Friends,

I wanted to let you know the good news - my 2008 book, The Uprising, was nominated for an "Audie" - the publishing industry's most prestigious set of awards for best audiobooks of the year. You can download the audiobook at Audible.com or order the CD at this link:

click here

As I was writing The Uprising, a lot of you emailed me and encouraged me to make sure the book was produced as an audio format, and I subsequently pushed my publisher to make sure that happened. I'm glad I did.

When I heard the news about the award nomination, I wondered whether the award is given for the specific reader (in The Uprising's case, Lloyd James) or for the author and the text, and I was told that it's for the whole package. I guess it's like a movie being nominated for Best Picture (only on a much smaller scale than the Oscars) - the director can celebrate, the actors can celebrate, and the screenwriters can celebrate. So, as the figurative screenwriter of this project, I'm pretty happy, especially because the award nomination is specifically a recognition of - by far - the hardest part of writing the book: the narrative story-telling and humor that (along with a great reader) is the big key to a good audiobook.

I can tell you, it would have been far easier for me - and given my agent and editor far less heartburn - if I had decided to write The Uprising as just an expository analysis of populism. But I really wanted to do a narrative book - and the award nomination is a small recognition that it may have been worth it. I certainly hope it is for readers, though I'll also add that I'm my own toughest critic, and think I still have a long way to go to hone my craft.

If you haven't already, I hope you'll consider picking up a copy of The Uprising - or maybe even the Audie-nominated audiobook. I think you'll find its subject more relevant than ever - and more than anything, I hope you find the narrative story to be a fun read.

Rock the boat,
David