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Blockade Billy
Cemetary Dance has announced the imminent publication of a new Stephen King novella, Blockade Billy.
Price in the US is $25 with $12 shipping.
According to stephenking.com, publication is mid-April 2010.
Here's the promotional page:
http://www.stephenking.com/promo/blockade_billy/
John
Blockade Billy
a brand new, original novella by Stephen King!
For A Limited Time Only:
Receive An Authentic Blockade Billy Baseball Card With Your Order!
Hi Folks!
Cemetery Dance Publications is pleased to announce Blockade Billy by Stephen King, an original, never-before-published novella that only the King of Horror could have dreamed up! Even diehard baseball fans don't know the true story of William Blakely, but in just a few weeks you'll be holding this dark tale in your own two hands so you can read it for yourself.
That's right! This Cemetery Dance exclusive trade hardcover edition is already rolling at the printer and will be arriving at our warehouse in mid-April. This beautiful hardcover edition also features stunning cover artwork by Glen Orbik and eight gorgeous pieces of interior artwork by Alex McVey.
About the Book:
Even the most diehard baseball fans don't know the true story of William "Blockade Billy" Blakely. He may have been the greatest player the game has ever seen, but today no one remembers his name. He was the first — and only — player to have his existence completely removed from the record books. Even his team is long forgotten, barely a footnote in the game's history.
Every effort was made to erase any evidence that William Blakely played professional baseball, and with good reason. Blockade Billy had a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse... and only Stephen King, the most gifted storyteller of our age, can reveal the truth to the world, once and for all.
This original, never-before-published novella represents Stephen King at his very best, and this Cemetery Dance hardcover edition brings it into print for the very first time.
A Few Words from Stephen King on Blockade Billy:
"I love old-school baseball, 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."
Special Bonus With Your Order!
For a very limited time only, we'll be including an authentic William "Blockade Billy" Blakely baseball card with every copy of the trade hardcover edition we ship. Just place your order through our website and we'll do the rest!
Important Note #1:
This novella is not scheduled to be reprinted in King's new collection due out this fall, and we're only printing a small number of first edition copies compared to what Stephen King's New York publishers print for a brand new book. We'll be filling direct orders first and then distributors, online stores, and the chains if there are copies left available after we've taken care of our regular customers. Please order directly through our website to guarantee yourself a copy.
Important Note #2:
Please use our website store to place your order for this title. Phone and email orders probably won't get processed for several weeks due to the influx of orders, emails, and media inquiries we're currently handling. If you have questions about this title, please visit the FAQ before you contact us.
Important Note #3
Although our server company is well prepared for today's announcement, there is a chance the webstore might not be able to handle all of the traffic. If the site or store crashes while you're attempting to place your order, please wait 10 minutes before returning to the store to try again. Clicking reload multiple times will only make the problem worse. Thank you for your patience.
Deluxe Signed Special Edition:
Lonely Road Books, the publisher of Dark Forces: The 25th Anniversary Special Edition and Riding the Bullet: The Deluxe Special Edition, will be publishing a deluxe signed edition of Blockade Billy, but official details won't be announced until closer to the publication date. Sign-up for the Lonely Road Books mailing list, or follow them on Twitter or Facebook, if you want all of the details when that edition is announced.
Click here to read more or to place your order while supplies last!
Or click here to visit BlockadeBilly.com!
Price in the US is $25 with $12 shipping.
According to stephenking.com, publication is mid-April 2010.
Here's the promotional page:
http://www.stephenking.com/promo/blockade_billy/
John
Comments
BALTIMORE, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- 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."
Please visit http://www.BlockadeBilly.com or http://www.CemeteryDance.com for more information.
Shipping is the standard $7.
SPOILERS below
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)
[Page 50]. Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
Blockade Billy proof back:
Blockade Billy proof card:
Blockade Billy proof publisher's letter:
John
Per Scribner
Our Price: $14.99
Scribner, May 2010
Paper Over Board, 144 pages
ISBN-10: 1451608217
ISBN-13: 9781451608212
Lilja
Thanks!
Lilja
Also, read Lilja's interview with Rich Chizmar.
John
John
Kindle customers can now download Stephen King’s “Blockade Billy” and begin reading in under 60 seconds
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced that the new novella by bestselling author Stephen King, “Blockade Billy,” is now available in Amazon’s Kindle Store (www.amazon.com/kindlestore) for $7.99. The Kindle Store now includes over 480,000 books and the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read, including New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases. Over 1.8 million free, out-of-copyright, pre-1923 books are also available to read on Kindle, including titles such as “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Treasure Island.”
“We’re excited to be able to offer our customers Stephen King’s new novella in the Kindle Store, especially after seeing customer enthusiasm for King’s Kindle-exclusive novella ‘UR,’” said Melissa Kirmayer, Director, Kindle Content. “’Blockade Billy,’ a shorter format book with a limited physical print run, is not only a great example of the publishing freedom Kindle allows writers, but also the rich content Kindle customers can find in the Kindle Store.”
“Blockade Billy” tells the story of William “Blockade Billy” Blakely. He may have been the greatest baseball player the game has ever seen, but today no one remembers his name. He was the first—and only—player to have his existence completely removed from the record books. Even his team is long forgotten, barely a footnote in the game’s history. Blockade Billy has a secret darker than any pill or injection that might cause a scandal in sports today. His secret was much, much worse… and only Stephen King can reveal the truth to the world, once and for all. Publishers Weekly writes of the book: “As King’s fiction goes . . . a deftly executed suicide squeeze, with sharp spikes hoisted high and aimed at the jugular on the slide home.”
The Kindle edition of “Blockade Billy” features both the cover illustration by Glen Orbik and the interior artwork of Alex McVey from the limited-edition hardcover published by Cemetery Dance Publications.
Stephen King has written more than 40 books, including “Misery,” “The Green Mile,” “Cujo,” “IT” and “Carrie.” He is the winner of numerous awards, including the Bram Stoker Award, O. Henry Award, Horror Guild Award and was the 2003 recipient of the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters.
“Kindle is a great way for authors to make different lengths of their writing available and to reach diverse audiences with their work,” said Stephen King. “I’m excited to be able to offer ‘Blockade Billy’ in the Kindle Store.”
Kindle is in stock and available for immediate shipment today at www.amazon.com/kindle.
Simon & Schuster has announced a new contest open to US residents in the 50 states and District of Columbia who are 18 or older which will run from June 11th-30th. Ten winners will receive a limited edition Blockade Billy poster, a copy of Blockade Billy, and a copy of Under the Dome.
Twenty runners up will receive a limited edition Blockade Billy poster and a copy of Blockade Billy.
For more information about the contest, rules, and to enter, click here.
Excerpts:
“My mother worked in the Stratford (Conn.) laundry on the mangler,” King wrote in an e-mail message. “Most of the crew was African-American, and they all rooted for the Dodgers. My mom became a Dodgers fan, too, and even went — on a bus trip, I think — with the other ‘girls’ (her word) to see the Bums play at Ebbets.”
King spent two weeks writing “Blockade Billy” and a third week polishing it. With its Norman Rockwell-like cover illustration, “Blockade Billy” first appeared in April in an edition from Cemetery Dance Publications; it was packaged by Scribner last month with a story published last July in Esquire.
“Baseball fiction is hard,” he wrote in the e-mail message. “There’s 25 guys on a major league squad!”
But Billy’s darkness is not as frightening as many of King’s characters.
“At least Steve avoided turning him into a vampire,” [King's agent] Verrill said.