truepenny | Corambis mmpb (mass market paperback), plus a tribulation

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Corambis mmpb (mass market paperback), plus a tribulation

I should probably mention that Corambis is out in paperback. Official release date, according to Amazon (which knows these things) was March 30, and an alert reader has testified that in this instance free market capitalism is working.

While I'm on the subject of the Doctrine of Labyrinths and publication, an update for everyone who is wondering: I am still trying to get The Virtu back in print. My agent has made the formal request to Ace Books either to reprint it or return the rights to me, and we are (still) waiting for Ace's response. Publishing works by Newtonian physics: an object at rest tends to remain at rest.

Yes (in case you were wondering about this, too), the waiting is DRIVING ME UP THE WALL. I badly want this book to be available again before Ace decides to take The Mirador and Corambis out of print (not to mention Mélusine), and I hate the inexorably vicious circle I can feel lurking somewhere over the horizon, wherein people don't buy books 3 and 4 because they can't get book 2 (because book 2 was out of print before book 4 was published), and therefore Ace not only feels justified in having taken book 2 out of print (because the numbers on books 3 and 4 are terrible--obviously we made the right decision about book 2), but also uses that as justification to take books 3 and 4 out of print as well. And there I am, with a series I love and am deeply proud of, which becomes unavailable, and therefore unread. And therefore forgotten. The thought makes me want to sit down in the middle of the floor and howl.

And there's nothing I can do about any of it except what I am doing. Which is sit and wait and gnaw my fingernails back to the elbow.

And, I think, go outside and take out some of this frustrated aggression on the weeds. [ETA: "Rain," said Eeyore. "I expected as much."]

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Oh, I do hope you're able to get The Virtu back in print! I would love to own a copy. I only discovered the series last fall, and was lucky enough to have a local library with a copy of The Virtu so I didn't have to skip a book. But the longer it's out of print, the fewer libraries will have copies as they get lost, damaged, or stolen... It's just terrible, because it's such a good series.

*hugs and encouragement* You'll manage it eventually, I'm sure.

I don't understand why they'd put the second book of a series out of print. Of course, as a friend of mine always liked to point out, this is a corporation I'm trying to apply logic to, here.

(And I don't understand why they'd put any of the Doctrine of Labyrinths books out of print, because they are amazing.)

But yes, sending good vibes to you for this.

It could be a problem with 2nd books. There is another series I've been trying to read but Book 2 just does. not. exist. Not in any used book store I've ever found, or in any library local to me. Book 1? Have it, it's in stores. Book 3? Have that too, and it's at the library. Book 2? Nowhere.

I'm so sorry to hear that books 3 and 4 might soon go out of print as well. I own and have read books 1-3 so far, and I plan on buying Corambis in paperback the next time I stop by the bookstore. Hopefully it will be there. You never know with my local Borders and Barnes & Noble; they're somewhat unreliable for stocking non-bestsellers.

Grrr. Why do they do this. Your characters became real people to me.

ack!

I hate that too. And the biggest problem with this is that most people who are just wandering into a bookstore looking for more books in the series will HAVE NO IDEA that book 2 is actually out of print rather than just not in stock.

Even the people that do bother to ask and then hear that it is out of print will often never consider popping into their local library to see if the have it. (mine does. whoohoo! which is how I was able to read the series.)

Plus, while the book only being available in libraries may be good for us libraries (and better than nothing for the sales of the other books), even if everyone who is looking for book 2 checked it out from their library that would still negatively impact the sales of later books as many people will simply check those out from the library too.

*sigh*

*growls* This whole situation makes me mad enough to spit. Ever since I first picked up Melusine, your Doctrine of Labyrinths series has been one of my favorite sets of fiction. I adore your characters and how in spite of (and sometimes because of) their flaws they manage to survive and somehow thrive... eventually. ^_~ I love the complex relationships that you seem to build (and take apart O_O) with such ease. And the richness of your world's setting... my goodness. The world is almost a character in itself. Even though I've read each of the four books at least 5 times by now, every time I pick them back up the sheer power of them is no less. I laugh, I cry and they tug so strongly at the heartstrings that I sometimes even have to put them down and come back again later. Why everyone isn't a tremendous, squealing fangirl (or boy) of this series is an absolute mind-boggling mystery to me. :( And of all of them for the Virtu to be out of print is ridiculous -- it's my favorite in the whole series!

