The Pale King - Writing, Editing, and Publication

Writing, Editing, and Publication

Wallace began research for The Pale King in 1997, after the publication of Infinite Jest. He started writing the book around 2000. The novel (or "long thing", Wallace's usual term for it) had numerous working titles throughout this period, including Glitterer, SJF (Sir John Feelgood), Net of Gems, and What is Peoria For?

In 2007, Wallace estimated that the novel was about one-third finished. One of his notebooks found by his widow, Karen Green (who designed the American edition's cover art), suggested a possible direction for the novel's plot: "...an evil group within the IRS is trying to steal the secrets of an agent who is particularly gifted at maintaining a heightened state of concentration." The author's ultimate intention for the plot, however, is unknown.

Wallace in his final hours had "tidied up manuscript so that his wife could find it. Below it, around it, inside his two computers, on old floppy disks in his drawers were hundreds of other pages—drafts, character sketches, notes to himself, fragments that had evaded his attempt to integrate them into the novel." On her blog, Kathleen Fitzpatrick reported that the Pale King manuscript edited by Michael Pietsch began with "more than 1000 pages... in 150 unique chapters". The published version is 540 pages and 50 chapters.

On September 14, 2010, Pietsch announced the publication date of the novel and provided further information about the plot. He revealed that the novel "takes agonizing daily events like standing in lines, traffic jams, and horrific bus rides—things we all hate—and turns them into moments of laughter and understanding", a theme Wallace addressed in his commencement speech to the graduates of Kenyon College in 2005. Pietsch added that "although David did not finish the novel, it is a surprisingly whole and satisfying reading experience that showcases his extraordinary imaginative talents and his mixing of comedy and deep sadness in scenes from daily life."

Although Little, Brown and Company set The Pale King’s publication date for April 15, 2011, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble were allowed to sell copies of the novel through their websites as early as March 22, 2011. That elicited protest from many bookstore owners, who felt it put them at an unfair disadvantage. Little, Brown defended the split dates, maintaining it was common practice.