BOOKS

 

LATEST NEWS

 

·          I just returned from England where I participated in the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. In addition, I spent several days in London where I met half of the Penguin UK staff and filmed a number of interviews for the November release of my new thriller, The Lost Throne. Things couldn’t have gone better. In fact, the sun even shined for an entire afternoon – which I’m told is some kind of record in London. (7/24/08)

 

·          GermanDroemer-Knaur, my German publisher for Sign of the Cross, reached an agreement with Weltbild, a German book club (with several stores of its own.) They will publish a hardcover German edition of SOTC in December 2008. (6/24/08)

 

·          To see the British cover of The Lost Throne, click the orange title. The book will be released in the UK in October. It won’t be released in the US until 2009. (6/16/08)

 

·          I just heard from Alex Clarke, my British editor, and he LOVES my new book. Absolutely loves it. To be honest, I can’t tell who is more excited, Alex or me! Actually, I think Alex is. Since The Lost Throne is scheduled to be one of Penguin UK’s major releases this fall, they would’ve been pissed if I had to rewrite the damn thing. Thankfully, that isn’t necessary, so both of us can finally breathe easy. (6/12/08)

 

·          After many months of hard work and sleepless nights, I turned in the first draft of my new book, The Lost Throne, to my American and British editors. And not a moment too soon. It was due on June 1, and I sent it off with about fifteen minutes to spare. Talk about cutting it close! The Brits will be releasing the book in October, so I’m sure I’ll hear back from them soon. Hopefully, they like what they read. (6/01/08)

 

·          TURKISH Artemis Yayinlari, a major publisher with its own distribution network has obtained the Turkish rights for Sword of God. Considering the subject matter of the book, this really surprises me. After all, Turkey is a Muslim country. (4/30/08)

 

·          I recently saw the preliminary cover art for the British version of The Lost Throne, and it looks awesome! Penguin UK will release the book in the British market in October 2008, several months before Putnam releases the hardcover in America. This is due to my great success in the UK, and the fact that Berkley will be releasing a new-and-improved paperback version of The Plantation in Spring 2009. (4/15/08)

 

·          SERBIAN Stylos, a large publisher in Serbia with its own distribution channel, acquired the Serbian rights to Sign of the Cross. To be released within a year. (3/17/08)

 

·          BULGARIAN ERA, the Bulgarian publisher that had great success with Sign of the Cross, just obtained the Bulgarian rights for Sword of God. The book is slated for release within the next year. (3/14/08)

 

·          The Australian/New Zealand trade paperback version of Sword of God will be released on February 7. To learn more, please visit the Penguin Australia site. (2/6/08)

 

·          INDONESIAN ― Maroon Books outbid several publishers to acquire the Indonesian rights to Sword of God. It will be released later this year. (2/1/08)

 

·          The Indonesian version of Sign of the Cross was released by Serambi Publishing in Jakarta, Indonesia. To see the cover (on my site), click here. (1/30/08)

 

·          SPANISH The largest publisher in Spain, Editorial Planeta, acquired the Spanish rights to Sword of God. This is my second book with Planeta, which previously released La Señal de la Cruz. They will release SOG in November 2008. (1/23/08)

 

·          ITALIAN Mauri Spagnol, one of the big three publishers in Italy, acquired the Italian rights to Sword of God. They will publish it in hardcover under their Editrice Nord imprint, and eventually release it as a mass-market paperback. (1/15/08)

 

·          GREEK ― Modern Times, the Greek publisher that released Sign of the Cross earlier this year, has picked up the option on Sword of God. (12/17/07)

 

·          CZECH Jota Publishing, one of the largest publishers in the Czech Republic, has acquired the Czech rights to Sign of the Cross and Sword of God. They will release both books in hardcover within the next 18 months. (12/12/07)

 

·          Penguin Australia will release the trade paperback of Sword of God in February 2008. This version will be available in Australia and New Zealand. (12/4/07)

 

·          Sword of God  was officially released in India and South Africa. (12/1/07)

 

·          PORTUGUESE Mill Books, a brand-new publisher in Portugal, just acquired the Portuguese rights to Sign of the Cross. The coolest part? My book is going to be one of four foreign titles that will help launch the company. (11/16/07)

