I've got a new thriller coming out this August from Blackstone Publishing, the first book in a new series, and if you’re so inclined to preorder, that would be amazing.
Why?
Well, preorders show publishers, booksellers, algorithms, and more that there's enthusiasm for an author's work and they deserve more visibility. Based on the strength of preorders, a lot of things can happen or not happen for an author's career: book tours, advertising, media attention, etc.
And as this will be my very first novel widely available in bookstores, I want to promote the hell of it.
Which is why I wrote an exclusive prequel story that clocks in at just over 9,000 words. And if you preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, I'll send you the story as a limited edition chapbook. (More on that below.)
The Killing Room is being released in hardcover and trade paperback, as well as ebook and audio. Ebook links will be available at a later date, but below are the links for the hardcover.
I also teamed up with my local independent bookstore, Midtown Scholar, which is taking preorders for signed and personalized copies. You can preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, and they'll include the chapbook with the order. Easy peasy!
So as I mentioned, I wrote a special short story that's a prequel to the novel. I have no plans for it to be republished anywhere, so the only way to read it is to preorder The Killing Room.
Again, if you preorder the hardcover or trade paperback, you'll get a limited edition signed chapbook.
If you preorder the audiobook or ebook (again, ebook links coming at a later date), then you can still get the story, though only as an ebook.
Once again, if you preorder from Midtown Scholar, the chapbook will be included with the book. If you preorder elsewhere — Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Amazon, your own independent bookstore — we'll mail you the chapbook, along with a signed bookplate (a label with my signature that can be affixed to the inside of the book; I'll even personalize the bookplate if you'd like).
All you have to do when you preorder is forward the confirmation email to me at robert (at) robertswartwood (dot) com along with your address. That's it.
In fact, even if you order directly from Midtown Scholar, please forward along the confirmation so that way we can keep track of how many chapbooks we'll need to print, as the print run will depend on the number of preorders.
Chapbooks and bookplates will be mailed out the first week of September. Which is ideal, because while Maniac is a prequel to the book, it's highly recommended you read the novel first as otherwise the story will spoil a major twist in the book.
Trust me, it'll all make sense in due time.
