Black Library Pre-Order Tracker

It can be hard to keep track of upcoming Black Library releases – there’s the Coming Soon page on Warhammer Community but that has big gaps and isn’t updated very often; the occasional Warhammer Community article looking at previews/reveals; and the wider book trade, with websites like Amazon often updated with some information well in advance of books being published. Wouldn’t it be great if there was ONE place you could check which consolidated all of that information, and clearly laid it out to help you plan ahead and decide what to buy and when? Well as it happens, I’ve put together a spreadsheet containing all of the information I can find. I’ve embedded it into this article, and I try to keep it as up to date as possible, so check back any time to see what’s coming up.

This is just one of many Black Library articles and guides available on Track of Words. Check out the link below for loads more, including series reading orders, ‘Where to Start With…’ articles, author interviews and hundreds of reviews!

All of the dates in the spreadsheet are based on when titles go up for pre-order on the Black Library and/or Games Workshop website. The general rule of thumb is that pre-orders go live on a Saturday, with the books themselves available to download/find on shelves the following Saturday (as far as I understand it, this usually applies to Audible versions too).

Note that ebook editions usually arrive alongside the first ‘standard’ edition of a book – so that’s normally the hardback, except when (like with Necromunda novels at the moment) a book goes straight to paperback. I’ve flagged Limited Edition hardbacks in bold, to help them stand out. Here’s the spreadsheet…

NOTE: it’s quite wide, so depending on what device you’re using you should be able to see at least the first couple of columns, but scroll right and you’ll get all the rest as well.

 

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I hope this is useful; let me know if there’s any additional information you’d like to see on here, or if you spot something that I’ve missed off! Otherwise, enjoy planning ahead and here’s to many more great Black Library stories in the future!

67 comments

    1. Glad it’s useful! I’ve added in Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley, which should be launching in ‘standard’ editions this year – so there’s at least one upcoming Blood Angels novel 🙂

  1. Hmm the times are at Black Library or per example book depository? Book depository have a schedule for almost a year from now. there are some that aren’t here. IT could proof useful for you.

    I also have a spreadsheet as you (nerd haha) and mine has the dates of Bookdepository. Never understood why the same book costs at times 3£/€ more. (if you try to purchase a month earlier the price is steeper. If you buy after they are released they usually cost 8/9/10€.

    Good to know that I am not the only one… My spreadsheet goes back from 1999…

    1. That’s a decent question. I’ve added in a note to point out that all dates are based on when things go up for pre-order with BL/GW. As I understand it, any time you see a ‘release date’ elsewhere in the book trade – Amazon, Book Depository etc. – those are slightly after BL’s ‘official’ release date.

    1. Ah yes, good question. Generally speaking no – the ebook is usually released alongside the hardback, then the paperback edition comes out several months down the line. I’ll add something about that to the article, for the sake of clarity! Thanks for mentioning it, and I’m glad you like this 🙂

    1. Yeah I’d seen that one floating around but wasn’t sure what to do considering we haven’t got the official English-language title yet. I think I’ll add it in, with a note to point out that the title is a translation. Cheers!

  2. Is there a way you could add if it will be a limited edition book? I assume the Lion El’Jonson book will be the limited edition one? Other than that this list is amazing, thanks a lot!!!

    1. Sure – it’s already mentioned in the Format column, but I’ve highlighted all the LEs in bold so they stand out a bit more. Hope that helps, and glad this is useful overall 🙂

  3. It’s only a few days away now, but I don’t see listed the online-exclusive Print on Demand background book “The Loathsome Ratmen and All Their Vile Kin” by Mitchel Scanlon, coming on Black Library Celebration day. I know I’ll definitely be picking that one up, myself, if it’s anything like the re-released Liber Chaotica

    1. Good shout, I hadn’t added any of the online-only releases for the weekend – updated now! Cheers. FYI ‘The Loathsome Ratmen…’ is a shorter, less ambitious volume than the Liber Chaotica, but still cool.

  4. Have you considered making a note when something is a reprint in a new format vs being outright new?

    Thanks for your hard work!

  5. This may have been asked before but i will ask again. Is there a reason why the spreadsheet window is not bigger.

    1. I don’t think it’s come up before, but it’s a fair question. The embedded spreadsheet is as wide as I can make it, based on the available space in the WordPress theme. Short of redesigning the whole site (which I may do eventually, but not any time soon) that’s the widest it can be.

  6. Great list. Do you know, since I cannot find out, the time that the books generally go on sale on the day of release or is it a midnight thing?

    Ravenor Rogue is this Saturday and I want to make sure I’m ready at release time.

  7. I think masters of shadow is no longer in the works since black library fired Thomas Parrot

    1. Yeah I think you might be right. I’m going to keep it on the list for the time being, but I’m not holding my breath.

  8. Does anyone remember what the usual schedule is for paperback version delays relative to release of the hardback? I want some of the plethora of Gaunt’s Ghosts novels announced, but would prefer to get them in mass market or trade paperback size to fit the rest of my collection.

