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How to Make Awesome Book Covers Even Awesomer

Here at Quirk Books, we put lots of time and thought into our book covers. And that's why they've won awards and accolades all around the world and in space. But I think we can all agree that one thing would make our amazing covers even better: Me. So here's a glimpse into an alternate universe which is the same as our own, except I appear on every Quirk book cover!

Posted by Rick Chillot

Quirk Books Nominated in This Year’s Goodreads Choice Awards: Update, Now With 100% More Horrorstor

Update: Horrorstor has been added in the semi-final round! Thanks for voting it in, everyone! 

Ah, the Goodreads Choice Awards. I don't know about you guys, but I get pretty psyched for them every single year. I knew they would be opening up this morning, and I had a hard time sleeping, waking up and checking Twitter to see if they had gone live.

This year, Quirk has three FOUR titles nominated in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and we are absolutely thrilled. 

HORRORSTOR by Grady Hendrix is nominated in Best Horror of 2014.

WORLD OF TROUBLE by Ben H. Winters is nominated in Best Science Fiction of 2014.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S THE EMPIRE STRIKETH BACK by Ian Doescher is nominated in Best Humor of 2014

HOLLOW CITY by Ransom Riggs is nominated in Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction of 2014.

Go cast your votes! And congrats to Ben, Ransom, Grady, and Ian! 

Posted by Eric Smith

September 6th is Read a Book Day: Here’s How to Read a Book

Tomorrow is National Read a Book Day! To celebrate, we had our good friend Mike Rogalski whip up this handy tutorial on how to read a book. Mike is also the author of Quirk's Masterpuppet Theater.

Enjoy! And be sure to check out Mike's design company, Eyewash

Posted by Eric Smith

Like Strangers On a Crashing Plane: Six Important Words, One Tattooed Reminder

 
[Edt. Note: Last week, we spotted Patrick Fedo tweeting about his tattoo. A tattoo that features a line from Ben H. Winters' The Last Policeman. We invited him to blog about it. Thanks for sharing with us, Patrick!]
 
When I discovered The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters, I was instantly hooked. A noir-style murder mystery set in the pre-apocalypse? Sign me up. A refreshing take on both story and setting. But as I continued to read the series, the question "What's the point in solving a murder when the world is ending?" slowly started to reveal the true allegory at the core of this trilogy.
 
By the end of the third book, bleak and gray as it is, we finally get to the root message of Detective Henry Palace and his nobleman's journey. Throughout the series, Palace was often chided for his persistence in his goals. But then I realized, we're all Hank Palace. We're doomed the same fate. The world is going to end and we only get one go 'round on this blue marble. And in the short time we have, we're here to give each other strength and love, as Winters writes, "like strangers on a crashing plane."
 
Those six words are so important. Not only do they sum up the point of the books, those words sum up the point of life. So I had to get them tattooed, as a constant reminder to love and give strength, because we're all on our own crashing plane.

Posted by Patrick Fedo

Ben H. Winters’ World of Trouble Book Tour!

Ben H. Winters is hitting the road and coming to a bookstore near you, on a book tour to promote World of Trouble, the final book in The Last Policeman trilogy. 

In addition to reading from the book, signing copies, and greeting fans, Ben is going to have some fun swag to dish out on tour. Including a special Hank Palace coffee blend. Seriously. It's from our World of Trouble pre-order campaign (have you pre-ordered yet?!) and he'll have a few bags on the road with him. 

Check out the dates below, and come say hi! 

Posted by Eric Smith

The Ben H. Winters World of Trouble Blog Tour!

 
Alas, Quirk fans. It's that time. We're saying goodbye to Hank Palace as Ben H. Winters' trilogy comes to close with World of Trouble. But, we've been trying our best to send him out in style. There's the pre-order campaign, a reverse blog tour on Ben's personal blog, an upcoming book tour, and the official blog tour for the book.
 
Man, that's a lot of tours in that sentence. Sorry.
 
Below, you can check out the dates and stops for Ben's blog tour, which kicks off today on The Book Smugglers. Be sure to bookmark these blogs, and keep an eye out for the posts! 

Posted by Eric Smith