@UGMAN launches today!

My friends,

I’m thrilled to report that @UGMAN, my third novel, is now officially in the world, released today by ITNA Press.

This one has been quite a journey and I am excited to share this weird, dark, comic turn with you. I think you’ll have fun with it.

But don’t take my word for it. New York Times bestselling author Miranda Cowley Heller (The Paper Palace) says, “Biting, witty, brilliant, gutting. Filled with rage and sorrow, alienation, humor and humanity, @UGMan is the Notes From Underground for our time. Sarvas takes no prisoners, wielding language like a sharpened knife, eviscerating the Twitterverse and the pale facsimile of life that social media engenders. I absolutely loved it.”

Kirkus Reviews called it “Chilling, flawlessly executed” and Publisher Weekly says “This is the rare novel of social media that moves, challenges, and illuminates.” And just this morning, NPR called it “a multiform monologue that recalls the captivating obsessives created by the late great Thomas Bernhard.”

I hope you’ll consider supporting both me and my scrappy, intrepid publishers! You can order a copy here or, if you’re in the Los Angeles area, come to my launch event on July 9 with the incomparably Benjamin Dreyer.

Going the extra mile:

Spreading the word about a new novel is a big lift, all the heavier when working with independent presses. If you care to do a bit more to help this book find readers, any of these would be much appreciated:

• Add @UGMAN to your Goodreads shelf, if you have one.

• Recommend @UGMAN to your book club - and invite me to come chat with them!

• Mention the book on all the usual social media channels (ah, the irony is thick!)

• Ask your local independent bookstore to carry @UGMAN

• Consider leaving Amazon and Goodreads reviews, especially positive ones!

• And there’s nothing like word of mouth - it’s the most effective way to persuade someone to read a book.

The best part of all of this is that you don't have to get any more emails like this from me for at least three or four more years! This newsletter will now revert to its intended state: literary commentary (did you see that review everyone is talking about?), personal obsessions, and writing advice.

Thanks for indulging me. I am grateful and indebted to you all.

Warmest wishes, Mark (and Berger!)