Louis R wrote:I suspect that the list shows stores that have logged the shipment as received and unpacked. At this stage it's not unusual for the books not be out on the shelf yet, so anybody who doesn't see it should ask.[lazy staff = oh! it's not on sale until Tuesday]
That pattern probably does indicate an efficient regional warehouse, but maybe those stores didn't have another book they thought would sell better
You are correct about needing to ask if you don't see it on shelves early. Here is why:
I had put in a reservation for a paper-tree copy at my local B&N store well before the release date. I did this because in the past, the brick & mortar stores have started selling the book a few days before the online retailers have. So even though Amazon.com might be a few bucks cheaper than my local B&N store, I was willing to pay a few bucks more on the chance that I might get the book a few days sooner. And my plan worked!
When I got up the morning of Friday Oct 9th I had an email from B&N that my reserved copy of HFQ was available for pickup at my local store. Since Tuesday Oct 13 is the official release date, I was ecstatic. I mean, 4 days early? Since this is a Tor release (and hence not eligible for release as an E-ARC like Baen books) that is hard to beat.
Anyhow, after I got off work Friday afternoon I went by my local store to pick up my copy. I entered the store and did a quick walk-through by both the new release section and the sci-fi/fantasy section. And HFQ was nowhere to be seen. I did a quick double-check and it was still not on shelves. Then I asked a bookseller and got my reserved copy which was already up by the front desk.
So yes, if you don't see a copy of HFQ on shelves, ask!
