Two reviews of Blockade Billy
Posted: April 20, 2010, 20:39
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GQ
USAToday.
A sidenote: It looks like Scribner will release 500,000 copies of their edition.
GQ
USAToday.
A sidenote: It looks like Scribner will release 500,000 copies of their edition.
NEWS -
GQ
USAToday.
A sidenote: It looks like Scribner will release 500,000 copies of their edition.
My interview with Scott Snyder
Posted: April 20, 2010, 14:55
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Today I'm happy to be able to publish an interview with Scott Snyder, King's collaborator on American Vampire. Blockade Billy hits the UK
Posted: April 19, 2010, 14:40
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NEW NOVELLA FROM STEPHEN KING BOUGHT BY HODDER & STOUGHTON FOR FATHER’S DAY
An explosion of interest across the world in King’s novella, BLOCKADE BILLY, has prompted Philippa Pride, King’s UK editor, to step up to the plate and acquire for Hodder & Stoughton, from Chuck Verrill in the States, UK and Commonwealth rights to the publication – which includes a bonus story, the chilling MORALITY. The story of BLOCKADE BILLY is the baseball story that King has long been asked to write by his fans: ‘Ask no more; this is it,’ King Says. ‘I love old-school baseball, and I also love the way people who’ve spent a lifetime in the game talk about it. I tried to combine those things in a story of suspense.’ The novella tells the story of William Blakely, unknown baseball player for the New Jersey Titans, whose baseball days in the late 50s are relayed in first person narrative to Stephen King by George ‘Granny’ Grantham, who coached third base at the time. Pride commented: ‘It’s another gripping, tale from the master: how does he captivate you so completely from page one and hold you in his brilliantly powerful and dark grip until the last page? He’s just got that inimitable X factor, hasn’t he?’
Hodder will publish in hardback, on 25 May 2010, at £9.99.
An audio version of the book will also be available.
My interview with Richard Chizmar
Posted: April 19, 2010, 13:59
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Richard Chizmar is the founder of Cemetery Dance Publications, who's releasing King’s latest book; Blockade Billy tomorrow. I got a chat with Rich and he told me all about the book, how it happened that CD got to publish it. You can read my interview here.King on Ellroy and Wasson
Posted: April 19, 2010, 09:00
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It's read by Craig Wasson. As it happens, Wasson's just been named the reader of Blockade Billy.
Quotes:
"[Wasson's] a fine actor [...], but a mad hot audio reader."
"Great readers seem to live inside the books they're performing. Wasson is one of those."
Thanks to Willowlove.
Haven starts shooting on April 20
Posted: April 15, 2010, 13:23
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LUNENBURG — The picturesque town of Lunenburg, N.S., is going to be the backdrop for a television series based on the work of horror-writer Stephen King.
Lunenburg will fill in for the fictitious Town of Haven, Maine where the inhabitants have no idea they are descendants of cursed ancestry.
Thirteen one-hour episodes are planned and the pilot for the series is pulling out all the stops for production in order to attract a large audience.
Filming will take place over three days beginning April 20.
The proposed cast includes Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Richard Donat and John Dunsworth.
Thanks to Bev Vincent
Cover for issue #4
Posted: April 15, 2010, 10:09
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Here are the cover for issue #4 of American Vampire.Billy in a Slipcase
Posted: April 15, 2010, 10:07
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Read the complete text
Info about Scribners edition of Billy
Posted: April 14, 2010, 11:31
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Product Details- Scribner, May 2010
- Paper Over Board, 144 pages
- Price: $14.99
- ISBN-10: 1451608217
- ISBN-13: 9781451608212
Latest on Blockade Billy
Posted: April 14, 2010, 10:28
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UPDATE: Stephen and Cemetery Dance have made an arrangement with Scribner to make available a less expensive hardcover edition of Blockade Billy, with an on-sale date of May 25th, the same date the audiobook goes on sale. The Scribner edition will be available in all U.S. and Canadian retail outlets. Both the Scribner book and the Simon & Schuster audiobook will feature a bonus short story ("Morality"). In the meantime, an eBook edition of Blockade Billy should go on sale through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Sony on April 20th.
Remember though that there ARE some difference between this edition and Cemetery Dance's 1st edition. The Cemetery Dance edition...
