Indie Book Buzz: Quirk Books

It's the return of the Indie Book Buzz here at TNBBC. Over the next few weeks, we will be inviting members of the small press publishing houses to share which of their upcoming releases they are most excited about!

This week's picks comes from Eric Smith,

Social Media & Marketing Coordinator at Quirk Books.

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher
(July 2, 2013)

When this proposal was brought into acquisitions, I couldn’t hide the smile on my face. I may have gasped. It was love at first sight. I wanted us to have this book so badly, and I’m thrilled that we’re publishing it.
The summary? It’s Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, retold in iambic pentameter, the way the Bard would have done it. Loaded with references to the Shakespearian canon, it’s a hilarious, smart read.
I still question how Ian was able to do this. He’s really a master of his art, and I can’t wait for this book to come out. Fun fact, when I met Ian for the first time, instead of shaking his hand like a professional, I high fived him in my office.

We’ve been posting images from the book and just released the book trailer. So for updates, go ahead and like the Facebook fan page for the book. You can also learn more about the book on Quirk’s website.

Countdown City: The Last Policeman Book II by Ben H. Winters
(July 16, 2013)

I still remember the acquisitions meeting when Quirk’s publisher Jason Rekulak brought up The Last Policeman, a series proposal from New York Times bestselling author Ben H. Winters.

When he explained it was a post apocalyptic police procedural (try saying that three times fast, I dare you) that would take place at the end of the world, months before a giant asteroid is set to hit Earth and eliminate life as we know it... well, needless to say, I was really excited.

The first book introduces readers to Hank Palace, a detective who refuses to quit doing his job. His experience navigating the crumbling landscape of a world on the brink of destruction made for one hell of a riveting read, and I loved getting the word out about the book.

Fast-forward a year. The Last Policeman went on to win an Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and has been translated into six languages. And the sequel, Countdown City, is set to hit stores July 16^th. Without dishing out any major spoilers, the second book picks up where the first left off, and the stakes for Hank are even higher.

If you want a sneak peek of Countdown City, you can check out an excerpt on Quirk’s website here. And if you’re not familiar with the series, read the beginning of the first one on Quirk’s site here.
And be sure to follow Ben H. Winters on Twitter (he’s a great guy), and like the fan page for The Last Policeman on Facebook.

Nick & Tesla’s High Voltage Danger Lab by Steve Hockensmith and Science Bob Pflugfelder
(November 5, 2013)

Quirk’s been venturing into new territory over the past two years, and one of those new places is the world of middle grade books. We started with Tales From Lovecraft Middle School, and now we’re publishing a new series, Nick & Tesla.

The series focuses on two incredibly bright kids, Nick and Tesla, and their adventures living with their zany, mad-scientist-ish uncle while their parents are away. They solve mysteries using the gadgets they build in their lab… and the kicker is the instructions for those projects come with the book! Kids can actually build along with Nick and Tesla (with parental supervision, of course).

Now, one of the great things about working in publishing is every once and a while you get to work with an author you’re already a fan of. Such is the case with the co-author of the book, New York Times bestseller Steve Hockensmith.

Before I came to Quirk, I had read his bestseller Dawn of the Dreadfuls (the prequel to Pride & Prejudice & Zombies), and his Edgar nominated Holmes on the Range books he published with Minotaur Books (check out the series list on Goodreads). He’s a talented writer and a hilarious guy, and I’m really thrilled to be swapping emails and tweets with him all day.

And chances are, you’ve seen Science Bob. Ever watch Jimmy Kimmel? He’s the scientist that pops up and does experiments on the show. Check out this video of him doing science with Kimmel. Cool stuff, right?

Combine Steve and Bob, and you’ve got the perfect team for this series. I can’t wait for it to come out, and for kids to be thrilled by the projects inside.

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Eric Smith is the Social Media & Marketing Manager at Quirk Books, and the author of The Geek's Guide to Dating (Dec 2013). He's hopelessly addicted to good books, bad movies, writing, and video games. You can follow him on Twitter at @ericsmithrocks and Quirk at @quirkbooks.