I’ve received a few emails and Twitter posts reporting sightings of The Rogue in the wild before the official release date, and asking why this is so and if any of the shops have done something wrong.
Well, while it would be sweet if every shop voluntarily co-ordinated their unpacking of stock and shelving of my book at exactly the same hour and day through the entire world, but it’s not going to happen. It’s just too impractical to expect, though I think publishers try to insist shops stick to official release dates for really big releases like Harry Potter and Twilight books.
Otherwise, what tends to happen – or so I’ve been told – is that books are shipped to the shops and, due to the different distances they must travel, they arrive at different times. Boxes are unpacked when bookshop staff have the time, and it’s probably better they do it a few days early than a few days late.
As for ebooks becoming available early, I don’t know what the story is there.