“The christmas box” is a book written by Richard Paul Evans and self-published in 1993. A Christmas story written for his children, the book sold by word of mouth with such success that it soon got the attention of the big publishing houses. A bidding war erupted which resulted in Evans receiving several million dollars for the publishing rights.
Released in hardcover in 1995 by Simon & Schuster, The Christmas Box proved a publishing phenomenon, becoming the first book to simultaneously reach the No.1 position on the New York Times bestseller list for both the paperback and hardcover editions. That same year, the book was made into a television movie of the same title starring Richard Thomas and Maureen O’Hara.
Author’s website: http://www.richardpaulevans.com/
Interview with Mr. Evans: http://www.writing-world.com/publish/box.shtml
1ST and BESTSELLER 