Place That Clip, Further Updates
All right:
1. I'm so sorry it's been a light week here. When it's a light week here it means everything else is the opposite of light. Which is heavy. Which is not heavy in the sense that it's sad, it's heavy in the sense that it's busy.
SO BUSY.
I'm sorting through hundreds of emails, and then I'll move onto the comments and messages on Facebook etc. I beg patience. I SHALL get back to everyone who has emailed me thus far. This is a solemn promise. A couple hundred is manageable, but I still am begging of the patience.
2. Now that people have read the book, I realized while going through old videos on YouTube that some of the places talked about in the book are online and it would be funny to show you some of them. Can you guess the page number where the establishment in the beginning of this video appears?
3. This week I will make up for the lack of Photo Fridays.
4. This week I will post more vault entries. I have so many, but I feel a little guilty, because they have a habit of turning up in Scottish newspapers. Never the intention. I always wanted the fans to enjoy them and talk about them, but I didn't want to cause this strange dance of quotes for Jo in the media. Not even I realized the extent to which every single thing she has ever done or said ever, ever, is news. I was pretty sure she had said before that she believed in an afterlife, yet the comment regurgitated here was turned into a Scottish news article. Anyway, it's how it goes, I guess, and it's also one of the coolest things about her; you get the feeling that she really has learned to brush that stuff off, not that she has learned how to say she brushes it off and look like she means it. And it's not like anything in the interview would come anywhere near causing stories along the likes of some that have appeared about her in the past - you know, the ones we never put on Leaky, featuring what the press perceives to be wardrobe mishaps, or private pictures of her family on the beach. Gross. At least this interest is in, you know, her actual worldview and litview. Still, I always feel a little guilty that her very nice publicity people have to say, once in awhile, "Oh, what did that girl put on her site now?"
5. This week I will really start delving into the AMAZING stories you have been leaving here, which right now number 125. HOLY COW!
6. When do you think we should do another YouTube thing?
7. Thank you to everyone who has posted the book on their facebook! It gives me at thrill every time I see the cover staring back at me!
8. Some people in England, and a short while ago some good friends of my sister's in Australia, were the first people to report to me that they had received the book overseas. I just received the Australian edition (which looks almost identical to the US edition except the dimensions are slightly different, so it's halfway between trade paperback and mass market, feels more like a short, fat, soft brick in your hand) and am very jealous of those who have seen the British edition up close and personal. I'm sure I'll get a copy soon!
8.5. I've also seen a picture of the German edition, and it's amazing. Imagine in your head what my book might look like if it was hardcover and had more stereotypically German attributes, and you'll probably come close to envisioning the end result, which I hope to share with you soon.
9. The next foreign translation of the book will be in Norwegian. Norwegian! Norway, you have surprised me, you cold little strangely-shaped country, you. Germany and Norway, you are my new two favorite countries other than the US.
10. We are hopefully close to a spam-comments fix thanks to Chad Everett from Everitz Consulting, who is a god in the Movable Type world. If you knew about or were part of the Movable Type world before this post, you can congratulate yourself on being a geek, and I mean that sincerely and as a compliment. Geeks rule.
By the way: Do you know who is translating the book into Norwegian?
I'm curious...!
Yeay for Norway! We rock when it comes to books (and nature). (And the release-date/Norway story was about the one shop, where they recommended a certain amazing web site to keep the customer updated about things like HP release dates...)
I love that the book is being translated! Now I can stick the book in my mothers hand, ask her to read, and - hopefully - she'll understand my world a little better. It would be a nice change from the slightly blurred look she tends to get whenever I start speaking Potter.
And yeay for you, Melissa! You do an amazing job! I just finished Harry A History (got it from Amazon) at 4 am this morning. I couldn't put it down. Thank you for writing :)
I'll give it a little time before I write a proper response. I would like to write one, although I know you have so many allready. <3
What a busy week. Looking forward for information on further overseas editions...
2Just a geek:
I guess it would be faster to order it via Amazon, they are shipping to Greece. I've pre-ordered my copy, so I've got a chance to start reading it November 5, here in Spain.
I laughed so hard when I read the "Chinese-Mexican fusion" passage in the book, because I remembered this video (and Alex expressing his disappointment at it)...
