Glassman and other booksellers praised Scholastic’s efforts while still acknowledging that, because of the pandemic, sales are likely to be lower than expected when Scholastic stunned the book world last year by announcing that Collins had revived her series. No interviews are currently planned with Collins, who has given few in the past. To promote “The Ballad Of Songbirds and Snakes,” Scholastic has posted video trailers, released an excerpt from the book, and prepared a “Virtual Party” kit that includes a glossary, discussion guide, games and trivia, and a link to a 12-hour countdown leading up to the official release. “Ultimately we decided that there was a tremendous amount of excitement for this book, from the teens to the adults, and that we had an opportunity to make this the event of the season,” says Berger, who oversees Scholastic’s trade publishing division. The first three “Hunger Games” books - “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire” and “”Mockingjay” - have sold more than 100 million copies. Scholastic has announced a first printing of 2.5 million copies for English-language countries worldwide, and the book was in the top 10 on and Barnes & well before its release date.

More: 5 books not to miss: New Scott Turow, Christopher Moore’s 'Shakespeare for Squirrels' More: Songbirds and snakes: The title and cover of 'The Hunger Games' prequel are here But Scholastic executive vice president Ellie Berger says that after “a lot of discussion about timing,” they stayed with Tuesday’s scheduled release date. Publishers have been postponing books to the summer and beyond, and “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” might seem a risk when the world seems a little too close to the horrors of Collins’ fictional Panem. Unlike movies or plays, books can still be enjoyed as their creators intended them, but promotion now is mostly limited to what the Internet can offer or to the initiatives of booksellers who at best can only have a handful of customers in their stores at a given time. “With any luck, we will sell a good number,” he added, saying he planned a virtual party and reading, but not involving Collins.Ĭollins’ new novel, which comes out next week, is the most high-profile release since the coronavirus shut down most of the country’s bookstores in March.

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