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Release Day 
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Joined: Thu Jul 16, 2009 3:18 pm
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Post Release Day
Two copies showed up here today. Another two we contributed showed up at Butler Public Library, Butler, MO (acknowledged by the Librarian).

A great day to be a Heinleiner. Just felt the need to emote a little. . .

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Tue Aug 17, 2010 6:21 pm
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Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:26 pm
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A bio? Of Heinlein? Sounds like something I should look into. :o

Seriously, if I could just get my hands on the book! for various reasons had to cancel the year-long Amazon pre-order, so now searching local B&N: nope! not yet. :(


Tue Aug 17, 2010 7:20 pm
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Got mine as well, a great treat after a workday. After the evening chores were done, I made it through the first year at Annapolis before the call of sleep became too strong to ignore.


Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:54 am
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Heinlein Biographer

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I picked up the first of two boxes of author copies, so I can start sending out inscribed copies to some of the book's particular friends and supporters during the long period of writing and publication.


Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:09 am
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My copy also arrived yesterday; very nice so far


Wed Aug 18, 2010 10:50 am
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Woo-hoo! Got my three copies today!! :D


Wed Aug 18, 2010 4:00 pm
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Heinlein Biographer

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Wed Aug 18, 2010 6:14 pm
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Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:27 am
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Thu Aug 19, 2010 9:38 am
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Book publishing is a sucky business for all concerned these days - publishers, authors, sellers and buyers. The only books that get pushed to sellers and promoted are megabooks by mega-authors (meaning the publisher is out megabux and needs to make them back), and established "series" books for which a place is ready on the shelves.

Everything else is backlist. There is almost no midlist any more, in any field or genre and from any house.

Many outstanding books are bought and produced and then simply left on the ordering lists by the publishers, with little promotion of any kind and no distribution push.

Compounding the problem is that Tor is not a nonfic publisher and that the biography isn't really "science fiction"; as with any "odd book out" within a publisher's catalog, Tor is likely institutionally unable to manage this work's promotion and distribution effectively.

So it's up to Bill, and us. Calling THS... :)

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In the end, I found Heinlein is finite. Thus, finite analysis is needed.


Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:41 am
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Hurray for Tor and Apple. Now I can mail my physical copy for signature while reading the electronic version. And my father, who only reads on his iPad ( at least hardbacks) these days will pick up a copy as well, which pleases me. He is the one who started me on Heinlein in the first place.


Thu Aug 19, 2010 10:56 am
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Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:01 am
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Thanks for these comments. Informative.

I was/am surprised on two counts.

1. At any given Borders or B&N, it's not hard to find a couple of hard cover copies of biographies of figures far less well-known than RAH. (Not say "obscure.") Related this point, I also thought that RAH fiction sells quite well to this day, as it is easy to find on shelves.

2. I worked briefly for a small retailer at the time the major distributors (e.g. Ingrams) were just coming on the scene. The revolution they offered was intermediation of inventory, with the promise of 1-2 distribution of any book "from our warehouse." They carried pretty much all of the new releases from all major publishers.

So what's up with "a week to 10 days for delivery?"


Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:08 am
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Certainly you can find hardcover biographies in large chain bookstores... sometimes as many as 100 of them. Now divide that by the number of current biographies in print, and... wow, look at all those zeroes. :( Other than for very major figures, you are not likely to find a particular biography in any store.

Ditto for Heinlein fiction. A VERY major and good-selling author and... you might find five of his books on the shelves of any one large bookstore.

It all depends on a combination of standard order policies and the ordering by the store or department manager. IF they see the bio on the lists and IF they think it will sell and IF they have budget in their ordering and shelf space... well, there you'll find it.

As for the "week-ten days," surely you can do the math. Two days for the clerk to put the request note on the manager's desk, two days before the manager gets around to entering the order, a day or two for the order to be processed, a day or two for the order to be shipped, shipping time, and then however long it takes someone to call you and tell you it's there. That Ingram or one of the other distributors can deliver "in one day" is but a part of the process.

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"Hier stehe ich. Ich kann nicht anders." - Luther
In the end, I found Heinlein is finite. Thus, finite analysis is needed.


Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:08 pm
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A quick check reveals that the book is on the shelves at 4 out of 5 local Barnes & Noble stores here in Northern Virginia. At the Falls Church store, it is sold out!

Borders not only does not stock the book in its stores (although there are reams of Heinlein fiction on sale), they only offer it at full price on their website. What's up with that?

I'd say the rejuvenated Heinlein Society has a place here somewhere, maybe.


Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:26 pm
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Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:45 pm
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One copy on my doorstep in Aurora, Illinois!


Thu Aug 19, 2010 3:49 pm
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The Barnes & Noble here had it on the shelf the first week it was out. It was in the science fiction section with the other new science fiction and fantasy books. I got my copy from Amazon. I checked Amazon when I was finished but it didn't have when the second volume was coming out :D

Rosie


Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:42 pm
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I get mixed reports about availability at Barnes & Nobles here in the LA area, but I went to the closest one at The Grove yesterday and found 2 copies at the head of the SF section (i.e., where all the new hardcovers are).

Ironically, the biography table is 10 feet away. I took one copy from SF and put it on the biography table.

This B&N is 3 stories with the main floor devoted to CDs, Calendars, and the like. The second and thhird floors are mezzanines with banners trumpeting appearances by Tori Spelling etc. Second floor is all cookbooks on one side and decorating on the other.

The third floor is the isolation where they have everything else, including SF.

Mike Cassutt reported going to a B&N in the Valley -- I thought probably the Laurel Canyon on -- with Alan Brennert and Robert Crais to buy copies, but Steve Tymon has reported failure to find at two or three B&Ns in the valley further north than that.


Sat Sep 18, 2010 6:13 am
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I was in the Barnes & Noble in Las Cruces NM today. Saw two copies in the Science Fiction section and one copy on the New Biography shelves.

Rob


Sat Sep 18, 2010 10:01 pm
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Sun Sep 19, 2010 6:48 am
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Considering we have to drive somewhere for just about everything, you get use to it ;)

I was in Las Cruces taking the History content test to add the History endorsement to my Secondary Ed: Language Arts license.

I was in Albuquerque on Monday to see William Gibson do a reading/signing for his latest book at the Main Branch of the city library. I did see the biography listed as coming soon on a posted list while waiting to gain entrance, though it was two weeks out of date.

Carrizozo isn't too bad of a place, you can be in the mountains in short order and it is a cross roads for getting to several different regions and areas of interest within the state.

Rob


Sun Sep 19, 2010 9:11 am
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Mon Sep 20, 2010 5:46 am
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The local Barnes & Noble finally got a copy. It was in the New SF section, not biography. (The biography section has held copies of bios of Katherine Heigl and Larry Harmon (creator of Bozo the Clown) for weeks and weeks).


Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:38 am
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OK, two months and 17 days after release (hey, I explained how I've been out of the Heinlein loop for a while - and I just got here), I ventured into the local Books-A-Million (formerly Old Town Alexandria's Crown Books) seeking The Book. No copies in the store, but I checked and BAM has it from their online store. I don't do OL any more - no CC - so I used the "order for delivery to the store" option. Should have it next Weds, Nov 10th, just in time for it to be my USMC 235th birthday gift to myself.

While checking it out online, I discover a veeerrrrrryyyyyyy interesting phenomenon. On The Book's page [http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9780765319609?id=4887206146536] they note:

"ALSO AVAILABLE
USED BOOK PARTNERS offer 17 copies"

I had to check this out; used copies on the market only 2-1/2 months after release????

Yes. BAM is selling it at "Online Price $22.98, Club Price $20.68"

The 17 partner copies are at Online Prices from $27.20 - $56.92 or Club Prices from $24.48 to $51.23.

Sigh. Sorta no-brainer if you're buying from BAM.

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Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:41 pm
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Tue Nov 02, 2010 5:07 pm
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Tue Nov 02, 2010 5:11 pm
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Wed Nov 03, 2010 8:05 am
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I was just in DC and in a position to use the DC Metro (at least one way, into DC from Arlington), but found the Metro useless for practical commuting. Every time I went into it one or another of the critical lines I would use was down for an indefinite period. So I would have to go up and out of the station and hail a taxi to make my next appointment.

After the third time this happened, I just gave up.


Wed Nov 03, 2010 9:44 am
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