Following the first publication of J.R.R. Tolkien’s restored manuscript The Children of Húrin earlier this year, there was, perhaps surprisingly, no US audio version. Houghton Mifflin, Tolkien’s US publisher, has no audio division. HaperCollins UK, which published the British edition, put out the audio book through its own HarperCollins UK Audio Books (indeed, they managed to snag actor Christopher Lee to record the unabridged audio).
Now comes word that, rather than a US audio edition, the British version is being distributed in the States via Trafalgar Square Publishing. The eight-CD set has a list price of $49.95 (currently $32.97 at Amazon.com). Trafalgar Square’s initial order from the UK was 10,000 copies of the audiobook.
Explaining the importation rather than domestic production, Trafalgar Square publicist Beth Noonkester said “There was a lot of interest in audio rights with a long negotiation that fell through.” TS’s Publishing Director Brooke O’Donnell continued “We were the quickest route to market for HarperCollins UK and were able to announce the audio book to our accounts and guarantee orders with very little notice. This allowed them to make books available in the US market almost immediately.” It was released in the UK in October, and is now available in the US.
Christopher Lee, for those who’ve forgotten, played Saruman in the first two Lord of the Rings movies, as well as Count Dooku in the later Star Wars films. Prior to these new roles, he’d had a long career in horror.