The perils of adventuring up the Amazon

[wellinghall]

adaese having recently got me into George RR Martin, we were both excited to see that his next book was due out very soon. So I ordered it from Amazon, which was showing an expected publication date of 30 September.

It hadn't arrived by today, so I checked the website, and saw that it still said despatch on 1 October, delivery on 4 October. So I rang them up. The nice man I spoke to agreed that it looked odd ... then pointed out that it was due for publication on 30 September 2010.

Oh well, at least we've had Unseen Academicals, the new Terry Pratchett, to read. Two, in fact; one arrived on Saturday, and one today.

Comments

[emperor]

30 September 2009 is a few days ago; did you mean 2010?

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did! Now changed - thanks.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I can hear ladyofastolat's bitter laughter from here... :-D

I wouldn't hold your breath for Sept 2010. It *might* happen, but...

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

It's only in the last few days that I've read the end-note in the previous book, saying that the next one should be out within a year ...

[adaese.livejournal.com]

The wait for the most recent volume having been in my case somewhat extended, owing to having read the first three in ms before publication while I still worked for the book club.

Vol 3 in particular made for a massive manuscript.

[thecatsamuel.livejournal.com]

Oh dear - how VERY disappointing!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Oh well, it's not like we haven't got other books on the shelves to read ...

[ladyofastolat.livejournal.com]

It really annoys me how Amazon totally makes up "firm" release dates for books that the author is still writing. GRRM is not the only author I've seen complain about it. I got bitten by this myself. I started reading the series under the mistaken belief that it was a completed trilogy. When I found that it wasn't, I breathed a big sigh of relief when I saw on Amazon that I only had two months to wait for book 4 to come out.

Two years later, book 4 came out.

The last news he gave us about the date for book 5 was when he said early in the year that he hoped to finish by the end of June.

He didn't.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

In Amazon's defence, they are not the only ones to blame; it can also be the publishers who are at fault.

[philmophlegm.livejournal.com]

He's got a livejournal you know - grrm . Why don't you post on one of his many NFL threads asking when the next book is due out?

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Ooh, you bugger.

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Quite!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I am sure he will be ... delighted to receive such a, erm, novel question ...

[rustica.livejournal.com]

Through accident (ie, second hand book sales) I own the first 2 GRRMs. But I refuse to read a single word of them until he finishes the series....

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

adaese bought the first four from a second hand shop (the marvellously named "Beware of the Leopard Books") recently, and persuaded me to read them by the simple expedient of reading them herself, and obviously enjoying them.

[didiusjulianus.livejournal.com]

That's nice. I'm going to try again with Pratchett I think at some point.