Hi Folks!

The Grab Bag we announced in the last note has already sold out, but don’t worry, we’re working on some other promotions for the next few weeks! Until then, we figured this was a good time to give you some updates on what we’re working on for 2012.

Although we can’t announce any of our surprise projects just yet, we think collectors will be blown away by some of the authors we’ll be adding to the Cemetery Dance family this year. There are New York Times bestsellers who aren’t our usual suspects and you probably won’t see these projects coming, but we think you’ll be as excited as we are about adding these incredible new collectible editions to your collection.

One of these exciting new books will be announced in the next week or two, and we’re completely in love with the cover artwork that just arrived. We expect a fast sellout of the book due to the huge promotional blitz the New York publisher is using to support their edition. This will easily be one of the most talked about new books in its field, and a lot of people are saying they haven’t seen this much excitement around a book since The Passage by Justin Cronin. (Our editions of that title sold out in a mere four hours.) Stay turned for the announcement later this month!

In the meantime, here are some production updates on the books we have already announced:

AT THE PRINTER AND COMING SOON:

The Century’s Best Horror Fiction edited by John Pelan (Reminder: the retail price will go up for any second printings.)

The Woman (With Bonus Novella!) by Jack Ketchum & Lucky McKee

The Horror Hall of Fame: The Stoker Winners edited by Joe R. Lansdale

The Doll by Daphne du Maurier

The Mailman by Bentley Little

NEXT TO THE PRINTER:

A Book of Horrors edited by Stephen Jones (co-publication with PS Publishing)
The last of the US authors signed the signature sheets this month. PS Publishing is putting together the final files for production and we’ll post an update when the book goes to the printer here in the US.

The Crane House: A Halloween Story (Cemetery Dance Exclusive Collectors Set #1):
The replacement signature sheets are all signed and this book will be headed to the printer in the next batch. This book will be published in spring 2012.

The Dropper by Ron McLarty:
This book is right on track to be published in the spring of 2012 as scheduled.

Torn by Lee Thomas:
This book is almost ready for the printer and will be published in the first half of 2012.

Undead by John Russo:
This book is now ready for the printer and will be published in the first half of 2012.

Killing Ghost by Christopher Ransom:
This book is right on track to be published in the spring of 2012 as scheduled.

Lucifer’s Lottery by Edward Lee:
This book is now ready for the printer and will be published in the first quarter of 2012.

LATER THIS YEAR:

Smoke and Mirrors edited by Richard Chizmar:
The book is all set for the printer, but we’re just waiting on ONE last author to sign the signature sheets. We’re hoping he’ll be able to sign during the next few months as his schedule allows so we can publish the book bysummer 2012.

Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth by Ray Garton:

The book needs one more proofread and then it’ll be ready for the printer. This book should be published in the summer of 2012.

Vacation by Matthew J. Costello:
This book is now with our designer. Alan M. Clark has the cover artwork on his schedule and we should be able to unveil it in February 2012. The book should be published in the summer of 2012.

Vortex by Ray Garton:
This book has now been designed and proofreading has begun. This book should be published in the summer of 2012.

Prince of Stories: The Many Worlds of Neil Gaiman by Hank Wagner, Christopher Golden, and Stephen R. Bissette:
We’ve added the exclusive introduction by Bill Hader to our file, and Stephen R. Bissette is hard at work on the exclusive artwork he is providing for this edition (including the cover). After that artwork is added to the book, this one will be ready for the printer.

Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child:
This book is with our copyeditor and will be ready for design this month. If all goes according to schedule, we will publish this title in the first half of 2012.

Cemetery Dance: A Fifteen Year Celebration edited by Richard Chizmar:The editor is working on the final Table of Contents and we hope to share some big news this year.

Screamplays edited by Richard Chizmar and Martin H. Greenberg:
This book is now ready for the printer and will be published in the first half of 2012. Be sure to view some of the sample artwork in the artwork gallery for this title.

Shocklines: Fresh Voices In Terror edited by Richard Chizmar & Matt Schwartz:
The editors are reading the final submissions and hope to have a final Table of Contents in the next few months. The book should be published by the end of 2012.

A Collector’s Guide to Dean Koontz by Michael Sauers:
A fully updated draft of the manuscript is being looked over right now and we hope to have a final draft soon. We will make the book available for preorders again when we have a firm publication date in place.

Four Ghosts featuring Joe Hill, Ray Garton, James A. Moore, and Peter Straub:This title is now ready for the printer and will go in the next batch. It will be published in spring 2012.

