sˈɛvɹəl jˈɪɹz ˈæftɚ pjˈuːzoʊz nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti nˈaɪn dˈɛθ, ɹˈændəm hˈaʊs hˈɛld ɐ kˈɑːntɛst tə sᵻlˈɛkt ɐ pətˈɛnʃəl ˈɔːθɚ: ˈɛntɹənts wɜː ɹᵻkwˈaɪɚd tə ɹˈaɪt ɐ sɪnˈɑːpsɪs ʌv ðɛɹ pɹəpˈoʊzd bˈʊk ɐlˈɔŋ wɪð ɐ kəmplˈiːɾᵻd sˈæmpəl tʃˈæptɚ.
Several years after Puzo's 1999 death, Random House held a contest to select a potential author: entrants were required to write a synopsis of their proposed book along with a completed sample chapter.