The Book Job
Encyclopedia
"The Book Job" is the sixth episode of the twenty-third season
of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons
. It originally aired on the Fox network
in the United States on November 20, 2011. In the episode, Lisa
is shocked to discover that all popular young-adult novels are conceived by book publishing executives through use of market research and ghostwriter
s to make money. When Homer
hears this, he decides to get rich by starting work on a fantasy novel together with Bart
, Principal Skinner, Patty, Moe
, Professor Frink
, and author Neil Gaiman
. Lisa, who does not think writing should be about money, decides to write a novel on her own. After selling their novel, which ends up being about trolls, to a book publishing executive, the group members later discover that the executive has replaced the trolls with vampires because vampires are more popular. In an attempt to replace this new version with the old before the novel goes into print, they break into the book publishing company's headquarters.
The episode was written by freelancer Dan Vebber
, though The Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman
received the idea for it. His inspiration came from a magazine article he had read about the book packaging company Alloy Entertainment
and its use of ghostwriters. In addition, the episode was inspired by the Ocean's Trilogy
, a film series about a group of criminals that heist casinos, and features many elements from it. Actor Andy García
, who appears in that series as a casino owner, guest starred in "The Book Job" as the book publishing executive. The episode was seen by approximately 5.77 million people during its original airing, and since then it has received positive reviews from television critics, particularly for its satire of the book publishing industry and for its references to the Ocean's Trilogy. Gaiman, who provided his voice for the episode, has also been praised for his performance.
, Lisa
discovers one of her favorite authors, T. R. Francis, working there in a dinosaur costume. The woman reveals to a shocked Lisa that she is just an actress the book publishing company used for the jacket photos, and T. R. Francis is a complete fabrication. She further reveals that all popular young-adult book series are conceived by book publishing executives through market research and the use of multiple ghostwriter
s, just to make more money. When Homer
finds out about this, he decides to get rich by group-writing a fantasy novel. He assigns a team consisting of Bart
, Principal Skinner, Patty, Moe
, and Professor Frink
, all of whom have personal attributes or experiences that will help writing the book. Lisa is shocked to find that they are group-writing a book, as she knows the only reason one would do that is to gain money. To show that what they are doing is wrong, she decides to write a novel on her own with a personal story that readers will connect with.
For their novel, the group members decide to take the typical elements from already popular young-adult series. Homer initially suggest that they write about vampires, but Patty notes the fact that there are already so many popular novels out there in that genre. They therefore decide to write about an orphan troll who goes to a magic school located under a bridge. Fantasy author Neil Gaiman
overhears the team talking and offers his help writing the novel; although they allow him to join, he is only given the task of catering
. The group members quickly finish the novel, which they name The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy, and meet up with a book publishing executive for TweenLit Inc. at a book fair. Although he likes the novel, he dismisses it because it lacks a fake author with an inspirational back story. Meanwhile, Lisa is having a hard time making progress on her book and quickly becomes saddened after realizing that she will never have her name on a book. However, Homer approaches her and offers her to be the fake author of The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy. Lisa admits defeat and takes the offer. They and the rest of the crew then approach the book publishing executive again, and he decides to buy the novel for a million dollars. As the team is celebrating at Moe's Tavern, they receive an advance copy. They are shocked to discover that the publisher has replaced the troll-aspects of the story with vampires, renaming the novel The Vampire Twins of Transylvania Prep, because market testing showed that vampires are more popular than trolls.
The team breaks into TweenLit Inc.'s headquarters, planning to replace the new novel with their old version before the mass printing begins. However, when they reach the printing room, the book publishing executive shows up with a group of armed men. He reveals that someone tipped him off about their plan, just as Lisa appears letting them know it was her because she wants her name on a book that will actually be popular. The executive types in the password in the printing machine and gives Lisa the honor of inserting the USB flash drive
with the novel on it. Later, when the saddened crew is walking away, they pass a book store and discover that The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy is being put on the stands. Lisa shows up again, letting them know that she only pretended to betray them so that the publisher would type in the password. When Lisa gave Bart a hug, she replaced the executive's flash drive with Bart's flash drive that contained the troll novel. As a result, she was able to put the original version into print. Lisa is happy to know that her name is finally on a book; however, when she opens a copy, she discovers that Gaiman is listed as the author, not her. It turns out that there were three flash drives and that Gaiman heisted his way to the best-seller list "once again."
