In a truly bizarre coincidence, I happened to stumble upon a review of Game today which says, in part:
I must admit to being baffled as to why this book is published as a YA novel at all. Lyga does not pull any punches when it comes to describing the terrible acts committed by his villains. Jasper’s character is undergoing one of the most unusual coming-of-age narratives ever described in fiction, but I don’t really think that is enough to justify marketing this as a book for young adults.
Not to say that mature readers in their teens won’t enjoy this series, especially if they are as fascinated by serial killers and their capacity to do violence as many adult readers…. But I think that this book really belongs with the other thrillers in the regular fiction section of the store. Adult readers of thrillers will certainly enjoy it, and mature teenage readers who are transitioning to that section will find it….
Why is this a bizarre coincidence? Well, mainly because today is the day when we begin to find out if I Hunt Killers can survive in the rough-and-tumble world of adult fiction. Today is the release date of the mass-market paperback edition of I Hunt Killers.
A mass-market paperback is just what it sounds like: A paperback edition designed for the “mass market.” In other words, the market outside bookstores. These are the paperbacks you see in airports, in spinner racks at the drugstore, etc.
It’s fairly rare for a YA novel to be published for the mass market. I’m thrilled! 1
The mass market is typically considered to be an adult-oriented market. Ever since publication (actually, even earlier), people have been telling me that I Hunt Killers would appeal to adults, and my experience has been that this is the case. I get a lot of email from adults who’ve read it, as well as a lot of them showing up at my signings. It’s a great move on the part of my publisher to make this effort, and I hope it turns out to be worth it.
In addition to the gorgeous new cover (look at that thing!), the MMPB also contains the e-novella Lucky Day, as a little bonus. So, if you’ve been dying for Lucky Day in print, here’s your chance!
Theoretically, you could wander into your local 7-Eleven or grocery store or airport bookstore and find I Hunt Killers there, but if you don’t wander much (or if you want it to come to you!), then you can order it at Barnes & Noble or from one of the Indiebound stores. (Amazon, sadly, is currently punishing its customers as part of a business negotiation with my publisher. You can order it from them if you want, but I encourage you to consider other options.)
And hey — if you see I Hunt Killers on your travels, take a picture and post it Twitter or Tumblr and tag me (@barrylyga)! I’d love to see where this book ends up. And perhaps there will be a little prize randomly given out to some lucky soul…
- Let me be brutally honest for a moment here, in a footnote: Usually, for a YA novel to be published for the mass market, it has to be incredibly successful, a la Twilight or The Hunger Games. It’s not false modesty to say that I Hunt Killers ranks nowhere near those kinds of books, so it’s very humbling to see my publisher’s faith in the book expressed in this fashion.