I have pimped these books to all my friends and even gotten several to buy copies of their own. I sincerely hope to see it all back in print again -- hell, I'd even buy them all again in hardback. (I need the first three in that format to match my copy of Corambis, don't I? ^_^) I wish you much luck in that venture and will be eagerly watching the shelves. In the meantime, I'll follow your writing no matter what name or company you publish it under.

Best of luck!

Melusine's still in print? YES! I hope they start printing The Virtu again.

The only way I was able to get books 1 and 2 was from my library. I would love for them to be reprinted so I can own the set.

I apologize if this is not the proper place for this, but I had to pop in and tell you that I actually was introduced to your wonderful series because of The Virtu. I didn't realize it was the second book in the series, and usually I'm the type of person to make a little moue of dismay and shrug and reshelve...but luckily I didn't find out until a little later, after I read it, that I was missing the first book--and when I did, I promptly went out and bought Melusine, then The Mirador when it was released, and finally Cormabis. Actually, I had to special order Corambis since for some reason it wasn't in the local B&N on it's release date, and I'm an impatient person.
I've recommended the series to a whole bunch of my friends, both IRL and here on LJ, and though The Virtu is out of print, they still read the others in the series and derived as much enjoyment as I did.
I just wanted to tell you that I love your writing, and hope to read more of your works in the near future.

I want to go throttle the people at ACE. Can't they see that this is THE BEST SET OF BOOKS EVER?! HELLO! Wake up people! This series is AWESOME! I love your books and I tell everyone about them whenever I can. I really hope you can get The Virtu out there again. It's so stupid what they did. Of COURSE sales have been down on books 3 and 4! People tend not to read the rest of a series if the MISS a HUGE chunk of PLOT. Dumbf**k. I am glad it was published and I wish you could find a better publishing company...but you have to work with what you go. Best of luck to you!

I was unaware that the first book was still in print. I'm glad to see that it is. I bought all my copies through Amazon. I found out about this series from a friend of mine the end of last year and went crazy buying them all. Thus far I own most in paperback and hardback. Just missing The Mirador hardcover and Corambis soft cover. I really do hope they start printing The Virtu again. More people must become aware of this series. I'm so enchanted by the characters and really love them and their world. It's been a long time since I've read a book that does that to me.

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I don't know if it would do any good--I have no idea whether Ace (or other publishers) pay any attention to that sort of thing. But thank you very very much for making the offer.

As much as I like to have and hold a physical book in my hands(I have all 4, safely tucked away), I am eagerly awaiting the internet to come through on its promises, as far as e-books are concerned. There doesn't seem to be any reason a book should ever go out of print, or for wonderful authors to be at the mercy of publishers who throw them under the bus for less than blockbuster sales.

Wishing you good luck!

Aaagh. They should not be allowed to do this. It sucks.

On the other hand, you know, they'll find a way to mess you up regardless. The first two books of the Secret Country trilogy were in print when the third came out, but Ace somehow just kind of forgot to put them into the catalog along with the third one. Scott Imes of Uncle Hugo's gave me a copy of the catalog "as evidence for the lawsuit."

Alas, no lawsuit. I snarl in their general direction.

P.

This is something I can't be satisfied to remain a "lurker" about.

I just began reading this series a week and a half ago, because I found The Virtu in a list of sci-fi/fantasy books with GLBT themes... I've devoured Melusine, The Virtu, and The Mirador in that oh-so-short time and will be heading out tomorrow to locate a copy of Corambis to feed this new addiction. (What will I do when I have finished with that? Let's say I'm not dwelling on that too much!)

I journeyed to no less than three libraries, all of which were thirty minutes to an hour from my home, to find these three books--in a couple of cases, the books were already checked out, so there is no question but they are being read! What has me tied in knots is the fact that they are not available for sale anywhere at all in my area. (In the San Francisco Bay Area--how is this even possible?!) I would LOVE to own all of these books, but it's just not an option.

