This is going to be a long post. If you want to know how to get numbered copies of Words of Radiance, scroll down to the general release events info, the info on the BYU signing, on the San Diego signing, or on the Weller Book Works signing-by-mail (now sold out—see below for more info).

Item #1: The Tour

Here are the places I’m stopping at on my tour: Provo, San Diego, Los Angeles/Orange County, the Bay Area, Portland OR, Seattle, Houston, Omaha, Phoenix, Tucson, Lexington KY, Dayton, Washington DC/Northern VA, Philadelphia, Chicago, Milwaukee. For details, plus a few conventions I’ll be at later in the year, check my events page.

I do plan to take a trip to Europe later this year, for the Celsius 232 convention in Spain in July/August. I should make a brief stop in London right before or after that as well, but it’s not yet finalized. I’ll also go to Calgary in Canada for When Words Collide the week after that. If you want a signed copy of the book and won’t be able to make it to one of my tour cities, there will be a couple additional ways to get signed copies. But if you want your book personalized, the best way to make that happen is through Weller Book Works or to call one of the bookstores on my tour and ask if they can arrange it for you.

The focus of my tour stops will be on getting everyone’s books signed. I do plan to do a reading and answer questions at every stop, but I will also try to pre-sign some stock so that if you want a signed book and don’t want to stand in line for me to personalize it for you, you can just grab the book and go. But depending on scheduling, I may not have time to do this at every stop.

Some of the events are ticketed, which means that the bookstore requires you to buy the book from them in order to get it signed. I’ve asked for this to happen at as few booksellers as possible, but each store has the final call. Why would they do this? Well, a lot of stores have to bring in extra staff (or even rent extra space) in order to handle an enormous event like this. In the past, they’ve spent this money and then had everyone bring in books they bought from Amazon to get signed. It can be disheartening, as they lose money after all the work they put into holding an event. (In one famous case I heard of, a small bookstore held a signing where they spent hundreds on staff, promotion, and cookies, only to have over a hundred people, out of the hundred and twenty who came, bring in books they bought from Amazon.)

As I said, I’ve requested that the signings all be open to anyone. However, I can see the bookstores’ point. Please be respectful and realize one of the reasons that places like Amazon can give you the books so cheaply is that they don’t have to maintain or pay rent on expensive storefronts in retail areas. Support your local booksellers; it’s because of them that we can have signing events. If possible, I’d ask that you go and buy the book from the store where you’re planning to see me. You can buy it early and keep the receipt. If you bring the receipt with you to the signing, that’s as good as buying the book at the signing. Generally, at ticketed events, as long as you buy any hardcover book, they will let you get your other books signed. So, for instance, you could buy Words of Radiance and then get it, The Way of Kings, and Steelheart (or any of my other books) signed. And even if you don’t buy your copy of WoR at the signing, it’s nice to support the store hosting me by buying at least one book (by any author) while you’re there.

I don’t yet have full details on which events are ticketed. I’m slowly gathering information on this. There probably won’t be many that are, but I wanted to lay the groundwork just in case. I’ll add more information to the events page as it trickles in.

Finally, there may be a cap on the number of books I will personalize for you at a time. I’ll sign all your books, but personalizations can take a while, so if there’s a large crowd, to keep the line moving I may only personalize three books at a time. However, it’s just fine if you want to go to the end of the line again and wait to get three more books personalized. I will sign paperbacks. I will not sign books I did not write—e.g. the Wheel of Time books before The Gathering Storm. Yes, people have asked; often about one per signing.

The ebook and audiobook will be released the same day as the hardcover: March 4th in the US/Canada and March 6th in the UK/Australia/New Zealand. (If you live elsewhere, you’ll probably be able to import either the US or UK version.) I will sign audiobook CD sets, and even ebook readers, or anything else within reason (I don’t sign body parts).

Item #2: Release Events

I will be doing three special signings in conjunction with the book’s release on March 4th. As with my previous books, I will be numbering copies at these release events. The three events are: the BYU Bookstore midnight release, the Weller Book Works mail order event, and the Mysterious Galaxy signing.

