UPDATE: As most of you have already guessed, this post was an April Fools’ Day announcement. We’ve just posted the alternate masthead (above) and here’s another book cover (below left) that we thought about using. Big thanks to Lauren Panepinto for her genius cover designs for the prank!

I’m delighted to finally be able to announce why my forthcoming Lightbringer novels have been delayed, perhaps indefinitely. I’ve been working on a delightful new series for children, called Ninja Kitty. I’ve already signed on with Rover, a new imprint of Orbit, for six books. While I understand that some fans will be disappointed to hear that it will be 6-7 years until the next Lightbringer book comes out, I’ve always felt that it’s important for an artist to be brave enough to go in new directions, even if he is, unfortunately, in the middle of another series. I believe that the Ninja Kitty series will also be a great way to introduce young children to my work, so that by the time they’re 10 or 11, they’ll be ready to be introduced to the themes of cannibalism, prostitution, and murder that are so central to the Night Angel books. In addition, kitties give me a great way to tie my work to existing memes. Think of any kitten pic you’ve ever seen on the internet. Now think, NINJA KITTY printed over that. Great, huh? That’s actually how my agent pitched it. Being an artist is great, but at the end of the day I’m here to make money. Lots of it. And I’m not supposed to say this, but there have been some really exciting preliminary talks with a certain director who brought the much-beloved movie about bending air *cough cough* to the big screen.

I’ve answered some questions about the book below:

Why did you decide to write a children’s book?

Well, six books, and that’s just to start. 1) Children’s books are easy. 2) Have you seen the crap parents will buy for their kids? Why not get in on that? 3) Market synergies. I’m not going to leave a dollar on the table.

What’s it been like to write in an entirely new genre?

Easy, and my assistant fixes all the minor details, like when I forget the kitties names and or the plot. I find I can write one of these in a couple days, max.

When will the book be published?

As soon as we can get all the media tie-ins organized.

Oh, and I suppose that I should post the official press release from Orbit:

“Orbit is pleased to announce their new children’s imprint, Rover. The launch title, by New York Times Bestselling Author Brent Weeks, will be One Kitten, Two Kitten… Ninja Kitten! and leverage synergies with Orbit’s many corporate partners to create a multilateral bifurcated print/digital/collectible platform. Senior Editor Devi Pillai says, ‘Rover seemed like a natural next step fr us. As a part of a corporate mega-conglomerate, Orbit feels a duty to monetize as much of its customers’ lives as possible. We realized we’d been shamefully neglecting early childhood thus far. Plus, kitties.'”