- has a very limited print run of just 10,000 copies
- is heavily illustrated unlike a standard New York edition
- is shrink-wrapped to protect the book
- includes the Limited Edition William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card, which will never be reprinted
- is beautifully designed with both the collector and general reader in mind
The print run of Cemetery Dance's 1st Edition/1st Printing is about 1/100 of what King's New York publishers print for a new hardcover, making this easily the lowest print run of any new King trade edition since the 1970s!
Richard Chizmar talks Blockade Billy
Posted: April 13, 2010, 22:06
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From CEMETERY DANCE Publisher Richard Chizmar…
First and foremost, I want to say that working on Blockade Billy these past couple months has been one of the most rewarding – and definitely the most fun – experiences I've had in over two decades of publishing. As I noted in the press release, "Stephen King and I have corresponded about baseball and books for almost 20 years now…so to combine the two is a dream come true for me."When Stephen King's agent, Chuck Verrill, emailed last year and told me that Steve thought BILLY would be a good fit for CEMETERY DANCE because he knew how much of a baseball fan I was, I knew this book was going to be something special. But I didn't know the half of it…
If you had told me then that word of our secret, little Stephen King baseball project would end up traveling all over the world, drawing attention from Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Time Magazine, GQ, New York Magazine, ESPN, ABC, Sports Illustrated, Fangoria, PerezHilton.com, Gather.com, The Independent (UK), The Guardian (UK), Reuters, Examiner.com (New York), Publishers Weekly, Publishers Lunch, Shelf Awareness, The Washington Post, LA Times, Bloomberg, The San Francisco Chronicle, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Miami Herald, The Boston Herald, Bangor Daily News, Baltimore Sun, Maryland Daily Record, Sacramento Bee, a newspaper in South Africa, and dozens of blogs and websites…I would have thought that you were crazy.
If you had told me we would end up selling all 10,000 first edition trade copies to individual readers (which is exactly what will happen in the next couple weeks), I would have sworn up and down that you were crazy.
If you had told me Stephen would graciously allow us to reprint another 10,000 copies of the trade edition and all of them would be swallowed up by just libraries (that's right, not a single retail account in the bunch), I would have known that you were crazy.
And, finally…if you had told me that retail demand – make that retail frenzy – for our secret, little Stephen King baseball project (which was always meant to have a very limited printing) would lead to Steve and CEMETERY DANCE working out a deal with Scribner to make Blockade Billy available to all his Constant Readers, I would have asked what planet you were living on... which, incidentally, is exactly what the head buyer at one of the country's biggest booksellers asked Cemetery Dance Marketing Director Brian Freeman when he explained to them that they would not be receiving any copies of our edition of the book!
But Blockade Billy really did take the world by storm, blowing away the expectations of everyone involved – and we're very proud of the role we've played in bringing Stephen King's first baseball story to readers. In just one week our World's First Edition/First Printing will begin shipping…and that's only the beginning. Who knows what kind of news our secret, little Stephen King baseball project is going to generate next.
One For The Road from PS Publishing
Posted: April 13, 2010, 20:49
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Latest on Blockade Billy
Posted: April 9, 2010, 21:46
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Cemetery Dance Publications’ beautiful hardcover of Blockade Billy is a limited edition, and we all know what that means—there won’t be enough copies to go around. Because of high demand from devoted readers and obligations to libraries, and—alas—contrary to pre-order invitations from online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, it won’t be possible to ship copies of the limited edition to retail bookstores. Don’t blame Amazon! Don’t blame Barnes & Noble! Together with Cemetery Dance, Stephen is exploring ways to make the novella available to all his Constant Readers as soon as possible, at least by the time the Simon & Schuster audiobook goes on sale. More definite word on this should come shortly. But if you want that one-of-a-kind authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card which has time-traveled all the way from 1957, place your order online with Cemetery Dance.
Even more Blockade Billy
Posted: April 8, 2010, 23:52
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It has also been revealed that Craig Wasson will narrate the audio edition.
Thanks to Bev Vincent
My review of Blockade Billy
Posted: April 8, 2010, 23:33
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Here are my thoughts on Blockade Billy. The review is free of major spoilers but if you want to stay totally unaware of the books plot, hold on reading it until the book is released (in about 2 weeks). Today Cemetery Dance also released some illustrations from the book. You can see them here.
