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QBD Books hosted a midnight launch event for Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Splintered Harmony at Brisbane’s Cloudland venue, drawing more than 400 attendees and picking up coverage from outlets including Good Morning America in the US and ITV News in the UK.
The event marked the release of the sixth instalment in Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) series, published by Bloomsbury. All 93 QBD Books stores opened early on launch day, and the retailer’s social media activity reached more than one million people overnight.
Inside the launch event
Australian authors, Luke Bateman and Stacey McEwan, hosted the evening, which transformed Cloudland into the fictional world of Prythian. The venue featured fire performers, dancers, fan costumes, themed photo setups and interactive experiences.
The midnight reveal saw the book’s cover projected onto Cloudland’s cascading waterfall, framed by sparklers, before Bateman pulled the first copy of A Court of Splintered Harmony from a cauldron on stage.
“The midnight launch of ACOSH was a success. Not just for the book and Sarah J. Maas, but for the bookish community as a whole,” Bateman remarked. “QBD’s event showcased the power that books have to transcend mere words on a page, creating community and joy for so many.”
Publishers and brands join forces
The event brought together publishing, fashion, travel, food and lifestyle brands. Partners included Bloomsbury, Afterpay, Contiki, BlackMilk, Nerada Tea, Charlie & Fox and Normal.
Highlights included a fan costume competition hosted by BlackMilk, masquerade mask decorating and panel conversations exploring safe spice – a topic that has become a point of discussion within the romantasy genre.
Head of Marketing and PR at Bloomsbury, Hermione Davis, described the launch as a demonstration of what can happen when a book, a bookselling team and an engaged reading community come together.
“QBD Books delivered a launch that celebrates ACOTAR and the fandom on a significant scale,” Davis added.
The scale of ACOTAR fandom
The ACOTAR series has sold 84 million copies worldwide, accumulated 25 million Goodreads reader ratings and generated 3.8 million BookTok-related videos on TikTok.
The cover and title reveals for A Court of Splintered Harmony and its follow-up, A Court of Forgotten Melody, generated 58 million views in 24 hours across Sarah J. Maas’s and Bloomsbury’s social channels.
The figures point to a shift in how book releases function as cultural events, driven in large part by social media platforms and online fan communities.
What comes next
QBD Books’ nationwide activation across its 93 stores reflects a broader trend of publishers and booksellers collaborating to turn major releases into in-person and online events that connect readers through shared experiences.
The next book in the series, A Court of Forgotten Melody, is scheduled for release on 12 January 2027. QBD Books has indicated it is already planning its next fan event around that title.
QBD Books is Australia’s largest book and puzzle retailer, with more than 150 years of operation and over 93 stores across the country.
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Last Updated on October 30, 2026 by Nick Ross
