The Alchemist: The Alchemist: A Graphic Novel

Written In Just Two Weeks: Paulo Coelho wrote the entire manuscript in only 14 days. He later explained he could work at this breakneck pace because the story was already written in his soul. The book became a metaphor for his own life and dreams.

First Publisher Printed Only 900 Copies: When The Alchemist first appeared in 1988, the Brazilian publisher printed a tiny run of just 900 copies. They decided not to reprint it. The book went out of print almost immediately.

Sold One Copy First Week: A bookseller in Brazil reported selling only one copy during the first week of release. Six months later, a second copy sold to the same person who bought the first. The book seemed destined to fail completely.

Inspired By Jorge Luis Borges: Coelho found his concept in a 1935 short story by Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges called Tale of Two Dreamers. Both stories revolve around dreamers searching for treasure in distant lands.

Success Came From Next Book: The Alchemist only achieved commercial success after Coelho found a bigger publisher for his next novel, Brida, in 1990. The success of Brida brought The Alchemist back to life and onto bestseller lists.

Bill Clinton Boosted Sales: President Bill Clinton was photographed leaving the White House carrying a copy of the book. He told Coelho that Chelsea gave him the book and he loved it. This publicity moment helped catapult sales dramatically.

Madonna Raved About It: Madonna praised The Alchemist to Vanity Fair magazine. Celebrities from Rush Limbaugh to Will Smith began talking about how the book changed their lives. The novel became a spontaneous cultural phenomenon.

Stayed On Bestseller List Over 300 Weeks: The book hit The New York Times bestseller list and remained there for more than 300 weeks. That's nearly six years of continuous bestseller status, an extraordinary achievement for any author.

Sold Over 150 Million Copies: The Alchemist has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide. It ranks among the top bestselling books in history. Only a handful of books have ever crossed the 100 million mark.

Guinness World Record Holder: Coelho holds the Guinness World Record for most translated book by a living author. He also holds the record for most translations of a single title signed in one sitting: 53 different editions at a book event in Germany.

Translated Into 80 Plus Languages: The book has been translated into more than 80 languages. At one point it was available in 88 languages. This makes it one of the most translated books in human history.

Coelho Pirated His Own Books: The author actively made his work available for free online through file sharing sites. When his American publisher caught him pirating his own books on torrent sites, they forced him to stop. In exchange, they agreed to make each new book available on their website for one month after release.

White Feather Writing Ritual: Before starting any new book, Coelho must find a white feather as a sign from God. Once he finds it, he touches the feather to each page when he prints out his manuscripts. This ritual was born from a moment of indecision about whether to write.