You’ve probably heard about a little thing called Twilight, Stephanie Meyer’s insanely popular YA series about vampire teenagers in Oregon. Book release parties have been planned all over the country – and in Austin – to celebrate the Aug. 2 release of trilogy capper Breaking Dawn, but eBook enthusiasts will have to learn a lesson in delayed gratification, as the electronic book release has abruptly been delayed by a full 24 hours after the hardback.
According to a press release by local eBook merchant BooksonBoard, Breaking Dawn publisher Hachette Book Group apparently only announced the delay in an email sent out July 29, after business hours, citing concerns that eBook customers in certain time zones would receive the book prior to hardback customers in line at their local bookshop.
BooksonBoard’s director of operations, Kurt Johnson, expressed his frustration via an email he sent me this evening: “We are infuriated, on behalf of our customers, and even our competitors’ customers, [and] the entire ebook community, who pre-ordered this title in good faith based on the information we provided, which was made available to us originally saying that it would be available at the same time as the hardcover release.”
BooksonBoard has vowed to continue with its elaborate promotional contest, called Twilight Rewards Quest, which involves “a series of clues embedded in BooksOnBoard’s website, RSS Feed, and the ‘Countdown to Breaking Dawn’ Podcasts sponsored by the company.” But the company has also said that it will offer “100% Rewards on Breaking Dawn pre-orders.”
One might argue what’s another 24 hours, but considering a devoted fanbase is what made the Twilight series rocket up the charts, it’s a curious decision on the part of the publisher to alienate a whole swath of its customers – especially after at least portions of the book have allegedly already leaked on the Internet. But then I guess the publisher of a book about vampires knows at least a little something about sucking.
This article appears in July 25 • 2008.