    1. It used to be somewhere in the region of 6 months between HB and PB, but these days that seems to have gone out of the window. For example Brutal Kunnin and Blackstone Fortress: Ascension were both published in HB in September 2020 and then in PB in May 2021 – so that’s a 9 month gap, give or take a week or two. Hard to say if that’s now going to be the norm, or if once the pandemic/Brexit etc. all settles down things will go back to how they were before.

  9. If I’m not mistaken Amazon now says that Urdesh: The Serpent and the Saint will be in paperback by mid-April. Cheers!

    1. Yeah that sounds about right. I’ve given up on including Amazon (or other book trade) release dates though, as they’ve historically been so changeable.

  10. Thanks for keeping this up to date, its an incredibly useful place to quickly find out releases.
    Is the review for throne of light coming up soon?

    1. No problem, glad it’s of use! I’m not planning on reviewing Throne of Light, to be honest. I did review Avenging Son, but haven’t tackled the others in that series (still haven’t even read The Wolftime).

  11. Thank you for putting together this incredibly useful spreadsheet! Will definitely be making more use of it, especially for the Siege of Terra releases.

    I just have one question about whether it’s known what time the Black Library releases go on sale? Been burned in the past where I’ve missed a pre-order because the emails come out later than when the pre-order goes live.

    1. I’m glad it’s helpful! BL should do a better job of communicating this sort of thing, but as long as they don’t I’ll keep this page live 🙂

      Preorder times depend on where you live. In the UK everything new goes on sale on the GW website ‘technically’ at 10am on the Saturday morning…but things actually start showing five minutes beforehand, at 9.55am. As I understand it, in the US it’s midday Central Time (but again, I’d assume things actually go live five minutes earlier). If you haven’t already, try reading through this page for tips and tricks of how to make sure you can get hold of Limited Editions, or anything that sells out quickly: https://www.trackofwords.com/2021/01/15/black-library-getting-hold-of-limited-editions/

      Hope that helps!

    1. Yep, true enough. I’m sure it’ll be a while yet before that one’s available, but it’s on the list now!

  12. I’ve seen blackhearts omnibus for warhammer chronicles listed for preorder on Amazon

  13. Hey man, been using your tracker for what must surely be years by now. You made me spend way more on WH40k books than I originally intended, so I figured I might as well send some coffee money your way too. Thanks for all the effort, much appreciated! I’d bite a table in two if I had to divine when certain releases are coming out…

    1. Thanks so much, that’s very kind of you 🙂 Appreciate it!

      Really glad this page has been useful (albeit expensive, for you!), I still think it’s mad that BL doesn’t make this easier but then hey…it is what it is.

      Cheers!

  14. Btw, since I’m not sure where else to ask – what do you think are the odds of the first four Siege of Terra novels coming back in hardback, preferably in the same format? I got a little late on that train… 🙂

    1. I don’t know to be honest. Generally speaking BL doesn’t really reprint books, so in any range other than the HH/Siege I’d say I wouldn’t expect to ever see hardbacks reprinted. Given that BL did reprint the HH hardbacks as Print on Demand though, I guess it’s possible that they might do the same with the Siege. Possible…but I probably wouldn’t count on it.

    1. I’m sure another one will be coming at some point. Can’t remember off the top of my head how many books BL initially said the series would run to, but it’s something like 7 or 8 I think.

  15. So excited for The Lion: Son of the Forest! I’m glad they’re giving us the story of the return in book form this time instead of a longer blurb in a campaign book! 😀

    1. Yeah thank goodness! Any setting-changing event like this really needs to be explored in novel form, and not just in campaign supplements – if nothing else, because I’m sure there are plenty more fans like me who don’t play the games so can’t justify expensive campaign books just for a few bits of new lore! I’m looking forward to reading this one too 🙂

      1. Just finished it in audiobook form and HOLY COW THAT WAS AMAZING! I was never really a fan of Lion or the Dark Angels before, but this book changed my opinion on it. I’m hoping it becomes a series like Dawn of Fire so we can see more 40k primarch goodness.

      2. I enjoyed the book as well. It does mean I will need to read one of the “Supporting” book lists, that follows on from the Indomitus Crusade book list, published elsewhere on this website. Just so I can get a feel of where this book fits in the timeline.

        I would imagine there will be follow on books, the book seems to be down well in the Amazon book lists.

  16. Just wanted to say I really appreciate the ongoing maintenance on this list. I’ve been able to grab nearly all the HBs and LEs I’ve wanted thanks to you.

  17. Just noticed that the SE edition of The infinite and the divine isn’t coloured blue. It could trip some people up. Love the dedication and accuracy you provide and its gotten me prepared for many releases. Keep it up Michael!

  18. Hi, thank you for producing this list – you are a godsend in a world full of heretics! – plus, thanks in general for providing us with your book reviews, interviews, guest spots, everything you do.
    Just curious, for those weekends where there is no pre-orders (e.g. 17 Feb) how do you discover (and verify) this info?
    Is this from Warhammer Community, X, or some other source?

    1. Really glad it’s helpful 🙂 Appreciate you taking the time to comment, thanks so much!

      Yeah I just keep an eye on the Warhammer Community website – every Sunday there’s an article detailing what’s going to be available to pre-order the following Saturday, so I update my spreadsheet based off that.

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