November 15, 2010

David Mitchell auctions character name for autism

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Quick! Are you a David Mitchell fan but think he could use use some help with the character names in his novels? Well, here’s your chance to offer a hand.

Thanks to a tip in the “Curiosities” section over at The Millions, we learned that the week in auctions–which already included an Apple I computer and some things Bernie Madoff won’t be needing anymore–just got a bit more interesting. Mitchell is auctioning off a character’s name from his next novel on ebay. But lest you think Mitchell is engaging in Tao Lin-grade stunts to drum up publicity in advance of publishing his next book (which we write with tongue planted firmly in cheek of course), a quick visit to ebay reveals that Mitchell is auctioning a character’s name to benefit autism.

Proceeds are going to benefit Autistica, a UK-based autism charity that holds an annual character auction by writers. In addition to the offering by Mitchell, this year character names are being auctioned by A L Kennedy, Darren Shan, and James Sallis among others.

MobyLives