Freelance writer Dan Vebber
, who is known for his work on the animated series Futurama
, wrote "The Book Job" with contributions from the staff writers on The Simpsons. Matt Selman
, an executive producer and writer on The Simpsons, was the one who conceived of the idea behind the episode. He was inspired by an article in The New Yorker
about the book packaging company Alloy Entertainment
—the publisher of series such as Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries—and the company's use of ghostwriter
s. According to Selman, the article "was all about how these executives take market research and come up with the ideas for these books and farms them out and slaps the name of fake writers on them and fabricates backgrounds for these authors who don’t exist. We took that trend and kind of blew it up and shoved it in the face of Lisa [...]".
Selman told the Los Angeles Times
that the episode praises collaborative writing, and answers the question of whether or not writing in a group is as valuable as writing alone. He commented: "I’ve been with The Simpsons for 15 years and everyday it’s been pretty much writing as a team. We’re proud of what we’ve done even if it’s not the traditional idea of one writer sitting down with a passion and a vision. In a strange way this episode ends up as a defense of writing in a group and celebrating the way it makes you feel connected to the work and to the people in that group in ways you didn’t expect. It’s all about a writers room … and you know, in the story, Homer’s cynical heist team does end up being incredibly productive." The episode features several references to literature. According to Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times, it parodies "today’s mega-successful publishing series" that "target young-skewing audiences", particularly Twilight, a vampire-themed fantasy book series by Stephenie Meyer
that has received much popularity. While chasing T. R. Francis through the stadium where the dinosaur show took place, Lisa passes a bathroom in which a group of dinosaurs are smoking in reference to a Far Side
comic of dinosaurs smoking. The dinosaur show itself, Sitting with Dinosaurs, was based on the live Walking with Dinosaurs
show.
In addition to literature, the episode spoofs the Ocean's Trilogy
, a film series about a group of criminals that heist casinos. Selman revealed to Entertainment Weekly
in January 2011 that the episode is essentially about "Homer and some people in Springfield hav[ing] to perpetrate an Ocean's Eleven
–style heist in the non-Ocean's Eleven world of children’s fantasy book publishing." Throughout the episode as the story progresses, title cards with titles such as "The Crew", "The Setup", "The Heist", and "The Payday" appear. During these title cards, which only last for about three to four seconds, a version of the song "Gritty Shaker" by David Holmes
is played. This song was featured in Ocean's Eleven. On his blog, The Simpsons music editor Chris Ledesma wrote that Selman "wanted to make sure that we were using the music exactly the same way it was used in Oceans 11. We pulled up a copy of the movie and I went through the entire film [...] What I discovered was that 'Gritty Shaker' is used only once in Ocean's 11. It’s a long scene taking place mostly in the casino the thieves are trying to rip-off, and the music runs around three minutes. Matt erroneously thought that, like our episode, it played over and over multiple times throughout the movie." During the heist of TweenLit Inc.'s headquarters, the screen splits in several ways, showing the different team members making their way to the printing room. According to Selman, "the set-up and feel [of the episode] is a real creative departure for us. It’s sort of a heist movie where the heist is writing a book but when that kicks in, there’s a giant stylistic leap. It’s also a little sillier, a little more stylistic than most episodes. We’re coming up on 500 episodes, but really, this is the kind of episode a show would only do if hadn’t already had a couple hundred episodes." Cuban American actor Andy García
, who appears in the Ocean's Trilogy as casino owner Terry Benedict, guest starred in "The Book Job" as the book publishing executive. At the end of January 2011, the recording of his performance took place.