Four Killers featuring Peter Straub, Joe R. Lansdale, Brian Keene, and Ray Garton:
The reprints have been scanned, one of the originals has arrived, and the other original is in the works. As soon as we have that last original, we can rush the book into production.

Gideon’s Corpse by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child:
This book is with our copyeditor and will ready for design later this month.

Jack & Jill by Kealan Patrick Burke:
This title is next on our designer’s list and should be ready for the printer in the first half of 2012.

Mr. Darkness by Douglas Clegg:
The author is still working on the manuscript, and Glenn Chadbourne is also working on some of the artwork. You can see a sampleon the product page.

Oktober Shadows by Norman Partridge:
The author is working hard on the manuscript and expects to be done soon. Jon Foster has been hired to paint the cover artwork, and Glenn Chadbourne is going to contribute the interior artwork, so we expect this to be a very special edition! You can read an update from the author on his blog.

Thanks, as always, for your continuing support!

SOLD OUT!

We just wanted to take a moment to thank the hundreds of collectors who took the time to email us about It: The 25th Anniversary Special Limited Edition by Stephen King. We deeply appreciate you taking the time to get in touch and we’re trying to reply as quickly as possible.  For those of you who are still on the fence about ordering a copy of the Gift Edition, here is just a few samples of what we’re hearing from collectors:

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I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the professional and courteous service you provided. I received the book this morning, and I am extremely impressed with the overall layout and binding, which exemplifies the care and thought incumbent to reissuing such a classic, and in many ways transcends the ethos of its original intent. This is certainly one which will be held with pride for posterity. Thank you once again.

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I just wanted to send you a thank you note. I received my copy of Stephen King’s 25 anniversary gift edition of IT and it looks amazing!

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Just received my copy of the Signed Limited edition of IT, and have to say it’s the most INCREDIBLE work I’ve ever seen! A huge thanks from myself here in the UK to all who worked on the book.

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Yesterday I took delivery of my gift edition of the 25th Anniversary Special Edition of IT, and I am delighted with the book and the service that you provided. The book arrived sooner than I expected, was very well packaged and protected, and is a beautiful book. When I ordered it I thought that $125 might be a bit excessive, but now that I have the book I think that it is actually very good value. It is a superb production. Great job – from one very happy customer.

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Just wanted to say my book has arrived, and what an amazing piece of beauty you have created. A great achievement to all involved. I look forward to purchasing more signed King books in the future.

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Read more on our website or place your order!

Discuss this project on our message board!

Today we’re pleased to announce our special hardcover edition of the controversial novel The Woman by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee is almost finished at the printer and will be shipping this month!

Jack Ketchum collectibles always sell very well, but we expect there to be extra interest in this project because the movie of the same name is based on it. You probably heard about all of the fuss at Sundance last year. People went nuts for the movie in more ways than one.

Previously, The Woman was only available as an ultra-expensive deluxe edition with a tiny print run, and our edition includes a BONUS NOVELLA that wasn’t included in that edition!

About the Book:

The Woman is the powerful story of the last survivor of a feral tribe of cannibals who have terrorized the east coast from Maine into Canada for years now. Badly wounded in a battle with police, she takes refuge in a cave overlooking the sea.

Christopher Cleek is a slick, amoral — and unstable — country lawyer who, out hunting one day, sees her bathing in a stream. Fascinated, he follows her to her cave.

Cleek has many dark secrets and to these he’ll add another. He will capture her, lock in his fruit cellar, and tame her, civilize her. To this end he’ll enlist his long-suffering wife Belle, his teenage son and daughter Brian and Peg, and even his little girl Darlin’, to aid him.

So the question becomes, who is more savage? The hunter or the game?

About the Bonus Novella:

This new novella Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee takes place a year after the novel ends, but to say anything else could spoil some of the surprises!

Read more or to place your order before supplies run out!

Our special edition of A Book of Horrors edited by Stephen Jones, which we’re co-publishing with PS Publishing in the UK, is almost ready for the printer. The last couple of authors just need to sign the signature sheets and then it’ll be done!

If you haven’t placed your order already, don’t wait because this brand new anthology features ORIGINAL STORIES by Ramsey Campbell, Peter Crowther, Dennis Etchison, Elizabeth Hand, Brian Hodge, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Stephen King, John Ajvide Lindqvist, Richard Christian Matheson, Reggie Oliver, Robert Shearman, Angela Slatter, Michael Marshall Smith, and Lisa Tuttle.

