public was not kept in the dark for long, though. You see, even hoaxsters have integrity. McGrady decided to keep his reputation as a respected journalist intact by revealing the truth to the public. In August 1969, he orchestrated a nationwide press release, with the media publicizing that the book was not written by a desperate housewife in Long Island, but by a team of mostly male writers. Television also became involved in the big unveil. In fact, when one late night talk show reported that he had secured Penelope Ashe to be a guest on his show, when the time came for Ashe to appear, "out trouped the whole group of mostly male writers, led by McGrady." The audience was delighted.
Unlike other hoaxes, when the public learned the true nature of the book, sales continued to climb, and it was even translated into Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Italian, Spanish, and French.
In the end, the book has sold approximately 400,000 copies, it was made into a pornographic film (McGrady was not involved in the film production), and I suppose it proved McGrady's point: sex sells (even when it lacks much in the way of plot).
If you're interested in reading McGrady's obituary from the New York Times, I am providing a link here.
Works consulted for this entry:
The New York Times
Melissa Katsoulis's Literary Hoaxes: An Eye-Opening History of Famous Frauds
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