Release events for ATD

[Paul Di Filippo]

 From PW DAILY 11-17-06:


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Trio Plan Midnight Events for Pynchon

  by Kevin Howell
  While most people think of Harry Potter when they hear about a 
midnight release party, three bookstores believe Thomas Pynchon 
deserves one and are staying open past midnight on Monday, November 20, 
to sell his first novel in nine years, Against the Day (Penguin Press, 
$35).

"We thought it would be a funny twist to do a midnight party for such a 
serious author," said Ben Hill, events coordinator for Moe's Bookstore 
in Berkeley, Calif. "We e-mailed various Web sites where we thought 
Pynchon might hang out and left invites for him to our party. We'd 
gladly pay his Jet Blue ticket from wherever he is to come to the 
party."

"This is a big deal for us because I'm deeply in love with Pynchon's 
work," said Charles Hauther, buyer at Skylight Books in Los Angeles. 
"The only other midnight sale we've done was for Harry Potter, and I 
thought, if Harry Potter can have one, then Thomas Pynchon deserves 
one, too."

  Moe's is the party to beat. Starting at 10 p.m., Moe's will have 
refreshments and a local jazz musician playing music from the time 
period of the forthcoming novel. A local Pynchon book reading group has 
devised a Pynchon trivia contest, and there's even going to be a Thomas 
Pynchon look-alike contest. "Maybe people will show up with a bag over 
their head," said Hill, referring to the reclusive author's two cartoon 
appearances on The Simpsons. Skylight won't have refreshments, but is 
offering a 15% discount on prepaid orders and for those showing up at 
midnight. The store is also hoping to convince Tin House, the publisher 
of Zak Smith's Gravity's Rainbow Illustrated, to ship them copies of 
the art book a week ahead of its  scheduled release so it can be sold 
at the same event.

The third bookstore staying open late is St. Mark's Bookshop in New 
York City. "Hopefully, the book is its own reward," said manager 
Michael Russo after stating that there would be no party to accompany 
the later hour. (Which could amount to only an extra 30 minutes since 
St. Mark's is open until midnight seven days a week.) "If we sell 15 or 
20 copies that night, it will be a lot," said Russo, adding, "I intend 
to start reading it as soon as we get our copies. I'm absolutely a big 
fan."

  St. Mark's has ordered 70 copies of the 1,085-page novel. Skylight 
ordered 100 copies, "which is way more than I'd usually order for a 
hardcover," said Hauther. "For big authors, I'd normally buy 25 
copies." Moe's initial order was 200 copies.

"There has been a huge amount of bookseller enthusiasm about this 
book," said Tracy Locke, Penguin Press's associate publisher. "Thomas 
Pynchon is living the fiction writer's ultimate dream, to be able to 
write his books and put them out there without having to promote them 
himself. It will be in all the holiday programs and in front of stores. 
It's slated to be reviewed in every major outlet in the country."

PW's starred review of Against the Day said, "Now pushing 70, Pynchon 
remains the archpoet of death from above, comedy from below and sex 
from all sides. His new book will be bought and unread by the easily 
discouraged, read and reread by the cult of the difficult."

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