originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
I don't know, maybe the thread title could be a better choice of words,
but now that the book is in the hands of a select few amongst us,
I thought there could be a thread
for the REST of us who are trying to get copies.
My pre-order has a January 2018 delivery date now.
I just tried something different.
My pre-order is from Amazon USA since that's my location.
Here's what I did:
I went to the website for HarperCollins UK, not HarperCollins USA.
I searched for, and found,
the HarperCollins pagemarker for Destiny's Conflict.
Then I used the link built in to this UK page
which took me to Amazon dot co dot UK,
and placed an order THERE
for one hardcover copy of Destiny's Conflict.
I went for broke and ordered the fastest delivery,
thus in my final order submission,
I am paying more money for the shipping
than I am for the book itself.
So I will use this thread to report the progress of this latest order.
I'm not holding my breath on my old USA pre-order.
originally posted by Annette
Well the Book Depository (UK) has the hardback available, free delivery worldwide. The UK somehow seems to have vanished the trade paperback edition, it has not been sighted in a bookstore far as I know. People are out hunting for where the trade paperback has hidden itself.
The USA orders are on hold till Jan 2018, because they alsways seem to leave Janny's new masterpiece to unload after Christmas, not appreciating her hard work and how Christmas might do wonders for her book sales in the USA and Canada. Being an import they want to sell the books they print themselves more it seems.
Australia printed up their own trade paperback edition, we have plenty of them, no sign of a hardback locally, although Booktopia seem to have it. Booktopia will probably imported theirs from the UK.
Someone certainly muddled up the release, and there seems to have been no advertising the book at all from the publisher or bookstores. But at least if the UK sells lots of hardcover editions, we have a good chance of getting a hardcover Song of the Mysteries. Australians are not the biggest of book readers, I do not know how they work out the figures for printing a trade paperback, depend on the Aussie sales we might never see a trade paperback version of Song of the Mysteries.
originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
The Amazon UK hardcover order might be delivered to me in time for the weekend.
originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
This is cool. I get to track the shipment online.
The book weighs 9/10ths of a kilogram. (I'm clueless.)
Within the UK, the shipper handed the shipment to the carrier,
who carried the book
from Tamworth to Castle Donnington.
Last night / before dawn this morning,
the shipment went on a freight flight across the ocean.
As we speak, the shipment is clearing the "import scan" in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Then UPS is to ship the book to me in Massachusetts.
originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
Just delivered:
from AmazonUK, my Destiny's Conflict copy.
So now I have something to read while
waiting for orders placed in the USA to be filled.
originally posted by Annette
Book Depository does not send tracking data, but my hardback turned up yesterday.
For those wanting the trade paperback I did ask area 52 if they would send the book overseas and they said yes, it will just cost extra for the postage.
https://area52.com.au/contact-us/
It is strange Australia has several big online bookstores, yet they only deliver within Australia, or Australia and New Zealand. USA fans, might try an online bookstore in Canada, might be cheaper postage. Also the Canadians seem to like Janny's books, they will be releasing the book Nov 21st. Remains to be seen, but from what Janny said they will likely have the trade paperback as well. The bookstore below is expecting to have both trade paperback and hardcover.
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/home/search/?keywords=Janny%20Wurts%20Desti ny%27s%20conflict&internal=1
And for those wanting the hardcover earlier than their region of the world is getting it there is always Amazon.co.uk or the Book Depository.
originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
In my case, it is now one out of three.
These were my three orders:
Amazon UK (linked through HarperCollins UK), one hardcover copy
Amazon USA, one hardcover copy
Barnes and Noble (USA), one PREPAID order for a hardcover copy
The UK order has already been paid for, delivered, and is getting re-read bit by bit;
that lovely clothbound binding is taking a beating already, who knows how long the spine will hold up, the way I am flattening out the pages!
The order from Amazon USA has resulted in an update message by e-mail, telling me my copy will be delivered to me late this month or early next, well before the holidays.
That leaves Barnes and Noble.
I need to give a little consideration
to how I might most efficiently nag at them over there.
originally posted by William Barnes
It just arrived!
Had to order from the UK and pay to have it shipped to the US, but it's so worth it.
Now just need to go get a nice bottle of wine (or two), clean off a comfortable chair, grab a lap cat and I am set for the weekend.
originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
o frabjous day, calloo, callay, for you.
That makes two of us who had shipments
from UK to US.
originally posted by Dina
My book arrived yesterday! US purchased, Amazon Prime delivered. 
Glad to see USA readers getting their books - it feels like release day in slow motion!
originally posted by Frank T Davis
Received my hard copy yesterday. I was a bit disappointed with volume 10 as it only has 453 new text pages and it has been 6 years since volume 9 was published. I was expecting at least 600 pages, more like 700 or 800 pages. Janny, you are my favorite fantasy writer. I truly enjoy the very long fantasy novels, one of the primary reasons I enjoy Fantasy.
