Yesterday I shared some big news.
THE LIVING is coming November 13.
It looks like this:
You can preorder now.
Ok, now let me tell you a little about what I’m doing here.
I wrote the last sentence of this story in July, 2015. After breaking that massive Pangaea of a book into two smaller continents and exploring them for two more years, I released the first half—THE BURNING WORLD— in early 2017, expecting the conclusion to come out later that year. I had no idea everything was about to fall apart.
For reasons I’ve debated elsewhere, 99% of WARM BODIES fans didn’t come back for THE BURNING WORLD. My publisher dropped me. My financial forecast turned bleak. I sold my house to pay off my debts and found myself literally out on the street, living in my van, a bearded maniac shouting about industry conspiracies and waving THE LIVING at passersby. "YOU MUST READ THE BOOK! THE END IS NEAR!”
I spent a year searching for a publisher with a vision for this story, then gave up on that rusty old machine and started looking for a viable path to independence.
I found that most of the popular self-publishing routes didn’t fit me. They demanded obscene displays of obeisance to Emperor Bezos and other corporate despots—Amazon exclusivity, exploitative profit cuts, and degrading stunts to win the acceptance of algorithms. It felt crass and slimy, like I was sending my beautiful brilliant child to work in a novelty souvenir factory, and after all that humiliation, the paycheck would be so small I might as well not bother.
It might make sense for new authors trying to get started, but I already have readers. I have YOU, the survivors of whatever plague wiped out 99% of my original readership. You're hardy and true and you deserve the best book I can give you. So despite this brave new world of modern indie options…I’m going back to my roots.
I’m printing 3,000 high quality hardcovers at an actual print shop in New York.
I’m signing every copy.
I’m selling them exclusively on my website, where I can include bonus materials—and actually keep some of the money you’re giving me instead of dumping it all into the corporate retail system.
I know some of you hate hardcovers because they're expensive and bulky, but listen. This book is the culmination of 10 years of my life. I bled and sweat and cried over this story. THE LIVING is its finale, and this might be its only edition. I’m not going to end this era with a shoddy Print on Demand paperback that will fall apart in a year. I’m not going to feed it into a machine that will eat up all your money and leave me without the means to keep writing. I want this final moment to be real, tactile, personal, and lasting.
So, a few notes:
You can order the hardcover in almost any country, but shipping outside the US will be tragically expensive.
A paperback with worldwide distribution MIGHT happen someday…but I can’t promise anything, and it wouldn’t be until next spring at the earliest. (And it won’t be signed.)
If money is tight, the ebook is cheap and available everywhere, including Amazon. (But I do make more if you buy it on my site.)
I wish I could make this easier and cheaper for everyone, but this is the only way I can do this book right and still make enough to stay afloat as a writer. In this era of devalued art, many creators are using Patreon or Ko-Fi to keep the work coming. I decided I’d rather take donations in the form of book sales. So...thank you for your support! You are literally keeping me alive. And even more importantly, thank you for coming with me on this crazy 10-year journey. I’m so excited to tell you how it all ends.
-Isaac
