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Utopia PR Audiobook Coming July 1! ARC Out Now

I am excited to announce that the Utopia PR audiobook will be released July 1, 2022, on most popular retail sites, including Audible and Barnes & Noble (click to pre-order).

Want to read the book early? If you’re happy to write a review, you can listen to the Utopia PR audiobook from now until June 12 on NetGalley! Thank you in advance for your help creating buzz and spreading the word. I’m an indie author so this is really the biggest way you can help me, even more than paying for my books (though that is also appreciated, of course)!

Utopia PR audiobook
Narrated by Tristan Wright

I recently had to approve the audio recordings of each chapter to make sure they were just right. Let me tell you, it was an absoltue blast listening to narrator Tristan Wright bring my book to life. I know I might be biased, but I daresay the book is even funnier read aloud. Wright brings out all the individual wackiness of Blake “The Hammer” Hamner (the is silent), Our Leader and the rest of the cast. Sitting alone in my home office, I seriously LOLed at his reading of the speech in which Our Leader ticks off every crazy idea in Blake’s Grand List of Distractions.

This was my second time working with Findaway Voices to create an audiobook (The Wanderer and the New West audiobook is also now available and 50% off until April 30 on B&N!). As before, it was a seamless process. Based on my requirements, they provided a list of suggested narrators, and then I asked a few of them to send audition tapes. It was a tough choice, but I’m really happy with what Tristan Wright has done with the book. I can’t wait for you to hear it!

Of course, if you’re not keen on audiobooks, you can get the book in eBook and paperback formats from major online retailers like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org (or ask your indie book store to order it!). Check out the official website for Utopia PR for more information on the book and where you can buy it.

Just in case you haven’t heard my elevator pitch before, Utopia PR is a sci-fi satire about a public relations rep seeking work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian president. PR extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the “Hammer” struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.

So yeah, mark July 1 on your calendars for the audiobook’s release date. Or better yet, pre-order it. Or better yet, get the free advance review copy (ARC) on NetGalley and write a review! I’m looking forward to hearing what you think of it!

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Utopia PR Audiobook Coming Soon!

Maybe you hate the droning sound of your own voice in your head. Maybe the part of storytelling you like the most is the telling. Maybe you don’t like the look of the printed word on paper (gross). Maybe you want to keep your eyes on the road when you’re driving.

Whatever the reason you love audiobooks, you’ll be excited to know I have started production on an aural version of my dystopian satire Utopia PR.

Audiobook cover for Utopia PR

I for one cannot wait to hear the voices of Blake “The Hammer” Hamner and his presidential PR comrades come to life in glorious stereo sound. I wrote the novel in a style that I think is a great match for the spoken word. Narrator Tristan Wright has signed on for the project through Findaway Voices. Utopia PR designer Bailey McGinn will square-ify the cover per audiobook convention.

I had a great experience with Findaway on The Wanderer and the New West and am looking forward to hearing Utopia PR. I’m not yet ready to announce a release date, but please keep your eye on my blog–and subscribe to my newsletter–for updates on this exciting project.

In the meantime, if you do like printed words (delicious!), you can buy Utopia PR in eBook or paperback today!

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Utopia PR declared best humor book in 2021 IndieReader Discovery Awards

Read IndieReader’s verdict

No need to spin this news… My dystopian satire novel Utopia PR just won best humor book in the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Awards!

Watch my extremely humorous acceptance video:

Thank you very much to IndieReader for declaring Utopia PR this year’s best humor book, and for thinking that I’m funny — something that I will be sure to bandy about to all my friends and family. I’m so happy to bring a little laughter into our dark times.

Please check out my IndieReader Q&A about the win and this recent interview on podcast Car Con Carne for more about the writing of the award-winning novel. Utopia PR recently joined Biblioboard’s Indie Pennsylvania library eBook collection. And it just received these glowing words from Foreword Reviews: “Sharp and witty, the novel Utopia PR is a free range political send-up set in a chaotic, perplexing, and familiar future world.”

Read the award-winning Utopia PR today!

About IndieReader 

IndieReader launched the IRDAs in 2011 to help notable indie authors receive the attention of top publishing professionals, with the goal of reaching more readers. Noted Amy Edelman, author and founder of IR, “The books that won the IRDAs this year are not simply great indie books; they are great books, period. We hope that our efforts via the IRDAs ensure that they receive attention from the people who matter most. Potential readers.” 

Past and present sponsors for the IRDAs include Amazon, Reedsy, Smith Publicity and NY-based literary agents Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Judges have included publishers (from Penguin Group USA and Simon & Schuster), agents (from ICM, Dystel), publicists (from Smith Publicity), and bloggers (from GoodeReader).

