This is a big week for many reasons. If all the promotion surrounding Halloween weren't enough, November 1st marks the beginning of The Dead Travel Fast's three-month tenure as part of Barnes and Nobles' "Discover Great New Writers" series.
Here is a description of the series from the B&N Web site:
Since 1990, a group of Barnes & Noble booksellers has met seasonally to select the best forthcoming new work by debuting and underappreciated writers. Chosen solely on the basis of literary merit, these exceptional books are promoted throughout Barnes & Noble.
I am one of 20 books selected (from the thousands of new books published each season) for the Holiday 2007 series. In short, from now until the end of January, you'll find my book prominently displayed in the front of every B&N store in the country.
Here's a snippet of what the Barnes and Noble selection committee said:
Once in a while (alas, much too infrequently), a smart writer who's passionate about an off-the-wall subject publishes a completely irresistible book. Nuzum's tome yields a fascinating, wholly entertaining investigation of vampires -- both historical and contemporary.
Many fans of the Discover program are also writers, hoping to achieve the same success as that of the writers we select. For those of you who fit that description, The Dead Travel Fast is one book that you'll be delighted to read -- but even happier that you didn't have to travel the path Eric Nuzum took to write it.
You can read the whole thing here (and click on "editorial reviews")
It is quite an exciting thing, obviously. When I was reading at the B&N store in Greenwich Village this week, the woman introducing me made a big deal of this. It was a little embarrassing, but I was quite touched to boot.
Cross-posted on ericnuzum.com.
