Trying to get the "word of mouth" ball rolling

Folks, the "official release date" of my new novel GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE is July 8, but it's my understanding that some copies are already getting out to readers via Amazon.com and elsewhere. So I think it's a good time for this blog post.

I haven't done a lot of "hard selling" on this blog, but the truth is, I hope everyone will consider buying a copy. I'd also like to talk about how you can help me out a little bit. GO-GO is a brand new kind of novel for me with a new publisher, and the simple truth is I want to do well.
If you buy the book and don't like it ... well, that's cool. Not every book is for every reader. The fact is, you bought the book and gave it a chance, and that's all an author can reasonably ask.

But if it turns out you like the book, here's how you can help. Pass the word. Give me stars on Amazon.com or mention the book on your own blog. Talk it up at your local saloon, coffee shop or favorite book store. Start a fight in an alley over which passages are most moving. Stage a sit-in at your local bookstore until they stock 250 copies. Tell people. Word of mouth is the best way for people to hear about a good book.

You don't have to do this. You have my gratitude for simply buying the book and giving it a shot. But if you help me get the word out, talk it up, get on board the buzz train ... well, I'll put in a good word for you with the karma people.

Thanks.

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In case you're curious what people are saying:

Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse.Gischler, Victor (Author)Jul 2008. 336 p. Touchstone, paperback, $14.00. (9781416552253).Nine years after Mortimer Tate retreated from the end of the world (he thought) to the Tennessee mountains, three men appear before his cabin. He emerges, desperate for conversation. Unfortunately, they mistake his intentions, and he is forced to shoot them. Despite this inauspicious incident, Mortimer is optimistic enough to venture down the mountain. What passes for civilization surprises him: a chain of strip joints called Joey Armageddon's Sassy-A-Go-Go has set itself as mankind's savior. But as with any fledgling world-saving operation, there is opposition—to wit, the terrorist-like Red Stripes, whom Mortimer is sent to defeat. His subsequent breakneck journey is full of cannibals, slave runners, bad booze, and other dangers, none more perilous than hope. Although this dark comedy makes one laugh, it isn't a romp in a postapocalyptic playground. It's violent and sleazy, laced with moments of quiet gravity, anintelligent satire of how American society works even after it has broken down (the label forpostapocalypse Jack Daniel's in chapter 23 is pure comic gold). Compulsively readable.— BOOKLIST (Krista Hutley)

"Guns, girls and alcohol occupy almost every inch of this raucous thrill ride, providing nonstop opportunities for both action and comedy…the humor of this armageddon western is woven deeply enough to keep Mortimer's adventures feeling like a party." – Publishers Weekly

"[GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE is] bound to be the best title of 2008.. .Gischler's going to be a writer you can't pin down. I think his readers will follow him (it would be a mistake not to), and everybody should be eager to see what he's going to do next." - Bill Crider

"engaging tale of life after the end of the world" - Kirkus

"Gischler specializes in morbid humor, dark sarcasm, and comic noir, complete with violence and mayhem. Eccentric seriocomic sf in the tradition of Kurt Vonnegut and Douglas Adams, this postapocalyptic adventure is recommended for most mature sf readers." - Library Journal

"a robust cocktail...Gischler's tone is wry with wit but sensible enough to be earnest and, at times, unabashedly horrific...if Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse is any indication of what Victor Gischler is capable of--Punisher MAX fans will be more than satisfied in the months to come. Make an effort to hit a book store on July 8th and grab a copy of this book; hell, maybe even head into a strip club and order a neat shot of Jack Daniels for atmosphere--you'll shudder at the starkness and chortle with laughter at the same time--this is one hellishly good read."

- Steve Ekstrom, Newsarama

"Take Philip K. Dick, add Mickey Spillane, mix with amphetimines, and you've got GO GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE...funny, moradant, crazed, riveting, satirical, sardonic -- and despite all that, it's got a plot. Bravo for Victor Gischler." - Mike Resnick, Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author

"If Pynchon ever decided to write an insane action novel, this would be it. All out sustained brilliance, nobody is writng the unique lunacy that Victor Gischler is." - Ken Bruen, author of The Guards and American Skin

"First, who wouldn't want to read a novel titled GO-GO GIRLS OF THE APOCALYPSE? Second, who could have guessed the book was even better than the title? Part Christopher Moore, part Quentin Tarantino, Victor Gishler is raving, bad-assed genius." - James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of Map of Bones and Black Order

"If it's all going to go to hell, you might as well have some Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse to go with it. Weird just doesn't say it for this one. Gischler gives weird a kick in the butt, sends it right over the edge of the abyss. Wild fun." - Joe R. Lansdale

"Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse proves, if proof were needed, that Victor Gischler is among the most demented, nimble, and flat-out hilarious American satirists working today. Listen closely: that sound you hear, somewhere out there, is Vonnegut's applause." - Sean Doolittle, author of Barry Award-winner The Cleanup

"It's rare that I read a book in one sitting anymore these days. But occasionally, a book reaches out, grabs me by the lapels, and says Finish me. Finish me or I will cut you. It is my great pleasure to inform you, with a slight quaver in my voice and a quick glance over my shoulder, that Victor Gischler's Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse is just such a book. This is a novel that makes On Chesil Beach seem like an embarrassing waste of your time." - PrettyFakes.com