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Today’s the big day—the long awaited cover reveal for The Final Book: Gods!
It’s been fun, lots of posts on social networking. Big thanks to Juniper Grove Book Solutions that coordinated a bit of publicity—I was getting tweets all day! I took the book on a road trip across the Southwest and stopped at a bunch of unique spots for a picture–kind of like my version of the traveling gnome. It’s been neat. Kind of different and more fun than just tossing up the graphic.
I’ve been sitting on the cover for more than a year—I knew what I wanted and how it was going to look a long time ago. However, it’s been fun seeing the response. There were probably only 3 or 4 people who had seen the cover prior to today, so I wasn’t sure of what kind of reaction it would get. So far, people seem to really it—the biggest surprise being on the back of the book and that I incorporated Cloe’s letters. Everyone who has read the book absolutely loved that element—they really got excited when they saw her words to Josh, haha. The letters also seemed to generate a lot of interest and intrigue from those who haven’t read the book, so hopefully it hooks them too.
The 12-pointed star on the front is simple, but entrenched with symbolism (just like the entire book); each point representing a pillar of Olympus and Zeus’s Pantheon. The meaning behind the star is quite important to the Gods and shows up several times throughout the book. The magenta glowing ball of light shining through the star is the only part of the front cover that is in color—but works well and really makes things “pop.” The artwork contrasts in such a way that the center of the star actually seems blindingly bright—like you’re staring into the sun and can only look at it for a second. I really like how it came out—it’s a “logo” that can certainly carry the weight of the entire series.
The “dust” around the edges and the swirls in the lower right aren’t just for show—it all ties very closely with key elements and characters. That will make sense when you get into the book, but for the casual observer it adds a feelings of grit and grunge—a bit of dirt to suggest that the Gods aren’t as pristine as one may think—which Dr. Hork would be the first to admit.
It was a bit of a process to create the design. Starting out, I knew I wanted something celestial and I wanted something twelve. Twelve was important. But I also wanted simplicity. I wanted to strip everything away, which is what this book is all about—the foundation of who and what we are.
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A few important dates on the horizon:
Thursday, April 13—Cover Reveal
Sign up for the Facebook Event and be sure to watch the new trailer that premiers alongside the cover reveal!
Thursday, April 20—Goodreads Contest: Signed Advanced Hardcovers
Sign up to win one of ten advanced hardcovers! Get your copy months before the public!
Tuesday, June 13—Release Date, oOoOo!
Pre-orders for Kindle and iBooks will be up soon. Hardcover and Paperback will be available to order on the release date.
June 23-25—Amazing Comic Con, Las Vegas!
Stop by artist alley and say hi—might even get on a panel or two. Can’t wait for the craziness!
Lots happening in the next few weeks—follow me on Twitter and Facebook for updates as they happen. Can’t believe it’s all finally coming together…
Sean
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Lots of big news on the horizon, but here’s what’s been going on:
The Final Book: Gods is complete! I have a hardcover proof in hand. I’m basically just making sure that the dust jacket prints well and that there are no disastrous formatting issues within the text. I have to say, things look good—I’m happy with it! That’s a big admission seeing as I was quite skeptical before holding the physical copy. I think the cover conveys the proper tone, adds a bit of intrigue, but more importantly lets the reader know what they’re getting themselves in for. I suppose you, the public, will be the judge to say if I've accomplished those things—the big cover reveal being just around the corner!
The Final Book: Gods will be available in hardcover, paperback, Apple iBooks, and Amazon Kindle versions.
Next, I’ve been working on the press kit and video promotional trailer. My goal is to have all of these elements complete prior to really beginning any sense of advertising or promotion. I’m basically a one man band here, so it’s a lot of work and I don’t want to promote a release date and then miss it—that would be extremely embarrassing. So, I’m working a bit backwards compared to how normal a normal release would be handled—racing toward a hard deadline—as I’m making sure each version of the book is complete and all of promotional elements have been created prior to announcing the release date. After 6 years of writing, there's no sense in putting out a rushed product just to meet an arbitrary self-imposed deadline.
With that said, my spidy sense is telling me that the book will officially release in June. Advanced copies for review will begin shipping the day of the cover reveal—hopefully within the month.
If you would like an advanced copy for review, please email me: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Beyond that, the calendar is beginning to fill up with Comic Con appearances. I am registering booths, mostly in the Artist Alley areas, at con’s throughout the western states.
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The DC Comics, Dark Horse, and Hachette Book Group editor extraordinaire is currently editing The Final Book: Gods.
I’m very happy—excited really— to announce that Jim Spivey of Working Vacation Studios is editing my sci-fi novel! As many of you know, getting The Final Book to this point has been a long process. Years. However, I couldn’t be more happy with the man smoothing out the edges or more excited for the future.
Jim has had a long career as an editor and has worked on countless fantastic projects. His resume is truly impressive, but more importantly he seems to be the right fit for this book. He’s a nerd in all the good senses of the word and has a passion for mythology and the unconventional. He understands good sci-fi, character development, and compelling writing in a way that I don’t—and I’m so happy he is on my team to bridge that gap.
It has been a nerve-wracking and stressful process getting the book to this point. Not only was finding Jim—someone I feel comfortable turning the book over to—a challenging process, but this is my first “real” effort at a novel. I’m new, I’m making mistakes, and I’m still consumed with paralyzing self-doubt. I know there’s strengths in the book, and I love this book dearly, but I also know there are a lot of weaknesses. I was intimidated to approach Jim with this project because he has worked on so many incredible books, comics, and games—I wasn’t sure if my writing was up to his caliber. I was also afraid that in removing some of these imperfections, the book would lose its soul.
So far, Jim has been nothing but supportive and encouraging—I think of him more as a “coach” rather than an editor.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Mixtape Manifesto: A Pop Culture Confessional
“A compilation of articles spanning more than a decade woven together to create the misguided anti-love story of a young man learning about the opposite sex through music, movies, and television.”
LAS VEGAS, NV, July 13- Music and sports industry professional, SW Hammond, re-releases his debut collection of real life short stories The Mixtape Manifesto: A Pop Culture Confessional as part of Surf Star Media’s ePublishing line.
Originally titled Mojo And The American Female, the new release contains additional articles, photographs, design enhancements, and editing by Susan Helene Gottfried. The eBook underwent significant changes during its conversion to hardcover, constituting an entire new publication. The Mixtape Manifesto: A Pop Culture Confessional will mirror its digital counterpart and provide a seamless experience for readers.
Hammond, while spending more than a decade working for Sony Music Entertainment, Warped Tour, and Major League Baseball, has been documenting and reflecting upon his career and life. The Mixtape Manifesto is a selection of his articles that were contributed to numerous music, athletic, pop culture, and lifestyle publications, along with personal essays and memoirs never before shared with the public.
Raised on rock n’ roll, with a particularly strong affinity for women who rock, Hammond blends an unparalleled view of pop culture and philosophy that follows him from his early twenties through his early thirties. The Mixtape Manifesto is rich with photography capturing Hammond’s days as a tour manager on Warped Tour and working for Sony Music Entertainment, as well as bringing to life the music, movies, and television that has plagued his rational sense of love and relationships. From childhood viewings of Full House leading to his lifelong hatred of John Stamos, his introduction to the Riot Grrrl movement and Kathleen Hanna, and to a questionable infatuation with The OC’s Summer Roberts - each story blends a reflective Kevin Arnold-like inner monolog with Wild Turkey.
The Mixtape Manifesto is the byproduct of one too many romantic comedies. Inspiration, enlightenment, and delusion fuel Hammond’s quest as he searches for a bit of meaning to life and someone to share it with.
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