Stephenie Meyer announced on her site yesterday that she has shelved plans for Midnight Sun, a retelling of the Twilight Saga from Edward’s point of view. She says she made the decision because a partial draft was posted on the web without her permission, which she considers “a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being.”

Wrting about it poses a dilemma;

I’d rather my fans not read this version of Midnight Sun…the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I comment on this violation without driving more people to look for the illegal posting?

In the end, she decided to post the draft on her site so her fans “don’t have to make a sacrifice to stay honest.”

Hundreds of news accounts from around the US and Canada attest to the fact that thousands of teenage girls (and many of their mothers as well as a few boys) waited until after midnight last night  to get their hands on a copy of Breaking Dawn and then stayed up all night reading it.

The author, Stephenie Meyer, had a long day herself. She kicked it off with an appearance on GMA and ended it with a concert in New York. Every appearance involved screaming fans.

The Times compares this receoption to one of her first appearances, in 2005, at the Changing Hands bookstore in Tempe, Ariz.; “the response for a first-time novelist was typically lukewarm.”

The A.P and dozens of other news sources report that J.K. Rowling’s charity, the Childrens High Level Group will publish The Tales of Beedle the Bard on Dec. 4, in an arrangement with Rowling’s UK publisher Bloomsbury and US publisher, Scholastic as well as Amazon.

You may remember that Rowling produced 7 handwritten copies of the book last year. She gave six of them to friends and auctioned off the other one for her charity. Amazon bought it for $3.86 million.

Some of the stories can give the impression that Amazon is selling the title exclusively, which is only true for the special 100,000-copy $100 collectors edition. Barnes and Noble.com, for instance, has the regular edition listed on their site.

The collectors edition is already at #9 on Amazon with the regular edition somewhat behind at #16. Unsurprisingly, no libraries I checked have it on order yet.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

J.K. Rowling

• Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
• Pub. Date: December 04, 2008
• ISBN-13: 9780545128285
• Age Range: 9 to 12
• $12.99

Last week, Comicon went nuts for a glimpse of the movie Twilight and its stars. All those screaming “Twihards” made the press a little nervous not to mention everyone involved in the film (”terrifying” was the most-used adjective).

More Twilight madness ensues this weekend, as the fourth title in the series, Breaking Dawn, becomes available on Saturday, August 2nd. Hundreds of midnight release parties will be held around the country (to get a sense of how many events are being held, check the Breaking Dawn Event Locator). The most sought-after event will undoubtedly be the one featuring the author herself, Stephenie Meyer at a sold-out concert in New York City on August 1st. It will be repeated around the country, in Chicago (Aug 5), L.A. (Aug 7) and Seattle (Aug. 12). The New York and L.A. concerts will be available live on the iClips Network.

Libraries are feeding the frenzy with a range of events;

The most common theme is a Twilight Prom, like this one in Roanoke County, VA

Fanwood, NJ has a different twist, with a Breaking Dawn bridal shower (Meyer recently revealed that Bella and Edward get married in Book Four)

Marshall County, KY, is holding a Twilight Carnival 

Howard County, MD, enacts a Forks High Graduation party (the Twilight series is set in Forks, WA)

Rather than a midnight party, Ypsilanti, MI cleverly invites fans to “Roll out of bed and celebrate the release of Stephenie Meyer’s latest book in the Twilight series,” at a program that begins at 10 a.m.

What will fans do, once they’ve read book four the requisite six or seven times? There is the movie to look forward to (release date, Dec 12). Meyer recently told Entertainment Weekly that she is part-way through writing Midnight Sun, which retells the Twilight story from Edward’s perspective. She also says she will take a year off to write, but has not revealed what she has in mind. As she’s proved with The Host, which reached #1 on the NYT bestseller list and is now tied for #3 after 11 weeks, Meyer doesn’t necessairly need vampires to succeed.

Although People gives primary placement to Stephen Carter’s Palace Council in this issue (July 14; on newsstands now), they give it just three stars. The book that receives a complete set of stars (four) is the American trade paperback edition of a UK original, What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn. People calls it a “ghost story and satire of consumer culture… at once moving and wickedly funny, it’s one dazzling debut.”

Originally pubbed in the UK, it was the winner of the British Costa Award for best first novel. The Library Journal review said; This seamlessly written, character-driven novel offers up well-appreciated humor along with its darker material, and readers who enjoy sideswiping surprises will not be disappointed.”

It received starred reviews in PW and School Library Journal; some libraries have it on order for YA only.

In consumer reviews, it was reviewed in the LA Times earlier this month, by Jane Smiley;

This is a novel that should have no jacket copy, no advance notices. It should come into your hands unheralded, because if you simply open to the first page and begin reading, you’ll proceed in a state of innocent pleasure.

