Writing about history in a way that readers can enjoy was a goal of Bill O'Reilly's since he was a high school teacher in the early 1970s. With the Killing series, which began with Killing Lincoln in 2011 and has continued with Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus and more (see more about each title in the following article), he has obviously met his goal: The series--which he says "allows me to roam across the past telling stories about the world"--and related titles has more than 17 million copies in print across all formats; the books are so successful that the Killing titles don't appear in paperback for an average of four years after hardcover publication and they garner spots on a range of general and bookstore bestseller lists. Readers are drawn to the "provocative" books, O'Reilly says, because "they inform and they're entertaining."
New titles in the Killing series appear each year, and O'Reilly and his co-writer Martin Dugard know what's coming up at several years in advance. The first titles have focused on a particular person, but the most recent, Killing the Rising Sun, changed tack a bit. Steve Rubin, president and publisher of Holt, calls it "a wonderfully vibrant, alive page turner without a single subject that moves a lot of characters around gracefully."
The next Killing book appears in September and will have a broad subject too. But as is customary with the Killing books, its title and subject won't be announced until close to pub date. This is, in part, the price of success: O'Reilly explains that "there are pirates who will steal ideas. That happened with Killing Jesus."
As Rubin notes, there is a kind of cascade effect when new O'Reilly titles come up. "Every time he releases a new book, it replenishes the backlist": sales of the Killing backlist often jump significantly compared to the week before publication of the new title.
Best known as host of The O'Reilly Factor and the leading news anchor on Fox News, O'Reilly finds time in his busy schedule to plan and write his books. Co-writer Martin Dugard does most of the research, and O'Reilly writes based on what he finds. "We block out time and write a certain amount of words each week," O'Reilly says, calling Dugard "a real pro with little ego and a tremendous interest in history. I'm the storyteller, and thankfully we work very well together. We're totally in sync."
Research is often a challenge because "we want to discover new information and tell stories folks haven't heard," O'Reilly continues. For that reason, Killing Jesus was the most difficult book to write. "We combed Roman and Jewish history to confirm Gospel stories," he says. "Sometimes we could not confirm legend so we left things out. It was very laborious research."
O'Reilly is also closely involved with Holt, and says the publisher is "tremendous. They support and market the books very effectively."
For Holt's part, Rubin calls O'Reilly "a publisher's dream in that he is completely strategic, ambitious, focused and decisive. Usually I'll have an answer within three minutes to an e-mail any day of the week. It's wonderful to have an author who's so committed to what he's doing and is so involved. We have the best partner in the world." Rubin, who's worked with O'Reilly on all but a few of the books O'Reilly has published, emphasizes that "we have established a relationship and completely trust and like each other."
O'Reilly, of course, promotes his titles heavily on his show and website. The series have "really strong" sales in the bookstore and library markets, Rubin says. "They have filled a niche" and are, he emphasizes, "the most successful bestselling history series in history."
O'Reilly has also launched related series: Each episode of the Legends & Lies TV series--which premiered on Fox News in April 2015--focuses on a major figure from a historical period, debunking or confirming popular myths about their lives. "It's broader in scope" than the Killing series, O'Reilly says, "but the concept is the same: fun and facts." The first season was about the Wild West; the second about the Revolutionary War. O'Reilly serves as series host and executive producer. After each season, a book written by David Fisher with an introduction by O'Reilly is released (see more about these titles below). The next will focus on the Civil War, which Rubin calls "a great subject for booksellers."
The Killing series has been adapted into the YA Last Days series (see more below), which aims to allow younger readers to enjoy illustrated versions of the historical narratives. The illustrations include a variety of maps, photographs and other images.
O'Reilly also has a non-series book coming out March 28, Old School: Life in the Sane Lane, written with Bruce Feirstein, about the cultural wars over values, his first current affairs book in many years.
Some of the Killing books have been made into TV productions that have appeared on the National Geographic Channel. O'Reilly serves as executive producer, a job he describes as "quality control, but I'm not a meddler." He said Scott Free Productions has created the films in "a splendid fashion."
Still, O'Reilly praises books and the written word and the institutions that support them. "I love reading books with paper pages and browse old bookstores wherever I go." He adds, "Libraries are sacred ground, and I thank all the librarians for keeping the literary tradition. We need you guys!"
