FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Debut novel explores class, conscience and an AI system that decides who receives lifesaving care.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Sep. 24, 2026 — Inbound Books today announced the Oct. 23, 2026, release of Karma Ledger, a cyberpunk thriller by San Antonio-area author BJ Bell. The novel is the first title from the writer-owned cooperative publishing house.
As a writer-owned cooperative, Inbound Books is designed to help authors bring their work to readers while retaining ownership and creative control of their books. The cooperative’s first release, Karma Ledger, will be available in paperback and ebook formats, with pre-orders available now through Inbound Books.
Set in the corporate megacity of Nexus-Hub, Karma Ledger follows Taro Matsunaga, a freelance hacker surviving on the margins of a society that has already calculated his worth. When he is hired to steal an AI triage system known as the Karma Ledger from a medical conglomerate, Taro believes he has found the score of a lifetime. Instead, the heist tests his oldest friendship, threatens a new love, and forces him to confront what it costs to win inside a system designed to leave people behind.
To celebrate the book’s release, Bell will host a launch event at Bluebonnet Books and Homegrown Goods located at 700 Fredricksburg Road in San Antonio on Oct. 24, 2026 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The event will include a reading, conversation and audience Q&A at Eternal Morning Coffee (714 Fredericksburg Rd) followed by a book signing at Bluebonnet.
“BJ Bell has created a world that feels five minutes from now and a protagonist worth rooting for, even when he is making a mess of things. We are proud to bring this story to readers,” said Christopher Bodmann, co-founder of Inbound Books. “Karma Ledger is exactly the kind of novel Inbound Books was built to publish: smart, propulsive and unwilling to let its characters—or its readers—off the hook.”
At its core, Karma Ledger is a high-stakes thriller about class, complicity and the human cost of allowing algorithms and corporate power to determine who receives care, safety and opportunity.
“I wrote Karma Ledger as a story about building communities,” Bell said. “My hope is that readers will not only be immersed in the characters and story, but will feel inspired to create their own corner of Nexus-Hub by sharing art, conversations and fan stories on the book’s fan site.”
Readers can learn more about Karma Ledger and its story world at kalachakra.world.
Book Details
Karma Ledger by BJ Bell
Published by Inbound Books
On sale: Oct. 23, 2026
Paperback: $17.99 | ISBN 979-8951210005
Ebook: $5.99 | ISBN 979-8951210012
218 pages
Pre-order the paperback | Pre-order the ebook
Digital review copies, interview opportunities with BJ Bell, and high-resolution cover and author images are available upon request.
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About BJ Bell
BJ Bell is a San Antonio-area author and the creator of Karma Ledger, the first novel in the cyberpunk series The Kalachakra IP. Also an analyst, coder, and student of philosophy, he writes non-fiction that often addresses technology, ethics, and Buddhist practice. He lives in San Marcos, Texas, where he collects oddities from wet specimens to ritual artifacts. Find him at bjbell.com.
About Inbound Books
Inbound Books is a writer-owned cooperative publishing house. The press publishes original and revitalized backlist fiction, nonfiction and illustrated titles, pairing professional editorial, design, production, distribution and marketing support with a shared-ownership model for its author members. Learn more at inboundbooks.org.
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