The New York Times has published an excerpt of British author Steven Hall’s debut novel The Raw Shark Texts. Hall was in Toronto yesterday for the launch of the Canadian edition, which has been marketed with a guerrilla campaign that included sending cryptic letters (like the one the protagonist in the novel receives) to media outlets and reviewers (including Q&Q staff). Similar guerrilla campaigns have run in the U.K. and U.S., but HarperCollins Canada is the only publisher to launch the book with an art installation – “a conceptual boat” modelled on a description in the book. Hall, who is also a visual artist, shaped the boat out of sundry cardboard boxes, planks, coathangers, old computers, and a Weed Whacker gathered by HarperCollins staff.

Hall and HarperCollins also prepared one other Canada-only feature for the launch – 250 copies of an extra chapter. Hall told Quillblog that the chapter was a part of the original manuscript. Labelled Chapter Zero with negative page numbers, it belongs at the beginning of the book, but he recommends reading it after finishing the book as it has been printed. When asked why Canadians were the only ones to get the extra chapter, Hall replied jovially, “I just love you guys.” Assuring Quillblog that he doesn’t just say that to everyone, he added that some of the best discussion he had heard of the book so far happened at a pre-launch event that HarperCollins had organized with a Toronto reading club several months ago. He sounded sincere about that, but then this Canadian Quillblogger might be easily flattered by promotion-savvy authors.

Photos of the launch at Toronto’s SPIN Gallery:

Kyle Buckley of Toronto’s Type bookstore arrives at the gallery with Toronto Life‘s online editor and “whoop whoop!” enthusiast, Jason McBride.

Pages Books & Magazines’ Marc Glassman is OK with having his photo taken. HarperCollins Canada publicity director Rob Firing … is not.

The Writers’ Trust of Canada’s James Davies gets ID’d at the bar.

Steven Hall reads from The Raw Shark Texts just off the stern of a “found-object” shark-fishing boat built in the middle of the gallery especially for the launch.

HarperCollins Canada president David Kent, flanked by editors Iris Tupholme and Phyllis Bruce.

HarperCollins publicist Miranda Snyder shows off a copy of a special “Chapter Zero” of Hall’s novel, available only at the launch.

Space TV’s Mark Askwith gets his copy of Chapter Zero.

Steven Hall signs books. Marc Glassman approves.