Amazon hangs on to Koontz

Horror and thriller author is ‘creatively rejuvenated’ working with the online giant.

Horror and thriller author Dean Koontz has signed a five-book deal with Amazon Publishing imprint Thomas & Mercer.

The author also will release a collection of six short thrillers, titled “Nameless,” under the imprint Amazon Original Stories this fall.

Koontz, who has published audiobooks through an Amazon imprint, said he has “enjoyed a wonderful relationship” with the company.

He praised Amazon Publishing ’s marketing and publicity plan as “smarter and more ambitious than anything I’d ever seen before,” adding, “This new arrangement is so exciting, I’ve been creatively rejuvenated. The times are changing, and it’s invigorating to be where change is understood and embraced.”

Following “Nameless” will be “Devoted,” a thriller novel about an artist, her autistic son and their supernaturally gifted golden retriever forced to “confront a terrifying threat to all humanity.” It’s slated for publication next spring.

Amazon Publishing publisher Mikyla Bruder said the company was “honored” to work with Koontz.

“Building on the success of Dean’s Amazon Charts bestselling short story, ‘Ricochet Joe,’ our first publication together, we’re excited to expand our relationship with five new books from Thomas & Mercer and an episodic collection of short thrillers from Amazon Original Stories, delivering the kind of exhilarating and deeply resonant suspense his millions of fans expect and we know new readers will love,” Bruder said.

Koontz’s literary career dates to 1968, when his first novel, “Star Quest,” was published by Ace Books. He gained national fame in 1980 with suspense novel “Whispers,” which was a bestseller.

In recent years, he has found success with the “Odd Thomas” novels and a string of books that form a retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic “Frankenstein.” His newest book, “The Night Window,” featuring his character Jane Hawk, a rogue FBI agent, was published in May.

Koontz, a Pennsylvania native, has long been associated with Southern California, where he moved in 1976.