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swordmageAm I the only one who thinks JKR/her lawyers/publishers/etc are going a bit overboard?
Spoilers are a part of life in this age-there are spoilers for books, movies, tv shows, you name it. We accept them, and know they're out there and easy to find.
So why the extra security over Half Blood Prince?
Yes, it's an obscenly popular series. But does that make it much different from any other book or movie? I understand the want to preserve the surprise of what's going to happen, it's part of the joy of reading a book. But when about a dozen copies are accidentally sold, must the people be asked to return the books unread and swear not to talk about them? Seems a bit excessive. The security around them? Again, excessive. I doubt that, eager though they may be, fans will storm the warehouses they're being held in.
By now, all the books are in place for release on Friday night, at a standard, pre-set time (so those in Australia don't et them before those in the US and UK). The best thing to do is let the spoilers stay out there, I suspect that the people who read them already have purchased the book, or are planning to do so very quickly. It's not going to seriously (if at all) affect sales-a few copies here and there aren't going to make a difference in the 10 million plus already sold.
But no matter what, spoilers or not, around the world, fans will be lining up tomorrow night to get their hands on the book. Nothing now is going to stop this from jumping to the top of any best-seller list it's not already on. It's been anticipated for a few years*, and it's going to be flying off shelves like as if it was only going to be on sale for a few hours.
*-Two years (has it been that long?) isn't that bad really, I waited four for The Amber Spyglass, which was well-worth it. This'll probably be the same. And yes, two years is still a crazy amount of time to wait for a book you seriously want to read. especially when you're young.
Spoilers are a part of life in this age-there are spoilers for books, movies, tv shows, you name it. We accept them, and know they're out there and easy to find.
So why the extra security over Half Blood Prince?
Yes, it's an obscenly popular series. But does that make it much different from any other book or movie? I understand the want to preserve the surprise of what's going to happen, it's part of the joy of reading a book. But when about a dozen copies are accidentally sold, must the people be asked to return the books unread and swear not to talk about them? Seems a bit excessive. The security around them? Again, excessive. I doubt that, eager though they may be, fans will storm the warehouses they're being held in.
By now, all the books are in place for release on Friday night, at a standard, pre-set time (so those in Australia don't et them before those in the US and UK). The best thing to do is let the spoilers stay out there, I suspect that the people who read them already have purchased the book, or are planning to do so very quickly. It's not going to seriously (if at all) affect sales-a few copies here and there aren't going to make a difference in the 10 million plus already sold.
But no matter what, spoilers or not, around the world, fans will be lining up tomorrow night to get their hands on the book. Nothing now is going to stop this from jumping to the top of any best-seller list it's not already on. It's been anticipated for a few years*, and it's going to be flying off shelves like as if it was only going to be on sale for a few hours.
*-Two years (has it been that long?) isn't that bad really, I waited four for The Amber Spyglass, which was well-worth it. This'll probably be the same. And yes, two years is still a crazy amount of time to wait for a book you seriously want to read. especially when you're young.