And here is a Q&A about the book that Cemetery Dance has sent out:
Q: What makes this book collectible?
A: This is the WORLD'S FIRST PRINTING of a brand new book by Stephen King, a must-have for any King collection, and we are printing a tiny fraction of the number of copies a big New York publisher would be printing. There are some collectors who are already speculating this could become the most valuable Stephen King first trade printing since the 1970s because of the very limited print run. We can't say we think they're wrong. When was the last time King let a small press debut one of his new books? There are millions of Stephen King fans and collectors who won't know about this 1st Printing, 1st Edition until it's already gone.
Q: How do you know people aren't hoarding copies now that word is getting around about how limited this book actually is?
A: To prevent hoarders from grabbing up all of the copies to resell later at inflated prices, we've had to place a strict limit of THREE per person or household. If you've already ordered one copy and have decided you want two more, you can do that, but please don't abuse the system. We really want to make sure our limited supply reaches as many different readers/collectors as possible.
Q: I saw someone say this is sounding more like a "Gift Edition" due to the set print run. What does that mean?
A: In a way, they're correct because we ARE only printing a set number. Some of the key features that will make our edition different than the Stephen King books you usually see in stores are:
* a very limited print run, just like our collectible "Gift Editions"
* beautifully designed with both the collector and general reader in mind
* heavily illustrated unlike a standard New York edition
* first printing, first edition is shrinkwrapped to protect your book
* first printing, first edition includes the Limited Edition William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card, which will never be reprinted
Q: Can I see some samples of the artwork?
A: Certainly! There are now artwork samples from Blockade Billy on our website where you can see some of Alex McVey's work and also view more details of the bonus Limited Edition "Blockade Billy" baseball card.
Q: Is that a real baseball card?
A: Yes! This card is designed to mimic the era it came from and was professional printed by one of the leading baseball card printing companies in America. To say more would give away too much about the story, though! The card has a VERY limited printing and we will never print more.
Q: What about the second printing? Will that be available in stores?
A: We were authorized to do a small second printing due to the incredible demand for this title, but as of today we have so many purchase orders for it that we are only going to be able to fill library orders. That means you won't be seeing our special hardcover edition of Stephen King's first-ever baseball story in bookstores anywhere!
Q: What about Amazon or another online store?
A: We will NOT be sending ANY copies of our first OR second printing to Amazon or any of the other big bookstores or distributors for bookstores. Those websites can list any book with an ISBN, and they can offer any discount they want, but that doesn't mean they are getting copies. We are working on a way to fill that demand from booksellers, but it won't be with the 1st or 2nd printing of our collectible hardcover, so this is going to be a rare Stephen King trade edition that is actually worth something to collectors down the road!
Q: Will this novella be included in King's upcoming collection, Full Dark, No Stars?
A: Nope, it will not! At this time there are no plans to include Blockade Billy in any Stephen King collection. And for more information on Full Dark, No Stars, scroll down this newsletter to the next section.
Haven in Europe
Posted: April 8, 2010, 09:13
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Germany's Tele München Group has acquired continental European TV rights to Haven, E1 Entertainment's upcoming drama series based on a novella by Stephen King.
The 13x60' mystery drama, based on King's The Colorado Kid, is due to debut in the US on Syfy channel and on CanWest in Canada, while Universal Networks International has acquired global pay-TV rights beyond these territories, with the exception of Scandinavia.
Thanks to Bev Vincent
Kevin Quigley a busy man
Posted: April 7, 2010, 13:21
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WETWARE: On the Digital Frontline with Stephen Kinga chapbook by Kevin Quigley
About the Chapbook:
Stephen King has long been at the forefront of experimental publishing. As the world grows more digital each day, King has consistently remained on the edge of breakthrough trends and technology, finding new ways to publish and interpret his stories. King's digital journey has been strange and fascinating. Wetware is your guide.
From the prehistory of King’s involvement with digital media such as The Dark Half video game and F13 to his online release of the lost work, The Cannibals, Wetware covers it all — in a concise and engaging pocket history. Explore the controversy surrounding King's online serial publication, The Plant. Relive the groundbreaking excitement of King's landmark e-book publication, Riding the Bullet. If you ever engaged in interactive fiction with The Mist, were intrigued by the Kindle-only release of UR, or terrified by the motion comic N., Wetware is essential reading.
