A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-Fiction

[UnseenAcademical88]

I was a bit confused about the release date of this book. Amazon have the book listed as being published on October 23, 2014:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Slip-Keyb...262842&sr=8-1&keywords=a+slip+of+the+keyboard

Waterstones have the book listed as being published on 24 October, 2013 http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/terry+pratchett/a+slip+of+the+keyboard/9561565/ Does anyone know the definitive release date?

Also this question may seem rather silly but is this book the long awaited autobiography that Terry has spoken about a few times?

Thanks.

 

[pip]

Definitely 2013. Its not his autobiography but just a collection of various articles similar to last years A Blink of The Screen which was all his short stories.

 

[UnseenAcademical88]

Thanks. I had a feeling it would be in a similar style to A Blink of The Screen. I very much enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to A Slip of The Keyboard

I wonder when we'll hear any more news on Terry's autobiography though?

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Probably when he is not tied up with what he has on the go now, might hear something at Hogwatch in Wincanton
I see you are a Bairn, welcome to the forum and to anyone else I've missed while I'm away.

 

[UnseenAcademical88]

I see you are a Bairn, welcome to the forum and to anyone else I've missed while I'm away.

Cheers

 

[UnseenAcademical88]

It looks like it will be published next year and not this year sadly. Both Amazon and Waterstones have matching dates of publication as October 23, 2014

http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Slip-Keyboard-Collected-Non-fiction/dp/0857521225
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/terry+pratchett/a+slip+of+the+keyboard/9561565/

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

It looks like it will be published next year and not this year sadly. Both Amazon and Waterstones have matching dates of publication as October 23, 2014

http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Slip-Keyboard-Collected-Non-fiction/dp/0857521225
http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/terry+pratchett/a+slip+of+the+keyboard/9561565/

UA Ask Tony to put you on the members map: here if you have not seen it.

 

[JohnMWhite]

I'm confused about this one. Tesco.co.uk had the release date as yesterday and are saying it is currently for sale and in stock: http://www.tesco.com/direct/a-slip-of-t ... pageLevel=

And isn't it a bit unusual for sites like Amazon to have books with full covers up some 14 months before they are actually available?

 

[Tonyblack]

I'm confused about this one. Tesco.co.uk had the release date as yesterday and are saying it is currently for sale and in stock: http://www.tesco.com/direct/a-slip-of-t ... pageLevel=

And isn't it a bit unusual for sites like Amazon to have books with full covers up some 14 months before they are actually available?

Welcome to the site, John.

Tesco have got it wrong here. I think they may be advertising the paperback of A Blink of the Screen, which has just come out. A Slip of the Keyboard certainly is not out yet.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I'm confused about this one. Tesco.co.uk had the release date as yesterday and are saying it is currently for sale and in stock: http://www.tesco.com/direct/a-slip-of-t ... pageLevel=

And isn't it a bit unusual for sites like Amazon to have books with full covers up some 14 months before they are actually available?

Amazon have a habit of future books well in excess of a year usually when then author has submitted a synopsis to the publisher.

 

[=Tamar]

http://www.tesco.com/direct/a-slip-of-t ... pageLevel=

Tesco have got it wrong here. I think they may be advertising the paperback of A Blink of the Screen, which has just come out. A Slip of the Keyboard certainly is not out yet.

The Tesco site linked describes it as hardback, non-fiction, and gives a list of topics that would suit Slip but not Blink. They may not have gotten the word about the changed year. Can anybody go over and see whether they have it in stock, and buy one for me if they do?

 

[JohnMWhite]

The Tesco site also gives a page number of 768, which is vastly more than the 368 pages of Blink's paperback (if it were 468 or 268 I might put it down to a typo but the 7 is pretty far away). There's also what appears to be a completed cover. I cannot imagine any publisher having this stuff to give out a year before a book is ready. Listing titles and synopses early I have seen (though not quite 14-15 months early, even on Amazon, unless it was Harry Potter), but this looks like the publisher has the book sitting in a warehouse already. Why would they sit on it for a year? I also doubt, due to the way metadata is handled and hardbacks and paperbacks are separated, that Tesco would be accidentally advertising the paperback of Blink as a new hardback.

Tesco says it is in stock so I wonder if anyone is willing to give it a punt and see what turns up when they order it. I would if I were presently in the UK.

 

[Tonyblack]

Well I tried to order it and the whole thing went through right up to the actual taking of cash from my bank account, but then I got an error message telling me it was probably my fault.

Sorry, we can't find the page you're looking for

Don’t worry, it happens sometimes. Maybe you mistyped the address, clicked on an old link or we got it wrong.

To fix it, try the following:
•If you typed the address, check it’s correct and try again.
•Were you searching? Try searching again using the search box at the top of the page
•Visit the Tesco Direct homepage
•If you still have problems contact our customer services

It seems to me that they created the page, but it doesn't go anywhere.

I have had a book from Tesco a couple of weeks before it was due out, but a year? Nah.

 

[JohnMWhite]

That shouldn't happen. E-commerce stores operate as databases, the only 'page' for the book is the page I linked to where you can order it, after that if someone orders it the item is added to their theoretical basket by a cookie or something similar. To cut a long story short, if you click "buy" and the next page turns up missing, it's not the item you tried to buy that isn't there, it's the store's own buy link that is having problems. That is peculiar, but it's not the book's page that isn't going anywhere, it's something more fundamental going wrong with the site. Maybe they are having database issues in general. But good on you for giving it a shot, thanks.

 

[UnseenAcademical88]

Ask Tony to put you on the members map: here if you have not seen it.

Never knew about this, cheers, will do

 

[ThinkingFox]

I am currently halfway through A Slip of the Keyboard and I must say it is thoroughly enjoyable: funny and poignant in equal measure.

Having popped into the London Book Fair last week and seen all the hopeful-authors doing the rounds looking or publishers and agents, and all the publishers looking for distributers, coming home to re-read Terry's chapters on attending book signings and selling rights (especially in the beginning in the US market) was enlightening!

For those who haven't read it yet (I can't be the only one who left it this long???) you can grab a copy from that online book seller named after a river here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Slip-Keyboard-Collected-Non-fiction/dp/055216772X/
(Small print: Other retailers are available)

 

[RathDarkblade]

I've got my copy on the shelf ... Although it's paperback rather than hardback.

 

[ThinkingFox]

Nowt wrong with paperbacks. They're the opium of the masses (or at least, they used to be)

 

[RathDarkblade]

*shrug* Well, I came to Pterry a little too late to get a hardback copy of most of his books (or was too broke at the time to afford the hardbacks).

On the other hand, I got a hardback 1st ed of most of his later books, starting with The Truth. Huzzah! It might be worth something someday. (Everyone needs a 'someday').

 

[ThinkingFox]

a little too late to get a hardback copy of most of his books

having moved house far too many times for my liking I now have a different view on what stuff I keep and in what format... hardbacks whilst lovely and "authentic" take up too much space for me and are heavy to move/store etc...