I’ve been holding this blog post back for a number of days until it became official (I hate the feeling of egg on my face). But here’s the big, big news: The initial print run of THE FOURTH HOUSE has SOLD OUT!
If this isn’t readily apparent, this is VERY GOOD NEWS. In fact, outside of hitting the lottery, it would be hard for a debut novelist to conceive of a better thing happening.
For those of you wanting to know more about the publishing industry, most books do not sell out their initial printing. A writer is paid an advance (money paid upon the signing of their publishing contract) and most advances are never recouped, meaning the book never sells enough to earn back the advance paid the author. Luckily, writers do not have to give back the unrecouped money or else they’d all be bankrupt.
The initial printing is usually approximately enough books to meet the writer’s advance. If it becomes apparent that the book will not sell out that initial printing, the book is first discounted (which never happened to THE FOURTH HOUSE), then if copies are still lying around, the author is offered them at an even deeper discounted price to sell himself. These are called “remainders” (thus the name of the literary rock group “The Rock Bottom Remainders”). If any more remain, they are simply ground up into pulp.
So what happens next? THE FOURTH HOUSE is going into its second printing. So those of you with copies, hold onto them; they are now “first editions ” — collectibles.
If you want to order copies, members of the …
… can still place orders that will be filled shortly. If you do NOT presently belong to those clubs, the clubs are not advertising the book to non-members right now. This is a glitch I am prodding them to work on as we speak. If you click on the names of those clubs listed above, you should be able to get to where you can order THE FOURTH HOUSE and still manage to place an order for it in your initial club order. I think.
THE FOURTH HOUSE sold out many, many thousands of books in only 10 weeks! And this, an unknown author’s debut offering that is not available through stores or even on-line stores. Unprecedented! To all of you who helped make this happen, a sincere thank-you. To those of you needing a copy, more are on the way. Order now before it sells out again!
Peace,
Kerry