Noble Dead Abroad — Or Where is the Latest Book in My Corner of the World?

Since the release of S3B2: The Dog in the Dark, we have heard from non-USA readers having problems in finding where to purchase it in their territory. Similar problems have been reported with other volumes in the Noble Dead Saga. We checked into this with our editor, and here is what we have learned. (Oh, and we checked the latest listings at places like Amazon.co.uk, and S3B2 is available there right now!)

One complication in the age of the ebook is how it has impact international publishing. On the internet, there are no borders, but still publishers respect each other’s commercial territorial rights and wait for them to acquire subrights on a particular work.

Typically our publisher Roc (Penguin-Putnam) waits three months after a USA release before distributing in non-USA territories, even if they have rights to do so. The situation exists for the UK and other countries and territories as well. This waiting period provides a chance for country/territory specific publishers pick up the subrights to publish and distribute a non-USA edition of the book. The ebook version is usually dependent upon what happens with the print version. That being said…

The saga is now on its 12th volume, and waiting for non-USA publishers to jump on board and catch up is not viable, especially since an ebook version can be sold (almost) anywhere on the planet. So for at least the ebook version, non-USA readers should now be able to find all volumes of the Noble Dead Saga wherever English language works are sold. We have noticed that print versions are also showing up in some online venues that sell outside of USA territories. No promises that all works will be available everywhere, or that things might change again in the book publishing world, but…

Hopefully now more non-USA readers will have an easier time getting their hands on the latest in the Noble Dead Saga.