"Speculative" Releases on HC UK Site

[Grimward]

Well, it would be naive to think Harper Collins UK the only publisher guilty of this, but in the interest of steering those newly-interested in authors and/or specific works offered by HC, you'd do better to check the author's official sites first. Case in point: HC UK's site lists the next book in Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow series, Initiate's Trial, as being available Oct. 28, 2010 in paperback and hardback. Given that Ms. Wurts isn't even finished writing the first draft yet (she's still working on the final chapter set), the best that can be said of HC's information is that it's "optimistic". And while I haven't read it (and won't until after the book has been published and I've read the book, in this case!), Wurts indicates that the blurb posted as descriptive of the story offers a skewed and inaccurate picture of the story, adding that it can only have been written by someone unfamiliar with the series, not to mention the book. In the interest of not furthering the misunderstanding, I hope all understand why I'm not including the link!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the information HC makes available about upcoming books as much as the next reader. In this case, however, I think someone should have engaged in a little quality control....


Grim

 

[Boneman]

And you'll no doubt find that Amazon will already be taking your money for

Initiate's Trial, as being available Oct. 28, 2010 in paperback and hardback.

and will gladly sit on it, until the book does finally come out! But you would think HC knew better.....

 

[Grimward]

Yeah, Amazon actually had theirs out a couple months before Initiate's Trial showed up on HC UK, B; I discounted it for the very reason you suggest, and Janny quickly debunked it, too. If they're going to offer all of that free-shipping, I guess they have to pay for it somewhere....

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

HarperCollins US did that with one of my books, before the manuscript was turned in, or indeed complete: They listed it on amazon.com, and put it in their own catalogue that they sent out to bookstores. It gave me quite a shock, but I will say that it added some extra special motivation to finish the book.

 

[Grimward]

Did they at least get your "blurb" right in the catalog? Getting the target date wrong is one thing, describing the book incorrectly could drive prospective customers away....

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It was part of a series, so they wrote something appropriate to the over-arching plot.

But enough about me. The point I was really trying to make is that with Janny's book it may be unfair to put any of the blame on Amazon. They can only go on what publishers tell them, and in the case of Initiate's Trial they may have listed the book in good faith, assuming it was in the publisher's hands and in production.

 

[Grimward]

No argument here. I agree that it's really the publisher's responsibility. Wouldn't think that an indication of "Late 2010" (staying with the example) on HC's site when they're not sure would require much of a change to the web site, either.