Chapter 66: Four Hundred and Twenty Southbound
The loudest city on my screen was not the place buying the book.
On Tuesday morning, London's publicity heat map burned orange across the distribution wall in North Quay's planning room.
The verified paid-order map beneath it gathered its darkest marks around the south-west and Ireland instead.
One measured attention; the other measured money that had survived cancellation checks.
The traditional allocation draft still gave London the largest opening share and cheapest single-depot route.
It had been built before the twelve independent shops confirmed their redistributed 300-copy commitment after Friday's session.
It also treated Ireland's capped increase from 600 to 900 provisional copies as a footnote.
The publicity manager defended the London weighting with expected review coverage and launch photographs.
Neither item appeared in the verified-order column.
The distribution planner displayed the proposed inbound allocation that would apply only to a later authorised run.
Four hundred and twenty proposed copies sat in a London line despite stronger qualifying demand elsewhere.
They were not printed copies waiting in a depot.
They were editable planning numbers inside the committee's draft model for future warehouse receipt after manufacture.
Moving the numbers now would not move paper, boxes or stock.
It would tell distribution where those future copies should enter the network if printing and manufacture were approved.
I asked to see the sources behind both maps.
PageTurn's de-identified, approved preorder summary supplied paid completion by broad region without customer identities.
North Quay's controlled distribution file supplied confirmed shop commitments and the Irish capped intention with its conditions.
The publicity map came from public mentions, searches, event enquiries and scheduled press interest rather than payments.
All three were real; only two represented demand willing to pay or stock.
The south-west allocation increased delivery mileage, handling assumptions and account complexity from the proposed central route.
Ireland added freight and the agreed returns exposure.
Keeping London first would lower immediate transport cost and raise likely returns elsewhere.
I could buy a more impressive London launch picture with the wrong regional balance and likely returns.
The camera would not pay to send unsold copies back.
I approved the regional amendment.
In the December decision pack alone, 420 proposed inbound copies moved from London to south-west and Ireland lines.
London retained a smaller planned allocation supported by its actual qualifying orders and shop evidence.
It did not retain copies merely because journalists worked nearby.
The planner recalculated freight, separate-account handling and return assumptions under the same locked model.
Outbound cost rose under the revised route.
Expected return exposure fell because more proposed copies followed evidenced demand.
The table labelled every changed line PROVISIONAL — SUBJECT TO PRINT-RUN AUTHORISATION in the committee pack.
I required the label on the map as well.
Without it, an orange arrow could look too much like a lorry already moving stock.
No warehouse received a pick instruction, intake notice or quantity.
No printer received a machine start or paper commitment.
The held slot remained scheduling capacity and nothing more.
Distribution stored the original map, amended map, calculation sheet and approved source summaries together.
The change could therefore be audited from aggregate evidence without revealing individual customers or shop pricing.
The publicity manager removed LONDON-LED LAUNCH from the draft campaign brief.
I lost the neatest media story and accepted the more expensive route.
The revised brief led with the twelve shops and capped Irish interest instead.
Those were smaller pictures attached to stronger evidence.
At 16:03, the amended allocation entered the committee draft.
Its regional model now reflected the locked ending, completed preorder path and verified shop changes.
The system responded by opening the paper-contract proposal linked to broader distribution.
At the top, the new first-look term promised UK and Ireland reach.
Halfway down, it reached backwards into “the author's existing worlds and brand goodwill”.
The old room was locked, and the new contract had put its hand through the door.