The process of producing a book is a lengthy one. Even as an author you’re not really ever quite sure when it’s out in the world. My author copies of The Wicker Man have arrived. The release date is set for August and the publication date is September 1. Still, it’s out there somewhere in the world at the moment. The release date of the book is generally the date that stock arrives in the warehouse. The book is technically available on the release date, but the publication date isn’t until two-to-four weeks later. The publication date is when a book is fully stocked at the warehouse and is available in all channels (Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Bookshop, and your independent local bookstore). Chances are you won’t find this book, being a university press book, in your local, but it can be ordered now. Even in July.
This is a short book, so I don’t want to write too much about the contents here—then you might have no reason to buy a copy! In brief, though, I can say that it explores The Wicker Man through the lens of holiday horror. Not a lot has been published on the sub-genre of holiday horror. In general publishers tend to be reluctant about holiday books—the perception is that they sell only seasonally (if my buying patterns are taken into account, that’s clearly not true). Movies, however, can be watched at any time. The Wicker Man is about May Day but it was filmed largely in November and was released in the UK in December of 1973 (fifty years ago), and in the United States in August of 1974. People see it when it’s offered. (Of course, video releases have changed all that.)
The movie has grown in stature over the years. It appears in many pop culture references and even those who aren’t fans of horror have often heard of it. There’s been quite a bit of buzz about John Walsh’s book on the movie, to be released in October. (Of course, it is distributed by Penguin Random House. I’m learning about the importance of distribution the more I delve into the publishing realm.) My book has a more modest release and a slightly smaller sticker price (unless you go for the hardcover, then I’m right up there with university press prices). I thought readers might like to know it now exists. This writer, in any case, is glad to hold a copy and see the fruits of a few years’ labor, whenever it might come.