In 2010, with e-books starting to make their mark, I decided to experiment and release a novel that would be an e-book exclusive. It’s called THE NAKED EDGE. A sequel to my 2003 novel THE PROTECTOR, it features the following character:
He calls himself Cavanaugh. No first name, and even “Cavanaugh” isn’t his actual last name. He’s a protector. If you refer to him as a bodyguard, which he regards as a synonym for a thug, you won’t like his reaction. His hatred of bullies compelled him to enlist in Special Forces. Now as a civilian, he runs Global Protective Services, the world’s best security company. His goal? To defend the helpless, to keep predators from their prey.
In the United States alone, more than 100 million people own e-reading devices of various kinds (mostly iPads, Kindles, and Nooks), so you can see why I was interested in experimenting with THE NAKED EDGE as an e-book.
Some of you contacted me to express your preference for printed books only. I have thousands of printed books and completely understand, although you might want to get used to the idea of e-books because one day that’s the only means by which you’ll be able to read an author’s backlist titles.
But that’s another topic. In response to numerous requests, I looked around for a way to release a printed version of THE NAKED EDGE. This is not as easy as it might seem. These days, a big publisher places major emphasis on e-book rights. Because THE NAKED EDGE has already been an e-book for two years, a big publisher wouldn’t be interested.
That left the possibility of a small press, but because I had already experimented with THE NAKED EDGE as an e-book, I decided to experiment further and to become my own small press, releasing the printed version of THE NAKED EDGE under my own imprint. It looks gorgeous.
This is the descriptive text on the back of the novel:
Once Cavanaugh had a boyhood best friend. They played in the woods near their homes, pretending to be soldiers surviving behind enemy lines. Grownup, they belonged to Delta Force and later worked as protectors for the world’s best security company.
Now their lives have taken drastically different paths, pitting them against each other, forcing them to play their boyhood game again, this time to learn who dies.
The survival of a great city hangs in the balance as two friends-turned-enemies hunt each other and discover that there’s a line between predators and prey, a line that’s called The Naked Edge.
From David Morrell, the father of the modern action novel, comes a gripping global thriller that explores the meaning of friendship and the naked edge between love and hate.
For THE NAKED EDGE, I’m keeping the distribution simple. You can buy printed copies from AMAZON here.
Or else, if you want signed copies, you can order them from the following two bookstores with which I’ve had a long-standing relationship. They can handle both domestic and international shipping. Just click on either name to order a copy.
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY POISONED PEN
Or you can phone them at these numbers: Poisoned Pen (480-947-2974) and Mysterious Galaxy (858-268-4747).
In the future, I plan to release printed versions of my out-of-print backlist titles the same way, along with a new collection of short stories. None of these is the sort of thing that big publishers are interested in these days, but in this brave new world for authors who want to do something different, anything is possible.
I hasten to add that MURDER AS A FINE ART will be released the traditional way. On May 7 of next year, one of the biggest publishers—Mulholland Books/Little Brown—will make my new novel available everywhere. Set in 1854 London, MURDER AS A FINE ART’s background involves a series of real-life mass murders that rivaled those of Jack the Ripper for terrorizing London and all of England.
Would you consider the experiment a success?
Tesley, under my own imprint I released the print edition of THE NAKED EDGE only a couple of weeks ago, so it’s too soon to know how the experiment is working. This is a special case. My granddaughter died in 2009. My publisher Vanguard Books went out of business. In grief, planning a new book strategy, I responded to an Amazon offer in which Amazon asked me to provide e-edition of some out of print books. I added to the project by offering THE NAKED EDGE, never before published, as an e-book only, one of the first times that an established author had done that. The experiment received a lot of press and sold well. But collectors asked for a print edition,so as a courtesy I finally figured out how to make a print edition available. This is very small time, just for my amusement. I’ll eventually release a print edition of a new story collection and a collection of my popular-icon essays. My next novel MURDER AS A FINE ART will be published in May by a traditional publisher, Little Brown.
Hi David,
This posting isn’t related to the last blog: it’s simply that I came across your website recently and thought I’d drop you a few lines just to say how much I’m enjoying re-reading ‘First Blood’ (I’ve downloaded the 20-20 edition to my kindle).