English fantasy author Neil Gaiman
guest starred in the episode as himself, helping Homer write the book. He recorded his lines in January 2011 in Los Angeles, California
under the direction of Selman. Gaiman has said that when he first agreed to guest star, he assumed he would only be getting a brief appearance along the lines of "Homer say[ing], ‘Not even Neil Gaiman could come up with something as weird as this!’ and then it would cut to me stroking my chin going, ‘You’re right, I couldn’t!’ and the scene would continue." He told the press that "when they actually sent me the script and I started to read it and discovered that I was in it all they way through and was actually having to act and that stuff happened, it was enormously fun." Gaiman also noted that he does not think the episode gives an entirely accurate portrayal of him, commenting: "Truthfully, the real-life me almost never hangs around in Barnes & Noble
-like bookstores waiting to find groups of local townsfolk who’ve decided to write pseudonymous young adult fantasy series, offering my services. And even if I did, I probably wouldn’t be doing the catering." On his official Tumblr
page, Gaiman noted that while he did not have much input on the story, he got to improvise while recording and gave suggestions on how to make his dialog sound as close to something he might actually say in real life.
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"The Book Job" originally aired on the Fox network
in the United States on November 20, 2011. It was watched by approximately 5.77 million people during this broadcast. In the demographic for adults aged 18–49, the episode received a 2.7 Nielsen rating (down twenty-one percent from the previous episode
) and a seven percent share. The Simpsons became the second highest-rated program in Fox's Animation Domination lineup that night in terms of total viewers and in the 18–49 demographic, finishing with a higher rating than Allen Gregory
and American Dad!
, but a lower rating than Family Guy
.
Since airing, "The Book Job" has received positive reviews from critics. AOL TV
's Jason Hughes praised the uncommon structuring of the episode, writing: "So why was this episode so much more fun than usual? We think it has to do with the format and the playfulness in the presentation. After two decades, it pays to shake things up and give us a completely fresh look at the show. Even the team created some new combinations from the massive Springfield citizenry. Maybe they should consider doing that more often." Hayden Childs of The A.V. Club
praised the episode as "entertaining and successful", commenting that "element of surprise is the key here, and The Simpsons did something quite surprising tonight, combining a parody of heist movies with a sharp satirical look at book mill publishing. With the successful guest appearances by both Neil Gaiman and Andy Garcia, this episode delivered an increasingly rare treat for Simpsons fans: a well-written and well-acted half-hour that gets better and funnier as it goes." Childs did, however, criticize the "split screens of various heist-style shenanigans" as the "least amusing part of the episode." He noted that while "the rest of the gags have some thrust to them, [these] cross the line into cute pandering to the audience. Fortunately, they are over in about ten seconds."
Michael Cavna of The Washington Post
wrote positively about the episode, commenting that from "the one-liners of the episode’s dinosaur-show opening (reminding that a prime-time 'fossil' like The Simpsons still has sharp comedic bicuspids) to the final trick up 'Neil Gaiman’s' dark sleeve, 'The Book Job' is worthy of the show’s DVD wall of fame." Cavna particularly praised the episode for being based on real-life publishing, noting how Selman drew inspiration from the article on Alloy Entertainment. He also commended the parodies of the Ocean's Trilogy and Far Side, and Gaimain's guest appearance. Cavna wrote that "Gaiman’s role is so much more than mere walk-on. Like the show’s very best guest voice performances, here Gaiman is called upon to lend true dimension to the episode." Similarly, Cyriaque Lamar of io9
wrote that the episode "did justice to Gaiman's guest appearance...in that it made the author look like a total nutcase." He added that "Gaiman gamely depicts himself as a goony spaniel. Sure, Andy Garcia guest-starred too, but Gaiman stole the show." In addition, Lamar praised the episode for "offer[ing] up a couple good gags, such as the revelation that Twilight was originally a novel about golem
s and a quick appearance by The Far Side smoking dinosaurs. Also, Patty can speak fluent Dothraki. Can't be churlish about that."
The Simpsons (season 23)
The Simpsons twenty-third season is the current season of The Simpsons. It premiered on September 25, 2011. It will include the 500th episode which is expected to air February 19, 2012. Due to financial difficulties, the network was unable to produce the show under its current contract and unless...
of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. It originally aired on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on November 20, 2011. In the episode, Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
is shocked to discover that all popular young-adult novels are conceived by book publishing executives through use of market research and ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
s to make money. When Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
hears this, he decides to get rich by starting work on a fantasy novel together with Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Principal Skinner, Patty, Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
, Professor Frink
Professor Frink
Professor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr., or simply Professor Frink, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely...
