Oooh, A Little Hatred is out in the US and UK in less than three weeks and my palms are getting tingly. 
Final copies of the UK hardcover and trade paperback have arrived and they look seriously beautiful. I mean I always loved the parchment covers but time moves on and these have a real depth and richness and feel great in the hand. If you should need your appetite whetted for what’s inside the first chapter’s up at io9, featuring the Dogman’s daughter Rikke, blessed or cursed with the Long Eye, while you can hear the incomparable Steven Pacey read an extract from the second chapter over here, introducing the Young Lion, Leo dan Brock. There’ll be a few more extracts with a few more characters popping up over the next week or two.
Been pretty busy with all the stuff that goes on prior to publication. I was at the Celsius festival in Spain, then the Worldcon in Dublin, and then I’ve been getting the old signing hand back into training…
These 1,500 were mostly the Waterstones special edition, which includes an exclusive short story, and is available for pre-order here. Then next week I’ll be signing a special limited edition for Goldsboro books with these sumptuous sprayed edges, which was available for pre-order over here except it looks like they’ve already sold out. Of course collectors in the US will not be ignored – you can get signed copies of the US hardcover via Barnes and Noble, or via the Signed Page, and work is starting up on the art for some seriously impressive lettered and numbered Subterranean Press limited editions, though those won’t be with us for some time yet.
As if I don’t talk about myself enough already I’ve got a few interviews coming up over the next week or two which I’ll link as and when they appear, and then of course I’m touring in the UK around the week of release. Details of the events over here. although I can also reveal that I’m going to be joined by a few friends/arch enemies at some of the evening sessions: In Bath on Sunday 15th I’ll be joined by my editor and the Publishing Director of Gollancz, Gillian Redfearn. In Birmingham on Monday 16th I’ll be in conversation with no. 1 bestselling author (curse her) Sarah Pinborough. In Glasgow on Thursday 19th I’ll be joined by fantasy and crime writer (and farmer) James Oswald. In London on sept 7th I’ll be in conversation with horror writer Joe Hill. Lunchtime events tend to be just turn up and sign but most of the evening ones are ticketed so it’s worth booking in advance to avoid disappointment…
Translations are well underway and I’m told the first edition to appear will be the Russian in October, closely followed by the Polish and Italian editions in November (The Italian release will be alongside a new omnibus edition of The First Law trilogy), the German in February and the Spanish in February/March. Others will certainly follow but not sure when as yet.
All that means work on the books does not exactly fly, but it does move. Book 3, The Beautiful Machine, is now in decent 2nd draft shape and has gone back to my editors for, you know, editing. Seeing the final destinations and overall arcs they may well have some comments that bear on book 2, The Trouble With Peace, but that one’s otherwise getting close to done, now, and I’m in the midst of the final couple of rounds of revision before the detailed edit. First off comes a pass through focussing on setting, where I’m trying to use up any nice nuggets of research I may not have found a place for in the past, but mostly thinking about season, time of day, weather, and details of internal spaces that – without necessarily having cumbersome chunks of actual description – can give some texture to every scene, make every location feel distinct and meaningful, and in an ideal world strike some interesting thoughts, feelings, memories or conversation from the characters. This is often a relatively swift read-through – many scenes won’t really need much – so it’s also maybe a first opportunity for me to just read the thing in order and get a sense of how it feels and flows. From that point of view I’m detecting a bit of a lag in a few chapters around the middle (middle part of the middle book, you know) which may mean a little go over that part with an eye to some heavy cutting.
Still work to do, as I always say, but it’s great to have the next two books in the series close to done as this first one comes out. Discussion already underway on the covers, copy, and other bits and pieces for the second. I would say it’s now almost certain that The Trouble With Peace will come in Sept 2020 and The Beautiful Machine in Sept 2021. But we’ll see…
28 comments so far
Hey! Will your talk at Bath have books with the bonus chapter like at Waterstones?
Is the UK Trade Paperback available to pre-order?
TomO,
Sorry, no, the Waterstones ones are only available at Waterstones.
Murray,
Not sure, actually – normally at this stage it’s for export. In the UK it’s theoretically hardcover only for the time being.
