<P> The paperback edition of Just After Sunset, released on September 29, 2009, included an excerpt from the novel . An excerpt was published in the November 6, 2009 issue of Entertainment Weekly . </P> <P> The preliminary dust jacket cover art was released to online retailers like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble with the words "cover to be unveiled". In late August 2009, it was revealed that the real cover would be unveiled on October 5, 2009, with parts of it being shown on September 21, 25, and 28 . The cover art design for Under the Dome is said to be a departure from King's previous illustrated covers, using a combination of illustration, photographs, and 3D renderings . The final jacket design was released in two variations: with white lettering; and with the less common dark gray lettering . </P> <P> Stephen King held a book signing at The Magic Lantern movie theater in Bridgton, Maine, the town that the fictitious Chester's Mill is modeled after, and made several TV appearances discussing the similarity between the real town and the fictional one . "I live 18 miles out of town and I've lived there for a long time," said King . "I looked at the police station, that's the police station in the book . I just used the geography, the lake; everything is there ." King was a Bridgton resident for nearly five years . It also served as the model for the town in The Mist . On the day of the release, Stephen King was in New York City at The TimesCenter to promote the book . </P> <P> In mid-October, Under the Dome became one of the highly discounted book preorders on Amazon.com, Wal - Mart, and Target, sparking a "price war" between the retailers . The price for Under the Dome and several other high - profile hardcover books to be released in November 2009, typically around US $25, was set at just US $9 (a discount of nearly 75 percent off on a new hardcover). Later, Wal - Mart lowered the price to US $8.98 and included free shipping . Target's price was set at US $8.99 . </P>

Why is the dome there in under the dome