Where Shadows Dance officially goes on sale today.
Of course, that's the "official" release date. Some stores have been selling it already for a couple of weeks, which is not good for what is known in the business as "lay down." (Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming anyone who bought it early!) Lay down is important because if it is controlled--in other words, if the book goes on sale everywhere on the same day, or at least in the same week--you have what is known in the business as "velocity." Lots of books being sold all at once means a book's chances of hitting bestseller lists is improved. When the book trickles out, those first sales are spread over several weeks and the chances of hitting a list are diminished.
Once upon a time, stores were pretty good about observing release dates. But then they got more sloppy. When you see a tightly held release for, say the new Harry Potter or the new Twilight, it's because the publisher paid for it. Isn't that weird? Publishers actually pay bookstores not to sell their book.
Crazy business.
42 comments:
Which just underscores how ridiculous the bestseller lists are. I'll take 100K sales spread evenly over five years rather than 30K sales in one week, but the second might hit the bestseller lists while the first won't, despite the second having fewer than a third as many sales all together. Very silly.
I hope you sell a bazillion copies, no matter when it happens. :)
Angie
Got my Amazon notification a couple of days ago that the book is winging its way to me, down to your old stomping ground of Adelaide. :-) I'll be haunting my letter box for the next few weeks, for sure!
Everyday I learn (and need to re-learn) another virtue that comes with patience. So I patiently and virtuously (oh well, maybe just patiently) wait for Shadows to arrive.
I confess I ordered a copy from Amazon long ago (it's on its way today) but . . . I couldn't stand it one more second and purchased an e-copy from B&N at 9:01 pm last night (PST).
Finished it this evening in a daze of enjoyment and delight and completely relishing a certain female character's resourcefulness and determination in the face of adverse circumstances (is that un-spoilerish enough?).
Thank you for bringing these characters to life and sharing them with us.
Melinda
Not to give anything away, but for this book, I had to pull out a world map and use red and blue pins to keep track of which country is in alliance with whom. :-D
I don't know how you keep it all straight but great job!
It was waiting on my kindle yesterday morning and I finished it last night. It was spectacular! Loved the mystery, loved the intrigue and the final pages actually made me swoon! I am beyond excited to see where the next book takes us.
I am 3/4 of the way through and so far I love love love! I was nearly late for work this morning because I thought I could squeeze in just one more chapter! I can not wait to get home and finish! One thing I don't get though are the reviews comparing to Georgette Heyer. I love Heyer and I love these books but I don't find them to very similar.
Hurrah!
I enjoyed the mystery in Shadows but thought that the social interactions between Sebastian and the other main characters in the book were really outstanding. Hero has developed slowly over the past few books into quite an appealing brave and strong woman. The ending was fantastic. This book was definitely worth the wait.
Reading mine now! Was on my front porch last night when I got home from work. If anyone had been watching they'd have thought I'd won Publisher's Clearing House or something because I was jumping up and down and laughing!
Lunch break...must read!!!!!
yahooo! Downloading it to my nook tonight :-)
And the number one reason why I own a digital reader is my dog. She eats books when they are delivered. Not sure you can access this link from my facebook account:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=429839409272&set=a.429839404272.193627.748514272&theater
That's a photo of her destruction :-) sigh.
Really enjoyed this book. Great mystery and fun to read about the political machinations of the times. And the romance aspect was fabulous. That last chapter was simply incredible . Pat yourself on the back, Candy. You have hit one out of the park !
Finally have mine in hand and have to turn it over to the husband because I still have RITA reading to finish up.
*headdesk*
I literally finished it seconds ago (pre-ordered from Amazon, natch) and I cannot wait for When Maidens Mourn. How long do I have to wait? Please don't say too long. My favorite parts, as always, involve Sebastian and Hero. I truly love Hero and I love how she just becomes more fabulous in every book.
