Holy Hate Mail, Batman!
Posted on May 16, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 20 Comments
Subterranean Press tells me yesterday’s pre-orders for Hate Mail were well into the three-figure range. Since we’re only printing a thousand of them, that means a fair chunk of the entire stock was sold in the first day. So, two things here:
1. You guys rock. Thank you.
2. If you’re planning to order one, sooner might be better than later.
Thanks again. I feel warm and fuzzy.
Fine, fine. I’ve ordered. Having finished my MS this last weekend, I’m happy to help Athena pursue her education.
I’m considering this an early birthday gift to myself. My birthday is in October, however, so I suspect I’ll have to add a few more books to this gift throughout the next few months…
Is there no level of pre-orders which would convince Subterranean to print more?
I don’t know word one about the book business, but it seems strange not to print enough to at least cover pre-orders.
It’s always been intended to be a limited edition, not a mass market edition.
As I mentioned before, there is a chance we might do a trade paperback edition at some point, if the demand is there. But we’d have to see where we are on the limited edition first.
Thank you for mentioning it. I missed out on the limited version of You’re Not Fooling Anyone… and am glad to have gotten in my order for …Hate Mail… in time for it.
Proud owner of #1316 of Agent to the Stars, #235 of The Sagan Diary and #331 ofThe Ghost Brigades. *grin*
Here’s an admittedly nosy question about the accounting of such releases, but since you’ve been open to talking about these matters in the past here goes…
What are the percentages of the sale price that go to the author and publisher in a limited edition run like this vs. a standard hardback release?
Damn John, at this rate you may make a true fan out of me this year.
I also picked up the issue of Subterranean magazine you edited. A real bargain at $6.
Mensley:
That’s hard to say because there’s quite a lot of variation on both ends of that equation from author to author. I can say, however, and without going into actual percentages, that on both ends of that equation I’m pretty happy.
I’m using birthday cash for this. If that’s not a measure of how much I value young Ms. Athena’s edumacation, what is?
OK, I’m in!
So, does buying this book mean we are true fans of Athnea’s (cool name, by the way – ) education fund??
I would like to have it, but it’s too rich for my blood. Perhaps the trade paperback.
Too rich for my feeble means at the moment, too… maybe after may 30, when next the overseers deign to pay me… If there are still copies available by then, of course.
OT
John, you can do far better than John Lennon…
Fyi…
We rock because you rock.
Since we are proud supporters of The Athena Education Fund, do we get a mention during the commencement ceremony? I hope I am not being too presumptuous when I say ‘we are proud supporters.’
Uh, this is Athena Scalzi. This is going to sound so-ooo creepy, but I need an extra thousand tickets to commencement because there are all these Internet people who paid for my education — and they insist on coming. Yeah, it was something involving my dad. Yeah, he doesn’t quite remember what he promised, but there was a printing error at Subterranean Press — you don’t know want to know. They are so-ooo weird. You have the tickets? Great! Thanks!
Dr. Phil
Ok, OK, I’ve ordered! :D
You’re welcome. :) I will be waiting with patient desperation until it arrives.
Just a Thought, and it seems paradoxical to say, but I think its getting to the point where when you and Subterranean Press do these special limited editions you might have to think about bigger runs. I don’t think having more is going to have a negative effect on the intrinsic value of the product, its just going to create more happy fans!
I got mine I just want to make sure the next person can get theirs too.
Haplo Peart:
Well, as noted, there’s a possibility of a trade paperback edition at some point down the road, if demand warrants.
That said, we picked a print run of a thousand because based on the sales of Coffee Shop, that seemed like the right number. At the moment, the primary market consists of Whatever readers, and that’s a print run we think is a good fit for this particular audience.