I need your help on this day in May (see what I did there?).
Do you love libraries and local bookstores? Meeee too!
A bookstore, somewhere, presumably.
I used a new distributor for Social Vampire that makes it easier than ever for the book to hit shelves, but that’s where you come in. If you request it, using the book’s unique title, my unique name, or this unique identifier (ISBN: 1954747055), your favorite book-based location can order the book in at a very favorable rate.
Please let me know if you’re going to bring Social Vampire to your hometown by name-checking it in the comments. I’d love to know how far and wide this book is spreading!
It’s nearly a week since the launch of Social Vampire, contests have started, and the reviews are already coming in:
If you want to catch more contests, keep reading below, and make sure you’re following me on my Facebook author page.
How about a contest for those who follow my blog? Check out the Rafflecopter entry form below, where you can win a $25 Amazon gift card to spend on the Social Vampire deluxe hardcover, paperback, or ebook (and whatever else you’d like!).
Want to know more about the story? Another fun feature you may have missed during the launch week was the audio teaser! My narrator, RC Bray, is working on the full audiobook, but helped me make a trailer for launch.
Lastly, as I continue to try to build buzz over the book launch, I’d like to ask you for your help! Please consider leaving your honest thoughts wherever you buy or rate books. This is an easy, free way to support an indie author like me. And the truth is, I couldn’t do any of this without that support! Thank you all for reading.
I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to tell you, and the world at large, about this book.
Although I have seven published books, Social Vampire is technically my debut novel. The other titles are better classified as gamebooks, or interactive fiction (I’m talking about my Click Your Poison series here).
But unlike my other books, the only choice here, is whether or not to give it a try.
No flowchart necessary, though the story is full of twists and turns!
The novel is meant to be humorous, heartfelt, and to resonate with both teens and adults. Coming-of-age is a genre of fiction for general audiences, but my protagonist is a teenager; does that make the book YA?
There are romantic elements to the story — should I highlight those, like in this promotional graphic?
Not Romance with a capital R, but it is a story of young love.
In a perfect world, I’d like you to hear about this book through word of mouth. It might not look like something you’d normally read. It might not even sound like what you’d normally read, but if a trusted friend recommended it, I’d hope you would give it a try.
So let me start: read this book.
You’ll find heart and soul, clever turns of phrase, genuine laugh-out-loud moments throughout, and probably a chapter or two threatening to be a tearjerker.
After that, it’s your turn. If you read the book and love it, tell the world!
Reviews are appreciated, and crucial to a book launch.
As you can see above, the early reviews are flowing in. Here are some more testimonials:
“It’s like Mean Girls flavored with Teen Wolf” (for my film & TV followers)
“In the vein of John Green” (for my literary lovers)
“Mmm…veins” (for the humor fans)
And, of course, I hope to see your thoughts on the book as well. But you’ve got to get it first… Fortunately, the day has finally arrived! Social Vampire is now widely available in both print and ebook. Here’s a list of just some of the retailers that carry the book:
Head over to theSocial Vampire page for more information, as well as instructions on how to order the book to your local library or favorite brick-and-mortar bookstore:
In bringing Social Vampire into the world as a novel, I knew I had to create a cover that jumps off the page as much as the story does. Something that would showcase the fact that the book is hilarious, but with heart hiding beneath.
After weeks of design and workshopping, I finally have a cover I love.
And today I’m ready to show it off!
What’s more: as of now, the book is available for preorder in both Kindle edition and paperback.
What’s even more: the book is available to PURCHASE TODAY in hardcover. That’s right, you can get Social Vampire a full five weeks early in hardcover! I’m still waiting for my copy to arrive so I can show it off, but the hardcover edition has a gorgeous removable dust jacket and a handful of interior illustrations to make it extra special.
A few notes:
With an official release date of 4/4/2023, the novel will launch in paperback, ebook, and audiobook (hopefully…more on this later).
