The Runes of the Earth enters NYTimes Bestseller List

[burgs]

I wish I could. None of my friends read fantasy.

Well, two do. One, to my tremendous disappointment, likes Terry Brooks. You know whe I read The Sword of Narsil - er, Shannara - I liked it to. But I was thirteen. I don't think he's been able to let go of that childhood wonder. I certainly have. Blech. The other likes dark characters, so I've pushed him. The other loves Conrad, likes dark characters who have ambiguous morality, so I'm pushing to turn him on to Covenant.

[aiken]

Runes fell off the NYT bestseller list for Nov 28th. It is still off the USA top 150, and last check at B& N was #926. Within SF & F, Runes was the #24 bestseller on B & N.

Getting onto the NYT list was certainly an acocmplishment for SRD--he has not been there in a LONG time. He has said his career needs a boost, and just getting on NYT is an accoplishment. As I suggested before, at the very least that will help market the paperback book. But as a fan, I am disappointed it fell so quickly. I hope that the book sells "long" as has been suggested here, and that book 2 will fare better.

[Variol Farseer]

Runes fell off the NYT bestseller list for Nov 28th. It is still off the USA top 150, and last check at B& N was #926. Within SF & F, Runes was the #24 bestseller on B & N.

Getting onto the NYT list was certainly an acocmplishment for SRD--he has not been there in a LONG time. He has said his career needs a boost, and just getting on NYT is an accoplishment. As I suggested before, at the very least that will help market the paperback book. But as a fan, I am disappointed it fell so quickly. I hope that the book sells "long" as has been suggested here, and that book 2 will fare better.

Well, the weeks before Christmas are the hardest time to get onto the bestseller lists. A #40 book in November is probably selling more actual copies than a #10 book in July; and in December sales go completely crazy. (The original Covenant trilogy, I believe, was released in the summer so as to make the best possible relative splash on the lists.) It may be that actual unit sales of Runes are not decreasing, just that it's been overtaken by all the Official Bestsellers that publishers are pushing people to buy for each other as Christmas presents.

[Plissken]

I suspect that many ROTE readers will do what I did - Read a friend's copy of the hardcover, and then buy a copy to keep (and compulsively re-read) when the softcover comes out.

Expect the softcover to go higher, and stay longer, on the BS Lists.

[burgs]

Borrow? Blasphemy!!!

[The Dreaming]

Anyone know how Runes is affecting the sales of the other Chronicles? I would think they would rise significantly.

[burgs]

Initially they did on Amazon.

[aiken]

I know we've said it again and again, but I'm disappointed in the sales not only as an SRD fan, but that within SF & F itself, Runes did not make more of a splash. The quality of SRD's writing, his former popularity, and the critical acclaim he has recieved merit more attention.

There is an awful lot out there in fantasy right now, and I have read very little of it b/c I was so traumatized after trying to find something after Tolkien and SRD. There is a lot of either ill-conceived or poorly written work that just does not interest me. I suppose my disappointment is partly that more fans of fantasy don't recognize something really good. (Of course, Runes is slow and mostly a build-up, so maybe I'm taking this a bit far.)

[burgs]

I'm disappointed too. However, it is lingering in the top 500 on Amazon, and that's evidence that word of mouth may be spreading. It had fallen precipitously, then suddenly was in the 200s. This will be a book that is not a big splash intially, but will sell well over time (that has also been said by others).

I personally don't think that Donaldson has received enough acclaim. For example, when George R. R. Martin read Tad Williams magnificent Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series, he said to himself: "This can be done well. (In reference to "epic" fantasy post-Tolkien. That was his inspiration and impetus to write his own magnificent series.

He's never mentioned Donaldson, and he even avoided a question I posed to him specifically about Donaldson. It seems that many authors (not all - we've seen instances in the GI, and certainly Gene Wolfe appreciates Donaldson) don't have the respect that I personally (although who the h-e-double toothpicks am I?) think he should have.

