It’s been a long, weary journey, and more than once I feared that neither I nor my book would make it – but here we are at last. I am delighted to announce that Thomia is now available for advance purchase at a special pre-publication price of Rs 19,990.00; pretty good value, I hope you’ll agree, for two hardcover volumes (total 936pp.) in a sturdy, elegant slipcase. This represents a saving of at least 20% on the post-publication recommended retail price.
Thomia will be published, if all goes well, in late January 2025. Advance buyers should begin receiving their copies soon afterwards. I am hoping to hold an official launch event some time in early February, round about STC Old Boys’ Day or just before.
Warm thanks to my first pledged customers
Those of you who follow this journal will be aware that, earlier, I quoted an approximate price of about Rs 27,000 for the book. I am still not sure what the final post-launch retail price will be, but having settled on a contract with the printer, I find that I can afford to offer this special ‘early-bird’ discount to advance buyers exclusively. As I said, it should save you at least a fifth of the RRP.
Forty-nine people were generous enough to pledge to buy one or more copies of Thomia at the price quoted earlier. Another person (who wishes not to be named) simply made a gratis donation of Rs 102,000. I find it hard to express fully my gratitude to these good folk, who put their trust in me and their faith in the value of Thomia before they even knew how much they would be asked to pay for it. They gave me hope, and the heart to carry on. Needless to say, they will pay no more than the pre-publication price quoted in the first paragraph above. Twenty-six out of the 49 have already redeemed their pledges; and in fact, 41 copies of Thomia have been sold to date.
This is very encouraging, but I shall have to sell many times that number of copies just to cover the advance to the printer! I have to pay up before 15 December, too, so if you are planning to buy a copy (or copies) of the book, it would help immensely if you did so as soon as possible.
How to order Thomia
There is a new Order Page up on the Thomia website, www.thomia.com. If you go to the Home Page there, you’ll find a flashing button on the top-line menu, saying ✸ORDER NOW!✸
If you click this button, it will take you to a newly added site page with the same title. Here you will find all the information you need for placing your order, plus a form at the bottom of the page to allow you to do so. When you fill out the form and click the ‘Place Your Order’ button, you should see a thank-you message. This means your order has been sent to me (if you don’t get a message, please let me know at once, because it means there’s a bug in the works somewhere).
When I receive your order, I’ll send you an email with payment details, etc. We’ll take it from there.
You can also go directly to the Order Page by clicking this link: https://www.thomia.com/hhy
Shipping & Handling
The order form contains a space for an address to which your copy or copies will be delivered. Delivery is free of charge within the Greater Colombo area. Beyond this zone, postage and packing charges unfortunately apply. They will naturally vary with location. If you are resident overseas, the charges may be quite high – almost as much as the price of the book in some cases.
I’ve linked a table of postage charges to some of the most likely countries to the Order Page, but these amounts are subject to change at the discretion of Sri Lanka Post. I am trying to work out ways to reduce P&P costs as much as possible, but if you live abroad your best plan may be simply to persuade a friend, relative or business associate resident in Greater Colombo to take delivery of your copy for you, and make your own collection arrangements privately with them.
Hoping to hear from you soon
All subscribers to the old Thomia Mailing List (apart from those who have already placed orders with me) will receive this message by email today. That list is now closed, but subscribers will continue to receive updates on the progress of Thomia from time to time. I hope you will share them with others who might be interested in this project and in buying a copy (or, perhaps, more than one) of the book.
And, of course, I hope to receive your order for Thomia very soon.
Richard Simon
Author & Publisher
1 Dec 2024
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