The ebook version will initially be Kindle-exclusive for 90 days to do various promos, with plans to take the electronic version wide to other retailers after this launch period.
The paperback preorder currently shows “unavailable” on Amazon, but I’m told this should update any day now. The paperback and hardcover are already available for preorder/purchase respectively at all major book retailers, including Barnes & Noble.
As of this post, the hardcover purchase page is so new that sales page doesn’t show the cover image, but rest assured, it’s the same as what you can see below…
So, without further ado, here’s the cover for Social Vampire!
At a new school, you get a chance to reinvent yourself, so…why not be a vampire?
Click me to see a gigantic version
What do you think? Personally, I LOVE how it turned out. From the sad-sack vampire telling us “a novel” to the mean girls vibe of the teens at the top, for me it just works.
(Aside, from a design perspective, he’s the one “upside down” but we’re seeing the story from his point of view).
And here’s the full wraparound cover:
Click me to zoom in
Okay, I’ve told you enough times that I love this cover, but now I want your thoughts! Let me know in the comments what you think (good, bad, or ugly — I’m happy to receive whatever feedback you’ve got).
Are you excited to read my first novel?
Will you be waiting for the ebook, the paperback, the audiobook, or picking up the hardcover right now?
I’ll share pictures once I get my copy of the hardcover and share more about the audiobook version soon.
I’m currently working on a collection of short stories centered around death and extinction (sounds fun, right?), which will likely also make its debut on Vella.
Now it’s November, and I need your help. If you’re not aware, Vella has these things it calls “faves” — basically a vote for your favorite story you read that week.
I kind of love that my Vella about a teen pretending to be a vampire…is the #2 fave in vampires.
They reset at the start of the month, and there’s a lot of shifting and vying for positions in these early days.
So…I need your help. 5 minutes of your time.
A new month means it’s time to crown the new kings and queens of Vella! This is the NUMBER ONE way for new people to learn about the story. I hate to ask, but it makes a huge difference.
If you’re in the US, go to my SOCIAL VAMPIRE page (https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0BDGM1J8J) and unlock any episode (past 1-3). Then you get to vote for your “fave” — this should pop up automatically after you like the episode at the bottom, but if not, you can click the icon noted in the image below:
If you’re not in the US, I’m sorry they STILL haven’t made it available for you to read. Fear not, it will be available in print & ebook (and I’m looking into audiobook) in 2023.
Now I’m going to go crawl under a rock and try to recover from how awkward it felt asking this of my fans.
Does anyone have any bonus spooky stories they can give me? I’m enjoying Cabinet of Curiosities on Netflix. What about you?
In case you missed it…Â 15 chapters of “Social Vampire” are waiting for you!
We had a long holiday weekend, so in case Wednesday’s post was lost in the shuffle, today is the FINAL DAY of the Kindle Vella sale. There are 15 episodes waiting for you to unlock on Social Vampire, and best of all, I still get an author royalty. Win/win!
Some final points: -Even after this flash sale ends, Prime Members will receive 200 free “tokens” to unlock future episodes. Which is great news, because episode 16 drops tomorrow! -If you’ve started reading and you’re following the story, THANK YOU. Please consider leaving a review before the story has completed. The idea is to get people to jump on the bandwagon while the wheels are still in motion. -I appreciate you. This is different from my other works, but if you appreciate my prose, the humor I generally suffuse into my writing, and the care with which I try to craft compelling narratives — then I think you’ll love Social Vampire as much as I do!
It’s here, and it’s extra spooky. In fact, it’s Spooktacular! The HAUNTED: Deluxe Illustrated Collector’s Edition hardcover is now in stock.
I was supposed to write this blog post yesterday, as I’d already teased it in the “steps forward” portion of my newest blog post but I spiked a 105*f temperature and was busy with lucid fever dreams. Which is rather apropos, as that’s exactly what this alternate cover art is meant to convey.