Hopefully, you will start volume 11 soon so we can have it within 3 years which appears to be typical.
Frank
Volume 11 is already underway.
If I tried to do a 600 or 700 page book the publisher would probably balk. (remember the SIX POINT TYPE in the mass market paperback of Initiate's Trial??? What a disaster! I got SLAMMED by reviewers for an 'unreadable book' that was none of my making, but said everything about the decisions made internally - never want to see THAT disaster again) It takes extreme readership to support that, today; and even if it did not, you will see: the book was precisely as long as it was intended to be.
I will get the last book's draft done as quickly as I can - a lot depends if I can work on it full time, or not; cost of living vs income/aged mother/just a few factors that COULD slow things down.
The success of this book - if it can generate any buzz/people talking about it - my fingers are very crossed that this book can take the series up a notch. It's not featured in book shops, though; so random browsers will NOT SEE IT or know the series exists. Outreach is limited to online presence, for new readers, and even, for older readers who may be out of touch.
I can tell you that when there is readership talking about this book, somewhere, or online in a discussion - I SEE the stats move. And I see them go flat when presence slacks off. Not having that book on the shelf, every day, in front of new readers' eyes - reduces the visible profile by a lot.
Hitting the Amazon algorithm could do so very much to put the book past new eyes, all automatically. Just takes numbers and buzz/the series has plenty of substance.
Done my job; it is up to the readership, now. Longer fantasy novels are not so easy to come by as they were (publishers are much more likely to split stuff into shorter volumes, and tie them together) - and I've always had to battle the cost of production vs Profit and Loss, in the publisher's internal system. When they look at P&Ls, which are here to stay in the big corporate climate - a longer book's ratio is a huge detriment with a smaller press run. Gads, I hate beating this drum, over and over and over.
IT HAS BEEN A FIGHT to keep this series going through all the personnel changes. I can do everything ELSE but push this series, get it reviewed, get review blogs talking - I cannot DO that as the author.
The victory with Destiny's Conflict is that I got ALL of what needed to be in there to finish out the arc, exactly as intended. And the book got to press; had a contract for it. That is the miracle.
Right now, we are in RELEASE MONTH. This is a critical stage, and it will determine the course of the series for the next and last book. The publisher has already said: they HAVE NO PLANS to push to get new readers, and won't, until the last book's release…so if the equation of inertia is to be shifted, NOW is the moment to do that.
I am encouraged that the USA books got shipped much, much earlier than anticipated; this maybe likely happened because readers were raising cane/ordering from overseas, and somebody noticed and said, "Hey!" our branch is losing customers…so if that sea change can happen, so can the next.
I've gotten a lot of complaint that no books were shelved AT ALL at Waterstones in the UK. That is priceless visibility lost - so if you are in a Waterstones or a B&N or any shop - asking if they plan to stock the title draws notice to it.
I cannot post about my own work in public forums - it's not just in poor taste, but the climate from so many self published authors doing it to the detriment of active discussion - said forums do not treat posting authors kindly (yes, I can post about others' works, just not mine.)
I can't rate and review - that is not just in poor taste, it totally gets noticed and turns readers off (rightfully, too).
I can't start discussion threads for my own work, anywhere, either.
I can and will write a damned good story. Fitting it into a format the publisher will print - can do that too! Making sure all the threads reach finale, and none left dangling - yup, can make that happen with all the care that it takes.
I cannot move my numbers up EXCEPT by producing excellence; I can't MAKE the publisher put more backing behind this series.
So seeing a post like this breaks my heart more than you will EVER know. I so MUCH want to change how these books are received.
All of you people here are MY HEROES because without you, without your enthusiasm, I'd not be here with a book with 453 new text pages (and you could, if you haven't, read the other two short stories that directly bear on Wars of Light and Shadows, done last year).
I thank you all for the clamor that very likely put the books into your hands in the US so quickly after I had received the disheartening news it was scheduled, here, for January.
The goal posts can be moved again, in our favor; I have always believed that/worked to that end.
It irked me to see so many reviews of Initiate's Trial trash the font size – just like the reviewers that rate a great product poorly because the seller delivered it slowly or the DVD is lacking localized Portuguese subtitles.
I have also seen a pretty big uptick in users getting to the Paravia Wiki by searching for "Arithon" or "Destiny's Conflict" this month. I do what I can for outreach as organically as I can without sounding like a paid shill.
One technical thing that might help outreach is to make paravia.com more mobile-friendly. Over half of web traffic is on a mobile device nowadays, and the site (while chock full of great detail) is not easy to navigate on a phone. Even in the absence of a total overhaul, there may be a few tricks to augmenting the existing site to be more mobile-friendly. I'd be glad to provide some recommendations here, although I definitely don't mean to step on Trys' hard-working toes!