The 6/29 Dallas Morning News called the author the “British book trade’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’” and describes the book’s appeal;

Just when you think you are settling into a quirky English mystery in the tradition of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Ms. O’Flynn reveals she has bigger and broader ambitions. Just when you think the mood is becoming a little too somber, she unleashes a comic riff that nicely skewers consumer culture without getting preachy. Just when you think you have the crime solved, she raises new possibilities.

The book ranks at #1,343 in sales on Amazon, which is high for the trade paperback of a book originally published in the UK. Libraries I checked also show a surprising number of holds.

• Paperback: $14.00
• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks; June 24, 2008
• ISBN-10: 0805088334
• ISBN-13: 978-0805088335

• Unabridged Audio: $79.95
• Publisher: BBC Audio
• Narrator: Catherine Skinner
• CD: 9780792754954

Once upon a time, librarians felt like second-class citizens at BEA. Those days are officially gone. Librarians are now even quoted on booth displays (see above). Sharp-eyed Angelina Benedetti, Selection Manager, King County Public Library spotted this quote from Holland, Michigan school librarian and Printz committee chair, Cindy Dobrez (thanks for letting us use your photo, Angie!)

In our excitement over the quote, we left out the book’s title out of the shot. It’s The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, Oct), the first in a YA trilogy (although some librarians, including Cindy, also plan to buy it for their middle graders). Scholastic began sending out ARC’s months ago. Buzz has been building on blogs ever since. Cindy seems to have gotten the ball rolling back in February when she wrote about it on Yahoo’s AdBooks (registration required) after reading it during a Michigan blizzard (Scholastic’s marketing department is now busily trying to figure out how to control weather patterns). Dozens of other librarians have chimed in on the site, many saying it should be a Newbery contender.

TeenReads.com is giving away 100 copies of the ARC’s, as well as a chance to win a signed copy of the finished book. The contest is open until Wednesday, July 30th and names will be selected at random (winners have to agree to write a review).

You’ll also get a chance to nab a copy at ALA, at the Scholastic booth. In addition to the booth giveaway, Collins is scheduled to sign copies:

Suzanne Collins signing
Booth # 1108-1109,
Sunday, June 29, 1-2 p.m. C

The announced first printing was 100,000, but based on BEZ reaction, it has been doubled.

Despite all this buzz, only two of the fifteen libraries I checked have it on order (the others are very likely waiting for reviews). It’s significant that one of the libraries already has as many holds as copies (from staff perhaps?)

Below are links to other blog posts about the book:

Terri Lesesne, “The Goddess of YA Lit”

Richie’s Picks

Texas Librarians’ book blog, “Oops, Wrong Cookie”

Kiss the Book “School library professionals and vetted students”

PW: ShelfTalker: A Children’s Bookseller blog, Alison Morris, Children’s Book Buyer, Wellesley (MA) Booksmith

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

• Hardcover: $17.99
• Publisher: Scholastic Press (October 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0439023483
• ISBN-13: 978-0439023481

• Audio CD: $84.95
  
• Publisher: Scholastic Audio Books (October 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0545091063
• ISBN-13: 978-0545091060

• Audio CD: $39.95
  
• Publisher: Scholastic Audio Books (October 1, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0545091020
• ISBN-13: 978-0545091022

Fans have been anxiously awaiting a preview of the cover of the fourth title in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, a series known for its iconic covers. In a move that should win the “clever marketing scheme of the year” award, publisher Little, Brown Books for Young readers, announced the book in February, but kept the cover under wraps.

This past Saturday, May 31st, LBYR released a special hardcover edition of the third title in the series, Eclipse, which includes the cover art and first chapter of Breaking Dawn. An excerpt is featured in Entertainment Weekly.com

Breaking Dawn has been in Amazon’s top fifteen since the August 2nd publication date was announced. Release of the cover propelled it to #2 (Scott McClellan’s What Happened is still at #1). The special edition of Eclipse is at #35.

Barnes and Noble has also announced that 600 B&N stores will host Breaking Dawn parties on Friday, August 1st, with stores staying open until midnight, when they can begin selling the book. Yet another clever marketing move — releasing the book on a Friday.

Hey, libraries, are any of you holding Breaking Dawn parties? Let us know in the comments section.

Twilight Mania will continue this year, with the release of the movie (a trailer is up already!) on December 12th.

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)

Stephenie Meyer

• Hardcover: $22.99
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 2, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 031606792X
• ISBN-13: 978-031606792

• Audio CD: Unabridged; $60.00
• Publisher: Listening Library; August 2, 2008
• ISBN-10: 0739367676
• ISBN-13: 978-0739367674

Eclipse: Special Edition

Stephenie Meyer

• Hardcover: $19.99
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; Special edition (May 31, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0316036293
• ISBN-13: 978-0316036290

Stephenie Meyer’s new book hardly needs reviews — it’s been on the Amazon bestseller list for over two months and it is now at #7, one day after publication. Nonetheless, the pop culture mavens at Entertainment Weekly and USA Today reviewed it this week (don’t expect to hear Michiko Kakutani’s view of the book any time soon).