SO, that said, I intend to write a strongly worded letter to Ace encouraging them to put all of these books back into print. How can we buy these books when they are not available? Especially The Virtu; that was the hardest book to find!

What I'd love best is if the series could be sold as a set of paperbacks; I'd buy the entire thing without blinking and just live on cheap ramen and stories for a while. :)

Actually, at first I had a rather difficult time finding Melusine as well, because Amazon for example only offers it through the Amazon Marketplace which limits shipping to only a few countries (my country, Greece, not being among them). I was lucky to be introduced to AbeBooks, where I found my copy and then a good friend sent me the Virtu, so I was able to get the Mirador and Corambis (I must have read all four in the span of a single month and I very proudly declare that the whole series holds a very high position in my all time favourites list). I've since made sure to advertise the series very loudly and persistently to all my friends and am happy to say I am succeding. There is at least one person I know who has bought books 3 and 4 without owning the first two and loves your writing as much as I do. In any case I seriously hope you win the case for the Virtu because it is a brilliant book and deserves much much better than what it is getting.

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Oh I am a very faithful customer of Book Depository and this is where I got the Mirador and Corambis from. But for the Bone Key and Melusine I had to follow their link to AbeBooks (I am perfectly happy that they did have such a link because it was the only way I could find these books and then some more that were either out of print or simply too hard to find). But thanks for the tip

I downloaded Melusine on March 19th and will have finished the entire series by tomorrow. All four books are available on Kindle.

Needless to say, the experience has been breathtaking. Sarah, you are my new hero. orz

I've just finished Melusine.
Really love it and hope that The Virtu will be in-printed soon.
Fan from Hong Kong:)

I'm among those who are crossing their fingers

I have already decided to buy the whole series in paperback-and if you knew how high my standards are for spending money on buying a book for keeps you'd realize what that says about how much I love your series. I don't buy to keep often, because books take up space and I have only the one bookcase in this shoebox apartment :) However, I still have paperbacks I bought when I was 14 and I'm 27 now, so that should say how seriously I take bringing books into the home for keeping.

As a side note, I believe that when I try to get published I will not be submitting to Ace Publishing. I don't like that type of nonsense they're trying to pull. You wrote it, it's yours, the end.

All I can say is YES PLEASE THANK YOU! The Virtu is actually my favourite book out of the whole series, and I would love to have my own copy and stop borrowing it from the library.

I don't know if it's because I'm in Australia, but Melusine is proving difficult to obtain too :(. It's very frustrating, because in comparison there are copies of The Mirador widely available for purchase.

I just wanted to add my voice to the general cry that all of these books should be in print.

I'd like to add, as a testimonial to their general awesomeness, that after a year of dithering (because of the early... darkness in Melusine) I loaned the books to my mother who finished Melusine and the Virtu in a weak each and will be starting the Mirador this week. She is planing on giving Melusine to her sister, when I explained about the Virtu being out of print, and perhaps trying to get a used copy for my aunt, my mother looked at me and said "Aren't they bestsellers?"

We spent the rest of conversation abusing ACE on your behalf.

Is it wrong of me if I say I love your mother?

A friend of mine recommended these to me and, luckily, roaming through the library bookshelves, I ran into the first three books. I'm about thirty pages into Melusine. As the author, I'm sure you know that The Virtu is available for the Kindle. What you might not realize is that you don't need a Kindle to read the book. There's a PC program offered by Amazon that allows you to read your on your computer. Actually, it's available for PC, Mac, iPhone, Blackberry, and iPad (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_352813682_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0AQT0VJMASJKC57SA8HK&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1259179802&pf_rd_i=133141011). In case you needed someplace to point people until you manage to get it back in proper print.

ETA: I meant to say that I'm about thirty pages in and love it already. I think it's time for me to sleep.

Edited 2010-04-20 05:36 (UTC)

Just a quick note--I've just blasted my way through Melusine, The Virtu, and The Mirador (Thank you, Strand bookstore!) and started Corambis. I owned the first two and was able to find 3 with some hunting and 4 in mm very easily.

