Letters From the Labyrinth 438
Number Three
So, THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND, edited by myself and my pal Christopher Golden, pretty much dominated the sales charts this past week.
But what does it actually mean to debut at number 3 on the New York times bestseller list, as well as taking the number 1 spot in several Amazon categories, and appearing in the Top Ten on most of the other big bestseller lists?
Well, it means you sold a lot of books. And what happens when you sell a lot of books?
Well, your parents will agree that it is cool, but will follow that up with "Did you see Obama recommended a book by your friend Stephen Graham Jones? Don't you know Obama? How come he doesn't recommend your books?" And your kids will still treat you with an equal mix of embarrassment and annoyance, sometimes sprinkled with love. And your email, social media, DMs, voice mail, and text messages -- which were already an absolute tire fire -- will become so unmanageable that you will stand over the river with both your cell phone and your laptop and seriously, seriously consider tossing them both in, faking your death, and reinventing yourself as a forest ranger in some small Northwestern town where nobody reads, or if they do read, they're certainly not reading you. And you will get ahead on those bills you were past due on, but with the knowledge that eventually, they'll probably be past due again.
But you will enjoy it for one day -- long enough to finally pull the trigger on buying that Xbox Series X you've been wanting for a while, and also one of these.
And I also upgraded my hermit crab’s enclosure and as I transferred each one of them over, I sang “Well, we’re moving on up, tooo the East Side, to a deluxe apartment in the skyyyy…”
Okay, but seriously. All joking around and sarcasm aside -- one thing I have learned over my thirty years of writing professionally is that the hard work doesn't stop. Each book and story sale should be celebrated. Each literary award and fan interaction and glowing review and celebrity endorsement and bestseller placement is a cause for joy. But the next day, you HAVE to get back to it.
Why?
Because those moments will not last. Life is change. Also, everything in life is cyclical, and that includes our industry and our genre. You will have high moments. You will have low moments. Things will change again and again and again.
The only thing that remains a constant is the work. The writing. You busted your hump when you were starting out. If you're doing it right, you're still busting your hump on the way out.
Writers write.
That’s the only thing that doesn’t change. Writers write, until they can’t anymore.
Sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone who has purchased a copy of the book and made it so successful. If you haven’t yet gotten your copy, here are some handy links:
Hardcover:
Amazon - B&N - BAM - Waterstones - Overlook - Target - Bookshop.org - Hudson
eBook:
Kindle - Nook - Kobo - Apple
Audiobook:
Audible - Apple - Libro
Good morning. If you’re wondering what on Earth is happening right now, I’m Brian Keene and this is Letters From the Labyrinth — a long-running newsletter for fans, friends, and family. Previous issues can be read here.
On this week’s episode of my new podcast, KEENEVERSATIONS, Somer Canon joined me for a conversation about determination in the face of adversity, her incredibly bad luck with publishers, Imposter Syndrome, and the personal triumph that comes after it all with the release of THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN KING'S THE STAND. The episode is available here.
And over on YouTube this past week, I posted two new videos — me reading BRIAN KEENE’S GIANT-SIZED MAN-THING (from the forthcoming Why I Love Horror) and a new new episode of SECRET HISTORIES, focusing on CLICKERS III. You can find those here.
A reminder that on Tuesday September 9th from 7pm to 8pm, myself, Somer, Chuck Wendig, and Richard Chizmar will be doing a signing and Q&A at Midtown Scholar 1302 North 3rd Street Harrisburg, PA, 17102. This is a ticketed event. Doors will open at 6:00pm, and the event will begin at 7:00pm. This event will be live-streamed. Every live-stream ticket includes a signed copy of the book and the live-stream link. The link will be sent at least 24 hours before the event begins. Please check your spam folder if you do not receive the link in time. The books will be shipped via USPS Priority. U.S. addresses only. Please include your shipping address at checkout.
Currently Watching: Daredevil Born Again (Disney+) and South Park season 27 (Paramount+)
Currently Reading: Zothique: The Final Cycle by Clark Ashton Smith
Currently Listening: Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2 by Helloween, “Old School” by John Conlee, and Gold by ABBA
Oddly, I’m finding that Clark Ashton Smith’s stuff doesn’t hold me the way it did when I was younger. I seem to have less patience for those unique but — at times — laborious digressions, no matter how beautifully written they are. I find the same to be true for Dunsany. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe it’s just a phase. But of all CAS’s work, I do love the Zothique stuff the most. Weird fantasy at its finest.
As you are reading this, Mary, myself, and my oldest son (who works with the public and sometimes gets asked if he is my son and tells people he is not because that weirds him out) are on the road to West Virginia to visit my grandmother, who is now two and a half months shy of turning 100. It will be a very quick trip, but I feel it is important that both of them get to visit with her. (I took my youngest son to visit earlier in the summer, and I have made sure to visit with each trip southward).
And that does it for this week. Thanks, as always, for reading. See you back here next Sunday.
Thanks so much for the link, it will be exciting to take part in the live stream! Looking forward to it and my copy, best to all for continued success! May we all keep embarrassing our kids ;)
I am currently at the South Indian River Inlet in Delaware and The End of the World as We Know It is this week’s read. Just got started on it yesterday. Sooooo good!!!