Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Under a Blood Red Sky (novel)


 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review).  No further edits should be made to this page.  

The result was delete. Jaranda wat's sup 23:39, 17 August 2007 (UTC)

Under a Blood Red Sky (novel)

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Self-published novel. No apparent press or other indication of notability. Prod tag removed with comments indicating the novel is notable for its predictive properties, but links provided as verification do not mention the novel, making this original research. Recommend deletion. SiobhanHansa 12:09, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Delete – Self published Non-Notable. Shoessss | Chat  13:48, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Delete per nom.--Mantanmoreland 15:50, 11 August 2007 (UTC)

Keep - Rationale : 1) book was launched at and remains on sale at a reputable chain of bookstores in the author's home territory; 2) the book was reviewed/author interviewed by a national newspaper in Hong Kong; 3) the book was reviewed/author interviewed by a national radio station in Hong Kong; 4) the book was reviewed/author interviewed by a regional newspaper in UK; 5) the book is aknowledged as potentially leading to a copycat hoax incident in New Zealand; 6) the book has been reviewed/commented on by former UK government minister; 7) the assumption that self-published = not notable is invalid. Links to all these items are included on the revised article. The above satisfies the criteria for regional notability. NB I am the author of the article.Drpig39 05:09, 13 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Comment I am sorry, of all the references posted for this novel only three link and mention the author. In addition, the one link, the South China Morning Post, only has a circulation of 104,000! The other newspaper Grimsby Telegraph as you noted is only a regional newspaper, thus making only one reference left.  Finally, the book being contributed to as the idea for a real terrorist plot in New Zealand is ridicules.  Still not Notable.  Sorry.  Shoessss |  Chat  10:32, 13 August 2007 (UTC)


 * Response to comment. Several of the references provided are for live radio broadcasts, which cannot be linked to for obvious reasons. That does not mean they were not notable events, being as they were on the national broadcast channel in Hong Kong during prime time current affairs shows. Re: circulation of SCMP as 'only' 104,000. The total population of Hong Kong is less than 7 million, of whom 95% are ethnic Chinese. Of the 350,000 non-ethnic Chinese, most are non-native English speakers (Filipino, Indonesian, Thai, Nepalese). Thus, SCMP is read by the majority native English-speaking population of Hong Kong. You cannot possibly know for certain that the book could not have contibuted to the hoax plot in New Zealand. It is more reasonable to assume that as the book was available from internet retailers prior to the event and had been recently publicised in the region (Asia-Pacific)(NB Hong Kong has a large Australian/New Zealand ex-patriate community) that it could have been the source - which is all that I assert. Note that for inclusion in Wiki - global renown or notability is not required. Merely regional - again, which is all that I claim. If appearing in national media (newspaper / radio) and being commented on by a former UK government minister are not enough to satisfy notability - please indicate your minimum acceptable criteria. Surely notablility in this context means being supported by publicly available evidence, which has been provided. You should not let bias against self-published books blind you to other evidence. As the Wiki entry on self-publishing shows, there are many reasons authors opt to self-publish. As the list of self-published works in that article indicates, they are not all without merit. Thanks.Drpig39 05:55, 14 August 2007 (UTC)
 * Update. The book has also been discussed in the context of the origin of the UK 2007 FMD outbreak. The author was interviewed and stated clearly his views on the likely cause of the outbreak (i.e. accidental not deliberate). The notability of the book has therefore been clearly established.Drpig39 05:26, 17 August 2007 (UTC)


 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.