A bookseller ships over a thousand copies of The Fault in Our Stars three weeks early (December 2011)
story · status: told 2× · last event: retold (2026-09-22)
In December 2011, three weeks before publication, a bookseller shipped more than a thousand pre-ordered copies of The Fault in Our Stars early, which devastated John for fear of spoilers; he recalled it again in 2026.
Told alongside: The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) · John asks Hank and Nerdfighteria not to spoil The Fault in Our Stars (2011) · John: sign every copy of The Fault in Our Stars (2011)
About: The Fault in Our Stars, bookseller that shipped The Fault in Our Stars early, Penguin Books
| date | event | what | video |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12-23 | told | John tells how a bookseller shipped over a thousand early copies of The Fault in Our Stars, how he reacted, and how Nerdfighters, Amazon and independent bookstores responded. | There Will Be NO SPOILERS!!! 00:00:00 |
| 2026-09-22 (happened 2011-12) | retold | John recalls that when The Fault in Our Stars came out 14 years ago, a few hundred people got it a month early, and he was devastated, expecting the plot to leak online. | I Want You to Know Nothing About This 00:03:14 |
What is said about it
6 statements, by date (the events above are the turns of the thread; these are the details).
- 2011-12-23 · There Will Be NO SPOILERS!!! — John: On Wednesday morning John learned that a bookseller had prematurely shipped more than a thousand copies of The Fault in Our Stars to people who pre-ordered it. — 00:00:00
- 2011-12-23 · There Will Be NO SPOILERS!!! — John: Everyone who has read The Fault in Our Stars, John and Hank included, signed non-disclosure agreements; Penguin paid for an embargo and skipped the usual advance copies to critics, movie people and foreign publishers. — 00:00:30
- 2011-12-23 · There Will Be NO SPOILERS!!! — John accepts that not every reader will avoid spoilers and that the shipping error was an honest mistake with no maliciousness. — 00:01:23
- 2011-12-23 · There Will Be NO SPOILERS!!! — John called Hank, as he does when mad, and Hank reminded him that his readers care not just about his books but about each other. — 00:01:52
- 2011-12-23 · There Will Be NO SPOILERS!!! — John: As word spread, more and more Nerdfighters on Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook pledged not to read the book before January 10, or not to spoil it for the majority who receive it then. — 00:01:52
- 2011-12-23 · There Will Be NO SPOILERS!!! — John thanks Amazon and every independent bookstore for not shipping their pre-orders after the leak, which lets the January 10 publication date stand. — 00:02:50