, and author Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
. Lisa, who does not think writing should be about money, decides to write a novel on her own. After selling their novel, which ends up being about trolls, to a book publishing executive, the group members later discover that the executive has replaced the trolls with vampires because vampires are more popular. In an attempt to replace this new version with the old before the novel goes into print, they break into the book publishing company's headquarters.
The episode was written by freelancer Dan Vebber
Dan Vebber
Dan Vebber is a writer best known for his television work on animated shows such as Futurama, Daria, and American Dad!. He was also a writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer....
, though The Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman
Matt Selman
Matthew "Matt" Selman is an American writer and producer. Selman grew up in Massachusetts, attended the University of Pennsylvania and was editor-in-chief of student magazine 34th Street Magazine. After considering a career in journalism, he decided to try and became a television writer...
received the idea for it. His inspiration came from a magazine article he had read about the book packaging company Alloy Entertainment
Alloy Entertainment
Alloy Entertainment is a book-packaging division of the Alloy Media + Marketing company—an American provider of media programs. Alloy is a leading producer of "chick lit"-style novels created for teenage and young adult audiences...
and its use of ghostwriters. In addition, the episode was inspired by the Ocean's Trilogy
Ocean's Trilogy
The Ocean's Trilogy is a series of three caper comedies directed by Steven Soderbergh and produced by Jerry Weintraub for Warner Bros., between 2001 and 2007. The first of the films, Ocean's Eleven was a remake of the 1960 film of the same name and was followed, due to an immense commercial...
, a film series about a group of criminals that heist casinos, and features many elements from it. Actor Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
, who appears in that series as a casino owner, guest starred in "The Book Job" as the book publishing executive. The episode was seen by approximately 5.77 million people during its original airing, and since then it has received positive reviews from television critics, particularly for its satire of the book publishing industry and for its references to the Ocean's Trilogy. Gaiman, who provided his voice for the episode, has also been praised for his performance.
Plot
After watching a dinosaur show at an arena in SpringfieldSpringfield (The Simpsons)
Springfield is the fictional town in which the American animated sitcom The Simpsons is set. A mid-sized town in an undetermined state of the United States, Springfield acts as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by modern society. The geography of the town and its...
, Lisa
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
discovers one of her favorite authors, T. R. Francis, working there in a dinosaur costume. The woman reveals to a shocked Lisa that she is just an actress the book publishing company used for the jacket photos, and T. R. Francis is a complete fabrication. She further reveals that all popular young-adult book series are conceived by book publishing executives through market research and the use of multiple ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
s, just to make more money. When Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
finds out about this, he decides to get rich by group-writing a fantasy novel. He assigns a team consisting of Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
, Principal Skinner, Patty, Moe
Moe Szyslak
Momar / Morris "Moe" Szyslak is a fictional character in the American animated television series, The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire"...
, and Professor Frink
Professor Frink
Professor John Nerdelbaum Frink, Jr., or simply Professor Frink, is a recurring character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria, and first appeared in the 1991 episode "Old Money". Frink is Springfield's nerdy scientist and professor and is extremely...
, all of whom have personal attributes or experiences that will help writing the book. Lisa is shocked to find that they are group-writing a book, as she knows the only reason one would do that is to gain money. To show that what they are doing is wrong, she decides to write a novel on her own with a personal story that readers will connect with.
