It's with inexpressible regret that I must inform you that Gollancz has just decided (as of 8 October) to cancel the hardback edition of The Night of the Swarm.

I had no warning whatsoever that this was coming; indeed I found out only after the cancellation had occurred. This would be bad news at any time, but it's just crushing to me less than three weeks before publication of the last book in a series to which I've devoted a decade.

To all the readers who had been waiting for this book to complete their collection: my sincere regrets. I feel awful for you, and extremely grateful for your messages of support. Likewise to those individuals and booksellers who have taken the time and expense to send me hardback editions for signing all the way from the U.K., or to bring them to me for in-person signings at Forbidden Planet or Eastercon.

As for how the decision was made, all I know is that it was an economic decision affecting various writers across the Orion Publishing Group, and involves a decline in library orders for hardbacks. Which is to say that without such orders, Swarm and certain other titles were not expected to sell well enough in hardback to justify the expense.

Is the decision final? Probably. But just out of curiosity, how many of you who read this blog were planning to buy the hardback? If you were, please send me an email [ robertvsredick at gmail dot com] telling me so. I'll share the results with Gollancz, not as a chastisement but just as a data point. And who knows? A limited edition hardback might just be feasible, via Gollancz or another publisher, somewhere down the road.

I'd appreciate any shares of this message you might feel like generating. There are a lot of people out there whose pre-orders have just been cancelled.