Best Humor Book

Utopia PR, which received a glowing verdict by IndieReader’s reviewers, is a sci-fi satire about a public relations rep seeking work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian president.

Public-relations extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the “Hammer” struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian. 

The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our Leader’s savage steel hounds attacks the Comms team at a press conference. He’d love to talk about his erratic job with his wife, Triple-N news anchor Maria Worthington, but they have a rule: the broadcast journalist doesn’t ask Blake for inside information about his work, and the spin doctor doesn’t use their relationship as leverage on what Maria reports. They say you shouldn’t keep things from each other in a marriage, but it’s OK—the only secrets between Blake and Maria are professional.

When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader—and accuses Blake of distributing disinformation and propaganda to cover it up—the PR rep who thought he could talk his way out of any crisis finds himself utterly trapped in a dystopian job.

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Satire for Dystopian Times: My novel Utopia PR is out now!

It’s here! My dystopian satire Utopia PR is now available for your reading pleasure.

After writing three fairly dark novels, I decided to have a little bit of fun for my fourth book. Utopia PR is a sci-fi satire about a public relations rep seeking work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian American president.

Public-relations extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big break: joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the “Hammer” struggles to make time for his marriage as Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader, who since taking power has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.

The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our Leader’s savage steel hounds attacks the Comms team at a press conference. When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader—and implicates Blake for the cover-up—the PR rep who thought he could talk his way out of any crisis finds himself utterly trapped in a dystopian job.

Given the times we’re living in, I think we could all use a laugh. So, rather than dwell in the terrible, I wrote a lighthearted farce! Like my other books, it’s still very much about our present politics, but my goal with this one is to leave readers smiling. Some of my influences include Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller, Terry Pratchett and Christopher Buckley.

I’ve already received some glowing early reviews. The Hammer himself blogged about some of his favorites on the official Utopia PR website. Just yesterday, I received a very nice review from IndieMuse. Here’s an excerpt:

Utopia PR is extremely well-written with humor, wit and imagination, and it’s a lighthearted, uplifting vision into the dark times we’re facing. What I took from this book was one important thing I felt Bender implied throughout: no matter how messed up things get in the world, never take it too seriously. There is always time to take a step back from it all, have a little fun and enjoy your time…and, most importantly: focus on what’s most important.”

Shane Staley, IndieMuse

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

You can get Utopia PR in paperback and eBook editions from the following stores and more:

Dystopian satire Utopia PR is out now!

If you like the book, please help me spread the word by leaving a customer review at your place of purchase, Goodreads, LibraryThing or your blog. I’m an indie author who does all his own marketing, and your assistance can make a huge impact.

Please also consider joining my newsletter The Underground for updates on my writing. Right now, you can get a free eBook of my first book, We, The Watched when you join.

Hope you enjoy! Thanks very much for all your support.

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Get an early copy of the new novel Utopia PR

My next novel Utopia PR will be in readers’ hands in just one (hopefully short) month! Personally, I can’t wait for Feb. 22, so I’ve set up a couple ways for you to get an early copy of the eBook edition.

For Kindle owners who enjoy a good game of chance (and frankly, who doesn’t?), I present to you this Goodreads giveaway! Enter to win one of 100 free copies of the Kindle edition. The contest ends Feb. 12, meaning you’ll get the book more than a week early!

For those who want an early copy and don’t mind paying $2.99, I will have a pre-sale on Smashwords starting on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day! The pre-sale is open only to members of The Underground, my free-to-join e-newsletter.

Prefer a physical book and don’t mind waiting for Feb. 22? I’m excited to announce the paperback edition is now available to pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, with more booksellers expected to add it soon. The eBook was already available for pre-order on those sites, plus Apple, Google Play and Kobo.

Utopia PR continues to garner positive early praise!

“In a tale that’s reminiscent of political farces such as the HBO TV series Veep, Bender employs a smooth, amusing, and straightforward prose style that’s briskly paced … Its tone is irreverent, and readers looking for a quick chuckle will likely enjoy Bender’s winking comedy, which is punctuated with genuinely sweet, sincere moments.” — Kirkus Reviews

I’m even more excited to hear what you think. Please leave a customer review wherever you get a copy or on Goodreads. I’m an indie author with a limited marketing budget, so your help spreading the word really makes a difference.

Book reviewers may also obtain an ARC at NetGalley. If you write a review, please contact me to let me know and I’ll be happy to feature it on my blog or via social media. I’m also available for interviews if so desired.

Thanks for all your support!

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