Book's Availability is Jan. XX

A few days ago, I thanked Andrew at Changing Way for a very nice book review.  Then I corrected his statement that Amazon.com would have Naked Conversations available on Jan. 24.  Since Robert and I have been told we will actually be touching the authentic, complete and uncensored version of Naked Conversations, when we speak to book buyers at a Wiley-hosted CES event this Saturday, I was pretty sure Amazon would have it a few days later on January 9.

Andrew posted a correction based on my input. But when he mentioned he got the 1/24 date from Amazon, I decided to check it out.  I found it there as well.  Then I went into my local Barnes and Noble, and they gave me 1/24 as an availibilty date as well, leaving me more than a little unsure of myself.

So I asked my trusty, Wiley acquisitions editor, Jim Minatel. In the year I've been dealing with him, he's proven to know just about everything in matters related to the book.

Here is Jim's reply:

It's a trick question, or a trick answer.

The first copies of the book should be in our warehouse today - 1/3.
By next Monday, 1/9, we should be shipping copies to all the major customers (B&N, Borders, Amazon). Some of their orders may ship before then.
about 2 weeks after that, 1/24, is the date that we estimate that stores would have it on their shelves or available to ship, allowing for transit time from us to their warehouses and their warehouses to their stores. But that's just a really *ballpark* date. In reality, Amazon will have it before than and will have shipped copies to customers before than and some B&N stores get copies directly from us rather than from a B&N warehouse, so they should have it before that.

Could it be more complicated?

So the real answer is that no one, not even Jim, knows exactly when you can get your hands on the book. Andrew's guess has turned out to be closer to accurate rate than mine. It also reminds me that traditional publishers don't moe at anything like the speed of the blogosphere.

I'm sorry to have set you wrong, Andrew. I'm sorrier still that we seem to still be three weeks away from actual availability. As I keep telling people today, I'm ready for this baby to come out.

Comments

[/pd]

"Could it be more complicated?"

wait til the physical books get shipped !! :)_

[Andrew]

"I'm sorry to have set you wrong, Andrew." Not at all, Shel. Thanks to you and Jim for the insight into the endgame of the publishing process. I'll look forward to January the... whatever it turns out to be.

[Ellen Gerstein]

The only time you can guarantee a pub date is when you embargo a book - where book sellers are required to sign an agreement that they cannot offer the book for sale before a certain date. See Potter, Harry. They're hard to hold people too for anything other than Potter, Patterson and King...

[shel israel]

Ellen Gersteing is one of Wiley's top marketing people. I am shaken and shocked that she does nt place Naked Conversations on parity with Harry Potter.

[shel israel]

Ellen Gerstein--sorry about the typo. God, I need an editor when I start my day at 4:30 a.m.