For their novel, the group members decide to take the typical elements from already popular young-adult series. Homer initially suggest that they write about vampires, but Patty notes the fact that there are already so many popular novels out there in that genre. They therefore decide to write about an orphan troll who goes to a magic school located under a bridge. Fantasy author Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
overhears the team talking and offers his help writing the novel; although they allow him to join, he is only given the task of catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
. The group members quickly finish the novel, which they name The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy, and meet up with a book publishing executive for TweenLit Inc. at a book fair. Although he likes the novel, he dismisses it because it lacks a fake author with an inspirational back story. Meanwhile, Lisa is having a hard time making progress on her book and quickly becomes saddened after realizing that she will never have her name on a book. However, Homer approaches her and offers her to be the fake author of The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy. Lisa admits defeat and takes the offer. They and the rest of the crew then approach the book publishing executive again, and he decides to buy the novel for a million dollars. As the team is celebrating at Moe's Tavern, they receive an advance copy. They are shocked to discover that the publisher has replaced the troll-aspects of the story with vampires, renaming the novel The Vampire Twins of Transylvania Prep, because market testing showed that vampires are more popular than trolls.
The team breaks into TweenLit Inc.'s headquarters, planning to replace the new novel with their old version before the mass printing begins. However, when they reach the printing room, the book publishing executive shows up with a group of armed men. He reveals that someone tipped him off about their plan, just as Lisa appears letting them know it was her because she wants her name on a book that will actually be popular. The executive types in the password in the printing machine and gives Lisa the honor of inserting the USB flash drive
USB flash drive
A flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
with the novel on it. Later, when the saddened crew is walking away, they pass a book store and discover that The Troll Twins of Underbridge Academy is being put on the stands. Lisa shows up again, letting them know that she only pretended to betray them so that the publisher would type in the password. When Lisa gave Bart a hug, she replaced the executive's flash drive with Bart's flash drive that contained the troll novel. As a result, she was able to put the original version into print. Lisa is happy to know that her name is finally on a book; however, when she opens a copy, she discovers that Gaiman is listed as the author, not her. It turns out that there were three flash drives and that Gaiman heisted his way to the best-seller list "once again."
Production
Dan Vebber
Dan Vebber is a writer best known for his television work on animated shows such as Futurama, Daria, and American Dad!. He was also a writer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer....
, who is known for his work on the animated series Futurama
Futurama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
, wrote "The Book Job" with contributions from the staff writers on The Simpsons. Matt Selman
Matt Selman
Matthew "Matt" Selman is an American writer and producer. Selman grew up in Massachusetts, attended the University of Pennsylvania and was editor-in-chief of student magazine 34th Street Magazine. After considering a career in journalism, he decided to try and became a television writer...
, an executive producer and writer on The Simpsons, was the one who conceived of the idea behind the episode. He was inspired by an article in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
about the book packaging company Alloy Entertainment
Alloy Entertainment
Alloy Entertainment is a book-packaging division of the Alloy Media + Marketing company—an American provider of media programs. Alloy is a leading producer of "chick lit"-style novels created for teenage and young adult audiences...
—the publisher of series such as Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries—and the company's use of ghostwriter
Ghostwriter
A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other texts that are officially credited to another person. Celebrities, executives, and political leaders often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit autobiographies, magazine articles, or other written...
s. According to Selman, the article "was all about how these executives take market research and come up with the ideas for these books and farms them out and slaps the name of fake writers on them and fabricates backgrounds for these authors who don’t exist. We took that trend and kind of blew it up and shoved it in the face of Lisa [...]".
Selman told the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
that the episode praises collaborative writing, and answers the question of whether or not writing in a group is as valuable as writing alone. He commented: "I’ve been with The Simpsons for 15 years and everyday it’s been pretty much writing as a team. We’re proud of what we’ve done even if it’s not the traditional idea of one writer sitting down with a passion and a vision. In a strange way this episode ends up as a defense of writing in a group and celebrating the way it makes you feel connected to the work and to the people in that group in ways you didn’t expect. It’s all about a writers room … and you know, in the story, Homer’s cynical heist team does end up being incredibly productive." The episode features several references to literature. According to Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times, it parodies "today’s mega-successful publishing series" that "target young-skewing audiences", particularly Twilight, a vampire-themed fantasy book series by Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer
Stephenie Meyer is an American author known for her vampire romance series Twilight. The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies globally, with translations into 37 different languages...