Order WETWARE: On the Digital Frontline with Stephen King here.
My review of...
Posted: April 7, 2010, 13:19
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Here are my review of issue #2 of N..Short review of Blockade Billy
Posted: April 6, 2010, 11:02
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Publishers Weekly Reviews
A quirky baseball player with a past shrouded in secrecy is the tragic hero of this macabre tale from the dark side of the all-American sport. In the voice of George "Granny" Grantham, retired third-base coach of the New Jersey Titans, King (Under the Dome) recalls the spring of 1957, when Billy Blakely, a catcher called up from the Titans' Iowa farm system, helped to boost the team out of the basement and add some excitement to the national pastime. Billy hits with such power and guards the plate with such determination (hence his eponymous nickname) that teammates are willing to forgive such eccentricities as his frequently addressing himself in the third person, or bloodying runners who collide with him. Of course, these kinks are clues to a shocking pathology that King coaxes out in a narrative steeped so perfectly in the argot of the game and the behavior of its players and fans that readers will willingly suspend their disbelief. As King's fiction goes, this suspenseful short is a deftly executed suicide squeeze, with sharp spikes hoisted high and aimed at the jugular on the slide home. (May)
Thanks to Willowlove
King on the Kindle
Posted: April 6, 2010, 10:58
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Billy on audio
Posted: April 5, 2010, 23:50
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Cemetery Dance also tells me that the first edition/first printing with the bonus Blockade Billy limited edition baseball card is now over 50% sold out. This edition will not be in stores so if a collector wants one, they need to order through their website. This first edition/first printing will easily have the lowest first printing of any Stephen King trade edition in a very long time.
Premier set for Haven
Posted: April 4, 2010, 22:53
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American Vampire; issue #2
Posted: April 4, 2010, 22:50
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Thanks to willowlove.
More Blockade Billy
Posted: April 4, 2010, 17:38
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Order here.
Story Titles & Plot Synopses for Full Dark, No Stars
Posted: April 3, 2010, 15:18
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1922
The story opens with the confession of Wilfred James to the murder of his wife, Arlette, following their move to Hemingford, Nebraska onto land willed to Arlette by her father.
Big Driver
Mystery writer, Tess, has been supplementing her writing income for years by doing speaking engagements with no problems. But following a last-minute invitation to a book club 60 miles away, she takes a shortcut home with dire consequences.
Fair Extension
Harry Streeter, who is suffering from cancer, decides to make a deal with the devil but, as always, there is a price to pay.
A Good Marriage
Darcy Anderson learns more about her husband of over twenty years than she would have liked to know when she stumbles literally upon a box under a worktable in their garage.
Order Blockade Billy NOW!
Posted: April 3, 2010, 15:16
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You can order here.
More Haven
Posted: April 1, 2010, 13:36
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Stephen King's novella "The Colorado Kid" is coming to Syfy as Haven, and its leading lady, Emily Rose, recently spilled some beans about the show, which will premiere in July.
"It's definitely based on the characters of 'The Colorado Kid,' but I would say it's about a girl named Audrey [Parker], who's an orphan and becomes an FBI agent," Rose (Jericho, John From Cincinnati) said last week in an exclusive interview at Syfy's upfront session for advertisers in New York. "She ends up getting sent on this case up in Maine. When she goes up there, she kind of starts having these things happen to her, and she sort of starts feeling like she's been called home. Paranormal things happen, and some exciting things happen for her, and it's not only her unraveling this murder case, but kind of unraveling the case of herself, honestly. It's pretty fascinating."
More specifically, Haven is a small town in Maine that is literally a haven for cursed people, many with supernatural powers, and when the curses start kicking in again, it's up to Parker to help put a halt to them. In addition to Rose, the cast includes Lucas Bryant (Odyssey 5, Queer as Folk) as Parker's wry partner, Wuornos, and Eric Balfour (24) as Duke Crocker, a mysterious local.
"She's a strong-willed girl," Rose said of Parker. "In order to identify with her, I have to think, 'What's it like to really not have a family, to not have a place to go home to for Christmas or not have anyone you belong to?' And she ends up finding belonging within the FBI, and that's kind of fascinating to me. That drives her, the mystery of self, the mystery of belonging somewhere."
