The day is upon us when The Staircase In The Woods achieves its ultimate kind, which is to say, commerce paperback. (Okay, no, I don’t actually know if it’ll be its ultimate kind — I solely imply, when this occurs, the hardcover version phases out, and the paperback version turns into the dominant version they reprint so long as stated reprinting is deserved.)

Let’s simply get procurement portals out of the way in which now —

First, if you need a signed and personalised copy from me whereupon I offer you your VERY OWN LIMINAL ROOM AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRCASE, hey, you’ll be able to order a duplicate from Doylestown within the subsequent few days and I’ll be signing and getting these shipped out subsequent week.

There’s additionally your native indie, or bookshop-dot-org as choices.

For the paperback, there’s additionally AMZ, B&N, Powells, BAM, and naturally in audio and book the e-book continues to be present in any respect the anticipated locations.

And all that being stated —

Perhaps as an alternative you simply wanna come discover me and seize the e-book at The Twisted Backbone this Thursday the fifth, the place I’ll hang around with Clay McLeod Chapman. (Particulars right here.) Orrrrr Thursday the twenty sixth the place I get to hold with Eric LaRocca at Thrillerdelphia for his latest, Wretch. (Deets right here.)

It’s taken some time to get to paperback launch, partly as a result of the hardcover bought very effectively. I’ve talked about this earlier than, and I say it to not brag, however in hardcover it’s bought greater than the total present HC + PB runs of Wayward and Black River Orchard. (Er, not mixed.) One thing about this e-book is hitting with individuals, and I feel it’s a polarizing learn for some people, and I feel that was true of this e-book’s non secular cousin, The Guide of Accidents, too. (If TBOA was about household, TSITW is about friendship. They usually’re each ostensibly very indirect seems to be at The Haunted Home style.)

It’s been a pleasant journey with this e-book — although I don’t know that I’ve had any actually not-nice journeys with a e-book, barring possibly the Star Wars books, and maybe the frustration that Wayward didn’t fairly get there when it comes to gross sales and even consciousness ranges. Staircase has lived life up to now and I hope it retains attending to stay that life — I’ll admit a small little sad-face-emoji that it didn’t get love on the Stokers this yr, however that’s simply me feeling Peppermint Petty, as a result of the books that did get acknowledged are past deserving. (And I’ll additional admit that my sad-face-emoji turns to the angry-face-emoji once I see that books like When The Wolf Comes Dwelling, Coffin Moon, Victorian Psycho, Vanishing Daughters, Bat Eater, At Darkish I Develop into Loathsome, Crafting for Sinners, all did not get noms, however that’s life within the huge metropolis, and you must take a look at all these novels ASAFP.)

I’ve had many people ask me a couple of sequel to this e-book, and I’ll say there are not any plans for one — whereas there’s a type of open door on the finish of this, I do suppose the story for our characters concludes, and sequels to books like this simply don’t hit within the market the way in which I’d hope. (See: Wayward.) That stated, if one thing actually tickles me, I’d contemplate it.

I’ll be aware that I’ve had in thoughts for yr or extra now a e-book that truly gathers numerous characters from my different books — Miriam Black’s daughter, Lulu; Oliver, from TBOA; a personality from Staircase that I received’t point out; Pete Corley from Wanderers/Wayward — and form of sends them on a wierd journey collectively, type of an oops our universes discarded us and now we’re right here factor, with an excellent evil to confront in a mad world. That’s a maybe-one-day factor, however I can’t think about there’s a marketplace for it or that my writer could be scorching to trot for it.

Within the meantime, there miiiiight be some free little threads — like diaphanous spider strands, drifting on the wind — catching on the story in The Calamities and forming a brand new, gleaming internet.

(That e-book is popping out in August, and you must undoubtedly preorder a duplicate by means of Doylestown Bookshop, and I’ll signal and personalize it and let you know who the ancestor is of your fiendish demonic brood, you realize, for funsies.)

Ooh, one final piece of trivia —

So, this e-book has been dwelling in my mind for a very long time — lots of my books do this, and I usually be aware that when I’ve concepts I usually attempt to chase them away, and it’s those that maintain fucking pestering me that get written down. And this explicit concept is definitely the very first one which begins my Notes-app BOOK IDEAS file I’ve been sustaining for years and years — and so when it got here time to pitch a brand new center grade e-book, I pitched Staircase first as a center grade e-book. I do know. I do know. I aged down the characters to middle-grade, and there was no “grown-up” element (i.e. the POV that dominates this e-book now), and I pitched it and my editor was like ha ha what the fuck that is too darkish, no, nooo, no no no, and so we ended up with Monster Film! as an alternative — and that turned a form of non secular cousin to this e-book, in its personal manner. Books about friendship and worry! I feel should you learn each you’ll discover some connective tissue.

However someplace out there’s an alternate universe the place this e-book was…

For children.

*shudder*

Anyway! Paperback is out!

Inform your mates!

Inform your loved ones!

Use it to torment your foes!

And should you’ve learn the e-book, please depart a overview in a good overview receptacle, thanks.

OKAY COOL, ENJOY THE BOOK, LOVE YOU, BE SAFE AND SANE OUT THERE, BYE

p.s. the e-book additionally comes out within the UK on Thursday the fifth, the place it was a Sunday Occasions Bestseller (!?) — cowl right here: