Aaron Mahnke

Yeah, that tracks.

God I miss those golden days.

Interesting. What a weird dichotomy. Good thing my next proposal is fiction, then!

Ridiculous or not, there was a time when it was encouraged by some agents and publishers. That’s why I’m asking if it’s still a thing.

I was told by an agent a decade ago that it was normal, but maybe just normal in that tiny window of time when publishers actually thought it mattered? 🤷🏻

Alright author friends, are we still putting social follower counts in book proposals in 2026? Feels like it’s become a pretty poor metric these days, yeah?

It's almost like the FIFA Peace prize means nothing to him.

A whole lot of “this war is illegal” and “he can’t do that” posts today, completely ignoring the fact that laws that aren’t enforced aren’t actually laws at all.

Congressional inaction is Congressional permission.

Cover to THE CALAMITIES by Chuck Wendig (designed by The Boland Design Co). Dark cover -- blacks, reds, golds. A man in a fancy suit with a blurred red face sits on a leather couch, casually, legs crossed, arms spread in recline. Above him is a gold-framed painting of a man spread in hellish torment. At the top, the text: NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author of THE BOOK OF ACCIDENTS

There's quite a lot going on, so it feels weird to be like HEY HEY LOOK AT ME, but maybe you like books, and like books by me, and want to see the cover to my next one, coming in August:

For the curious:

EXHUMED is an exploration of the folklore that fueled the exhumation of Mercy Brown in 1892. The book will take you on a fascinating journey through history, touching on mummification, executioners, corpse medicine, European vampire folklore, and so much more.

It’s time to dig a little deeper…

My newest history book, EXHUMED, is available for pre-order starting today, and I’m pleased to show off its gorgeous cover art.

On sale August 4th in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook. More info at aaronmahnke.com/exhumed

Is there a “citizens arrest” version of impeachment? Because hot damn there should be.

Exciting news dropping on Friday. Best way to not miss it is to make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter, The Campfire.

Link in bio.

Name one 3rd party presidential candidate who has won a single state in the last 50 years. I’ll wait.

We could have had a real President. We could have maintained our relationship with allies, extended the progress of the past few decades, and continued to improve on the American experiment.

But instead, we got a fascist kleptocracy governed by bigoted warmongering criminals. And I hate it.

This is a pointless issue. Like it or not, she was on the ballet in November of 2024. That’s it. Harris or Trump, that was the choice. And staying home because she wasn’t perfect helped elect the other major candidate. It’s simple math.

These folks decided they’d rather have Trump than Harris.

Who said I “blame people for not trusting this electoral system”?

I said they equated both candidates as equally bad, and decided to stay home rather than vote. I’m not sure I could have been more clear than that.

That said, third party candidates in America, right now, are a waste of a vote.

Still thinking about the “friends” who told me they couldn’t support Harris because both candidates were “equally bad.” So they refused to vote at all, allowing Trump to win.

Perfection will always be the enemy of progress. And purity test politics will be the death sentence for our democracy.

Thanks!

Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.

Just logging on for a bit. I’m liking’ it.

Nothing like seeing all the *amazing* writers releasing books or receiving awards for them on here to make me question why I’m even *attempting* to write fiction. Feels like trying to find a seat on an over-packed bus.

I’ve been told to “stick to podcasting” for years. Maybe they were right?

Some of my favorite photos from a chilly but beautiful walk in the woods today.

Super helpful, thanks.

No badge yet, and not a single reply to this question. It’s no wonder more people spend their time on other platforms.

Ok, I’ve verified with my personal domain name. How long does the blue badge take to appear?

Hey all! The ebook version of CABINET OF CURIOSITIES is on sale for a limited time right now. Grab a digital copy for just $2.99 across all ebook retailers! Valid now until 12/1. Thanks for supporting the things I do!

It’s not surprising that cruelty and incompetence are unpopular. It’s just shocking that it’s taken so long for some people to stand up to it.

Half of all writing in the world is trying to think of a synonym for a word you just used in the previous sentence.