Can Frazier meet expectations?(Charles Frazier's 'Thirteen Moons')

With bookseller buzz a key part of the marketing strategy for Charles Frazier's second novel, Thirteen Moons, Random House is sending out a healthy 5,000 galleys this week. But with eight weeks to go before the October 3 publication, the question for many is whether Random is putting enough clout behind the long-awaited follow-up to Cold Mountain to earn back the biggest advance ever paid for a single novel.

The chains appear to be divided on the novel. Barnes & Noble buyer Sessalee Hensley called it "a cornerstone of the fall" and is putting it "in every aspect of our holiday promotion." That confidence in part reflects Random's financial support for the title, as …