USA Today’s Carol Memmott calls it “a startling and addictive Invasion of the Body Snatchers alien fest for the 21st century.” Entertainment Weekly gives it a “B,” saying it’s a bit too slow.

No problem; Meyer’s fans WANT her books to go on and on. As Neal Wyatt says in her LJ column, “RA Crossroads,”

Have you ever read something and been simply consumed by it? Not doing what needs to be done, just skipping everything else to read until the book ends? That just happened to me with Stephenie Meyer’s The Host

It’s baffling though, that none of the libraries I check have bought it for YA. Don’t be fooled by the fact that this one, unlike Meyer’s Twilight series has been pubbed as an adult title. You don’t have to wait for approval from the YA gatekeepers — there’s no reason not to buy The Host for both collections. As USA Today puts it:

It’s hard to figure out what makes The Host any more “mature” in content than Meyer’s Twilight series. There’s no adult language, no graphic sex scenes or acts of violence.

Has USA Today ever heard of marketing? She’s already conquered one market, now she wants to reach a broader one.

The Host

by Stephenie Meyer

• Hardcover: $25.99
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (May 6, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0316068047
• ISBN-13: 978-031606804

• Audio CD: Unabridged edition, $49.98
• Publisher: Hachette Audio, (May 6, 2008)
• Reader: Kate Reading
• ISBN-10: 1600241662
• ISBN-13: 978-1600241666

• Paperback: $25.99
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (May 6, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0316034118
• ISBN-13: 978-03160341

In anticipation of the release next Tuesday of Stephenie Meyer’s adult title, The Host, Time magazine profiles the author. Echoing a piece in the Wall Street Journal last year, the article is called, “Stephenie Meyer: A New J.K. Rowling?”

Time offers insight into her appeal.

…she rewrites stock horror plots as love stories, and in doing so, she makes them new again. She writes vampire novels without the biting and science fiction without the lasers. Instead, she slows down the action, tapping it for the pent-up emotional drama that’s always been present in it but had been all but invisible until she came along.

Most libraries have The Host on order in quantity, but reserves are heavy (in some cases, over 10 to 1). None of the libraries I checked have ordered it for their Young Adult collections. As we’ve said before, the book has strong crossover appeal and should be purchased for both YA and adult collections (Booklist agrees in their 3/1 review). Addressing the issue of sexual content in the books, Time says, “some of their appeal lies in their fine moral hygiene: they’re an alternative to the hookup scene, Gossip Girls for good girls…What makes Meyer’s books so distinctive is that they’re about the erotics of abstinence. Their tension comes from prolonged, superhuman acts of self-restraint.”

The Host Stephenie Meyer

• Hardcover: $25.99
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (May 6, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0316068047
• ISBN-13: 978-031606804

• Audio CD: Unabridged edition, $49.98
• Publisher: Hachette Audio, (May 6, 2008)
• Reader: Kate Reading
• ISBN-10: 1600241662
• ISBN-13: 978-1600241666

• Paperback: $25.99
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (May 6, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0316034118
• ISBN-13: 978-03160341

The release of The Host is likely to feed the anticipation for the release of the fourth title in Meyer’s Y.A. series, Breaking Dawn, which pubs on Aug. 2. The book is embargoed, so there will be no reviews. For more on the publisher’s plans for it, check our Feb. 14 story

.

Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) Stephenie Meyer

• Hardcover: $22.99
• Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers (August 2, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 031606792X
• ISBN-13: 978-0316067928

• Audio CD: Unabridged $60
• Publisher: Listening Library (August 2, 2008)
• ISBN-10: 0739367676
• ISBN-13: 978-0739367674

Jeffrey Gegner, Popular Materials Specialist at Hennepin County Library, offers this idea for adding long-lead titles to the catalog:

At Hennepin County LIbrary (suburban), we put a record into our catalog for Breaking Dawn at the end of December and our order went out February 19. This morning there are 271 requests on 47 copies.

When we have information from a reliable source about an upcoming title that is expected to have high demand, we put a ‘Work in Progess’ record in our catalog so customers may place requests. We’re selective about how many we add, but it saves customers and staff a lot of hassle.

In addition, Baker & Taylor doesn’t always have full ordering information on some high demand titles as quickly as we’d like. If I’m able to verify title, ISBN, price, etc., at other sources such as the publisher’s website, author’s website or Amazon, I will prepare an order, use it to create a record in the catalog, and then hold the actual order until the title shows in Title Source. Again, this is done selectively.