Leading off the anthology is the World’s First publication of a brand new Stephen King story called “The Little Green God of Agony” and we’re pleased to report this story is good old fashioned gothic horror at its best!

Because we’re co-publishing this book, we only have half of the print run to sell, so don’t wait to place your order because we don’t expect supplies to last much longer!

If you’re interested, place your order today!

The Mailman by Bentley Little
This Is Your Last Chance To Preorder The Custom Slipcase!

The Mailman: The 20th Anniversary Special Limited Edition by Bentley Little is still rolling right along at the printer and THIS WEEK is your last chance to preorder the custom slipcase for this beautiful special edition. We have to place our final order on Friday, so please do not wait to get your order in!

Special Features Exclusive to this Deluxe Collector’s Edition:

• deluxe oversized (7 X 10) design different from any other edition ever published

• a color signature sheet featuring exclusive artwork by Glenn Chadbourne and personally signed by the author

• fine binding for both the Limited Edition and the Lettered Edition

• full color cover artwork by Les Edwards

• extremely collectible print run that is a tiny fraction of the hundreds of thousands of copies of the paperback editions that have been printed over the years — and you will NOT see our edition in chain bookstores!

About the Book:
Once upon a time, waiting for the mail was filled with warm anticipation. But the suicide of the local mailman has left the residents of this tiny Arizona town shell-shocked. Nothing this bad has ever happened here. And now there’s a new mail carrier in town, one who’s delivering lethal letters stuffed with icy fear. Nothing — not even the most outstanding citizens or the most secret weaknesses — is safe from the sinister power of this malicious mailman…

Read more or to place your order before supplies run out!

Blu Gilliand has written a great new review for Smoke and Mirrors over at White Cat Publications. Here’s just a small sample:

“Chizmar has put together an exciting collection in Smoke and Mirrors, and I hope that readers hesitant to dive into the script format will give it a chance. With writers this good, the format quickly melts away and, just as with any good prose story, you forget that you’re looking at words on a page and get caught up in the worlds they are creating.” Read the rest on their website.

Smoke and Mirrors is all ready for the printer, with the exception of the signature sheets, which are just waiting on one last author to have time in his schedule to sign. We’ll let you know when that process is completed and we’ll rush the book right to the printer.

Thanks, as always, for your continuing support!

Two Huge Volumes — More Than 700,000 Words!
Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Robert Bloch, Charles Beaumont, Jack Ketchum, Gary Brandner, Dennis Etchison, Michael Bishop, Ramsey Campbell, David Schow, Joe R. Lansdale, Glen Hirshberg, Richard Matheson, Shirley Jackson, and nearly seven dozen others!

Hi Folks!

Today we’re pleased to announce that The Century’s Best Horror Fiction edited by John Pelan will be shipping later this month.

PLEASE NOTE: We’ve determined that the retail price will have to increase by $20 for any second printings. If you haven’t already ordered your set and you want to lock in a 1st Edition, 1st Printing at the current price, now is the time!

Cemetery Dance Publications commissioned this spectacular two-volume anthology project under the editorship of noted author and historian of the horror genre, John Pelan.

John selected one story published during each year of the 20th Century (1901-2000) as the most notable story of that year — all 100 stories were then collected in this amazing two volume set to be published as The Century’s Best Horror Fiction.

The ground rules were simple: Only one selection per author. Only one selection per year. Two huge volumes, one hundred authors, one hundred classic stories, more than 700,000 words of fiction — history in the making!

Booklist had this to say about about the spectacular set:

“…more powerful, more defining of what has gone on between the years 1901 and 2000 in horror fiction… horror readers will have to admit that this treasure trove will bring the realization of a dream to them as well, for there is sufficient material within the multitudinous but highly entertaining and dramatic pages of this grand publishing project to occupy many hours, weeks, even months of their time… The term “old-fashioned” flies out the window when even new readers to horror fiction taste the perfection achieved by these masters… Reading this entire second volume will acquaint even those new to horror fiction with the authors who have shaped the genre during the past 50 years.”

Place your order today so you don’t miss out!

Thanks, as always, for your continuing support!

A new Dark Tower novel by Stephen King!

Hi Folks!

Today we’re pleased to present the beautiful cover artwork for The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King, which Scribner will be publishing as a trade hardcover edition in April:

Read more about the book or place your order today while our supplies last!

