News & F.A.Q.
Updated: 10/01/2011
- News - Recent and upcoming publications.
- Newsletter - Sign up to stay informed about current releases.
- Appearances - Where Joe will be.
- F.A.Q. - Questions about the books, ebooks, sequels, movies, and contacting Joe.
News
Burners, a short novel featuring Jack Daniels and Henry Perez's reporter Alex Chapa (Floaters, Killing Red, Mourn the Living) is currently available in ebook. The paper version is coming soon.
Exposed, the prequel to Flee (co-written by Ann Voss Peterson) is now available wherever ebooks are sold.
The paper version of Stirred will be released on February 21, 2012.
This novel was co-written with Blake Crouch, and is the final book in the Jack Daniels series. It also concludes Crouch's Andrew Z. Thomas/Luther Kite trilogy (Desert Places, Locked Doors, Break You) and serves as a finale to the story of Lucy and Donaldson (Serial Killers Uncut.) While reading the previous seven Jack Daniels novels, Crouch's trilogy, and Serial Killers Uncut will enhance the fun of reading Stirred, Stirred can also be enjoyed without any prior knowledge of either author's work.
Upcoming projects include several sequels to Draculas (Draculas 2, Mummies, Werewolves), a sequel to The List and Origin (The Nine), and a third entry in the Codename: Chandler series called Spree (the sequel to Flee and Exposed.)
Timecaster Supersymmetry, featuring the grandson of Jack Daniels and Harry McGlade III, will be released during the 2012 summer season, under the name Joe Kimball.
Newsletter
Sign up for the newsletter. A few times a year I pick random people to give free stuff to. It could be you.
You can also download previous newsletters:
Newsletter #1 |
Newsletter #2 | Newsletter #3 | Newsletter #4 | Newsletter #5
Newsletter #6 | Newsletter #7 | Newsletter #8 | Newsletter #9
Appearances
4/11 - 4/15 2012 - Romantic Times Convention
This takes place in Chicago. I'll be there with Blake Crouch doing a presentation about the future of ebooks.
F.A.Q.
Q: Is Stirred really the last Jack Daniels book?
A: I've gotten a lot of email about this, and I'm flattered that Jack has so many fans. The eighth Jack book, Stirred, was written with my friend Blake Crouch, and is meant to be the conclusion to the series. It is also the finale to his Luther Kite/Andrew Z. Thomas trilogy, Desert Places
While I have no plans to write a ninth Jack Daniels novel, Jack appears in a lot of my other work, including some upcoming projects. She's in Shot of Tequila, Floaters, The List, Burners, Flee, Spree, Planter's Punch, Timecaster Supersymmetry, and Babe on Board.
Also, I never say never. I have a feeling Jack Daniels will be around for a while...
Q: What order should the Jack Daniels books be read in?
A: The books can be read in any order–it really doesn't matter where you start the series. Several characters in the series also appear in non-series titles. Here's the basic order they go in, along with the time they take place and the continuing cast of characters they feature.
- Shot of Tequila
by J.A. Konrath (1991, Jack Daniels)
Desert Places
Locked Doors
Whiskey Sourby J.A. Konrath (2004, Jack Daniels, Alex Kork)
Bloody Maryby J.A. Konrath (2005, Jack Daniels)
Rusty Nailby J.A. Konrath (2006, Jack Daniels, Alex Kork)
Dirty Martiniby J.A. Konrath (2007, Jack Daniels)
Serial Killers Uncutby Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn, and J.A. Konrath (1978–2010, Jack Daniels, Luther Kite, Taylor, Mr. K)
Afraid
Jack Daniels Storiesby J.A. Konrath (2004–2010, Jack Daniels)
Fuzzy Navelby J.A. Konrath (2008, Jack Daniels, Alex Kork)
Cherry Bombby J.A. Konrath (2009, Jack Daniels, Alex Kork)
Trappedby Jack Kilborn (2010, Taylor)
Shakenby J.A. Konrath (2010, Jack Daniels, Mr. K, Luther Kite)
Stirred by Blake Crouch and J.A. Konrath (2011, Jack Daniels, Luther Kite)
Jack also has a cameo in The List, and she appears in the novellas Floaters and Burners (co-written with Henry Perez) and Planter's Punch (co-written with Tom Schreck.) Jack's good buddy Harry McGlade also has his own novel, sort of, called Banana Hammock, and he appears in the novellas Suckers (co-written with Jeff Strand) and Babe on Board (co-written with Ann Voss Peterson).
Q: Why have you chosen to self-publish so many of your books?
A: While I love bookstores, and the tradtional publishing world, I've discovered that I can have greater control over my work, and make more money, by releasing my ebooks and print books on my own. This also means I can write more novels and stories per year. Here is a list of my self-published titles. The majority of them are available in all ebook formats (Kindle, Sony, Nook, Kobo, Borders, Diesel, iPod, iPad, iPhone, Android), and as print books through Amazon.com.