What does it mean to get a numbered copy? Well, just what it sounds like. If you get a book from one of the three release events, I’ll write a number on the title page that I sign. I intend to give out as many numbers as there are people who participate in those events (unless we run out of books). In a way, these numbers are less about being limited editions and more about getting a special add-on, an indication that you made it to one of the initial events. This is something I started doing for fun with my first book, and I had originally intended to limit the numbers to the first fifty people who got to me. However, I found that I felt bad stopping numbering if someone went to all the trouble to come to a release event, so I shifted to doing it this way.

I generally stagger my numbering so that lower numbers can be picked up from each signing. Each number is unique. I will rotate by 100s. (So, 1–100 are at BYU, 101–200 are at Weller Book Works, 201–300 are at Mysterious Galaxy, 301–400 are at BYU, etc.)

Each event will have its own rules regarding how you get your number and which number you get. Read on for info.

Item #3: BYU Midnight Release

At 12:00 a.m. on March 4th, I will be doing the world’s first signing for Words of Radiance. Numbers 1–100 will be given out at this signing. (Though everyone who comes will get a numbered copy unless they run out of books.) All numbers will be given out in the order you arrive to wait in line in. Let me make this clear. It doesn’t matter how early you preorder. Numbers will be given out based on line order. Here are some more details from the bookstore:

Prepayment is required to reserve a copy of the book. Books can be ordered online at byubookstore.com (choose the shipping option “Service Desk Pickup, 3rd Floor” for pickup at the midnight release party) or order in the store. Books ordered through byubookstore.com will not be charged to your credit card until sometime between February 28th and March 4th.

This year the BYU Bookstore will be handing out numbered wristbands. The numbered wristband will be given according to the order in which guests show up to wait in line. All books purchased at this event will be signed and numbered, and the number on your wristband will correspond with the number on the book that you will receive. The first person in line will receive book #1, the second person in line will receive book #2, etc. Books distributed at this event will be numbers 1–100, 301–400, 601–700, 901–1000, etc.

You will need to show proof of payment to receive a wristband.

The line for the book release will form outside of the northwest entrance to the BYU Bookstore (as it has for the past several years):

Camping out in line is allowed, but facilities are limited. The Wilkinson Student Center closes as early as 10:00 p.m. on Sunday and opens at 6:00 a.m. daily. Your place in line can be saved by someone else for a maximum of one hour at a time, after which you must return in order to retain your place.

One book per person. All books purchased at this event will be presigned & numbered. For example, if you want to receive books #4, #5, and #6 you will need to have a separate person in line for each book. If you want more than one book and you do not care what the number is, your additional book(s) will come from higher numbers that have not already been assigned to others in line.

The numbered wristbands will be handed out at 7:00 a.m. on Monday, March 3rd. At that this point those who have been waiting in line are free to leave until the store reopens for the book release party.

The BYU Bookstore will reopen at 10:00 p.m. to host the book release party. Prizes will be given out throughout the evening.

Around 10:45 p.m. Brandon will hold a reading and Q&A.

At 11:45 p.m., guests will be asked to begin lining up in numerical order in preparation for the distribution of books at midnight.

Once guests have picked up their signed & numbered book, they are free to leave or to get into a separate line to have their books personalized by Brandon.

If you receive a numbered wristband and do not pick up your book by 1:00 a.m., your numbered book will be given to someone else. If you show up after this point to pick up your book you will be given a different number or a refund.

Cash registers will close at 1:00 a.m. All purchases must be made by this time.

The bookstore has asked me to get there a bit early so I can be finished signing and numbering all the books by 10:00 or so. Once I am done, they will let everyone in and we’ll have a meet & greet where you can talk to me, ask me your burning questions, take pictures, etc. (The idea is that this will help the personalization line move more quickly after midnight.) There will also be things like trivia contests going on during this time.

Around 10:45 I will do a reading and/or a general Q&A, and sometime after that there will be a prize drawing. Then at 11:45 they want everyone to line up again in preparation for midnight, as explained above.

Based on past events, I should be able to personalize everyone’s books, even if it takes until 3:00 a.m. Since all of the books will be pre-signed and numbered, everyone will get a numbered edition if they come. As I’m local, you can always just come, pick up a book, and leave—then get it personalized at some other signing when things aren’t so crazy. This will probably be a busy event, but it should be very easy to just come, get a pre-signed/numbered book, then buy it and take off without waiting in any lines after midnight.

