<strong>I’m getting near the end of my signing tour for ZOMBIE CSU.  Along the way I’ve hit several independent bookstores, and that’s always a lot of fun.  Indie stores are different from the chains in a lot of important ways.

First, they really know their customers.  There’s more of a conversational back-and-forth between Indie store owners & staff and their regular customers.  Which leads to a second and very important difference –since they know their customers they know what they like.  These stores often have a lot of specialty stuff on their shelves that you won’t find anywhere else.

Good example… my second novel, DEAD MAN’S SONG, sold out of its first print run.  All of the major chains (including Amazon) are out of copies, but you can find new, signed copies at some of the indies, including:

DOYLESTOWN BOOKSHOP (Doylestown, PA) http://www.doylestownbookshop.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

BETWEEN BOOKS (Claymont, DE)  http://www.betweenbooks.com/

CLINTON BOOKSHOP (Clinton, NJ)  http://clinton.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

These stores support writers and their honor readers.  And as a writer AND a reader, I love 'em.

Check ‘em out!   And…support your local independent book store.

-Jonathan
www.jonathanmaberry.com </strong>

Tags: bad moon rising, cryptopedia, dead man's song, ghost road blues, independent bookstores, vampire universe, zombie csu

WHEN WARPED MINDS MEET

One of the things I love best about the writing biz is the ‘author appearance’. Whether it’s a book signing, a lecture, a panel discussion, or a reading, I love either being in the crowd to meet one of my favorite authors or being the author sitting there at the table.

This weekend I’m going to get a chance to do a little of both.

Tonight my good buddy Jon McGoran will be signing books at the Doylestown Bookshop (Doylestown Bookshop; www.doylestownbookshop.com; 16 S Main St; Doylestown, PA 18901; 215/230-7610 ). Jon writes terrific forensics mysteries under the pen name of D. H. Dublin. His first book, BLOOD POISON, introduced rookie forensic investigator Madison Cross and it was one of these debut books that make it clear to anyone that this guy is going to have a real career: long, varied and interesting. His second book, BODY TRACE, just confirms what the rest of knew all along. It’s just as good and maybe even a little bit better. Come on up to Doylestown and meet this guy.

Then tomorrow I’ll be doing a reading and signing at Between Books; 2703 Philadelphia Pike; Claymont, DE 19703; www.betweenbooks.com; 302/798-3378. This is one of the best genre bookstores in the country. I always have a good time at the store. Aside from a great place for an author to meet readers it’s always my favorite place to shop for horror and SF, though like all good independent stores it carries just about everything of all genres.

The real jazz in these events, whether I’m there as reader or author is that everyone there has a shared love of books. Books of all kinds, and nowhere is that more clearly celebrated than at independent bookstores. The staff KNOW books and the LOVE books. You can talk books all day long.

Come on out and join us!

Tags: book signing, bookstore, d h dublin, independent bookstores, jon mcgoran, jonathan maberry, readers