I think what I love best about this series is that the world feels so real, without the "Look at my worldbuilding talent" that I find irksome. You are subtle about creating such an amazing tapestry.

So, I hope that they decide to put them back in print!

I too wanted to say how much I'd like The Virtu to be back in print. It's been hell trying to find Mélusine (which is also out of print, I think?) and The Virtu, but I love them and want them in my bookcase. An omnibus edition maybe? =)

To the best of my knowledge, Mélusine is out of print in hardback, but still available in paperback.

Oh, well, I couldn't find it -- I checked amazon.com, amazon.co.uk and the local Swedish internet bookshops, but maybe it's just a delay, or something.

Also, I'm a little starstruck. :)

Good luck with Ace!

Hi. I just read Melusine (which I found at a used book store) and found your lj and read this and was very upset that The Virtu is out of print. Because I am one of those people who won't go buy the 3rd and 4th book if I can't get the 2nd one. But I have good news. A google took me to Barnes And Noble.com where they have The Virtu as an ebook (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?r=1&ISBN=9780786577361&ourl=The-Virtu%2FSarah-Monette&cm_mmc=Google%20Product%20Search-_-Q000000630-_-The%20Virtu-_-9780786577361#) for $6.99 that can be downloaded and read on just about any device, including your computer. So I'm downloading it now. I didn't know if you were aware of that or if anyone else might be looking for it, so I thought I'd share.

I'd like to, somewhat but not entirely randomly, use this entry to try and express my feelings about your series which I am madly in love with.

The books were recommended to me by a friend who knows what I like to read better than I do and she was definitely right about this one. When I began to read Mélusine I instantly fell in love with the world you created, this beautiful, ugly, dangerous and fascinating city with two characters that kept me glued to the pages.
I had, before being introduced to your labyrinths, asked for a series with a non-cliché gay character (because I'm into that kinda stuff) and was handed Felix, who is such an arrogant, suffering bastard-and-victim that I would have declared him my number one favorite ever, had it not been for his equally tragic and simple and complicated half brother.
Having finished The Virtu and waiting impatiently for the next book, I found myself finding great interest in the scene of Dominance and submission and went in search of literature, the good kind with plot and everything, though mostly in vain. Then along came The Mirador and I thought my eyes were gonna fall right out of my head when Felix went and "told" me all about tarquins and martyrs and I felt reduced to a happy pool of fangirl goo, squealing joyfully and unable to talk about anything else for days on end. But things didn't work out for Felix that way and I kept wondering if the other side wouldn't be more fitting for him.
And you, reader of my mind, you go and write Corambis and now I lack the words to say how much I enjoyed it.

I can't leave it at that. I hesitate to post it as it is.
I need to add that what I loved about the books was not just what I said above, but far, far more. The characters - all of them - and their stories as well as the overall plot are what made it almost impossible for me to put the books down during many late nights when I should have been sleeping. It was the way that you took several seemingly unrelated threads and wove them together to one plot that made sense and was just brilliantly executed that made me miss my bus stop at least twice. It's all of that that makes me think that four is not enough! I don't really want to put poor Felix and Mildmay through any more strife, they've had it rough enough as it is and really deserve to be at peace in Grimglass.
But I can't help but wonder about what came next and everything.

In any case: thank you for this beautiful novels. I hope you get this printing thing worked out with the publisher; I didn't know The Virtu had gone out of print; now I'm glad I managed to get a copy. ^_^x
~Jeanne

I just finished Corambis and was poking about your website, which has led me here.

Thank you for writing these books. I very much hope you can get Virtu back in print. I bought the hardcover for two dollars at Borders some two or three years ago, and while it was a good find for me, I was very sorry to see it in the bargain bin.

The world of Melusine is amazing and creative, and the books are brilliantly written. If they fade away completely, it will be a sad testimony to the fact that our culture seems to have an increasing aversion to thinking, and I will continue to recommend them to anyone who likes reading.

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Corambis mmpb (mass market paperback), plus a tribulation

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Re: Shout out to be heard!?

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The series

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