"Leverage" Drops in Ninety Days
All systems go
Some Quick Notes Up Front
First, I realize these “promotional” posts for Leverage are annoying, but I only get to publish my first novel once, and if my first novel doesn’t sell then my nascent literary career dies on the vine. I appreciate everyone bearing with me while I do a little extra “marketing” via this newsletter.
Second, with summer break around the corner for my two kids and Leverage publicity ramping into high gear, I expect my publishing cadence to be especially erratic over the next few months. With any luck, by September I’ll be too rich and too famous to ever bother you people again.
With all that said, my darkly hilarious, grimly topical, and hella fun novel Leverage hits bookstores in ninety days!
Here are the latest updates and happenings.
Two Final Kickass Blurbs
Lincoln Michel, the brilliant author behind Metallic Realms, The Body Scout, and the superb literary newsletter Counter Craft, was kind enough to receive an advance copy of Leverage and whipped up this wonderful blurb:
"Leverage is a high-octane, high-finance thriller set in the mid-2010s when stocks were flying high yet there was a sense the whole ship might be sinking and Wall Street’s rats were gorging instead of fleeing. Gowani writes in hardboiled-tinged and always hilarious prose, and his narrator Al is a lovable fuckup you can't help but root for."
I also managed to beg Leigh Stein, Jedi Master of the Internet, genius creator of the must-read newsletter Attention Economy, and extraordinary author of six books—including the critically acclaimed wellness industry satire Self Care and the forthcoming gothic novel If You’re Reading This, It’s Meant for You—into having a go at Leverage. She offered this incredible blurb as praise:
"A profanely funny and devilishly entertaining novel about the American worship of capital at the expense of all else. Leverage has both the merry prankster vibes and the nerve-wracking pacing of r/wallstreetbets. I loved it."
I'm humbled by the fantastic feedback from these literary superstars, as well as all the amazing authors who invested their precious time and energy into reading and evaluating Leverage.
Securing blurbs is a fraught and increasingly flawed process, but I couldn’t be happier with how everything unfolded.
"Starred" Review in Booklist!!!
Booklist, the book and media review publication operated by the American Library Association, is one of a handful of influential trade journals read by librarians, educators, and booksellers nationwide.
Leverage received a coveted "starred" review from the all-important journal last week, which means my batshit crazy novel was considered a work of "outstanding" quality. This distinction could encourage library systems and booksellers to stock copies of Leverage and should also fuel additional promotional opportunities.
My team posted a condensed version of the very flattering review on Leverage's official Simon & Schuster webpage:
“[A] blistering and riveting debut . . . Funny and full of narrative shocks reminiscent of works by Percival Everett and Sergio de la Pava, [Leverage] is gloriously outlandish and compulsively readable.”
Leverage Featured in Goodreads’ Debut Novel Roundup
Goodreads compiled an awesome list of forthcoming debut novels and I was thrilled to learn Leverage made the cut!
You can peep the entire list HERE.
The House of Bezos subsidiary is also running a free giveaway for Leverage, which you can enter HERE.
Finally, if you received an advance copy of the novel and are willing to leave a rating and/or write review—good, bad, or ugly—that would be very helpful and much appreciated! You can do so HERE.
Launch Party on August 19
Another quick reminder the excellent independent bookstore The Book Cellar has agreed to host a Leverage launch party on the evening of Tuesday, August 19. Event times vary, but if you’re planning to attend I'd recommend holding space on your calendar from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
More specifics to come.
Amped Up for Bouchercon 2025
All my logistics are set for Bouchercon 2025 and I’m stoked AF for this event. It'll be my first time attending the conference and my first time visiting the great and sweaty city of New Orleans.
You can learn more about Bouchercon 2025 and register to attend HERE.
FFS Pre-order Leverage Already!
Real-talk, Fam: We’re getting close to crunch time, and if you have any designs on reading Leverage, please consider placing a pre-order as soon as is practicable.
Pre-order sales are a crucial benchmark which large retailers (e.g., Amazon, B&N) use to determine how many copies of Leverage they should procure from my publisher.
These early demand metrics then influence “best seller” rankings and generate buzz within the literary and reader communities. Since buzz begets buzz, strong pre-order sales can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and lead to strong overall sales. Look, I didn’t make up this nonsense, but I can't change it either.
To add a "gloriously outlandish" novel to your bookshelf, and help my kids win the game of capitalism, you can purchase your preferred format (e.g., hardcover, e-book, audiobook) from these popular purveyors:
Not Evil
- Bookshop.org
- Libro.fm
- Your local independent bookstore
- Your local public library (ask them to stock a copy or ten!)
Somewhat Evil
Mostly Evil
Fully Evil
An exciting and unpredictable summer awaits! By the fall, I’ll either be super famous (0.07% odds), still irrelevant (90.06% odds), or fully cooked (9.87% odds).
No matter how things play out, I’m thrilled to be getting Leverage into the hands of the empire’s final batch of fiction readers.
As always, stay frosty out there.
—Amran