The show, which has a 13-episode commitment from Syfy, will be executive-produced by the Dead Zone team of Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller, while their Dead Zone partner Scott Shepherd—who also worked on Tru Calling—will serve as show runner. Production on Haven is set to begin soon in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the series should premiere on Syfy this summer.
Haven will represent Rose's first major credit, with her name at the top of the call sheet. It's a challenge she welcomes. "It's a big responsibility," she said. "The great part of that responsibility is that you really get to set the tone for the show. You get to set an excitement to be there at work, to look around you and really rally everyone. It's a huge responsibility, but one I am so excited to take on."
Thanks to Al Mattice.
New book by King released April 20
Posted: March 29, 2010, 18:13
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Cemetery Dance Publications Announces Blockade Billy by Stephen King
Includes an Authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely Baseball Card
BALTIMORE -- March 29, 2010 -- Cemetery Dance Publications, the world’s leading independent publisher of collectible horror and suspense books, has just announced Blockade Billy by Stephen King, an original, never-before-published novella that only the King of Horror could have dreamed up. The Cemetery Dance exclusive hardcover will ship mid-April.
"I love old-school baseball," Stephen King said, "and I also love the way people who've spent a lifetime in the game talk about the game. I tried to combine those things in a story of suspense. People have asked me for years when I was going to write a baseball story. Ask no more; this is it."
Cemetery Dance and Stephen King kept Blockade Billy under tight wraps so it could be a surprise publication for the beginning of the baseball season. Even diehard baseball fans don't know the true story of William Blakely, but in just a few weeks readers will be holding this dark tale in their own two hands.
"As a lifelong baseball fan -- and long suffering Orioles' fan -- I can't think of a better way to open the 2010 season than publishing Blockade Billy," said Cemetery Dance Publisher Richard Chizmar. "Stephen King and I have corresponded about baseball and books for almost 20 years now... So to combine the two is a dream come true for me."
Chuck Verrill, King's agent, said: "Any time a Red Sox fan, an Orioles fan, and a Yankees fan can cooperate on something, the result is bound to be fantastic."
For a very limited time only, Cemetery Dance Publications will include an authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card with every copy of the trade hardcover.
Please visit http://www.BlockadeBilly.com, http://www.CemeteryDance.com or http://www.stephenking.com for more information.
Bryant and Balfour ready for Haven
Posted: March 26, 2010, 22:40
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SYFY'S HAVEN WELCOMES LUCAS BRYANT AND ERIC BALFOURNew York, NY - March 25, 2010 - Lucas Bryant (Queer as Folk, Dollhouse) and Eric Balfour (24, Six Feet Under) have been cast in Syfy's new drama series Haven, based on the novella The Colorado Kid from renowned author Stephen King.
Bryant and Balfour join Emily Rose on the series, which is slated to air on Syfy this summer. Haven follows FBI agent Audrey Parker (Rose), who arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine on a routine case...only to discover that this curious enclave has served as a longtime refuge for people who are afflicted with a remarkable range of supernatural abilities.
Bryant will play Nathan Wuornos, the wry local cop who soon becomes Audrey's partner. Bristling under the thumb of his father, the Chief of Police, Nathan has a quiet, controlled demeanor that often clashes with Audrey's feisty one: a dichotomy that also makes them perfect complements. As events in the town begin to unfold at a surprising pace, Nathan's usual controlled sense of calm is put to the test.
Also among the citizens of this eccentric town is Duke Crocker (Balfour), a charming yet mysterious jack-of-all-trades. Though Duke outwardly appears to be a free spirit who lives an unobtrusive life on his boat, it becomes apparent that his mellow demeanor may conceal a much darker agenda.
Production on Haven is expected to commence in Spring 2010 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.Haven, from E1 Entertainment in association with Pillar, Segan and Shepherd, will be the first property to be produced for Syfy Channel in the US and NBCU Pay channels around the globe (excluding Canada and Scandinavia). The series has been co-commissioned by Syfy with Canwest Broadcasting (Canada). International distribution is handled by E1.
The impressive creative team behind Haven includes showrunner Scott Shepherd (Tru Calling, The Dead Zone) who is joined by E1 Entertainment's John Morayniss (Hung, Copper) Noreen Halpern (Hung, Copper), Laszlo Barna (The Bridge) and Michael Rosenberg (Hung, The Riches) as well as his partners, Executive Producers Lloyd Segan and Shawn Piller (The Dead Zone, Wildfire, Greek). The pilot is written by Sam Ernst (Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) and Jim Dunn (Shrek the Third, The Dead Zone) who will also serve as executive producers on the series.
