This week Target’s book sections were raided by readers trying to get their hands on the special edition of “Onyx Storm” with lines forming outside hours before opening.
Those who didn’t get their copy of the book left stores disappointed, while the fans who managed to get their hands on a copy came home only to be disappointed with how the publishing companies handled the hype.
Ever since “Book-Tok” gained popularity, TikTok’s reading community, author Rebecca Yarros’ “Fourth Wing,” otherwise known as the “Empyrean Series,” quickly became one of the most-read books of 2022.
In my Media Minute last year about “Fourth Wing,” I talked about the adult fantasy novel and how it became a bestseller with over two million copies sold worldwide. Based on the lines outside of Target and the small bookshop release day parties, it’s clear that the hype hasn’t died down. It’s gotten much worse, with resellers hoarding copies to sell on sites like eBay or Mercari for anywhere between $100 and $225.
We live in a world so heavily run on mass consumerism. When a new popular product, such as a Yeti water bottle, hits the shelves, we all scramble to add them to our carts without even taking into consideration the fact that we already have four other water bottles at home. The same can be applied to special edition books.
I have a few cool special editions, but they’re expensive. However, most special editions come out after a book release, leading some fans to buy yet another copy of the book to have the special edition. This is basic mass consumerism at work.
Thankfully this wasn’t the case for “Onyx Storm,” but with the money and the time people spent waiting outside for hours in lines and hosting events. It’s very disheartening to see how publishers handled the demand.
One of the first people on social media to draw attention to this was shaesicles_bookwyrm on Instagram. In her videos, she explained that every single Target special edition book had been warped. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the only thing she spoke about. The Target special edition book was marketed as an edition with sprayed edges and exclusive artwork throughout the book.
However, all it took was a quick reverse image search to discover that the exclusive artwork was just stock artwork edited to fit the book’s theme.
Although the book was never marketed as having original artwork, readers were hoping for more. The creator explained in her video how the artwork could’ve been a competition for fans to submit their fan art to be put in the book. We’ve seen publishers and magazines do these things before so it’s not unheard of.
While I believe that stock images are resources, we’ve used them here for the Torch many times, but to edit this artwork and only credit the person who edited the artwork feels a little shady.
So, I can understand why fans are upset that the exclusive artwork they were promised isn’t original. It’s disappointing as an artist to see publishers use stock images and market them as originals to gain more money from fans. When being promised an exclusive purchase, we can only hope that our products actually are exclusive.
I pre-ordered the U.S. special edition, but unfortunately, many small bookstores have yet to see any copies of “Onyx Storm.” With small businesses missing out on the original releases when they were hosting and making a great deal off of events, it shows where the publisher’s priority lies. Considering Target, a large corporation, got warped books just so that they could receive them on time.
I have yet to see my special edition in the mail because of print delays. I am grateful that I decided to wait a few days to get my hands on “Onyx Storm” because the other alternative would’ve been more disappointing than any possible ending this book could leave me with.