Well, not every gap in the supply chain is a serious problem
/
we can wait
Reading that sad news, I was a little skeptical, and thought that perhaps bad reviews from advance readers might be more responsible for the delay than a made-up story of inventory woes, but no, this is apparently a real thing, and has been going on since well-before 2019
And not only is the shortage persisting, it’s getting worse, as soaring energy costs (paper must be heated and dried) drive up prices.
Most publishers are cutting back.
490 novels will be released at the start of the literary season, at the end of August, compared to 521 last year.
If they’ll send me the titles and plot synopses, I’d be happy to help publishers cull their planned publication list, and can probably get it down to, say, fifty.
