I don’t want to say that the Powers That Be at Decibel are geniuses or anything, but greenlighting a craft beer column in a metal magazine in 2009 was some next-level thinking. I was happy to write it—thrilled, actually—but were metal heads going to actually read it? For nearly 10 years, it seems that you guys did. My “Brewtal Truth” column apparently struck such a (power) chord that in 2013 I was able to publish the Brewtal Truth Guide to Extreme Beers via Lyons Press and, more recently, Decibel has launched Metal & Beer Festivals on both costs. Seems like this craft beer-and-metal thing has some legs.
After I turned in my final “Brewtal Truth” column for the January 2019 issue, I realized that I had amassed quite a catalog of material in the 100-plus columns I had written, featuring everything from interviews with metal musicians (Amon Amarth, Clutch, Municipal Waste, Broken Hope, Trouble) and brewers (Dogfish Head, Stone, Ninkasi, Jester King, TRVE) to my metal-centric takes on all kinds of craft beer topics.
It was enough for a book, in fact. And since the columns had never appeared anywhere other than in the magazine—and most people wouldn’t have every issue—the obvious next step would be to update them, revise them and compile them into a book. Something like Nothing But the Brewtal Truth: The Complete Collection.
The publishing industry, however, is changing dramatically, so conventional “book deals” for niche authors like me don’t really exist anymore. So I’m going a different path with this. My intention is to have Nothing But the Brewtal Truth published by Inkshares, a crowd-funding publisher. The deal is this: if I can sell 750 copies in advance, they will publish and distribute it. I have 90 days to do that.
So, if you’re as stoked as I am to make a complete collection of my “Brewtal Truth” columns a reality, please pre-order a copy here. You can also read a sample chapter, one of my columns from 2013, while you’re there. (I should also note that if I don’t meet my sales goal and the book doesn’t get funded, you will, of course, get a refund on your pre-order.)
Thanks for your support! Please spread the word about this project, so we can make this book happen!