that has received much popularity. While chasing T. R. Francis through the stadium where the dinosaur show took place, Lisa passes a bathroom in which a group of dinosaurs are smoking in reference to a Far Side
The Far Side
The Far Side is a popular single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from January 1, 1980, to January 1, 1995. Its surrealistic humor is often based on uncomfortable social situations, improbable events, an anthropomorphic view of the world,...
comic of dinosaurs smoking. The dinosaur show itself, Sitting with Dinosaurs, was based on the live Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs
Walking with Dinosaurs is a six-part documentary television miniseries that was produced by BBC, narrated by Kenneth Branagh, and first aired in the United Kingdom, in 1999. The series was subsequently aired in North America on the Discovery Channel in 2000, with Branagh's voice replaced with that...
show.
In addition to literature, the episode spoofs the Ocean's Trilogy
Ocean's Trilogy
The Ocean's Trilogy is a series of three caper comedies directed by Steven Soderbergh and produced by Jerry Weintraub for Warner Bros., between 2001 and 2007. The first of the films, Ocean's Eleven was a remake of the 1960 film of the same name and was followed, due to an immense commercial...
, a film series about a group of criminals that heist casinos. Selman revealed to Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
in January 2011 that the episode is essentially about "Homer and some people in Springfield hav[ing] to perpetrate an Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven may refer to:*Ocean's 11 , the original heist film starring all five members of the Rat Pack*Ocean's Eleven , a remake of the above film with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon...
–style heist in the non-Ocean's Eleven world of children’s fantasy book publishing." Throughout the episode as the story progresses, title cards with titles such as "The Crew", "The Setup", "The Heist", and "The Payday" appear. During these title cards, which only last for about three to four seconds, a version of the song "Gritty Shaker" by David Holmes
David Holmes (musician)
David Holmes is a Northern Irish DJ, musician and composer.-Career:Holmes began djing in Belfast from the age of 15. His first hit was the song "DeNiro", with Ashley Beedle, in 1992. In the early to mid 1990s he ran two club nights in the Belfast Art College known as Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain...
is played. This song was featured in Ocean's Eleven. On his blog, The Simpsons music editor Chris Ledesma wrote that Selman "wanted to make sure that we were using the music exactly the same way it was used in Oceans 11. We pulled up a copy of the movie and I went through the entire film [...] What I discovered was that 'Gritty Shaker' is used only once in Ocean's 11. It’s a long scene taking place mostly in the casino the thieves are trying to rip-off, and the music runs around three minutes. Matt erroneously thought that, like our episode, it played over and over multiple times throughout the movie." During the heist of TweenLit Inc.'s headquarters, the screen splits in several ways, showing the different team members making their way to the printing room. According to Selman, "the set-up and feel [of the episode] is a real creative departure for us. It’s sort of a heist movie where the heist is writing a book but when that kicks in, there’s a giant stylistic leap. It’s also a little sillier, a little more stylistic than most episodes. We’re coming up on 500 episodes, but really, this is the kind of episode a show would only do if hadn’t already had a couple hundred episodes." Cuban American actor Andy García
Andy García
Andrés Arturo García Menéndez , professionally known as Andy García, is a Cuban American actor. He became known in the late 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in several successful Hollywood films, including The Godfather: Part III, The Untouchables, Internal Affairs and When a Man Loves a Woman...
, who appears in the Ocean's Trilogy as casino owner Terry Benedict, guest starred in "The Book Job" as the book publishing executive. At the end of January 2011, the recording of his performance took place.
English fantasy author Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
guest starred in the episode as himself, helping Homer write the book. He recorded his lines in January 2011 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
under the direction of Selman. Gaiman has said that when he first agreed to guest star, he assumed he would only be getting a brief appearance along the lines of "Homer say[ing], ‘Not even Neil Gaiman could come up with something as weird as this!’ and then it would cut to me stroking my chin going, ‘You’re right, I couldn’t!’ and the scene would continue." He told the press that "when they actually sent me the script and I started to read it and discovered that I was in it all they way through and was actually having to act and that stuff happened, it was enormously fun." Gaiman also noted that he does not think the episode gives an entirely accurate portrayal of him, commenting: "Truthfully, the real-life me almost never hangs around in Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest book retailer in the United States, operating mainly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores headquartered at 122 Fifth Avenue in the Flatiron District in Manhattan in New York City. Barnes & Noble also operated the chain of small B. Dalton...
