David L. Craddock

At long last, I can announce that Break Out: How the Apple II Launched the PC Gaming Revolution, will be available for purchase online and in stores on Thursday, September 28. Break Out will be published in hardcover—my first hardbound book!—by Schiffer Publishing. It chronicles the making of over a dozen Apple II games and shows how they, their designers, and the Apple II itself influenced the games, designers, and PC hardware of today.

Break Out was slated for release this month. In fact, the original release date was August 28. The book ended up being delayed one month to the day due to an earlier book in Schiffer's publishing schedule needing more time in the over, which sent a few ripples through their fall catalog. All's well that ends well, though. The extra month afforded me enough time to put together a marketing push.

I've been working with several outlets to roll out promotional coverage for Break Out. Some outlets will be reviewing the book. Others will publish excerpts from chapters and feature interviews with me on podcasts. The chapter excerpts should give anyone who hasn't heard of the book or who isn't familiar with my writing ample opportunities to sample the book's content. 

Most of the planned excerpts and interviews will drop on or around the 28th. I'll be posting them to Twitter as they roll out, but I'll also be updating a blog article with links to coverage so you can find it all in one place. I'll also publish a book breakdown that day that delves into the writing and editing process following completion of the first draft.

I'm very excited to see Break Out in stores. This journey began nearly two-and-a-half years ago in May 2015, when I chanced upon an advertisement from Schiffer inviting authors to submit proposals. Now it's here, and judging by the complimentary copy Schiffer sent earlier this month, it's beautiful. Their layout, editing, and cover teams did a tremendous job on production. 

I can't wait for you to read it.

Happy reading,

~David