Above is the cover to my latest novel. Those of you who have read it should feel free to use this space for coments.
Also, you guys can help me out with something: I’d like to know whose local bookstores are carrying it and, more particularly, not carrying it. I’m trying to get a feel for what sort of market penetration it’s gotten. So even if you’re not buying it, let me know if it is now, or ever has been, on your local shelves.
PAD
• 
I went looking for it last week. I love in Greece, Rochester, NY and there is only a couple well-known bookstores in town.
Since Waldenbooks and Media Play closed down, two places I could normally get your books are gone.
I went to my local Barnes and Noble early and none were anywhere to be found. Strike one. I went back a couple days later on the official release day and asked for help and he said it came in today. After leaving for 5 minutes he came back to say there was one copy in the back but it must be being held for someone. Strike two.
The next day I travelled next town over to the only Borders in the area and they had one copy, but for full cover price. And I’m sorry, but 24.95 or whatever is a bit too steep for me right now, especially since I don’t even like reading Hardcover books. Strike three.
I’ll probably order it off Amazon soon because I’m really interested.
I got mine on Amazon, but I saw several copies at the Books-a-Million here (Abilene, TX) right after Amazon shipped my order.
Corey
The local Books-A-Million had zero copies on the shelves when I was in there the other day. Barnes and Noble said that they had ten or so copies that were all sold out. I finally got fed up after several phone calls to other local retailers and ordered on line from Deepdiscount.com last night. They shipped it this morning.
I had to special order mine from my local Barns and Noble. They’ve been carrying a lack of TOR and Trek books though.
Haven’t looked for it yet – really couldn’t afford a HC if i found it.
Is that Boris, or Rowena, or a new imitator?
Pseudo-Bëášŧìálìŧÿ and incest, your daughters must be proud.
I kid I really enjoyed the book. Very different from your Apropos and Arthur series with the multiple protagonists, though I never felt lost.
Though a small not beef but a bit where I got taken out of the narrative was in some of the wordplay. It may just be me, but once I saw Parriz I figured out what you were doing. I slapped my forehead when I figured out where Venets was, but I still can’t figure out where Feend is. (Finland?)
I also got caught up in trying to figure how the laocoon’s name translates. You explained the occular getting their mort name from a specific occular. Piri and Trull I figured out on my own.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I know there’s word play i need to figure it out.
As for book penetration. it wasn’t at my bookstore the week it was supposed to be out, it was there a few days later. and it looks like the larger stores are carrying a couple of copies, but the smaller mall stores aren’t
It’s on the shelf at Bakka-Phoenix Books in Toronto.
Saw it at Hastings (Midwestern chain), waiting for the paperback. My to-be-read stack of just YOUR stuff is already a few books tall. 🙂 (I don’t read a lot of novels anymore, but I have a conference coming up with a long layover in Atlanta, so I should be able to whittle it down.)
No signs in Coles or Chapters (the big Canadian chain, Coles is smaller mall-friendly version of the Chapters megastores) in Vancouver, BC, although I did just pick up “Fall of Night” at the Chapters
Tried several B&N stores all over Long Island and the one Border’s in Syosset with no luck. I even tried Book Revue in Huntington because I figured “Hey, independant bookstore. Surely THEY’D support a local best-selling author…” No love there either. Perhaps it was an act of sheer optimism given how these stores have handled your previous original works, but I still had to try.
I was considering writing to the managers of these stores, but I’m dreading the sphinchter-curdling canned response of “If it’s not his Star Trek work, it won’t sell…”
Books A Million had at least one copy the day after Kathy mentioned on her blog it was the best work you’ve written. (I forgot the date)
We’re in Central Louisiana, Alexandria to be specific.
Odd that they make a point of mentioning that Terry Brooks is a Times best-seller, but don’t mention that you are…..
Anyhow, will keep an eye out in the Manhattan bookstores…..
I saw it a little early, on June 9th — at the one Border’s I’ve been to lately, the same day I went to see Spider-Man 3. That was in suburban Portland, Oregon.
And Powell’s Books (here in sorta-urban Portland) is listing it available both in-store and for online ordering. You’re penetrating!
I haven’t bought it yet. I’m pretending to be poor for a bit (May was expense-heavy), but it’s on my purchase list.
[Repeating myself ’cause I messed up a link…]
Hey, here’s the Powell’s link, why not…
It’s in the SF/Fantasy/Horror room of the main Powell’s downtown. There’s an elevator right next to that room that makes this great science fictional swooooooshing sound. Neat place for other reasons, too…
Haven’t been to the bookstore in a while, but according to their online catalogue, the Indianapolis public library has ten copies in the system.
-Rex Hondo-
NICE cover, Peter. I just ordered my copy at Amazon.
Hey Peter!
I just bought Darkness of the Light at my local Barnes and Noble. I bought the last one, and I made sure to stop by the service desk and ask them to order some more! 😉
Rebecca
I’m an idiot. I forgot to tell you where I live! San Francisco, Ca.
Rebecca
Darn it! I just went to the bookstore today. To pick up another one of your books, ironically enough. You couldn’t have posted this sooner? I was at a local B&N to grab the last New Frontier book. Your non-Trek books are in another section so I didn’t notice. Ah well.
I saw it in early June at the Borders in north Austin, TX. It wasn’t face-out, though.
I have been to 2 separate Barnes & Noble stores in Pittsburgh and neither had the book on display. In all honesty I wasn’t aware it was coming out so I didn’t ask about it, but Peter is one of the authors I always make a special effort to see what they have available, and I know I would have grabbed this if it was there. Next time I’m in one I’ll ask specifically about the new book.
I haven’t check the stores yet, but my local library (in Suffolk County, LI) was already in the process of purchasing it for their collection when I asked.
