The Best-selling SFF Debut of 2008 is…
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Complicated. No, really. According to Bookscan (the most accurate measure of book sales available), the best-selling fantasy debut of 2008 in the United States was Russell Kirkpatrick, with Across the Face of the World (excerpt HERE). I came in at #2 with The Way of Shadows–not bad for a book that’s only been out three months! Congratulations, Russell.
In the UK, however, I did grab the big chihuahua. #1 in the land of Shakespeare and Scary Spice, baby. Brilliant!
I have to confess to being particularly pleased by this tidbit from the press release: “Tim Holman said, ‘This year has also got off to a great start for Brent: this week, the three books in the Night Angel Trilogy are the first, second, and third bestselling mass-market paperbacks in the UK SFF market.'” Aside from the obvious (it’s great to be selling well), I like to think that means something. You can fool a reader with a great cover, and I do have great covers. But if what’s between the covers stinks, most people aren’t going to come back for more punishment. Right? Unless people in the UK are such art-lovers that they decided that the covers alone are worth eight pounds. Which is possible. Crap.
In other news, the Great Arbiter of All Things Worth Knowing (Wikipedia, natch), now lists your humble correspondent. (Thanks to you fans who took it upon yourselves to make sure the world knows I exist.)
Well I know at my Borders here in Albuquerque, we keep selling out of your trilogy, and now we have to wait for a new printing of Way of Shadows! We have people come in almost every day looking for your work. Not so much with Kirkpatrick!
I worked at Waldenbooks for a while and a co-worker and I were such fans of your books that we practically pushed them across the counter at anyone who purchased anything remotely related to any of the themes found in your book. We even talked our manager to order a bunch of extra copies and then sold them all out.
Apparently we didn’t work hard enough, since you came in 2nd. Sorry, Brent, maybe this year we will just literally force people to buy them!
yup… i still want a retribution replica (actually a tatoo would also be awesome, i might have to look into that)… i’m not gonna go away just because you ignore me…
That is great. Whats next cause I’m on the last book and it shouldn’t take me long!
Seriously–I thoroughly enjoyed(ing) the books and am looking forward to more.
ooh boy…You like your covers????
I almost put your books back on the shelf because I hate the covers!
Don’t take it the wrong way, I LOVE the books. They are awesome, incredible, brilliant…and every other wicked awesome adjective out there, I just hate the covers.
I LOVE LOVE The Way of Shadows! I finished Song of Ice and Fire beginning of the year and found it hard to try and get into any other books after. I saw your Trilogy the other day and gave it a go – I’m glad I did! It’s awesome! I’m now reading Shadow’s Edge. Oh, I also love the covers! It’s what made me pick it up amongst all the other SFF books. 🙂
Little bit of history here. Last November I was walking through Borders looking for a new sci-fi/fantasy series to get into. The cover of Way of Shadows caught my eye and I checked out the synopsis on the back. I was immediately intrigued decided I had to give it a shot. After one sitting I was hooked and after three weeks had read the whole trilogy (the only reason it took me that long was I had a hard time finding the last book in stores). I loved the entire series and was left wanting more.
A few weeks ago I saw Across the Face of the World and I bought it hoping to find another sweet surprize like I did with the Night Angel Trilogy. I am enjoying it, but it hasn’t come close to connecting with me anywhere near the way Night Angel did. You deserve #1 in my book.
I usually don’t post in Blogs but your blog forced me to, good stuff