-like bookstores waiting to find groups of local townsfolk who’ve decided to write pseudonymous young adult fantasy series, offering my services. And even if I did, I probably wouldn’t be doing the catering." On his official Tumblr
Tumblr
Tumblr is a website and microblogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog. Users can follow other users, or choose to make their tumblelog private. The service emphasizes ease of use. The site ranks as the 10th...
page, Gaiman noted that while he did not have much input on the story, he got to improvise while recording and gave suggestions on how to make his dialog sound as close to something he might actually say in real life.
Release
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
in the United States on November 20, 2011. It was watched by approximately 5.77 million people during this broadcast. In the demographic for adults aged 18–49, the episode received a 2.7 Nielsen rating (down twenty-one percent from the previous episode
The Food Wife
"The Food Wife" is the fifth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated sitcom The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on November 13, 2011, and was seen by around 7.5 million people during this broadcast. In the episode, Homer feels left out when Marge, Bart,...
) and a seven percent share. The Simpsons became the second highest-rated program in Fox's Animation Domination lineup that night in terms of total viewers and in the 18–49 demographic, finishing with a higher rating than Allen Gregory
Allen Gregory
Allen Gregory is an American animated television series created by Jonah Hill, Andrew Mogel, and Jarrad Paul that airs on FOX. The series premiered on October 30, 2011.-Synopsis:...
and American Dad!
American Dad!
American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
, but a lower rating than Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
.
Since airing, "The Book Job" has received positive reviews from critics. AOL TV
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
's Jason Hughes praised the uncommon structuring of the episode, writing: "So why was this episode so much more fun than usual? We think it has to do with the format and the playfulness in the presentation. After two decades, it pays to shake things up and give us a completely fresh look at the show. Even the team created some new combinations from the massive Springfield citizenry. Maybe they should consider doing that more often." Hayden Childs of The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
praised the episode as "entertaining and successful", commenting that "element of surprise is the key here, and The Simpsons did something quite surprising tonight, combining a parody of heist movies with a sharp satirical look at book mill publishing. With the successful guest appearances by both Neil Gaiman and Andy Garcia, this episode delivered an increasingly rare treat for Simpsons fans: a well-written and well-acted half-hour that gets better and funnier as it goes." Childs did, however, criticize the "split screens of various heist-style shenanigans" as the "least amusing part of the episode." He noted that while "the rest of the gags have some thrust to them, [these] cross the line into cute pandering to the audience. Fortunately, they are over in about ten seconds."
Michael Cavna of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
wrote positively about the episode, commenting that from "the one-liners of the episode’s dinosaur-show opening (reminding that a prime-time 'fossil' like The Simpsons still has sharp comedic bicuspids) to the final trick up 'Neil Gaiman’s' dark sleeve, 'The Book Job' is worthy of the show’s DVD wall of fame." Cavna particularly praised the episode for being based on real-life publishing, noting how Selman drew inspiration from the article on Alloy Entertainment. He also commended the parodies of the Ocean's Trilogy and Far Side, and Gaimain's guest appearance. Cavna wrote that "Gaiman’s role is so much more than mere walk-on. Like the show’s very best guest voice performances, here Gaiman is called upon to lend true dimension to the episode." Similarly, Cyriaque Lamar of io9
Io9
io9 is a blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The blog focuses on the subjects of science fiction, futurism, and advancements in the fields of science and technology....
wrote that the episode "did justice to Gaiman's guest appearance...in that it made the author look like a total nutcase." He added that "Gaiman gamely depicts himself as a goony spaniel. Sure, Andy Garcia guest-starred too, but Gaiman stole the show." In addition, Lamar praised the episode for "offer[ing] up a couple good gags, such as the revelation that Twilight was originally a novel about golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
s and a quick appearance by The Far Side smoking dinosaurs. Also, Patty can speak fluent Dothraki. Can't be churlish about that."