Sarah J. Maas' Book 6 Sells 1.7 Million Copies in a Single Day

Sarah J. Maas sold 1.7 million copies of "A Court of Splintered Harmony" on its Tuesday, Oct. 27 release date alone, Variety confirmed — a record single-day result for the author and a 600% jump over the release-day sales of her previous "ACOTAR" installment, 2021's "A Court of Silver Flames."

Publisher Bloomsbury counted preorders and Day 1 sales worldwide across English-language print and ebook editions at major retailers and indie bookstores in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Australia. The figure excludes audiobook sales and translated editions. On those numbers, the book is currently tracking to be the largest book release of the year.

The fans who returned to the faerie realm of Prythian this week did so in staggering numbers after a five-year wait.

"When I write, I'm only thinking about the characters and the stories I want to tell," Maas said in a statement to Variety. "To see how much these books mean to so many people and the way readers have shown up for this one really blows my mind. It's a feeling I can't even comprehend, but I'm just beyond grateful."

What does this change for Maas?

With "A Court of Splintered Harmony," Maas has now sold more than 100 million books worldwide, her team confirmed, across her three fantasy franchises: "A Court of Thorns and Roses," "Throne of Glass" and "Crescent City."

The launch was engineered at unusual scale. Dozens of brands, from Funko to For Love & Lemons, released official "ACOTAR"-inspired merchandise created in collaboration with Maas over recent months. Some 2,000 midnight release parties were held globally on Tuesday.

The new novel continues the story of sisters Feyre, Nesta and Elain Archeron in Prythian. Readers will not wait long for the next chapter: Book 7, "A Court of Forgotten Melody," is set for release on Jan. 12.

A cycle with more to come

Maas has previously announced that the two new "ACOTAR" books form "The Valkyrie Cycle: Movement I" and "The Valkyrie Cycle: Movements II and III." A currently untitled third novel will conclude the four-part "Valkyrie Cycle" narrative.

The fandom around Maas and "ACOTAR" has reached unprecedented levels during the five-year gap between Books 5 and 6. Her novels have consistently dominated conversation on TikTok's "BookTok" community, as women-centered, romance-heavy high fantasy — including Rebecca Yarros' "Fourth Wing" — has grown increasingly powerful in publishing and, subsequently, Hollywood.

What happened to the TV adaptation?

A television adaptation of "ACOTAR" went into development at Disney's 20th Television and Hulu in 2021, with Ronald D. Moore set as showrunner working alongside Maas. Disney scrapped the project in February 2025 over creative differences, and the rights have since reverted to Maas.

With Book 7 arriving in barely two months and the "Valkyrie Cycle" still one novel from completion, the question now facing publishers and studios alike is how much higher the Maas machine can climb — and who will land the adaptation rights she now holds herself.