How can SRD NOT Know Runes Was On NYT Bestseller List?

[aiken]

How can SRD or his agent for that matter not know that Runes was on the NYT bestseller list? I'd be ALL over that one.

I recently asked on SRD's GI, why he seemed upset that Runes did not sell better when it appeared on the NYT Bestseller list. He said that he had not seen it on any NYT bestseller list. There is, of course, a longish thread on the entire issue in KW. He responded to me indicating that Runes had sold about 1/3 as much as WGW, regardless of list status.

I wonder if the paper NYT (as opposed to the web list) only lists the top 15, and Runes seems to have peaked at no. 18, appearing on the top 25 for about 1 month.

Perhaps WGW sold so well, everything else seems to pale in comparison, but top 25 is nothing to be ashamed of. And what agent doesn't know that his/her client cracked the top 25 and call the client and congratulate them? I do not get it. Any ideas?

[Seareach]

I think what he means is that he doesn't acctually consider it on the best seller list unless it is in the top 10 (or maybe it was the top 5). Even though Runes made it to 18, I don't think that SRD considers that rating as being the "best sellers list"...even though it is (if that makes sense).

[Xar]

Then again, when Runes came out it was poorly publicized... I mean, WGW has been published over 25 years ago, so it was necessary to publicize Runes much more than it was, just because most readers of the Chronicles from 25 years ago very likely never imagined a new book would ever come out, and therefore they would likely not look for informations themselves. My idea is that Runes could have done much better on the bestseller list if it had been publicized more; I remember there was a discussion or two about it here and in the GI. According to how he describes the bestseller status, what's important is how much you sell in a small period of time; given that many people had no idea Runes had been released, and only discovered it in time afterwards, obviously this had an impact on it. It is possible, though, that Fatal Revenant might do better on the bestseller list, if nothing else because now everyone who has Runes knows another book is coming...

[Marv]

It's astonishing how many fans of the first two chrons. didn't even know he was writing a third. I'd warrant that many are still unaware.

[Xar]

Very likely... I don't think his publishing houses did a very good job of publicizing Runes. Especially since this is the sequel to a series which most people thought concluded 25 years ago; fans don't check the bookstore looking for its sequel, unless they know of it.

[aiken]

I do not disagree abotu the fact that only the hard core fans knew that Runes was coming out. If I had not completely stumbled upon SRD's web site, Iwould have had no idea that a new book was coming out.

But his response leads me to wonder whether (a) his standards are too high, i.e. if he does not meet or exceed WGW's sucess then he has not done well, or (b) he cares very little about how his book sells except in the abstract. I certainly would have been keenly interested in knowing that my recent novel had been on the NYT list--even if it had only peaked at no. 18--especially since it was probably 20 years since anything he wrote made any blip on the bestseller screen.

My inclination is that it is more the latter. I am not upset at that, since I do not want to read another Wheel-of-Time-I'm-going-to-
soak-up-every-last-dollar series. But still, I have a hunch that if there were even the slightest bit of a commercial streak in SRD that we would have already had the Last Chronicles in the bag, and I rather selfishly wish that were the case.

[Peven]

i am a fervant TC fan and i had no idea that Runes was coming out before i stumbled across it at the bookstore while checking to see if SRD had published anything new, which i have done regularly since getting hooked on his stuff back in the early 80's with the Covenant series. since then i have gone out of my way to contact old friends i knew were big fans to let them know there was a new Covenant series in the works. i hope there are enough fans like me to give Runes some legs and by the time Revenant comes out there will be a larger intitial impact at the cash register, and therefore, put it up on the NYT top 10, where SRD's stuff belongs.

[Rocksister]

I found out by accident that there was a 3rd chronicles. I would never have known had they not built a fancy new library in my town, which I joined, and did an online search of SRD. I almost screamed out loud in the library when I saw Runes, and that is was a continuation of the TC story. I don't know how they publicize these things; I never saw any of the previous books publicized. But I'd bet that all the fans out there that read the first six books, and thought it was all over because of Convenant's death (no one to summon now, duh, and who would think of a woman?) never expected to hear of a new set on the same story line. It will take us all a while to catch up and word to get around. There should be a commercial. Just one is all it takes, maybe during the Super Bowl. I can just hear TC fans all over the world screaming in delight......

[dlbpharmd]

I found out by accident that there was a 3rd chronicles. I would never have known had they not built a fancy new library in my town, which I joined, and did an online search of SRD. I almost screamed out loud in the library when I saw Runes, and that is was a continuation of the TC story. I don't know how they publicize these things; I never saw any of the previous books publicized. But I'd bet that all the fans out there that read the first six books, and thought it was all over because of Convenant's death (no one to summon now, duh, and who would think of a woman?) never expected to hear of a new set on the same story line. It will take us all a while to catch up and word to get around. There should be a commercial. Just one is all it takes, maybe during the Super Bowl. I can just hear TC fans all over the world screaming in delight......

Just another example of poor marketing by SRD's current publisher.

[Relayer]

SRD had always said that he'd conceived the series with a 3rd Chronicles (at least from the time he started the 2nd). But I had no idea he'd started writing it and that it was being published... undoubtedly there was poor marketing, but I probably wouldn't have known anyway, since I don't frequent anywhere that advertises books, except bookstores themselves. (I also didn't know about his website or the Watch).

I was in a Barnes and Noble when I literally had the random thought "go look in the SF/Fantasy section." Which was really strange, because I rarely read SF any more. I wandered around till I found the new books section and just stared in disbelief (turning to joy) when I saw the cover of Runes. I think I felt like Linden when she first sees aliantha

[Xar]

SRD had always said that he'd conceived the series with a 3rd Chronicles (at least from the time he started the 2nd). But I had no idea he'd started writing it and that it was being published... undoubtedly there was poor marketing, but I probably wouldn't have known anyway, since I don't frequent anywhere that advertises books, except bookstores themselves. (I also didn't know about his website or the Watch).

I was in a Barnes and Noble when I literally had the random thought "go look in the SF/Fantasy section." Which was really strange, because I rarely read SF any more. I wandered around till I found the new books section and just stared in disbelief (turning to joy) when I saw the cover of Runes. I think I felt like Linden when she first sees aliantha

So that's their marketing strategy... hypnotic books that summon you to their shelf and attract your eyes to their cover!

[Relayer]

SRD had always said that he'd conceived the series with a 3rd Chronicles (at least from the time he started the 2nd). But I had no idea he'd started writing it and that it was being published... undoubtedly there was poor marketing, but I probably wouldn't have known anyway, since I don't frequent anywhere that advertises books, except bookstores themselves. (I also didn't know about his website or the Watch).

I was in a Barnes and Noble when I literally had the random thought "go look in the SF/Fantasy section." Which was really strange, because I rarely read SF any more. I wandered around till I found the new books section and just stared in disbelief (turning to joy) when I saw the cover of Runes. I think I felt like Linden when she first sees aliantha

So that's their marketing strategy... hypnotic books that summon you to their shelf and attract your eyes to their cover!

Aha! I wondered why I was buying all those Harlequin novels last week!!

[A Gunslinger]

I saw a blurb in the Entertainment Weekly after it came out....but the fact of the matter is that I only found out about it because I was googling one day and found the watch. Poor marketing!!!!!!!!

[Ur Dead]

The only way I knew it was coming out when I had visited some forums before it was published. If it wasn't for the SRD forums (I think it was this one.. I could be mistaken) I would have never known about it.

In all, I havn't seen any marketing for Runes, before or after the book was released.