Add A Special Exclusive Slipcase To Your Order To Protect Your Book!

Even though The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King is being published by another publisher, we’ve heard from so many customers who want one of our special slipcases to protect their investment that we’ve decided to accept preorders for a custom-made slipcase for this title! We will only make enough slipcases to fill our preorders, so don’t wait to reserve yours!

The easiest way to add a slipcase to your purchase is by selecting the “Trade Hardcover Edition with Exclusive Slipcase!” option on the book’s product page — you’ll also save on shipping by ordering this way! (You can order just the slipcase by itself on the The Dark Tower: The Wind Through the Keyhole Slipcase product page.)

Don’t know what a slipcase is? That’s okay! It’s easily the best way to protect your book for generations to come. You can see some sample images of other slipcases we’ve made on our FAQ page. We’re using the same high-quality materials we have used for our previous Stephen King cases, with one color hot foil stamping. The company who makes these for us is the best in the business and you won’t find a better way to protect your investment! (If you are new to collecting, you can read more about slipcases on our Book FAQ page.)

We’re selling these special slipcases for just $23.95, making them an extremely affordable way to protect your book.  These cases will be produced after the book is published because we need a real copy of the book to get the sizing just right and your book and slipcase will ship together. We think our collectors will be very pleased with what we have in mind for these very special cases, and we don’t know how long we’ll be selling this as an option, so don’t wait to place your order!

Read more or place your order today while our supplies last!

Join the staff of Cemetery Dance to discuss this news on our message board!

We started shipping the Gift Edition of It: The 25th Anniversary Special Limited Edition by Stephen King right on schedule this week and the first 600 copies have already gone out the door.  The rest of the preorders will be shipped this week and early next.  Orders are shipped in the order in which they were received and when your book ships you will be emailed a shipping confirmation.

The Limited Edition traycases are due to arrive on Monday, and we will begin shipping that edition at that time.  Please note that it will probably take the entire week to ship all 750 copies due to the extra steps involved in shipping the Limited Edition, so please do not panic if you do not receive a shipping confirmation right away.

Please Note: Cemetery Dance managing editor Brian James Freeman has posted the first photos of the Gift Edition and the Limited Edition on his blog, with more to come:

Be sure to subscribe to his blog to be emailed about future updates and photos of interest to Stephen King fans.  There are some cool, exclusive things in the works!

Hi Folks,

As you may know, Alan Peter Ryan passed away suddenly in early June 2011.  He had just started a major resurgence in his fiction career — which began in the 1980s with classic horror novels like The Kill and Dead White — and we were proud to be working with him on several projects. The two completed books, which will be going to the printer soon, are being announced today. Alan was definitely at the top of his game when he wrote these and we’re glad to be able to share them with the world. Read more below and place your preorders while supplies last.

Amazonas: A Novella
by Alan Peter Ryan

The river, the river. She thought it would never end…

They were in search of The Slave Tree, and this had been a mistake. As the boat traveled up the river, deep into the heart of darkness, Henrietta watched Edwin closely. She watched him chew at his fingernails and spit into the river. She watched a vein in his temple that never stopped throbbing and the tic that made a muscle twitch beside his eye. She watched Edwin and the man named Crown whispering some secret, back and forth, as if Crown was hypnotizing Edwin.

The most frightening part of this insane journey was not the fear of losing her husband. She had passed beyond fearing that. But if she did lose Edwin, here, so far upstream from the last outpost of civilization, surrounded by the green-walled forest and the dark and tangled terrors it contained, what in the name of God would become of her?

There were things moving about the jungle, and there was a madman waiting for them at the end of their journey… and then, most importantly, there was The Slave Tree, which held a secret so dark it could drive a person mad.

Amazonas is a piercing look into the true of heart of darkness into which many men enter… and few ever return.

Click here to read more or to place your order!

The Back of Beyond: New Stories

by Alan Peter Ryan

Each of these four brand new stories from Alan Peter Ryan feature men who are haunted by different demons in different places and different times…

In Brazil, there are signs that say “Sexual Exploration Is a Crime,” and Jerry Crenshaw has traveled to the country in search of a girlfriend. He finds one and he has never known a girl like Renata. She is friendly and vivacious. She stands very close to him and looks up straight into his eyes and keeps one hand resting lightly on his arm. But Jerry’s going to find a lot more in Brazil than he bargained for, including something in a bag that will change his world forever….