Thanks to Al Mattice
My review of Soul Survivors
Posted: March 24, 2010, 23:17
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Stand covers
Posted: March 24, 2010, 14:01
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Here are the variant cover for issue #5 of Soul Survivors and issue #1 of Hardcase (the fourth arc).Issue #2
Posted: March 24, 2010, 13:57
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Here are the cover for issue #2 of The Gunslinger.4 covers for UK paperback edition of Under the Dome
Posted: March 24, 2010, 13:12
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Hot on the heels of the news that the creative team at Hodder has won the Book Marketing Society’s Best Campaign Award for Stephen King’s latest hardcover, UNDER THE DOME (published in November, 2009), and nominated as finalist in the Revolution Awards 2010, Hodder is proud to announce plans to take the paperback to an even greater audience when it is published in July.
The strategy behind the summer publication is to generate the excitement usually expected from a major television or film launch, and the campaign is designed to reach a raft of new readers, challenging people’s perception of Stephen King and connecting with an audience usually outside the reading culture.
Hodder are unveiling a radical new package featuring four different covers, each reflecting in a filmic way characters from UNDER THE DOME. The marketing campaign supporting publication will seek to bring to life individuals featured on these covers. Media used will include national outdoor posters, on-line advertising and a dedicated website with stories and recordings from characters in the book. The plan is very much to reach a bigger audience than for any previous King paperback whilst involving the reader in a very personal and intimate way.
UNDER THE DOME is the most successful and biggest selling King hardcover this decade and Hodder expects that their innovative and energetic approach to the paperback will reap similar rewards.
King comments Ullmann
Posted: March 17, 2010, 22:13
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Message from Steve re Ghost Brothers of Darkland County
Liv Ullmann? Probably but don't believe it until you see it here. Remember, stephenking.com is the horse's mouth, the rest is just rumor.
Steve
Thanks to herbertwest
My review of American Vampire
Posted: March 17, 2010, 22:11
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Here are my review of the first issue of American Vampire that was released today.Cover for issue #5
Posted: March 16, 2010, 19:42
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Here is the cover for issue #5 of Soul Survivors.Lilja's Library in July
Posted: March 15, 2010, 22:46
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We're pleased to report that Lilja's Library: The World of Stephen King by Hans-Ake Lilja and illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne is rolling at our printer and is now scheduled for a mid-summer publication date. Also, collectors should take note that the Lettered Edition, which features original artwork by Chadbourne, is almost sold out! Don't wait to order or you'll miss out on that very special edition of this very cool book.
And just to be clear, mid-summer spells J-U-L-Y.
Liv Ullmann to direct Ghost Brothers
Posted: March 15, 2010, 22:37
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Thanks to Anders Jakobson
Two days to American Vampire
Posted: March 15, 2010, 22:19
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Thanks to Maria Pia and herbertwest
Less then 5 copies left
Posted: March 10, 2010, 23:49
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"...a must have for the Constant Reader."— Fangoria #236 (Book of the Month)
Stephen King on the Academy Awards
Posted: March 10, 2010, 23:47
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Thanks to Maria Pia
A new Pet Sematary in the making
Posted: March 5, 2010, 22:54
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Stephen King’s Pet Sematary Movie To Be Resuscitated
Matthew Greenberg, who wrote the Stephen King adaptation “1408,” is heading back to King territory with “Pet Sematary.”
Lorenzo di Bonaventura recently boarded as producer on the long-gestating project, which is set up at Paramount. Steven Schneider also is producing.
Published in 1983, King’s creepy tale centered on a family that trades the city life for the country life in Maine, then discovers that they have moved near a pet cemetery that rests on an ancient burial ground. When the husband’s toddler son is killed in an auto accident, the father takes the boy’s body to the cemetery, where it is resurrected in demonic form.
Paramount brought the book to life in 1989, with a feature version adapted by King that starred Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby and Fred Gwynne.
Film group president Adam Goodman, looking over library titles, deemed it worthy to resuscitate.
Mark Vahradian and David Ready are overseeing for Di Bonaventura Pictures.
