Well, most of you guessed already. I got a book deal! Monster Island will be released in April of 2006 by Thunder's Mouth Press. I'm extremely excited and I have all of you to thank for it, all of you who legitimized my silly zombie stories by actually reading them.
Don't rush out to Amazon.com yet--there's nothing there right now. And when it does appear there, hold off on ordering. In order to launch the book we want to coordinate the orders so that they all happen around the same day. We don't know yet what the exact on sale date of the book is, but when it happens, if you're signed up for notifications, you'll get an email telling you the book is available. And when it is, we'd like for you to buy the book that very moment to improve the sales ranking. The idea is to pop the book on the online booksellers so that reviewers (and who knows, maybe even movie studios) take notice.
Ah, to heck with it, I hear you thinking; I've already read that book. Why should I buy even one more copy?
That's an excellent question. And I have an excellent answer.
When you order the book that day you'll get confirmation email. And if you forward the email to [email protected] (don't worry, other than you name and shipping address, the confirmation doesn't have any personalized information) I'll send you a PDF file of a collection short stories set in the monster universe. The PDF will also include never before seen illustrations of the major characters by Joel Carroll(http://www.joelcarroll.com/art/ )and whatever other cool bonuses we can come up with between now and then.
So keep your eyes out for that email.
I'm going to ask you for one more favor which is what you've been doing already: and that's to spread the word. It was your word of mouth that brought Monster Island to the attention of the publishers, and it's word of mouth that will help sell the book. Maybe you know some people who thought MI sounded interesting but didn't want to read something on the web. Maybe you know some horror fans who don't have internet access. Maybe your friends and family are just looking for a good read. Just let them know how much you enjoyed this trilogy. That's all it takes. Give them the URL or, when the time comes, point them toward the book. Believe me, it makes all the difference.
We're also planning all kinds of guerrilla zombie events to help spread the word about the book next spring. If you're interested in taking part in any of them, keep an eye on the blog, or send me an email.
So. For now, I'll say thank you. I'll be saying it a lot from now on. I owe you guys. You see, I've been writing for twenty-one years now, ever since I was thirteen. I've gotten a few short stories printed here and there but never anything serious. This book deal is the culmination, in all seriousness, of my life's work, and without you it wouldn't have been possible. Did I say thank you yet? Thank you.
Aw, shucks. Anyway, the PDF file is just the start of the goodies we'll be handing out, so stick around, and keep the faith!
Sincerely, David Wellington
...and now... the long-awaited ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS!
When I finished Monster Island I put up a page thanking the readers and especially the commenters and especially Adrian (from Scotland) who at the time was a source of drunken comic relief. I did it again with Monster Nation, and I need to do it one last time.
It's tough, though. There are so many people who have contributed to the trilogy in one way or another. So many who encouraged me or threw a little money in the tip jar or just came by and read a few chapters and emailed to say they liked it.
I'd like to say thank you to all those people by name, but I can't. I literally can't keep track of everyone who helped me out along the way, there have just been too many of you. So if your name doesn't appear below, please, know how grateful I really am for all your help and support. It made all the difference.