AHHHHHH....was going to try and buy on Tuesday, but life has gotten in the way. I can't go buy it until Saturday. Well, maybe I can sneak to B&N tomorrow. It is KILLING me. I'm going to buy the hard-back and then later on buy the mass paperback to match the rest of my set. (Yes, have done that with Serpents and now am waiting for mass paperback on Heaven so it will match. Argh). Patience is a virtue I'm told. Congrats on what sounds like a terrific hit. Sabena
Can't wait to go to Borders this weekend and get mine :)
It really is an arcane business model... Congrats, though! :-D
I was going back to your earlier blog about "Revisions, Revision" (June 2010) and I was curious which chapter you had to pull apart and reassemble again from a different POV (namely Hero's)? The picture on that particular blog showed Chapter 23 so I was wondering if it was Ch23.
Once I know a change has taken place, I always like to go back and try to envision what it was like before the change.
Angie, that is so true. There are huge bestsellers that never make the lists because they build over time. Then there are others--particularly certain romance writers with a modest but very dedicated following, that hit the lists for one or two weeks, after which their sales flatten.
Rachel, I didn't realize you're from Adelaide! If you only knew how much I still miss it...
Pax Deux, hopefully by now you have it?
Melinda, I'm so sorry! And glad you enjoyed it.
Chen, that may be why PW said the plot was confusing. And here I was afraid I was going to be ridiculed for simplifying things. As for how I kept track--I confess I made a chart. I don't know how THEY kept track. Believe me, it was far more convoluted then I portrayed it.
vp, wonderful to hear you enjoyed it.
Nicole, I'm so glad to hear you're enjoying it. I think the comparisons come simply from the fact that both are set in the Regency period.
Charles, Hurrah, indeed. It's been a rocky 12 months.
Jes, Thank you!
Sarah, I hope you like it!
Dana, we had a dog like that. When I was seven, he chewed on the corner of my library copy of Huck Finn so that I my parents had to buy it. I was very happy because it was my favorite book. I still have it--it's a wonderful old edition with Norm Rockwell illustrations.
Essex, Thank you so much.
Barbara, I feel for you. I remember sitting in the biting cold on Mardi Gras parade routes madly trying to finish my RITA assignments.
Elizabeth, I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think Maidens is scheduled for next March, but I'm not sure. Book number 8 will then be eight months behind that.
Sabena, yes, I've done that. I've also sought old used hard covers to match my new ones (that doesn't work when you're late to the Sharpe party, because the early hardcovers cost a fortune.) I think the Heaven paperback is out, isn't it? Although maybe not--I just realized it's not on my shelf.
Melody, I don't think Borders will have it. Penguin quit shipping to them because they weren't paying. Problematic because they had already put in orders and Penguin had printed them.
Steve, the publishing business is beyond insane. Don't get me started on the multimillion dollar advances they give to celebrities that almost never earn out.
Chen, I honestly don't remember! I'll go read the blog post and see it if jogs my memory.
Chen, Yes, I was talking about the chapter pictured, although the chapters have obviously been renumbered. It was Chapter 33 in the picture but is now 32. I originally wrote the scene from Sebastian's POV.
Just wanted to say that WSD was so worth the wait and the ending was lovely. You have prompted me to purchase a book of Sir Thomas Wyatt's poetry :)
Also, for fun I calculated Devlin's asian zodiac sign (b. Oct 19, 1782?) and he is a tiger, which fits amazingly with his physical characteristics. Curious whether you did this on purpose? If not, that's a funny coincidence. Depending on Hero's birthday, she is either a horse or goat. I hope she is a horse, lol.
Thank you for creating such an amazing series. Can't wait for the next book!
Candice, there's no "sorry" needed! Not only do I feel fortunate to be living in a time when my reading jones can be immediately satisfied via instant download--but I am delighted to be able to support your wonderful writing by buying multiple copies!
The book (and the series as a whole) is really beautifully written and constructed. I keep having to sit on my hands to keep from writing an academic paper analyzing, say, the symbolism of Hero's parasol. . .
Blessings and thanks again,
Melinda
I just finished When Shadows Dance. I would read a little and put it down because I did not want it to end. Even so I finished in less than 24 hours. Like several others I pre-ordered from Amazon. I am waiting for the next book and was happy to hear the 8th is also in the works.
