I predicted years ago that huge bestselling authors, and Stephen King was always my example, only stayed with traditional publishing out of immense loyalty and affection because they certainly had the brand power to self-publish with a crackerjack team of their own instead of using the publisher’s editors, artists, and sales force.

But, in a retro move, King has announced that his next novel, Joyland, will be available in print only! That’s right. I never saw that coming. Independent publisher, Hard Case Crime, the company that published King’s The Colorado Kid in 2005 (the basis for the SyFy channel television series “Haven”), will publish Joyland on June 4th in print only.

Now, King kept the digital rights and so there is a chance that he might release an ebook on his own down the road. But he said, as of now, he has no plans to do that. Instead he wants people to “stir their sticks and go to an actual bookstore rather than a digital one.” (according to the Wall Street Journal)

Well played, Mr. King. I know what I’ll be reading on my summer vacation!