I got the book last week from Amazon UK. It will be at least a few weeks until I read it and by then this thread will have disappeared. But when I read it I will write a detailed review afterwards as I usually do with all books I read and distribute it on Usenet.
I don’t suppose the book is available yet outside the U.S. ?
Well, I haven’t picked it up, but it’s on the shelves of at least one Chapters store here in Ottawa.
arghc indigo seems to have them.
peter if you go to indigo.chapters.ca they do allow you to search to see if a book is in location at a store.
I picked up my copy using Amazon.com. Lately I have had a problem getting your books from Barnes and Noble.
I am enjoying the novel, but I am trying to read it slowly to savor the experience. I read Tong Lashing soo quickly that I was angry when I finished because I didn’t know when or if there would be another Sir Apropo novel.
Keep up the good work.
Regards:
Warren S. Jones III
PAD,
I’m living here in the Pacific Northwest and I’ve been unable to find a copy of it anywhere. I’ve been to 3 cities (Puyallup (where I live), Federal Way and Bellevue), 2 counties (Pierce and King) and 4 bookstores (2 Borders and 2 Barnes and Nobles) and I have yet to be able to find a copy of it anywhere. At the Borders closest to me, their computer system listed your book as “Likely in store.” But it wasn’t. Still looking, but I’m close to ordering it from Amazon.
PAD,
I’m living here in the Pacific Northwest and I’ve been unable to find a copy of it anywhere. I’ve been to 3 cities (Puyallup (where I live), Federal Way and Bellevue), 2 counties (Pierce and King) and 4 bookstores (2 Borders and 2 Barnes and Nobles) and I have yet to be able to find a copy of it anywhere. At the Borders closest to me, their computer system listed your book as “Likely in store.” But it wasn’t. Still looking, but I’m close to ordering it from Amazon.
I’ve been to Border’s, B&N and Waldenbooks in the last 4 days and in each store scanned the shelves and looked closely at the new release section. At none of them did I see the book. Now I wasn’t looking for it, per se, but I would have noticed had it been there.
Location: North Shore, Boston
I picked it up at the Barnes & Noble in the University District, downtown Seattle, WA and saw it at the local Borders in Redmond, WA. I didn’t see it on the bookshelves in Woodinville, WA (a suburb of the suburbs just east of Redmond), but since I’d already bought it, I wasn’t looking that hard, either. ^_^
Down here in Miami, Florida, it has yet to show up at the two bookstores I frequent, but they’re usually a little late with getting new books. I expect they’ll show up in a week or two. I couldn’t wait, though, so I ordered it from Amazon monday.
Our local store, Book World, which is a chain in Michiga, Wisconsin, and here in Minnesota, almost never has your books, at least not here in my town. The last book of yours they had was the Spider-Man 3 novelization. Before that, it was the first Fantastic Four novelization. They do carry your Trek novels, but if I want the latest Apropos or Knight novels, I have to drive 60 miles to Barnes and Noble.
So much for my lengthy, rambling post.
Well, I can tell you it’s NOT at the Borders located at
3600 McKinney Avenue
Dallas, TX 75204
Phone: 214.219.0512
Although I have special ordered it.
The Hastings here in Yuma had 2 copies marked in inventory but they were not to be found in the store. Eventually, like a week and a half after I initially looked we found them. My guess was that they put them in inventory but never brought them out of the back.
The B&N in town didn’t have any copies at all.
I haven’t started it yet, but I hope to have a good chunk done by Comic-con.
I work at Bolen Books in Victoria, BC (Canadian Bookseller of the Year! Woohoo!) and we have it in stock.
Bought the only copy on the shelf at Borders in Mays Landing, NJ
I wait for paperbacks, but Books & Co (store in Dayton, OH owned by Books-A-Million) had it yesterday.
I saw three copies of it on the shelf at Barnes and Noble in Lewisville, TX.
Brad
Excellent, PAD ! Looking forward to getting my Autographed copy at SHORE LEAVE in two weeks….
Nice Cover…. How much input do you have into the appearance of the cover? Do you have any say in the artist?
Not that I won’t be getting autographs at Shore Leave as well, but I was also taking Sagittarius is Bleeding for an inscription. Started reading it yesterday; halfway through it right now, and so far it’s up to your usual standards. (Yes, that’s a compliment)
This may have nothing to do with your question, but I’ve been search at a couple of my local Half Price Books for your novels, really ANY of your novels and I can’t find a dámņ thing! So, I guess that means that people either read your novels and LOVE THEM and want to hold on to them or hate them and want to burn them! 🙂
I saw a copy last night at a Barnes & Noble in Austin, Texas. I was surprised that the only blurbs on the front or back cover were from Terry Brooks. I don’t think his audience and yours are that similar.
There’s a copy at my local Borders in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Also two brand new copies just came through my hands to be shelved at the library where I work. Shiny!
Saw it at Borders in Redmond, WA. Didn’t pick it up yet since I couldn’t afford the hardcover right now. Bought paperback copy of Stone and Anvil instead.
Picked it up a couple weeks ago at a Hastings. I echo the response that this is different from what I expected. Lots of build-up, not much movement in the first 60 pages.
Looked for it at my local Books-A-Million in Hazelwood, MO (greater St. Louis area) and they didn’t have it. They didn’t seem to have any hardcover Sci-Fi books though so that may be the reason they aren’t carrying it.
They’ve got two on the shelf here at the Borders in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
haven’t read it yet, but got a copy for me and my sister @waldenbooks. didn’t see it at the local barnes & noble though (racine,wi).
It is on the shelf of the Barnes and Noble here in Corpus Christi, TX. It is not on the shelf of the other big chain store, Waldenbooks (which is a hassle because I had a 20% off coupon I wanted to use to buy it).