Now, here’s the important part. It’s hard for stores to judge how many copies to order for this sort of event, and I’m worried that BYU might not order enough. They might run out. Therefore, they are letting you preorder to be assured you get a book. If you preorder, you are guaranteed a book. If you don’t preorder, it’s first come first served. If a lot of people preorder, they will get in more books to make sure everyone who ordered early is covered.

So, for this event, I strongly encourage you to call and buy your book ahead of time. It will save you money and will make things easier for us. Let me say one more time, however, that you do not get your number based on when you preorder, though you do have to have paid for the book before you can get your number. You get the number based on where you are in line at 7:00 a.m. (or later). Preordering just guarantees that you get a copy, not that you get a low number. Still—please, please preorder soon so they can be sure to have enough books for the event. They have ordered a ton of copies, but it’s always possible they could underestimate and some readers could go home empty-handed. At the midnight release of A Memory of Light they were able to get a book to everyone only after a dozen people who had reserved more than one copy agreed to put off picking up their second copy until the next shipment came in!

Details:
BYU Bookstore, Provo, UT
12:00 a.m. March 4th (Monday night/Tuesday morning) (book released)
10:00 p.m. March 3rd (doors open)
7:00 a.m. March 3rd (numbers distributed)
Preorder by going to the BYU Bookstore website. (For the shipping option, choose “Service Desk Pickup, 3rd Floor.”) You’ll need to bring your receipt or confirmation number to the midnight release and stand in line with everyone else in order to get your number. Note: If you got an email from the BYU Bookstore saying the book was out of stock and backordered, don’t worry. Those emails were auto-generated; it only means that as of February 10th the books have not yet shipped from Tor’s warehouse to the bookstore. The books will be there at the release.

Item #4: Mysterious Galaxy

My signing at Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego will run like most of the other signings I’ve done there in the past, except that since it’s taking place on release day, all copies of Words of Radiance that I sign there will also get numbered. The numbers will start at #201 and rotate every third hundred with the other two events. I’m not completely sure how the numbers will be handed out, but I believe that the numbers for the books will correspond with your number for the signing line, which Mysterious Galaxy will hand out with Words of Radiance purchases starting at 10:00 a.m. on the day of the event. The store says: “If you are planning to attend the event, please do not place your order through the website, as all such orders are processed after the event. Instead, please contact the store and purchase the book on the on-sale date.” Since you can pick up your book starting Tuesday morning, hours before I arrive, obviously I won’t be able to pre-number the books. I’ll probably just put the numbers in while I sign after doing my reading and Q&A.

Item #5: Weller Book Works by Mail

Update: Weller Book Works is now sold out. Another option is The Signed Page, where I will sign on March 8th, or calling a store I’m signing at and asking if they will ship a personalized book. I will be going to Weller Book Works in mid-February to sign, number, and personalize 500 copies. Weller’s will then ship them out; they will try to time the shipping so the book arrives at your door on March 4th. However, they’re not allowed to deliver before that date, so they can’t cut things too close and some books may arrive after the 4th. If that’s the case, though, they’ll try to keep the delay as short as possible. International orders will be shipped first, since those have the longest transit time. (Note that Weller Book Works cannot track packages internationally. They’ve tried.) I’m really very sorry that the shipping cost is so high this year, but the size of a book like this limits their shipping options. Details from Weller Book Works:

Offer good while supplies last, 500 copies. Now sold out. We will respond as quickly as possible. We will ship orders as soon as we can in order to have them arrive as close to the publication date as possible. Customers also may pick up orders in-store on March 4, 2014. Weller Book Works is still working through sending out invoices for orders that have already been sent. If you have already emailed your order but haven’t yet received your invoice, don’t panic. Weller will make their best effort to fill all orders that have been received already. But if you have not yet emailed in your order, it is now too late.

If you contact Weller’s or any other tour bookstore to order a signed book, please be certain to tell them (even if they don’t ask) specifically how you want the book personalized. If you don’t tell them specifically, they will have it signed but not personalized. Simply telling them your name is not enough. You have to tell them “I want it personalized to John” (for example). If you don’t want it personalized, tell them “Signature Only” just in case.

Thank you all for reading, and I hope to sign a book for you at one of the tour events. Let me apologize in advance for how sloppy my signature is.