 

·          RUSSIAN Great news from Moscow. Randall Klein, one of my foreign agents at Trident Media, sold the Russian rights to Sword of God. They were acquired by AST, the company that will be publishing Sign of the Cross in Russia in Fall 2008. This is my first foreign language sale for SOG, so I’m pretty excited. (11/13/07)

 

·          Today is the official release date of the Spanish version of Sign of the Cross, also known as La Señal de la Cruz. For more information, go to the Booket site where my novel is being featured. (11/13/07)

 

·          For the fourth consecutive week, Sword of God is in the British Top Ten. (11/10/07)

 

·          Another week and more good news from London. Sword of God is up to #6 in the latest U.K. charts. If I maintain this ranking for another month, I’m assured a spot in a BCS bowl game! (10/30/07)

 

·          For the second consecutive week, Sword of God is #33 on the New York Times bestseller list. (10/25/07)

 

·          The American version of Sword of God will soon be available in the five major e-book platforms (Mobi, Sony, Adobe, MS Reader, and Palm.) As soon as Penguin announces the launch date, I’ll be sure to post it on my website. (10/24/07)

 

·          Wow, I love the British! Sword of God is up to #7 in the latest U.K. charts. Somehow my book is ahead of new releases from Thomas Harris and Clive Cussler. That’s right: Jonathon Payne is kicking Hannibal Lecter’s ass!!! (10/23/07)

 

·          I recently uploaded the cover art for the Spanish version of Sign of the Cross, which will be released in Spain, Mexico, South America, and wherever Spanish books are sold on November 13, 2007. To see the Spanish cover, click here. (10/22/07)

 

·          I just found out that Sword of God made the New York Times bestseller list, debuting at #33. This is my first appearance on the New York Times list, so I’m thrilled. (10/18/07)

 

·          A number of fans have asked me if there are major differences between the American and British versions of Sword of God. And the truth is, there are. Penguin UK contracted me to write an additional 10,000 words for their version. That’s roughly 50 extra pages. My main focus was fleshing out the character of Shari Shasmeen and the members of her archaeological team. In addition, I extended the conclusion of the story, adding a twist that fans of Sign of the Cross will enjoy. If you get a chance, read both versions and let me know which one you liked better. (10/17/07)

 

·          Wonderful news from London! Sword of God moved up to #10 on the British charts, which means it jumped 18 places after a full week of sales. If this pace keeps up, it will be negative 8 in next week’s rankings! (10/16/07)

 

·          Even though Sword of God was only available for three days in the UK, stores sold enough copies to place it #28 on the British bestsellers’ list. Next week, when my book is available for a full seven days (like the rest of my competition), I should move significantly higher. At least I hope so. My fingers are crossed. (10/10/07)

 

·          With much fanfare, Sword of God was officially released in the United Kingdom. Since I live in the States, I rely on my British editor (Alex Clarke) to give me updates on its progress. And let me tell you, I’m still shaking my head in amazement over all the publicity. Here’s a sampling of what I’m talking about. Waterstone’s and ASDA named it one of their paperbacks of the year. WH Smith selected it as its “Read of the Week.” Sainsbury’s will feature Sword in next month’s catalog leaflet, which has a print run of eight million copies. And Tesco placed it in their Top-10, where it will be featured in more than 400 stores during the coming weeks. . . . All in all, I couldn’t be happier! (10/4/07)

 

·          I am the author of the month ― according to MyShelf.com. To read their feature interview or their wonderful review of Sword of God, just click here. (10/1/07)

 

·          Sword of God was officially released in North America. If you haven’t bought a copy, what are you waiting for? Books are best enjoyed when they first roll off the press. Why? Because you can get high from sniffing the fresh ink. (9/25/07)

 

·          Wow! The great news keeps on coming. Today I agreed to a new book deal with Putnam, which will release my next two novels in hardcover. For the past 15 consecutive years, Putnam has led the publishing industry with more New York Times bestsellers than any other imprint. So I feel honored to be a part of its stable of authors that includes Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Robert B. Parker, Nora Roberts, and Stuart Woods. (9/20/07)

 

