Publishing a book is hard! And I'm not even writing the darn thing. So much thought and work goes into the process and I'm so thankful to have a supportive community, a supremely gifted author, and the incredible team at Bindery to help me through all this.

All of that behind-the-scenes work from so many folk is why I'm confident that the first Kist Reads book release will be gangbusters. The amount of work required is also why these updates can be so spread out over time, but I'm thrilled to announce several new developments today!

A quick note before we get into that... When I say I'm thankful for the community, I really REALLY mean it. First, the conversations in the Discord server have been hilarious and insightful. It's been so nice getting to know so many of you and watch y'all interact with each other on a daily basis. We have some truly wonderful people in there!

Second, this publishing imprint quite literally does not happen without your support. A significant chunk of the subscription revenue is poured into the making of a book to ensure we have all the resources and staff required to make it as polished and successful as possible. I'm not exaggerating when I this community is the backbone of this entire venture. You're helping us build this and I'm hyped to share the updates with you today and throughout the entire process.

With all that said, here's some news:

• Developmental edits are done and we are onto the line edit next month.

• Our target release of Fall 2026 is on track.

• We have an official logo for the Kist Reads publishing imprint.

• Our author has taken on a pen name.

• Our book has a new title!!

• A cover is currently in development.

• Back cover/promotional text is mostly nailed down.

Here's what some of that together looks like...

A COMPLEMENT OF SCOUNDRELS BY S.V. LOCKWOOD! I friggin' love that title and I know y'all are going to love this fantasy heist story! For more on what it's about, here's the headline and back cover/promotional text that we've been working on (which has been forwarded to proofreaders and is subject to slight changes):

There are many ways to bring down the man who betrayed you—and Myria Cadessa has thought of them all.

Cracking the Elysius Vault should’ve made Myria Cadessa the richest thief in all Carintheum. Instead, it shattered her crew and left her rotting in jail, while her double-crossing master walked away with everything that should’ve been theirs.

But now she’s out, and it’s time to settle the score. Reunite her crew? A pleasure. Steal back everything her erstwhile leader took? And then some. She’ll just need to trick the king of all tricksters, with the law on her heels—not to mention a troublesome new ally whose loyalties are as conflicted as his feelings for Myria. It’s the most audacious heist she’s ever attempted. But she failed her crew once and now, she’ll make it right at any cost.

A Complement of Scoundrels is a bold, raucous journey through the underbelly of an empire where the devil’s rules reign, and morality, loyalty and friendship are values few can afford. But where there’s a wit, there’s a way—and Myria has plenty of that.

Imagine an adult Six of Crows and a woman-led The Lies of Locke Lamora having a baby, and you have A Complement of Scoundrels!

Regarding the imprint logo, some of you in the Discord may remember discussing the first round of options that we were presented and I'm thrilled with where this ended up. Here's a blurb from our Marketing Director, Charlotte Strick, explaining the changes it went through and what it signifies:

Kist Reads carries a torch for the books and authors it features, just as it will for the manuscripts it publishes. The final logomark pushed the flame be a more recognizable shape; it originates from the spine of the book, as if it were the mouth of a Molotov Cocktail. A new curve at the wrist complements the blaze, which trails above the book, ever-ready to ignite change and disrupt the status quo.

Okay, I think that's everything I have to show all of you at the moment. I'll continue to provide micro-updates in our Discord server and will make more posts like this when we have a batch of news or a big announcement (like a cover!).

Thank you again to everybody that has helped us get here, y'all rock so damn hard. Sicko, out!