What else makes this Spooktacular edition so special? All new content, available for the first time, including:
An interactive author foreword.
New cover art, bound in hardcover. An impressive tome any respectable necromancer should own.
Fully illustrated interior; a mix between original line drawings and road hazard signs to help signpost and guide your path.
Expanded maps and floorplans detailing more of the Tansky House than ever before.
A flowchart story map to help you navigate the twists and turns of this fiendish book.
Of course, you can still enjoy HAUNTED as an ebook or paperback. I just thought it would be fun to make something extra special for collectors, which is available in time for Halloween and will keep you up at night all spooky season. Ready? Here’s the sales page: http://hyperurl.co/HAUNTEDillustrated
With that, it’s time for more Tylenol. I’ll leave you with more fun previews of the interior:
What do YOU think? Excited? Unenthused? Ready for special editions of more in the Click Your Poison series? Let me know in the comments below and keep it spooky!
Come with me into Tansky House, where I’ll give you a behind-the-scenes peek at the world and inspiration for the book. Reader Beware: SPOILERS follow!
First, let’s judge a book by its cover. The house on the cover art was inspired by the historic Carson mansion in California, which Wikipedia calls, “the most grand Victorian home in America.” I knew I wanted Queen Anne style architecture for my story, and the house has already served as inspiration for several haunted house digital models, so it fit my needs perfectly.
But what about the interior?
This piece of inspiration came from another real-life source: a house listed for sale, that had a secret jail hiding inside its walls. A former sheriff’s residence, now an inconspicuous single family home.
You’ll notice that kitchen door looks very familiar…
As for the events of the story itself? Well, at the start of the book, it’s claimed that “the following horrors are inspired by true events.” While this is an overt nod to horror films where even the most outlandish story is claimed to be true, it’s also not a lie…
Many of the events in the book are taken straight from the headlines.
In addition to story moments ripped from the headlines, I binged horror movies, books, and television shows. The one that left the most profound mark on my own story has to be the one that arguably started it all: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
The Haunting of Hill House was my favorite read while I was researching and diving deep into haunted house stories. It’s safe to say, part of what I loved was the ambiguity. You, as the reader, had to choose what to believe. Was the main character losing her mind? Was the house truly haunted? Or was she manifesting the paranormal herself?
On the whole, interactive stories let the reader choose what to believe while reading: and thus make different choices. There are many different possible explanations as to what’s happening inside the house for HAUNTED, and I left bread-crumbs for you to collect based on your own beliefs. I have my own version of events, as will you. I’m excited to hear what people think they’ve experienced while exploring Tansky House.
Have you gotten HAUNTED yet? Let me know your thoughts below. Haven’t jumped in yet? Consider this your official invitation to spend three nights in the most haunted house in America…if you dare!
This review of HAUNTED posted on the eve before my birthday was a lovely gift. You don’t have to write a review this thorough, but I’m sharing because I think it represents the book nicely.
Have you gotten HAUNTED yet? If so, reviews are most welcomed. If not…don’t wait until the afterlife!
The conceit behind HAUNTED is a contest of sorts (“Can YOU spend three nights in a haunted house for $1M?”), so…why not a contest for the book launch?
I’ve printed five copies of this exclusive map of the severely haunted Tansky House. That’s all I’m making. I’m keeping one, I’m giving two away to friends who helped me create these maps, and I’m giving two away…to YOU!
Poster you can win!
Actual historical floor plan used for reference.
The contests are being run on social media; one poster given away to Twitter followers and one given away to Facebook fans. So, follow the Click Your Poison official Twitter account or go like the Facebook page to see the full rules on how to win.
The conceit behind HAUNTED is a contest of sorts ("Can YOU spend three nights in a haunted house for $1M?"), so…why not a contest for the book launch ? 🎉👻📢
I've printed 5 copies of this exclusive map of the severely haunted Tansky House. pic.twitter.com/Chb5iq3Ewd
Author James Schannep 