Oh, Brian, that is great news - site uptick is a very good indicator of fresh interest. I am encouraged to hear that!
Trys has retired from working with the website; it's a huge tribute to him that he did such a beautiful job all these years - without him, my online presence would have been, frankly, zilch. A lot of credit to this series success goes to him.
So let's have a round of applause for a dedicated job well done.
Moving forward: yes, there is a redesign in the works that starts with getting this site more mobile friendly. The rest of the site will be overhauled too - there's a longtime friend and wonderful person who loves the work doing it - if there has been ANY hold up, blame me: I was simply too overwhelmed and fiercely focused on getting this book done to divide my attention.
So stay tuned, there will be a pretty dramatic face lift!
originally posted by Auna
Great news on the facelift. This forum, while functional and appreciated, is ancient in look. I ran a Facebook ad and while the majority still used browsers,the handhelds were a significant chunk and probably only going to grow over time.
I just wanted to say I GOT MY HARDBACK TOO! Wee! It's sitting right next to my self-published proof copy of my very first book. I keep preening about both! That's how much I love having your hard back. I love the maps - so nice to have large maps to look at.
And no, I'm not one of those self-pubs who self-promotes on random forums. There are valid places for that, thankfully, since we are also the publisher in charge of promoting our book. Fun but it has a strong learning curve.
There are only six US Amazon reviews for Destiny's Conflict - so people - start leaving those reviews for Janny! (Yes, I'm one of them.)
originally posted by Auna
There are seven UK Amazon reviews. So woot!
However… Janny… You hiding something from us?
UK Amazon categories:
in Kindle Store > Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > TV, Movie, Game Adaptations
in Books > Fiction > Fantasy > TV, Movie, Game Adaptations
in Kindle Store > Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Epic
TV, Movie, Game Adaptations! I'm down!!
Hi Auna, thanks!!
Not hiding a thing (that I know of) I had nothing whatsoever to do with the 'tagging.' Looks to me, given the editors DID NOT READ THE BOOK, and have not kept up with the series - they (or somebody) just slapped every single 'tag' that they could that even remotely applied to fantasy to this title…which has NADA to do with game adaptations, TV or movies…go figure. It sends a terribly confused message to potential new readers - which your reviews will help rectify, so I am grateful for that!
originally posted by thomas h. burch
I contacted barnes and noble and asked this question, lets see if I get a response…
I am a huge fan of Janny wurts. I prefer to buy books in store. She has recently published Destiny's conflict. According to B&N it will be released in Jan. Amazon has it listed for the end of Oct. So my question is why B&N is so far behind Amazon??? Also I wonder if B&N could move up stocking the book NOW so that I could buy it. In Palm Desert, ca here. I REALLY want this book!!!
originally posted by Melanie Trumbull
An update on the three orders I have placed for hardcover copies
of Destiny's Conflict.
Months ago, I placed a pre-order with Amazon dot com in the USA, here.
Their estimates fluctuated, as reported by many members of this forum;
at one point, Amazon USA dot com thought it would be January 23, 2018, by the time shipments and deliveries could be confirmed.
While that was going on,
Amazon in the United Kingdom got THEIR hardcovers and started taking orders;
I placed one myself,
and that order was the first one filled,
earlier in October.
That's two orders so far.
The Amazon dot com USA order?
After the UK started shipping their orders out,
the USA Amazon site changed its pre-order notices,
saying that
Amazon dot com (US) would get those pre-orders shipped
beginning at the end of October and into the first days of November.
I'm following the tracking for my USA Amazon order.
The hardcover book has now shipped.
The origin, which is Amazon Fulfillment US,
has an address in Carteret New Jersey;
my shipment has now left New Jersey and is headed north, to Massachusetts where I live.
The delivery is supposed to happen tomorrow, Saturday 28 October.
Whenever my USA copy gets here,
I will match it up with the UK copy already delivered,
and, as Janny has noted elsewhere,
it will be telling to see
how the ISBN numbers differ … or do not differ.
That leaves order number 3.
This is a pre-paid pre-order with Barnes and Noble.
I made a point of doing this pre-paid pre-order in person, at the Barnes and Noble brick-and-mortar branch convenient to where I live.
Handed over the cash, in full, and have since kept
the pre-order printout and the cash receipt.
That pre-order status at Barnes and Noble has not changed;
the estimated date for Destiny's Conflict from Barnes and Noble
remains 23 January, 2018. For the hardcover.
(Barnes and Noble already has the e-book version
of Destiny's Conflict, available now.)
The ISBN number on the pre-ordered hardcover Destiny's Conflict
from Barnes and Noble
differs from the ISBN number
on hardcover copies of the same title, same author,
same publisher et al.,
available for order at Amazon, both US and UK.
To be continued …