Before the cult novel "Fight Club" ever saw the light of day, a middle-aged diesel mechanic from Portland Oregon named Chuck Palahniuk had already written a manuscript for a novel called "Manifesto." Later renamed "Invisible Monsters," this book would soon go on to see the desks of almost every major publishing house. Unfortunately, it also quickly saw the trash baskets of those same publishers.

It seems Chuck Palahniuk couldn't get his foot in the door with a novel that publishers felt was too risque. Hell, they didn't even know what the book was about, much less how to market it. And so, out of spite and anger, Chuck sat down and wrote his second book which would become his first published novel. This was of course "Fight Club," but three years later, Chuck felt compelled to return to his original labor of love: the story of a girl and her rifle, her brother and an ill-fated aerosol can, and one of the most bizarre road trips you'll ever read.

"Invisible Monsters" finally saw the light of day in 1999, although it was released in trade paperback form because Chuck felt bad asking his publisher, WW Norton, to release any of his works for more than $15. With "Monsters," he finally got his wish and the book skipped the hardcover phase and went straight to trade paperback. Little did Chuck or WW Norton know that Chuck's stardom was gonna rocket and that he would soon have fans that couldn't bare to be without a hardback version of perhaps their favorite Palahniuk novel.

And so, in early September, when Aaron McKeever, a fan of Chuck's and of our website ChuckPalahniuk.net, contacted me and said he had spoken with WW Norton's senior editor, Amy Cherry... I knew a new door in publishing history would soon be opening. Aaron, like so many other Chuck fans, WANTS "Invisible Monsters," out on hardcover. It's the principal of the matter. The book deserves this sort of treatment. And so when Amy said that with enough queries, WW Norton may consider it, Aaron knew he had to contact me.

And so here I am... talking to all of you. We have a mission. We have a goal. And that goal is to get this cherished book released in hardback! So spread the word. Get as many people as you know to sign this petition. And when we have enough signatures, we'll send it back to Amy Cherry and convince her and WW Norton that putting "Invisible Monsters" out in hardcover could be the best business decision their company makes all year.

- Dennis Widmyer
Webmaster/Filmmaker
www.chuckpalahniuk.net
www.ourladyofsorrow.co