Fantastic news I have my Waterstones edition preordered and can’t wait until I can get the set
So the Goldsboro’s version havn’t the short story ? F**k, I preordered the wrong one. Still, it’s too long to wait.
Hi, is Gollancz going to publish Best Served Cold 10th anniversary edition? Do UK and US versions of the A Little hatred differ by single/double quotes? And the last, does the book cover is on parchment too or it’s just on the dust jacket?
Hello. Bought ‘The Blade Itself’ when I needed more reading on a coach trip round New Zealand. Read them all since. Looking forward to the new one.
Joe, do you have any dates/tours in the US in the works?
Interesting to hear that the Russian translation (as a Russian) is coming first. A very dedicated translator? Might be tempting to try it out as well – I’ve only read the books in English, but would be interesting how they work out in Russian.
Joe, are the stand alone books required to understand the story of the new trilogy?
Any special editions for us Antipodeans cobber?
OH men! Why […]and the Spanish in February/March. […]?
I’m going to read it in english but… The last in all…
I have been waiting too much since the last book, I thought that your book would be released this fall… and not, in Spanish maybe in Spring 🙁
Congrats for your books, I love it but… I hate youuuuuu! 6 Months more :/
How much will your new backdrop be like the steampunk themes from Stephen Hunt’s Jackelian novels? (not in a bad way – just the influence).
Thanks Joe for these updates. They really are greatly appreciated.
Theo,
The story’s far from essential.
Zura,
I think Gollancz will do a 10th anniversary BSC but I’m not sure. UK is single speech marks, US the same, I think, but I’m not sure.
Robert,
No US dates in the works.
Nick,
Neither standalones nor trilogy are *required* to read A Little Hatred, but the more you’ve read, the more stuff you’ll see…
but, but… is the second trilogy even better than the first one? Nobody could improve on perfection!
I need your honest-to-Odin answer. I’ve been thinking if I can wait for the UK paperback or if I should invest into the gold-plated hardback with signature and axe-replica included…
Hi Joe, I’ve preordered a signed copy from Waterstones Birmingham, but am also attending on the 16th. Will there be any copies available on the 16th? Just curious if it’s worth keeping my preorder. Thanks!
Rob Vilensky,
Only if you order them in from the UK, I’m guessing.
William Stokes,
Haven’t read those books so can’t say, but steampunk isn’t really a word I’m using to describe The Age of Madness, and it’s not one that I’ve seen people who have read the new book use to describe it. I think of Steampunk as an aesthetic, really, and I don’t think these books have it. Others may differ…
Peter Twomey,
Yeah, there’ll be copies of the new book at all the events.
Been on order since April – counting the days.
Just read those first two chapters, and by the dead… I thought I was excited before, but now even 17 days is too long to wait! I already love Rikke and Leo to pieces. I didn’t realise just how much I’ve missed your writing, your characters, your world building. Ah, what bliss!
“I saw a wolf eat the sun. Then a lion ate the wolf. Then a lamb ate the lion. Then an owl ate the lamb.”
Does this mean who I think is confirmed in this book? Super excited to see mention of a certain lamb!
Joe, are there any plans for booksigning in Russia?
When are you coming through Birmingham AL?
Is there a us tour scheduled soon?
Got a barnes and noble right here.
Joe, You know the release date for Italian version of a Little Hatred ?
Happy for you, Joe. This series will do great. My hands are also getting tingly. Can’t wait to get the book paired with the audio book.
Hi Joe, I’m considering ordering the hardback edition but I’m not a fan of dust jackets in general. Will there be any editions of A Little Hatred with a “fixed” hardcover made available in the EU?
Eager to start reading your new book!
I want to thank you Mr Abercrombie for these amazing stories. I’ve lost count of the folks I’ve recommended them to. I’m currently rereading Best Served Cold and to my shame I’d forgotten how spectacularly fantastically awesome it was. The characters you have created are so real and vivid and the humour is excellent. I know he is probably long dead by the time the new books are set but I’d hope for a mention of a certain Nicomo Cosca? A gem of a character. Thanks for the updates and keep up the great work.
Hey Joe I am a huge fan. Will we ever get to see a book about young Bayaz? Or just with more Bayaz focus? He is your best character by far.