·          As part of the Putnam deal, my books will continue to be released in paperback by Berkley, the publisher that I’ve been with for the past two years. Both imprints are part of Penguin USA, so we’re all playing for the same publishing team. (9/20/07)

 

·          Penguin Australia will release their mass-market edition of Sign of the Cross on Jan 7, 2008. A month later they will release the trade paperback edition of Sword of God. Both books will have the same cover as the British version. (9/13/07)

 

·          Booket, a division of Editorial Planeta, announced the release date of the Spanish version of Sign of the Cross. It will hit stores on November 13, 2007. As soon as the cover art is available, I will post it on my website. (9/12/07)

 

·          Great news from London!!! I just accepted a two-book deal with Penguin UK. Things have been going so well in the British market that a new deal made perfect sense for all the parties involved: me, my agent, my editor, and Payne & Jones. (9/10/07)

 

·          Sword of God received a terrific review in the latest edition of Publisher’s Weekly. Among their comments, they said, “This globe-crossing action thriller evokes the spirit of Dan Brown with welcome doses of Lee Child’s ex-military tough-guy grit.” (9/4/07)

 

·          Cool news. Thanks to my appearance on Bulgarian television (BTV), Sign of the Cross is a Bulgarian bestseller. As soon as I get the exact rankings, I’ll post them. (8/22/07)

 

·          It’s only August, but I just received word that I’ve been named My Shelf.com’s author of the month for October. (I hope I’m not ruining their surprise.) Former winners include James Patterson, Kathy Reichs, Brad Meltzer, and Faye Kellerman, so this is a really cool honor. At some point in the near future, they’re going to talk to me about Sword of God. As soon as they post the interview, I’ll be sure to include a link. (8/20/07)

 

·          If you happen to be in Bulgaria, please turn on BTV, Bulgaria’s biggest television network, for a story on my novel, Sign of the Cross. This past Friday, I was interviewed by Kristina Vladimirova, and our conversation will air today. (7/30/07)

 

·          To promote the Dutch release of Sign of the Cross, I recently did an interview for Ezzulia, the largest book forum in the Netherlands. The ten questions section, called Kort & Krachtig, features my Q & A ― written in Dutch. (7/27/07)

 

·          The Bulgarian version of Sign of the Cross will be released on July 23, 2007. During the next week, I will be featured in Bulgaria’s largest newspaper and interviewed on BTV, Bulgaria’s largest television network. To see the Bulgarian book cover, which is very cool, just click here. (07/19/07)

 

·          The American version of Sword of God, my new Payne/Jones thriller, will be released on September 25, 2007. The British version will be published in early October. (7/10/07)

 

·          The Dutch version of Sign of the Cross was released by De Boekerij. (6/15/07)

 

·          For the sixth straight week, Sign of the Cross is in the British Top-20. (5/19/07)

 

·          I have a new publicist at Penguin Group (USA). His name is Tom Haushalter, and he is in charge of setting up my book events, media coverage, and promotional opportunities. He can be reached at (212) 366-2203 or tom.haushalter@us.penguingroup.com. (5/04/07)

 

·          Penguin South Africa and Penguin India released Sign of the Cross in their respective countries today. The books will have the same cover as Penguin UK. (5/01/07)

 

·          Slowly but surely, Sign of the Cross continues to climb the British bestseller list. This week it’s up to #11 in the United Kingdom. (4/25/07)

 

·          Hoping to capitalize on the success of Sign of the Cross, Penguin UK has decided to move up the release date of Sword of God to early October 2007. (4/24/07)

 

·          This week’s British bestseller list was just released, and Sign of the Cross has climbed to #12. Since this is my first book in the United Kingdom, I’m thrilled! (4/17/07)

 

·          Sign of the Cross is officially an international bestseller. It debuted at #19 on the British bestseller list -- even though the book wasn’t out for the entire week. Hopefully, with a full week of sales, the book will climb even higher on the charts. (4/11/07)

 

·          AUSTRalIAN Penguin Books Australia will be publishing a trade paperback version of Sign of the Cross on May 7. It will be released in Australia and New Zealand. For more information, check out their website. Here’s a direct link to SOTC. (4/10/2007)