“The Winter’s Tale” tells the story of a man who lives by a churchyard that is widely and firmly reputed to be the haunt of sprites and goblins. The man cares not for such tales, but he should have paid heed to the warnings because he’s about to find out the hard way that he is not alone in the cold winter night…

In “Starvation Valley,” a man and his son are on a cross country drive that is not going according to plan when they end up at a place called Janey’s, which may or may not be real. It certainly feels real while they’re there, but when the man goes back to find it again, he learns that some places in the world, once visited and then left behind, seem never to have existed at all…

In “Mountain Man,” there’s an old man named Hiram Fuller whose hands are thin and gray with dirt, the nails long and broken, each with a black crescent of dirt. He reeks to high heaven, not just of old sweat but of something thick and suffocating like the smell of a savage animal unwillingly caged… and when you meet him on the old trail he says he “ate his horse,” and he “might just have to eat you as well…”

Journey with Alan Peter Ryan into the darkness that resides within all of these men… but don’t travel too far off the path because you might not find your way home again.

Click here to read more or to place your order!

“This book is filled with rich pleasures and textures — it reminded me of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.  I highly recommend it.”
— Stephen King

Hi Folks!

We thought you might like to see Les Edward’s stunning cover artwork for The Dropper by Ron McLarty, a brand new hardcover we’ll be publishing in the spring!

The Dropper
by Ron McLarty

Some say it’s Death, Some say it’s darkness, I say it’s a game of light…

Gutsy 17-year-old Albert “Shoe” Horn is an apprentice plumber and part-time boxer in England in 1922, but when his mother dies, he finds himself responsible for an abusive, alcoholic father and a younger brother with special needs.

This marvelous novel follows the indomitable Shoe’s day-to-day survival with poetic grit, cynical genius, respect, and deep affection as he navigates a world full of very real characters: the gentle giant McAvy, his slave-driving boss, the Irish louts that resurrect his temper, the tempting ladies who seek him out, his hilarious plumbing clients, and the formidable “Dropper,” who Shoe fears will take away the most true thing in his life, his brother.

Find out for yourself why Stephen King proclaimed “The Dropper avoids sentimentality, but not sentiment; Shoe and his brother Bobby live and breathe” when this novel is published as a Cemetery Dance Publications exclusive next year.

Click here to read more or to place your order!

Our warehouse is busy shipping the preorders of the Gift Edition of It: The 25th Anniversary Special Limited Edition by Stephen King, which will take most of the next two weeks, so please note that the rest of our shipping will be a little slower than normal. We have a lot of extra staff and we’re doing our best to stay on top of the regular orders, but we wanted you to be aware of the possible delays. Here is just one photo of the finished book, which is MASSIVE, weighing in at FIVE POUNDS and more than 1000 pages:

See more photos on Brian James Freeman’s blog including shots of the SIGNED Limited Edition

Read more about this special edition or place your order!

Cemetery Dance Publications has officially published our special edition of It: The 25th Anniversary Special Limited Edition by Stephen King.

Originally published and long sold out in a 500 copy Limited Edition — discounted to just 99 CENTS this week only on our store, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble! (Regular price of $4.99 applies elsewhere.)

A storm is coming to Cliffside, California, and with it comes a killer.

His name is Clay Saunders, and he walks in two worlds. Born with a caul, Saunders sees ghosts. But to him, the world of the dead is very much like the world of the living. It’s a realm of eternal pain — inescapable and relentless — that cuts as deeply as the razor edge of the hired killer’s K-bar knife.

Saunders has spilled blood on Florida sand, and the snow-covered Canadian prairie, and the black lava of Hawaii. His latest target is Diabolos Whistler, leader of a satanic cult. Exiled in Mexico, Whistler is alone when Saunders stabs him just above the first vertebrae… alone, except for the mummies stacked like so much cordwood in his library.

But the living who await the killer’s arrival in Cliffside are more frightening than the decayed corpses of the dead. There’s Whistler’s daughter Circe, a tattooed siren who leads Saunders to a bed of iron and satin…and Circe’s bodyguard, a seven foot student of Egyptology whose sarcophagus rests in a redwood pyramid… and Janice Ravenwood, a new age medium with a startling hidden gift.

And there’s a little girl, a ghost held prisoner by vengeful revenants. Only Clay Saunders can save her. To do that, he must bridge the worlds of the living and the dead in an unforgettable climax of darkness and blood.

You can purchase this eBook from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, and the Apple iBookstore via the links on the product page on our website!