The Leaking of The Fault in Our Stars

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

The Leaking of The Fault in Our Stars

Early this morning, I learned that BN.com had accidentally shipped out The Fault in Our Stars, which will be published on January 10th, to many people who’d preordered the book. Although efforts are being made to stop shipments wherever possible, some of these people will likely receive the book early.

This is disappointing for a variety of reasons, but mostly because we have worked very hard to make sure that everyone who wants to read TFiOS will be able to do so at the same time. This book has been making its way into the world for more than a decade, and I do not want any reader’s relationship with it tarnished by leaks or spoilers—particularly those readers who’ve preordered the book and intend to read it immediately upon publication.

But mistakes happen. The people who made this error were not bad or incompetent people, and they were not acting maliciously. We all make mistakes, and it is not my wish to see Barnes and Noble or any of their employees vilified.

If you happen to receive an early copy of The Fault in Our Stars, you should of course feel free to read it. (You should also feel free to wait until January 10th.) But please do not spoil it for other readers. Please don’t share quotes or reveal plot or anything else that might negatively affect other people’s reading experience.

I’m disappointed about this, but as my brother reminded me this morning, I am very, very lucky. I have the best readers in the world, readers who care not only about my books but also about each other. So thank you, in advance, for not sharing spoilers—whether you read The Fault in Our Stars before or after January 10th.

If you’d like to preorder a signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars, you can do so from your local independent bookstore, from Amazon, and, yes, even from Barnes and Noble.