A Report from Manhattan

What a beautiful day it was in Manhattan! Not only was the weather lovely, but I got to stop by Disney Publishing headquarters and sign 1700 of these babies, hot off the presses:

Yep, those are the first actual copies I’ve seen of  The Dark Prophecy, Trials of Apollo Book 2, which will be available for purchase on May 2!

I also got to see the very first copy in existence of Camp Half-Blood Confidential, a companion volume with short looks at camp life from various counselors and camp denizens. This book will also be available on May 2:

Pretty! Shiny!

My editor pointed out that when they are stacked together, the book covers say, APOLLOOOOOOOO.

Now to answer your questions:

1. If books are already printed, why do I have to wait until May 2? Why can’t I have them NOW?

Yes, I understand that! Disney isn’t trying to be mean. But having them printed is only one step. Then they have to be ordered by the booksellers, shipped all across the country, catalogued, shelved, blah, blah, blah . . . and they have to be published in their specific time slot because there are thousands of other books also waiting to be marketed and published. It’s kind of like planes sharing runways at the airport. They can’t all land at once or there would be chaos.  And yes, I know e-books are different, but that’s a whole ‘nother set of logistical issues.

So May 2 really is the date when the books can first be available. I hope you enjoy Dark Prophecy when it arrives!

2. How can I get one of those signed copies?

The signed copies are for various bookstore accounts. As I get information about where and when the autographed copies are available, I will post info on my social media accounts. Right now, I’m not sure where all these are bound. And yes, this is just the North American version for the US and Canada, and it’s only a tiny fraction of the first printing. I have signed some editions for the UK as well. I will let you know what I find out about those!

While I was in signing mode, I also signed several hundred posters for the LIGHTNING THIEF Broadway musical. These will be part of a raffle (I believe) on opening night. What’s that? You haven’t heard about the musical? Yep, it’s an actual thing. Check it out here and get tix.  Performances begin on March 23. (Just in NYC for the present, because, you know, that’s where Broadway is.)

Also while at Disney HQ, we talked about my new publishing imprint RICK RIORDAN PRESENTS. I am so excited! I will do a different blog post later on telling you all about this, but you can read the release info here.   The first title in the imprint will be released around this time next year, and it is KILLER AWESOME. More details to come . . .

And now back to writing. I’m presently hard at work on Magnus Chase 3: The Ship of the Dead. When I last left our friends, Blitzen and Hearthstone were in quite a perilous situation. I’d better see if I can write them out of it somehow . . . preferably using rune magic and extreme fashion.