- Disturb
- The List
- Trapped
- Endurance
- Shot of Tequila
- Jack Daniels Stories
- Horror Stories
- Crime Stories
- Serial Uncut
- Draculas
- Planter's Punch
- Suckers
- Floaters
- 65 Proof - Jack Daniels and Other Thriller Stories
- The Newbie's Guide to Publishing
- Banana Hammock - A Harry McGlade Mystery
Q: Can I buy ebooks directly from you?
A: Yes you can. My ebooks are available as automatic downloads on this website, on the Ebook Store page. They have no DRM, and come in four formats: epub (Sony, Nook, Kobo, others), prc (Kindle), pdf, and doc. You can print them, and share them if you want to.
Q: Why aren't there print versions of some of your ebooks?
A: If they aren't in print yet, they soon will be. The Newbie's Guide to Publishing will never be in print, because it would be over 1000 pages long. I have a collection called 65 Proof, which contains sixty-five of my short stories. The only things you can't get in print right now are Babe on Board, Wild Night is Calling, and Exposed, but those will be released in an upcoming collection.
Q: Who is Jack Kilborn?
A: Jack Kilborn is a pen name of mine, used for my horror novels and stories. So far Kilborn is responsible for these thrillers:
Q: Who is Joe Kimball?
A: I'm Joe Kimball. That's my pen name for a science fiction series I'm doing for Ace. The first book, Timecaster, is sort of a Buck Rogers type of novel, with lots of sex and violence and even Harry McGlade. (The hero of Timecaster is Jack Daniels's grandson.) The sequel, Timecaster Supersymmetry, will be out during the 2011 holiday season.
Q: You've had a lot of success with ebooks. Should I forsake finding an agent and a print deal and release my book as an ebook?
A: I get asked this a lot. In the past, I used to say the way to make a living and reach the most people is to find an agent and get published tradtionally.
Here's the blog post that explains why I changed my mind. In short: Yes, you should self-publish.
You can upload your ebooks for free, set your own price, and they'll upload them to Amazon, B&N, Sony, Apple, etc. I recommend keeping your price under $3. I also recommend using pros to do the art and formatting. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars for cover art, a few hundred for ebook formatting, and a few hundred for print formatting.
My cover artist is Carl Graves at Extended Imagery.
My ebook formatter is Rob Siders at 52 Novels.
My print book formatter is Cheryl Perez at You're Published.
To upload your ebooks to Smashwords, visit www.Smashwords.com.
To upload your ebooks to Amazon, visit dtp.amazon.com.
To upload your print books to Createspace, visit www.Createspace.com.
To upload your ebooks to Barnes & Noble, visit pubit.barnesandnoble.com.
Q: You used to have several free ebooks on your website. Why did you take them down?
A: All of the ebook retailers who sell my books (Amazon, Sony, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Borders, etc.) price match with other places online. If one sells for cheaper, or gives away ebooks for free, the others follow suit. Since I now make my living as an ebook writer, if every retailer gave away my books to match the freebies on my website, I'd have no income.
That said, it's pretty easy to find pirated copies of my ebooks. I don't mind being pirated at all, so if you find some of my ebooks online for free, go for it.
Q: Will you do a sequel to THE LIST? Will you do a sequel to ORIGIN?
A: Again, I'm flattered people are enjoying my early technothrillers, which are available for cheap wherever ebooks are sold, and in print on Amazon or on this website. Those who have read these ebooks know they've never been traditionally published. These were the books that helped me land my agent, but they never sold.
It seems pretty silly to write a sequel to books that never sold. And yet, I do have an idea that would serve as a sequel for both THE LIST and ORIGIN. It's called THE NINE, and would feature characters from both novels. I don't know when I'll have time to work on this, but I do plan on writing and releasing it by 2012.
Q: Will there be any movies based on any of your books?
A: My novel AFRAID is currently under option, as is my novella SERIAL.
Options for my other books are currently available. Contact my agent, Jane Dystel, if you'd like to make an offer.
Q: I read you sent 7000 letters to libraries, signed at 600 bookstores in one summer, toured 100 blogs in a month, and got over 500 rejections before you sold your first book. Those numbers are insane. How am I supposed to do that?
A: You don't have to. You should never compare yourself to any other writer. We all have our own paths to follow, and we all decide what we can and can't do.
Q: I'm a new writer. Will you critique my story?
A: I'd love to. But I can't. I'm ridiculously busy these days. My advice is to join a writing group. Every big library, bookstore, and college has them.
Q: Why haven't you replied to my email?
A: I read all of my email, but I've reached a point where I get so much of it I'm unable to reply to everyone. If I answered all the questions I received, and thanked every person who said kind words, I wouldn't have any time left over to write. In fact, I'm so behind in my work that I've stopped taking interviews and speaking engagements, and have cut out all traveling.
Let me assure you that I'm grateful for the kind words and offers, and that I'm not trying to be rude. I've toyed with the idea of making my email address unlisted, but I still want people to be able to reach me, even if I'm unable to reply.
So thanks for writing me, and I'm sorry I couldn't respond.