I did receive it! Ole ole ole!
Thank you for yet another wonderful installment of this series. I read it in a rush yesterday, and have just now finished my first re-reading (of many).
Am so very curious about so many different things: the mysterious necklace; Lord Jarvis's secret; how Hero and Kat's relationship might devolve; the fate of Sebastian's mother; and of course, who will the child will look like! LOL
Congratulations Candy.Well & truly worth the wait!! Could not put it down. The plots keep getting better & better!! Yes, surely in the end it has to be Sebastian & Hero!
Please say that the next one will not be as long.
All the best for the release! Probably shouldn't be reading some of the comments...
Candy, yes, I'm an Adelaidean, born and bred, living in Athelstone (northeastern suburbs, in the foothills, near Rostrevor, Magill etc)
Glad - and also sorry - to hear you miss the place. I love it, too. :-)
Hi
I really enjoy your work.
I notice that one of the correspondents says that they are getting this on Kindle. Where Shadows Dance does not seem to be available on Kindle for the UK. Do you know anything about this as I would really like to read it on Kindle - due to arthritic hands I find holding hardback books quite painful.
Although these, my congratulations for an awesome installment in the Sebastian series, are tardy my purchase of the book was not! Oh, it was sooooooo good. I snatched up the last copy at my local B&N Tues. and read it happily. Sebastian and Hero are a great pairing. Kudos, B-Zs ... and thank you!
These books are awesome! I am a medical student, and love to read the scenes with Gibson. He is my favorite. I have to say though, that I still think Sebastian and Kat belong together. Can Hero conveniently fall in love with a pirate and run away with him? *sigh-I wish :) How many books do you plan to have in the series?
How will Sebastian live without the love of his life? Will Kat ever get to be happy as well?
Went to B&N on Thursday and they didn't even have WSD out yet. Argh. I made them find them in the back room and put them out right on the front row. Finished in the wee hours last night. Sigh....it was so good. I loved it. Yes, I'm a Hero fan. I thought the mystery was great, the pacing and plot just right and not too complicated as some reviews have noted. I can't wait to hear more...about Sebastian's mother, father, Jarvis' secrets. What wonderful characters you have created; I just love them. I have to go re-read it again now. Slower this time to savor it. Congrats on a great book!!!! Sabena
Anon, so Devlin's a tiger? That's neat. So glad you enjoyed the book.
Melinda, thank you.
JC, my editor just confirmed the next one is scheduled for March 2012
paz, glad you enjoyed it. So many questions!
Firefly, thank you. The next one is scheduled to be released in 12 months.
Orannia, it does seem to be doing well this week. Thank you.
Rachel, it's my favorite place in the whole wide world.
Ingrid, I asked, and I was told the ebooks aren't sold overseas because of rights restrictions.
Barbara, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! thank you.
Rich, my daughter is in her 2nd year at medical school. As for what the future holds--my lips are sealed. But I'm a sucker for happily ever after.
Anon, Like I just said, I'm a sucker for happily ever after. I think people can love more than once in their lives. I certainly have!
Sabena, well that's scary if they didn't have it out yet! Wonder how many stores have done that? Argh. So glad you enjoyed it. Yes, PW said the plot was "overly convoluted," which kinda took me by surprise.
I wonder if Library Journal and Kirkus would review Where Shadows Dance. They reviewed all your St Cyr books in the past. It would be interesting to read their takes in comparison to PW's :-)
Anon, I'm surprised they haven't reviewed it since, as you said, they always did in the past. I'm still stinging from the PW review. This is my 16th book, and my first bad PW review.
I just realize that Kirkus and LJ also didnot review Where Serpents Sleep. Did your publisher forgot to send the books to them? :-(
Wow, a starred review from each LJ, Kirkus and PW for When Gods Die! Fantastic, and congratulations (belated, I know :-D )
Couldn't wait for the library to get its copy and purchased an e-copy yesterday which I finished last night. Love Sebastian and Hero together -- what a great team they make -- hope they will be solving many more murders together. A year is too long to wait for the next one -- how about 2 per year instead???
Annie T
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