Thanks to Anders Jakobson, Larry Fire and Al Mattice
Cover for issue #5
Posted: March 4, 2010, 22:47
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Here is the cover for issue #5 of The Battle of Jericho Hill.It has all led to this: The climactic battle for all the Mid-World marbles! On one side, with their backs to Jericho Hill are Roland, his ka-tet and the surviving members of his father's Affiliation. Arrayed against them, thousands of soldiers and slow mutants armed with the most horrific selection of weapons that the Good Man, John Farson could provide them. A few will live and many will die, and no reader will ever forget the intensity of the struggle or its heart-wrenching outcome. You must not miss the shattering conclusion that will alter the balance of power in Mid-World in unthinkable ways. You have been warned.
Thanks to Sebastian Rahm
Some reviews
Posted: March 4, 2010, 22:42
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Shooter Jennings and Stephen King team for 'Black Ribbons'
Posted: March 1, 2010, 13:11
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The effect of "Black Ribbons" is heightened considerably by King's droll, seemingly off-the-cuff riffs, full of righteous indignation and underlying humor as he rails against mounting government oppression and champions the importance of the voice of the individual to counter it. The album's conceit is that Will O' the Wisp is about to be shut down by the forces of conformity; he's making his last stand playing music by Hierophant, the fictional name Jennings has given the .357s for this project.
"It's a tremendously spooky idea," King, who had admired the .357s music he'd heard, said in a separate interview about his reasons for volunteering his services. "He sent me a draft, and it was just about perfect. I altered a few things and expanded some of it, but he knew exactly what he wanted. . . . To me, it was brilliant, the way the talk and the music weave in and out. I haven't heard the final version, but I heard a rough mix I thought was pretty good, even though I'm not in love with the sound of my own voice."
Not only hasn't King heard the finished version of the album, he and Jennings have never met, nor spoken by telephone. Jennings, a longtime fan of King's writing, originally reached out to the author by e-mail, which is how their whole collaboration was conducted. King recorded his bits at a studio in Florida and sent the digital files back to Jennings, who inserted them into the music he'd crafted at his home and at album producer Dave Cobb's home studio in Silver Lake.
Read the full story here.
Thanks to Bev Vincent
King on music
Posted: March 1, 2010, 13:11
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What scares horrormeister Stephen King?
How about terrestrial radio?
The prolific author has always been a passionate music fan, even moonlighting as a rock star on occasion as a part-time member of Dave Barry’s ad hoc literary rock band, the Rock Bottom Remainders. But over time King found less and less that caught his ears when he would spin the radio dial, which is part of what led him to take on a key role in Shooter Jennings’ ambitious new concept album, “Black Ribbons,” a project that's explored in a full Calendar feature in Saturday's paper.
“I'm a big alt-country fan, but I got to a place in my own musical listening where I was starting to not listen anymore,” King said when he called the other day to talk about volunteering his voice as narrator of Jennings’ atmospheric tale of a late-night radio talk show host who is the last voice of freedom in an increasingly restrictive society.
“I didn’t buy much music anymore, then I got an XM radio and discovered this show, ‘Outlaw Country,’ hosted by Mojo Nixon, and to me that sounded like the way rock 'n' roll used to sound back in the day when I was a kid. It didn’t sound like country, it didn’t sound like rock, it sure didn’t sound like the country that’s on the radio where I come from.”
“Shooter was one of the artists they played, and I liked the thing he was doing, the playfulness of it,” King said. “I still don’t remember how he got my e-mail…but he sent me a note saying ‘I have this idea — would you be interested?’”
“He had visualized the last disc jockey in the world doing this kind of pirate radio thing — he’s going to be shut down, and he knew he was going to be shut down," said King, noting that he owns two radio stations himself: "one rock, one talk." "So on his last show he’s playing cuts from his favorite group, which was this [Hierophant] group Shooter had envisioned, and he’s playing all the songs on their record.... I heard that and said, ‘I want to be part of it.’”
King sounds like he’s having a great time with his role as a deejay named Will O’ the Wisp on “Black Ribbons,” which comes out Tuesday. Jennings, the son of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, had gotten the idea “to make a record that’s carried by one voice,” and as a longtime fan of King’s writings, he quizzed friends and associates for six months until one of them produced an e-mail address so he could send off his pitch.