And yay for Norway being one of your favorite countries! Norway likes you too - you should come here if you're ever in Europe! ;)
I got the American edition of Harry, A History (from Amazon in the UK) in the mail a couple of days after it was relased, and I'll definitely get the Norwegian edition when it comes out. It's amazing!
Cold and strangely shaped indeed! With an unquenching thirst for anything Harry.
Thank you for a wonderful book, Melissa! Making me both laugh and cry before finishing the first chapter. I'll probably buy the Norwegian edition as well when it's released. Heck, you deserve it for making my christmas shopping easy this year. :)
whoohoo, I'm looking forward to the german edition!!! I've read it in english already, but I'm excited to see it in its german prettyness ;).
hey
when is harry a history coming out in australia??
Just so you know, I left you a review in a note on facebook. I tagged you, so hopefully you'll be able to find it, I hope. Second, I know I'm really late for this, but I finally did a vlog about how awesome the book is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5MkFSp0Iqs
Oh, oh, I found it. Check Pottercast 73. About 1 hour 11/12 minutes in.
Norway! You MUST MUST MUST remember where Norway has come up before in Harry Potter.
Do you not remember (you probably dont, thats why you have fans) that BEFORE the release date for book 7 came out, on Pottercast you put forth a challenge to go to your local bookstores and ask when its coming out, etc.
And your favourite story, and the last one you rad on Pottercast, featured a clueless salesperson who said that they didn't know when the Norwegian was coming out, but they thought that the normal one was 7/7/07. Or...something along those lines. But the Norwegian edition was mentioned in that. And I dont remember the episode, I'm sorry!
Definitely that was page 279. I remember that day well - you guys were so much fun. I think that was the day my friend and I gave Sue the water gun.
Is there any chance of the book coming to Greece? Either translated or in English?
woohoo, German editing. This might be a possibility for my family to finally understand at least a bit of my obsession with Potter and fandom :)
HUGE congratulations on everything happening at the moment, Melissa! You really deserve this, I'm very happy for you and the new spark this book and site brings to the fandom.
Also: WOOOOT for Norwegian translation, I'm so going to buy it (and WOOOT for us being on your "favourite country" list). You should stop by for a visit the next time you come to Europe ;)
Woot! I'm a geek! And compliments to Chad, I FLOBBERWORMIN' HATE MOVABLE TYPE. It can be great, at times, but then it can be really annoying.
Anywho...
Okay, so when you said "Chinese Mexic-" I literally gasped out loud, and yelled "CHINESE MEXICAN FUSION!" OVER the video, and raced to my book.
And then after 30 minutes of reading, I decided it might help if I watched the rest of the video.
Actually, nevermind! So, it starts on page 279!
Dos geekos puntos!
Is Harry, A History really available in Australia right now? I've looked but so far haven't seen it all. If anyone has found it, could they say at what bookshop or whether they had to order it (online or not)? My patience is decreasing and anticipation increasing for this book, and it's starting to get to me. :-)
Melissa,
I just finished reading your book yesterday and I actually cried near the end. Thank you for allowing all the fans to take that special journey with you.
-Lisa
Do you have a picture of the German version online?
Hey Melissa
I finaly got my hands on Harry: a History.
Since I live in the Netherlands, it was very hard to find one, but yesterday I went to Amsterdam, and there is was, thw book I looked for since November 4th.
I haven't read much of it yet, but I already LOL and cried a bit (in the train, was a bit embarassing).
I can't wait till I've read it all.
For all the dutch people who want the book too: just go to Waterstones in Amsterdam!
xox
It was a pleasure to post a pic of my copy, Mel.*wonders why in Merlin's name she detagged herself from the pic of me with it though*
I'll probably be getting my Australian edition this week or next, a pic of that will be upon Facebook ASAP.
The fact that newspapers deem it worthy to print Jo's political and social opinions IS cool! Even more cool that the source is from your interviews. What is not so cool is if her quotes are taken out of context, which happens all too often with celebrities.
So the book is out already early in UK! Will head to Waterstones during lunch to pick up my copy!
But luckily we don't have Sarah Palin in Norway... Congratulations on your success! I'm just about to start reading your book and I'm sure it's great.