The representative explained that it was not clear whether the books had fallen into the ocean, were in one of the damaged containers or were safe in one of the unaffected containers.
Whatever their fate, it was unclear when the ship would be able to unload any of the remaining merchandise, Mr. Hereford said. The ship is currently docked in Charleston, S.C., where it is being inspected, according to Ocean Network Express.
“I wasn’t computing that the book was going to be delayed until I finally asked, ‘Does the book come out in time?’” Mr. Hereford said.
She replied: Absolutely not.
Mr. Hereford said the release date of his book has been pushed to June.
Ms. Clark’s book is now expected to come out in September, a delay that she said she is taking in stride.
“I think it’s important to stress that humans weren’t hurt, just merchandise,” she said.
Ms. Clark said that she worried about the reactions from people who had already ordered copies of her book. But when she announced the delay on Instagram, people responded with sympathy and jokes.
“Lucky fish,” wrote one person. “Poor the rest of us.”
Mr. Hereford made light of the mishap, posting several memes on Instagram. One of them, a play on the movie “Titanic,” showed the actress Kate Winslet floating on a door in the icy-cold water. But instead of Leonardo DiCaprio clinging desperately to the door, as he does in the film, it was a copy of Mr. Hereford’s book.
Mr. Hereford said he spent his entire Saturday night coming up with memes.
“I was up until 2 in the morning and having the time of my life,” Mr. Hereford said. It was easy to find humor in a situation that before the pandemic would have felt calamitous, he said.
