More Books For The Book Gods: Wayward, The Orchard, And More

So, I officially teased the second Wanderers novel — a sequel — back when I dropped the fresh TV news about it, and now it’s time to talk about the deal that got us there.

Del Rey has kindly fallen for the trap once more and opted to re-up with me for a new three book deal. That includes Wayward (the Wanderers sequel), a new book called The Orchard (described as “the dark history of a small town, apple cultivation, and American colonialism”), and a third SECRET AS-YET-TO-BE-ANNOUNCED book.

So, for releases, that means:

Summer 2021: The Book of Accidents

Summer 2022: Wayward

Summer 2023: The Orchard

Sometime 2024: Secret Book

(Also in 2021: You Can Do Anything, Magic Skeleton, and my MG, Dust & Grim.)

An interesting bit of inside baseball when it comes to publishing —

Initially, The Book of Accidents was coming out this month. Like, the month we’re in now. And back before The Quarantimes, my publisher said, ennnnh, did you know there’s a huge election coming up? And a bad election? They noted that book sales around the 2016 election were wobbly, in part the assumption being it’s really hard to get sustained media and social media attention on a new book. Everything is election, election, election. Especially in the Trump Era, when Trump is just a giant sucking void that consumes all light and goodness. So, they said, “We’re moving the book,” and at first I was honestly a little circumspect about that, but then trusted their judgment. I didn’t want to fight the election for attention, could you imagine? So, they moved it. And then the fucking pandemic hit and now I think I’m glad we moved it. Admittedly, who knows what a HELL TOILET the Year 2021 will be, but hopefully by this July we won’t still be litigating the election and maybe new leadership will ease the pandemic.

So, initially we talked about having The Orchard be the next book after TBOA, okay? And then have Wayward in 2022. But because TBOA moved, we decided to not move Wayward and still leave it in place — which meant that became the next book, with the Evil Apples book juggled to 2023.

Anyway! So them’s the news.

And yes, this is all just a scheme to ensure that my apple purchases are tax-deductible.

“IT’S RESEARCH,” I tell my accountant, apple juice soaking my beard.

Needless to say, this is really great, and Del Rey has been a wonderful publisher — and Tricia Narwani a most excellent editor. Her edit letters are a thing of vicious beauty. My agent, Stacia Decker, deserves thanks too for not only helping broker the deal but also being an excellent editor herself. My books are 4007% better because of their combined efforts.

And thanks too to readers, because honestly, I always said there’d only be a Wanderers sequel if both there was a story there to tell (meaning, I figured out what that story was), and if sales of the book warranted it. The sales did in fact warrant it (whew), and I actually thought of the story from snout-to-tail on the first plane ride on my book tour in July 2019 (remember book tours?).

So, again, thanks.

All who wander are not lost.

See you in Ouray. Black Swan says hi.