I just heard from someone who's coordinating a reading series I'm scheduled to do a reading for that, according to his bookstore sources, my first book, Beyond Heart Mountain, is out of print.

Although I haven't independently verified this with my publisher yet, it seems most likely that it's true, since it did come out in 1999. Nonetheless, isn't one's publisher actually supposed to TELL you when this happens? Give you a head's up? Offer you the opportunity to buy up remaindered copies, etc.?

Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

I feel like the time my beloved American grandfather died in the middle of the spring semester my second year away at college and my parents didn't even tell me until I came home for summer break because they didn't want my grades to suffer.

Ugh.

I know this sort of thing is inevitable. But still, I feel like something has died.

My parents did that too and if it makes you feel any better I bought 14 copies the other day.

There are 33 at Amazon, if that's any comfort.

It is still a good thing that you sold that many books. Hey, just trying to find something positive. But yes, I can imagine it would be weird to hear that from someone else.

Don't mourn yet. It may not be out-of-print, just a snafu. This happened to me -- for years! Some feud between the distributor & the publisher. It meant that, due to no fault of the publisher, Amazon didn't have my first book for years beyond the used, and, worse, listed it as out-of-print. It meant that everywhere I went people told me that they tried to order it for a class and it was OP. Who knows how much I lost. At least enough to go the Castroville Artichoke Festival. (I was wondering if you knew about that!)

~ SushiEater

I don't know much about these things, but I thought I had heard that books can be reprinted through special arrangement with other publishers if they go out of print.

I can imagine that what your feeling is very strange indeed, and sad.

I know what you mean. I do. Books shouldn't have such short lives. And your publisher should tell you when it happens. I'm with you. So much goes into making it.

That's just wrong!

this is very strange indeed. maybe this will be an incentive to write another book and get it published :)

no milk please

That's just wrong.

I'm teaching a poetry class next semester and plan on using "Beyond Heart Mountain" as one of the texts. I just submitted the order form to the bookstore to make sure I can get all the copies I need.