A little bit over a year ago, I posted a cryptic congratulations for a client of mine (link to that post is below). I didn’t have permission back then to name names or go into details…but now I do!
I’m going to spill a few, uh, secrets that I don’t have to keep anymore. 😈 🔥
Full Disclosure: I’m the developmental editor for this great crypto thriller.
This deal’s been a while in the making and, like every great book, has taken a great team to get to the point where Unconfiscatable is available for preorder as an ebook, paperback, and hardcover. We’re negotiating with Blackstone Audio to produce the audiobook, too, which will hope will be up on launch day: 01 September 2026.
Joe did the hard work of imagining and writing the novel. I got the pleasure of cheering him along (link to that post below), sometimes encouraging him to do better, and reminding him—once in a while—that he was doing great work.
I’ll talk about the journey from a pyre of pages to an amazing finished product in a bit, but first, here’s the preview cover (probably won’t be the final cover) and the blurb.
THEY CAN TAKE EVERYTHING. EXCEPT HIS WORD.
Jed Rawls hid in the safest corner of the law: his sleepy Chicago trust-and-estates practice. Wills. Probate. Doling out money to his dead clients’ obnoxious nepobabies. He should have made partner years ago. He also knows exactly why he never will.
When a new client bursts into his office. Twitchy. Evasive. He shoves a sealed envelope into Jed’s hands and makes him swear to protect it with his life. Then disappears.
Inside isn’t a will.
It’s the keys to billions in Bitcoin.
Billions that paint a target on Jed’s back that same day. The Sinaloa Cartel. The FBI. And a sinister government operative with the power to make problems disappear permanently.
To them, Jed is an easy mark. A quiet lawyer who will break quickly. They’re wrong. Because for Jed, a promise is a promise. Even one made to a man who might be dead. Bitcoin was designed to be incorruptible. Turns out, so is Jed Rawls.
But the people hunting him have made it simple.
Betray his client and his family lives.
Keep his word and bury his family.
He’s made a career out of last wishes. This one might be his own.
If I were an evil capitalist scoundrel, this is where the paywall would be. All Book Shaman posts will always be free. Share this post with a novelist or writer of any kind whom you love or hate. I play for both teams. 😇 😈
It was a long journey to get to the establishment of Thin Pretext Press. When Joe finished the book (that story is linked above) and walked off into the shadows with his query letter, I figured that was that. I might see him again after he got an agent, sold his book, and maybe decided he wanted some help with his next book.
Because Joe has a big platform and a lot of credibility in the cryptocurrency world, I figured he’d get an agent and a quick sale once they realized that his platform would sell a lot of books all on its own. He did sign an agent from the Knight Agency who took Unconfiscatable out on submission. Travis did a great job representing and we deeply appreciate him making the introduction to Blackstone Audio. However, the rejections from no fewer than nineteen crime and thriller imprints were weird. Even Story Grid Press refused to consider this book for publication.
Some acquiring editors didn’t like bitcoin. Some said they didn’t know what the big deal was. Some said “legal thrillers aren’t selling” (despite 12% of the top one hundred crime-mystery-thriller category on Amazon being legal thrillers). Some just ghosted.
One or two were actually honest: They were secretly afraid of the Trump administration coming after them about a book involving a corrupt undersecretary of a federal government agency “in the current political climate.”
Good thing we know a great attorney who’s no stranger to federal court. 😏
Ultimately, New York’s loss is Joe’s gain and (selfishly) mine. Now that we’re in business together via Thin Pretext Press, we don’t have to share the profits with publishers who’re afraid to speak truth to power. ✊
It took longer than we’d like to get here, but on 01 September 2026, everyone else will get to read the book that I'm immensely proud of. Joe wrote a terrifyingly, could-be-ripped-from-the-headlines thriller.
We haven’t even really started promoting the preorder yet, and it’s doing pretty well in some of our favorite categories:
If you’re even a little curious about the legend of Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin, or just love legal and political thrillers, preorder Unconfiscatable.
The Book Shaman services that I talk about the most are about development and writing of your novel, but I’m happy to help you with other parts of your author business, too, whether you’re traditionally published or (like me and Joe) a diehard indie running your own business.
If you’d like help preparing your query or pitch, effective promotion, formatting and publication, or other parts of your business, book a free campfire chat with me and let’s talk about how I can help you.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.