Hello,

Some readers have noted a discrepancy between the acknowledgements in the arc or pre-release copy they've read and the quote from Stephen King that is now being used to promote the book (which, after all, is the point of blurbs).

Regarding the quote: when I wrote the book and the acknowledgements, Mr. King had not read the book. The usual procedure, in order to solicit blurbs, is to approach authors with ARCs, such as the one you may have read/are currently reading. It's better to send ARCs than sending the manuscript as a Word .doc or even a .pdf; it's the closest the book will be, physically, to the product that will eventually land on bookshelves—thus, you've got the best chance for a blurb.

So anyway, Mr. King received te book AFTER I wrote the acknowledgements. Perhaps he may've read the acknowledgements too, and saw how I'd mentioned the unlikeliness that he'd ever set eyes on it ... funny the way the world works.

There was some thought to changing the acknowledgements to reflect this, but I'm sort of glad it's staying as-is (although, as of this writing, it will be amended in foreign editions and may ultimately be changed for the North American editions, too). Why was I happy to let it be as-is? Because it was a shock and a thrill to get the blurb, to know Stephen had read a single word I'd written, and as such that makes the acknowledgements a bit more touching perhaps (albeit confusing ...)

So anyway, long story short: when the ARC and acknowledgements were written, Mr. King hadn't read the book and I didn't expect he ever would; a month or so after the ARCs had been circulating, he somehow came into possession of one and furnished the blurb, totally unexpectedly.

So yes, he has read the book and the blurb is genuine. I imagine that, as great of a selling-point as a King quote is, the legal headaches that Simon and Shuster would encounter from using a fake quote wouldn't make it worth their while.

And while blurbs and hype are nice, any book has to stand on its own merits (or fall on its own demerits) anyway.

Such is the chronology of The Blurb That Wasn't (Then Was).

All best, Nick.