My "Eclipse" Story

So, if you've been reading here at all, you'll know that I've been quite looking forward to Stephenie Meyer's latest book, Eclipse, which was released yesterday. All summer long, I kept wondering if I should be pre-ordering it somewhere, or reserving it somewhere, or something. But I didn't. I figured it would be big, but not Harry Potter big, so I thought I'd find a book without problems.

Well, so they DID have midnight release parties, just like Harry Potter. But I didn't go. I was still trying to get home from a Rush concert at midnight, and we could have swung past the bookstore on the way, but I just thought, nah, I get one at Costco in the morning!

Morning comes, I'm tired, I'm slow, I don't get to Costco until 15 minutes after it opens. I walk to the book display, and there's no Eclipse anywhere. I find a book person there and say, "Ummmm... Eclipse?" She says, "Yeah, well, we had 60 copies and they were gone in the first 10 minutes!"

I thought, great! It's bigger than I thought it would be and now the story will be the same everywhere! My next place was Barnes and Noble. I knew they'd been doing big Eclipse promotions. I knew they'd be prepared for a crowd. So I go there. There's HUGE piles of Twilight and New Moon, but no Eclipse. Several other people are standing there with blank expressions just like me, starring at this pile. I'm thinking, Dang, I can't believe this! I walk away as the lady comes over to tell the other people the bad news. (Later I learn that they ordered 2000 copies, received 700 and sold them all at midnight.)

So now I'm bugged, really bugged. I can't wait TWO MORE WEEKS for this book! So, I call Borders while I'm driving away from B and N. When the guy answers I say, "So I guess you are sold out of Eclipse too?" He says, "Well, we still have some, but they'll be gone in an hour or two." I said, "AN HOUR? You think you have an hour?"

But I knew better, so I go straight to Borders, even though I only have 15 minutes until company is showing up at my house. At Borders, I see people walking out with the book! A good sign, but a bad one too! How many are left???

Anyway, they were just opening up their last box, and setting them out right on the floor and people were taking them as fast as they were setting them out. The guy said to us all, "You are lucky. These are the last ones!"

Yes, I felt lucky. I later learned from my friend who was also in quest of a book at the same time, and who called Borders right after I did, that they were suddenly telling people they were out. Wow, that was a fast hour, huh!?

So I got my book. Yeah! It reminded me of Harry Potter in the old days when it was first popular, about the third or fourth book I think, and you couldn't find one on the first day. Then they got smart and printed millions and billions of copies. I wonder if these books will hit that level. I doubt it, but maybe close? Hmmmm.... I guess we'll see since this isn't the last of the series yet.

Any other fans out there with similliar stories?

So anyway, now I should be reading it instead of on the computer. Later then!