And by the way. In direct response to one of the Spotlight Reviews on Amazon (because part of it was in direct response to my own), the entire Second Chronicles was a buildup to the Last Chronicles, in a fashion. How can anyone complain that Runes is as well? Don't they get it?[/i]

[mickwalker]

The U.K book cover doesent grab you, I had to look twice B4 realised it was a Covernant Book, when I did notice I wet myself with pleasure and couldnt wait to buy it and get stuck in, I found this web site afterwards cos I was in withdrawl after finishing Runes, I think the paperback will flop, all us covernant fans will buy the hardback, I hope there are enough of us to ensure the four books get published. This book is 17 years to late, if Donaldson had written this B4 developing his other works he would have been unasailable!

[Seareach]

The U.K book cover doesent grab you, I had to look twice B4 realised it was a Covernant Book

I actually thought the UK bookcover did stand out--only because it is very different from most of the other book covers around at the moment.

[Creator]

I have both! I do like to UK cover because it is different. [Tho I must say I'd "hang" a framed version of the US cover on the wall before the UK!]

[tonyz]

One thing to keep in mind is that the Chronicles have been in print for most of that time period -- people were still reading and buying them in earlier years. It's just that there wasn't any _more_ Covenant stuff out there.

[Milikki]

Oh yeah. The Watcher. I got the Warder from a different fantasy series. I wish I could remember what it was.. it was SO obviously a rip off of tolkien, and I think it's got a decade or two under its belt too.... in that one, the big tentacle monster guarded a giant mine that was the home of a race like dwarves... there were even hobbits, although they had a different name and were thinner.

There was some kind of spreading shadow in that one... anyone have any ideas? It was at least 4 books long.

That was McKiernan and the Dark Tower Trilogy. Yeah, it was an obvious ripoff.

And add me to the list of people that look for specific authors and pretty much only read those. My wife is mad at me because she keeps trying trade in our old paperbacks and there are certain ones I wont let her get rid of.

I think she got my copy of LFB during one of the clean-out phases, tho. Dammit.

On the subject of SRD and aging readers, you ever notice that your author choices change as you get older? I lost interest in Anthony around 22, Eddings hasnt done much for me since around 26. I had a minor episode with Melanie Rawn around 30, but SRD has been readable from 16 to 38 (now). As for another author I would really like to see get off the pot and finish a series, can we put pressure on Gerrold to finish the Cthorr stories? Its only been ... 12 years since the last one was written and in the post-log he mentioned at least 3 more!

Kevin

[oscartheduck]

I know the book did get to be one of the Science Fiction Book Club's choices of the month and be on their front page etc

It was how I found out about it. I ordered it through them, too.

[Gadget nee Jemcheeta]

Thanks Milikki, I read that when I was 14 I think, and I could already see how sad it was

[burgs]

I doubt that the paperback will flop. There are many people on this very site (curse them!) that aren't buying the hardcover, and are waiting for the paperback. So between people that are borrowing hardcovers to read and waiting for paperbacks to won and the other group, those who will eventually be grabbed by word-of-mouth, it should do well.

Adittionally, I walked into a Barnes & Noble today and was stunned - the very first book that I saw, the book they put into the "line of sight" spot - was Runes of the Earth, and they had discounted it by 30%. Normally booksellers don't put books that they don't think are going to sell in such a position. Hopefully that's a sign that things are improving as more and more people are becoming aware that the book exists.

[Loredoctor]

It was sold out everywhere I went. And the one store in Brisbane that had it had some git standing there reading it despite me standing there stating to a friend I wanted to buy a copy.

[burgs]

I would have gone to a sales person and said, "I'm looking for RotE, but can't find it anywhere," and then led them over to the section where the "git" was reading it and said, "See, it's not here...but he has a copy." They would have had to ask if he was buying it, and then it would have been yours.

Either that - and this is the more likely of the two - I would simply have taken it from him.

[Loredoctor]

Good advice, Burgs66. Oh well, I eventually got it anyway.