 

·          ESTONIAN Eram Books acquired the Estonian rights for Sign of the Cross. Eram publishes Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly, and others. (4/4/2007)  

 

·          LATVIAN ― I accepted a foreign deal with Kontinents, a major publisher in Riga, Latvia, for the Latvian version of Sign of the Cross. Kontinents publishes Dan Brown, David Baldacci, Brad Meltzer, Douglas Preston, and others. (3/29/2007)

 

·          BRITISH ― I just agreed to a foreign deal with Penguin UK for my next book Sword of God. It will be released under their Michael Joseph imprint, although I’m not quite sure when. This is my first foreign deal for my new book, so I’m pretty excited it. Once I get more details about the deal, I’ll be sure to post them. (3/23/2007)

 

·          The British version of Sign of the Cross, published by Penguin UK under their Michael Joseph imprint, will be released in the United Kingdom on April 5. Advanced orders from all the major stores (Waterstone’s, Sainsbury’s, WH Smith’s, and Tesco supermarkets) have been off the charts. Hopefully, that trend continues. I have to admit I’m intrigued by one thing. The British version is 200 pages longer than the American version. Either that means they used a much larger font type or someone added several chapters. I might have to buy a copy to see if Payne & Jones survive. (3/15/2007)

 

·          INDONESIAN Serambi Publishing in Jakarta, Indonesia, has acquired the Bahasa Indonesian language rights for Sign of the Cross. Serambi was the Indonesian publisher for The Da Vinci Code. (3/1/2007)

 

·          TURKISH Artemis Yayinlari, a major publisher with its own distribution network in Turkey, has obtained the Turkish rights for Sign of the Cross. (2/6/2007)

 

·          BULGARIAN ERA, a publisher in Sofia, Bulgaria, whose client list includes Jeffrey Deaver and Vince Flynn, just obtained the Bulgarian rights for Sign of the Cross. The book is slated for release in 2007. (1/9/2007)

 

·          ROMANIAN ― RAO Publishing in Bucharest just acquired the Romanian rights for Sign of the Cross. RAO has an impressive roster of American authors (Dan Brown, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, etc.) so I’m in great company. (1/3/2007)

 

·          Sign of the Cross was released on September 26 and opened at #13 on the Barnes & Noble Fiction Mass-Market list. It eventually peaked at #7 in the country. Technically, this means I can refer to myself as a national bestselling author . . . Did you hear that sound? That’s my ego getting bigger!

 

·          GREEK ― Modern Times, a publisher in Athens, Greece, obtained the Greek rights for Sign of the Cross. My editor is Costas Giannikos, which might be the Greekest name I’ve ever heard in my life . . . Is “Greekest” even a word? (9/15/2006)

 

·          BRITISH ― I just agreed to a foreign deal with Penguin UK. They will release Sign of the Cross in April 2007 under their Michael Joseph imprint. Other MJ authors include Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Jonathan Kellerman, and Daniel Silva. My original deal with Berkley (Penguin USA) allowed for my book to be sold in the U.K. However, this deal means that Penguin UK will do a brand-new cover in Britain (England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, etc.) and promote it throughout the U.K. and its territories. (8/14/2006)

 

·          Sign of the Cross was recently named a featured selection of the Literary Guild, which has been in business over 75 years and is one of the largest direct marketers of books in America. They labeled SOTC as their “insider discovery,” a fancy way of saying that no one has ever heard of me yet my book is worth reading. In order to address my anonymity, they asked me to write a letter of introduction — one where I talk about myself and my book — which they will send to their millions of members.

 

·          One more note on the Literary Guild. They will be releasing a hardcover version of SOTC, something that won’t be available in stores. So if you want a hardcover, you’ll have to join their organization and buy it from them.

 

·          Russian ― I accepted a deal with AST, the largest publisher in Russia. AST (which are the initials of its three founders: “Andrei,” “Svetlana,” and “Tatyana”) publishes Dan Brown, John Grisham, James Patterson, Stephen King, and Michael Connelly, so I’m in pretty good company. My deal gives AST the rights to all Russian-speaking countries, meaning my books will be available in Russia and several republics of the former USSR