In fact, the whole collaboration between Jennings and King was conducted by e-mail. The two still haven’t met, or even spoken by phone. “We’ve exchanged pictures of our children and [my] grandchildren,” King said. “I hope we get to meet one of these days.”
Thanks to Bev Vincent
Press release for Full Dark, No Stars
Posted: February 26, 2010, 11:45
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STEPHEN KING HAS MAJOR DARKNESS IN MIND FOR 2010 UNDER THE DOME, published in November 2009, reached more readers then any other King hardback novel published in the UK in the last decade.
Its publication, with a winning marketing campaign, demands a worthy successor for 2010, and Hodder & Stoughton are delighted to announce the acquisition from US agent, Chuck Verrill, of FULL DARK, NO STARS.
The November publication month that has proved so successful for UNDER THE DOME and JUST AFTER SUNSET will again provide a perfect position to launch this volume of four all-new novellas for Christmas 2010.
These darkly thrilling stories are all linked by the theme of retribution, and are a showcase for the power of King’s inimitable imagination – satisfying established readers whilst enticing new ones. Visceral, immediate and featuring just a few characters, this is the other side of King’s writing; contrasting intimate portraits after the huge canvas that was UNDER THE DOME.
For further information about FULL DARK, NO STARS please contact Kerry Hood on 020 7873 6l73. And for more information about Stephen King visit www.hodder.co.uk and www.stephenking.co.uk
Cover
Posted: February 26, 2010, 00:18
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Here is the variant cover for issue #4 of Soul Survivors.Jae Lee steps aside
Posted: February 26, 2010, 00:09
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Jae Lee steps aside for a new artist on the upcoming Gunslinger seriesFebruary 24, 2010 - Marvel is proud to announce that Eisner Award-winning Sean Phillips (Incognito, Criminal, Marvel Zombies) has joined the New York Times best-selling Dark Tower creative team! Philips joins the acclaimed team of Peter David, Robin Furth and Richard Isanove in the select group of creators entrusted by Stephen King himself to bring the adult adventures of his most personal creation to life in Dark Tower: The Gunslinger! Philips exclaims, "Well, I've bought the hat and the gun and holster. And I've got the lead pencil right here that'll do the job!"
Phillips' fellow Dark Tower collaborators couldn't be more pleased with their new teammate. "Here's to the beginning of our new Dark Tower adventure! Sean is a wonderful artist, so I can't wait to see his depictions of Mid-World. We will all miss Jae [Lee], but we're really lucky to have Sean. Peter and Richard will continue their amazing work, so I think Roland is ready to saddle up and move forward to the Mohaine Desert. Readers, bring plenty of sunscreen. You're going to need it" said Robin Furth.
Peter David added, "I'm very much looking forward to seeing Sean's depiction of Mid-World and the superb manner in which he'll be telling Robin's stories. Jae left him sizable boots to fill, but I have every confidence that Sean is more than up to the challenge, and I'm looking forward to dialoguing his peerless pencils."
"The past four years spent in Midworld have been the most enjoyable and creatively fullfiling of my professional life. Jae has taken me further than I thought possible in the artistic field and I am ecstatic to now have Sean along for the ride. I'm sure he'll quickly feel at home within our little functional family, with the wise guidance of Robin, Peter's perfect prose and under Ralph's despotic thumb" explained Richard Isanove.
Ruwan Jayatilleke, Marvel's Senior Vice President, Development & Planning, Print, Animation and Digital Media, said, "Marvel is absolutely psyched to have Sean Phillips join the Dark Tower creative team. Though Jae's artistry will be missed, Sean's gift of phenomenal storytelling and visual fireworks will keep the Dark Tower: The Gunslinger compelling, stunning, and true to its canon. Fans will have much to rave about in the coming months."
A bold new chapter in Stephen King's Dark Tower saga begins in Dark Tower: The Gunslinger #1, as Sean Phillips brings you a vision of Gilead like you've never seen before!
DARK TOWER: THE GUNSLINGER #1 (of 5)
Written by ROBIN FURTH & PETER DAVID
Art & Cover by SEAN PHILLIPS & RICHARD ISANOVE
Variant Cover by JAE LEE & RICHARD ISANOVE
Parental Advisory …$3.99
ON-SALE MAY 2010
Vampre covers
Posted: February 24, 2010, 00:24
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Thanks to Herbert West
