Thursday, 9 April 2009

A problem


It seems churlish to interupt all the recent (and well-deserved) celebrations with a really mundane post, but I have a problem. My second novel came out in August, Macmillan ran out of copies several months ago, Waterstones no longer have any on mail order, Amazon seem to be pretty well out of copies (with no ressuring 'more on the way'), and the paperback doestn't come out until November. I am asked - as are we all - to give talks at libraries, reading clubs etc, but have no copies to dispense (and people can't get hold of them themselves). I gather there are copies 'out there' in warehouses, but I don't have access to them. Has this happened to anyone else? Is it a common problem? It is as though my novel has died, to be resurrected in seven months' time. And yet it's supposed to be in print!

5 comments:

Ann Weisgarber said...

Frances, that's a great problem to have. It sure hasn't happened to me!

Faye L. Booth said...

That happened with the hardback edition of CtM, and I think it was part of the decision to bring out the paperback version. It is a bit of a bind, but Macmillan did manage to scare up the few copies that were left in their warehouses when I did the book club thing with Alis and Aliya, but other than that I'm afraid it seems to be a matter of waiting. As Ann says, though - it's quite a nice problem, as problems go!

Anonymous said...

Nice (but annoying problem)! Hope you manage to find some soon.

Frances Garrood said...

I hadn't thought of it as a nice problem, but thanks, Ann and Eliza, for the positive take on it (and Faye for the reassuringly shared experience)! I shall just have to sit it out until November (or get down to the very new WIP...)

Len Tyler said...

Frances, yes, much the same happened to me - the hardback sold out quickly and there was nothing in the shops for a while. Paperback sales are now respectable, however, so all's well that ends well ...