# The Fault in Our Stars

> John Green's novel sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, its publisher reported.

- Owner: John Green / Dutton Books (Penguin)
- Kind: Book
- Sector: Media & publishing
- Seed date: Dec 2011
- Peak proxy date: Week of Jun 16, 2014
- Date basis: Proxy date; not a directly measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 42 (Notable, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Fandom mobilisation, Scarcity drop, Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy

## Summary

Nerdfighters drove preorders for signed first editions, made music and filled live events. A film campaign brought Tumblr voting; two paperback editions led BookScan's June 16 list, the peak proxy used here.

## Timeline

- 2011-06-29 — John Green (YouTube) — Green promised to sign the first printing as Nerdfighters drove preorders to the top of Amazon's list.
- Dec 2011 — Barnes & Noble (Retail) — Barnes & Noble shipped finished copies to preorder customers ahead of the January on-sale date.
- 2011-12-23 — John Green (YouTube) — Green thanked readers who pledged to avoid spoilers after the premature shipments.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/the-fault-in-our-stars

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “The Fault in Our Stars.” Case HIS-01623. Spread Score v1.3: 42/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01623