What will be, god help me, the last post promising books to Americans
I've always tried to share clear and correct information. It's only fitting, when others share enthusiasm, to make it easy for them to get The Dread Crew.
Or wait.
Maybe this is exactly what I *should* do. Promotion by exasperation. Take your money and never be seen again. This is the height of guerilla marketing. Complete and total distribution breakdown. Broken promises. Crickets and cobwebs. That kind of thing.
This book is the bad boy. You shouldn't want him. But you do. All he ever does is dick you around. He'll stand you up on a Saturday night. He makes you wild with wanting.
That's my strategy. Or maybe not.
overcoming supply glitches: how to get The Dread Crew in America
1) Order from Amazon.ca. They ship to the States just the same as Amazon.com, often the very same day you order. Apparently, they still have a few hardcovers left.
2) Order from Halifax's beloved Woozles. Call them at 1-800-966-0537. They ship internationally. They have four signed hardcovers left, and a bottomless supply of signed new edition softcovers (with added features like the Glossary of Terms).
3) Order from Chapters.ca. They're yet another monolith, but they appear to have both hardcovers and softcovers. And they ship internationally.
4) Order directly from our American distributor, Orca Books. Currently, they have hardcovers. Once those sell out, they'll have a steady supply of softcovers.
5) Wait. The shipment of Dread Crew hardcovers has left Orca bound for the American warehouses of Amazon.com. It may take a few days (or weeks) for Amazon to stock it and relist the book for sale, but it will be straightened out eventually. At some point in the distant future. God knows when.
+++
This kerfuffle has done something great. The softcover, full-release of The Dread Crew in the States has been accelerated. There will be no more supply gaps, and no October release of the next batch of books. The tap has now been turned on full-blast -- once the hardcovers are gone, America will enjoy an immediate and steady supply of softcovers. In fact, the first shipment of softcovers has already gone south.
This means no more broken promises. Which means The Dread Crew is going to turn all reliable and stuff. No more bad boy. Pleated khakis. Button-down collar shirts. Penny loafers. That kind of thing. Which is, when it comes to the view from here, the very definition of fantastic to the extreme.
Never mind patience. Thanks to everyone for their impatience. It warms the heart.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Reader Comments (9)
Done and done. I want my beloved hardcovers, by gum!
When Amazon cancelled my order I cheered for you--you are so elusive and sought after!--and sent them my Chapters receipt in a crazy lady "AMERICANS WANT PIRATES TOO LOOK AT THE RESELLERS PRICES!" kind of way.
This happened to my book, but unfortunately I didn't have the demand to make things happen. My publisher kind of just shrugged and said they we were working on it, but it took months and months for anything to happen. Good for you for getting it done!
Kerri Anne, yay!
Deb, I love crazy-lady Americans. Crazy-lady Americans are way better than regular Canadian ones. Especially when they're crazy on your behalf.
And M.... yeah. Well, gosh. I don't know yet if I've gotten anything done. I won't really believe it until I see it. All I know for sure, at this point, is that Amazon causes massive headaches for publishers on just about every possible front. There are benefits, clearly, but they really run the show now, and I think the shruggy frustration is pretty universal.
My order got cancelled, too, and I had it placed in February. But, I'm determined to get my hands on a copy!!!
Ugh, crummy. But that's good, Neena. Call Woozles! That way you can get a signed copy. I'm going in on Friday to sign their whole stock, and I'm going to make a habit of it so that they always have signed ones. Good luck!
There's always the tried and true (and I know that because I've tried and trued it) method of sending a Nova Scotian friend to Woozles while she's home on vacation and having her bring the copies back. *Shrugs*.
Mine was cancelled too - but I will prevail!!
Amazon cancelled my pre-order too. Without even asking! But I order from Canada the same day and I am now licking my very own hardcover. Er... reading, I mean.