I first read your novel in the 1970s and thought it was way ahead of its time; re-reading it now, 30+ years on, I’m left with the same thoughts, which is pretty strong testament to how good it is, I feel.
It’s such a pity (IMHO) that the Rambo movies of the 1980s failed to get to grips with the depth of your characters and the issues that you were exploring; I can remember being so excited (and then ultimately disappointed) when First Blood was made into a film. I know it’s always difficult to see a ‘good’ film after a ‘good’ book, but in the case of First Blood, I really felt that the story had been sold way short- I guess it would be interesting to watch the movie(s) again now and see if my views on this have changed, although I suspect they won’t have.
Anyway, just wanted to congratulate you on what I think was/is an absolutely brilliant novel and one that still resonates today.
All the best, Doug
Hi, Doug. Sorry I didn’t respond sooner. In this new version of my website, I didn’t realize that people can leave messages there as well as send them to me directly through the CONTACT function. On the Blu Ray DVD edition of FIRST BLOOD, I have a full-length audio commentary about the differences between the book and the film. Apart from some plot differences, the character was reinterpreted so that he was a victim rather than a very pissed-off guy in terms of what happened to him in the war. That reinterpretation aside, I think the film works very well on its own terms. I talk about this on the DVD and on the RAMBO page of my website. The other films are unfortunate. For the second and third films, I wrote novelizations that tried to deal with the character as I understand him. The novel made a difference in the way thrillers are written. I’m very proud of it. Please look for my next novel MURDER AS A FINE ART in May. Set in 1854 London, it deals with a series of real-life mass murders that rivaled Jack the Ripper’s for terrorizing London and all of England. The research took 2 years. Happy holidays. David
I “read” Naked Edge as an audio book an LOVED it. I am very interested to get the print copy though.
Just read Burnt Sienna. Knocked me out. Again. Thank you David!
Is THE NAKED EDGE available in a hardcover edition?
Alberto, THE NAKED EDGE will not be available in a hardback edition anytime soon. When I say “soon,” I mean years. Through a complicated series of events, I could only arrange a trade paperback (mostly because the e-book had been released 2 years earlier, and publishers mostly care about e-book rights these days). My next book MURDER AS A FINE ART comes out in May and will definitely be available in hardback form. (It looks terrific.) Set in 1854 London, the novel has a background of a series of real-life mass murders that rivaled those of Jack the Ripper for terrorizing London and all of England. The research took 2 years. Sorry I took a while to respond. Happy holidays. David
Does your book Murder As A Fine Art have any connections/similarities/associations with the BBC America TV series Titled Ripper Street ?
Hi, Tesley. MURDER AS A FINE ART doesn’t have any connection with RIPPER STREET. My novel is set in 1854 London while the TV series takes places around 1888. My website now has a page about the novel. Thanks for asking.
Hi, Loved THE NAKED EDGE…..waiting for the next printed book of yours. You still have it!!! Billie
Will Little Brown be touring you?
Hi, Del. Yes,, Mulholland Books/Little, Brown is touring me, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be going to southern California. Sorry I didn’t respond sooner. I don’t check my website messages often enough. My regular email address is [email protected].
Where have I been. I have recently become an avid reader, thanks to Kobo. I just read Long Lost. My first book of yours. Wow. It was so exciting, I read the book in two days. Now I am researching your other novels. I will try to get the Naked Edge on my EReader
Toronto, Canada
Lynn, e-reading devices have a lot of advantages, especially for traveling and for price. I hope you enjoyed LONG LOST.
Hi, Lynn. I’m sorry I took so long to get back to you. In this new version of my website, I forget that readers can leave messages. Thanks for the good words about my work. I’m very flattered that you chose one of my books to be the first that you you read as an e-book. The e-revolution started in 2009, and I’m amazed at what happened in a mere four years. One advantage of e-books is that no book of mine will ever be unavailable again. That’s a thrill for authors to be able to say. Please look for my new novel MURDER AS A FINE ART, which comes out on May 7. Best wishes, David
Lynn, I should have added that “Toronto” caught my eye. I was raised near you in Kitchener-Waterloo and often went to Toronto for theater and jazz clubs.