Text 1805, 161 rader
Skriven 2006-06-05 11:51:00 av Robert E Starr JR (2251.babylon5)
Ärende: Re: To: JMS, Re. Crusade
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* * * This message was from Mac Breck to rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.m * * *
         * * * and has been forwarded to you by Lord Time * * *         
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@MSGID: <4484557f$0$3680$ecde5a14@news.coretel.net>
@REPLY: <4475d8bb$0$3695$ecde5a14@news.coretel.net>
"Joseph DeMartino" <jdemarti@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:1149090533.293430.220170@u72g2000cwu.googlegroups.com...
>
> Mac Breck wrote:
> > "Joseph DeMartino" <jdemarti@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
> > news:1148608464.361734.199610@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > That may be what you are reading into it...
>
> Right.  I imagined the part where you suggested a specific writer and
> how long the outlines should be and mention Cafe Press (where JMS
> self-publishes) as an alternative to both Mongoose and Del Rey.  I
> think most reasonable people reading your post would have had exactly
> the same impression that I did.  YMMV.  Once again, you're taking a
> point on which reasonable people may differ and getting all pissy
about
> it.  Did you ever hear of the concept of "the benefit of the doubt"?
>
> > And when did you become the official JMS question
interpreter/screener?
> > Did I miss a memo? :-p
>
> I never said I was responding on JMS's behalf.  I just jumped in to
> point out that your error in thinking that Cafe Press was a
> "publisher".
>
> > He has? Where? In print? Radio? TV? Online? Podcast?  Where?
Specifics
> > please.
>
> It was a web interview on one of the comic book sites, as I recall.
It
> was either around the time the "Rangers" pilot was due to air or
> shortly after it became clear that there wasn't going to be a series.
> It was discussed at B5TV (then B5LR) at the time, if I'm not mistaken.
> I did a quick Google search but haven't found the right Q&A.  A couple
> of sites I used to visit around that time are defunct, and it may be
> that one of them had the interview.  He was asked if he would consider
> finishing the story in the form of novels similar to the Del Rey
> trilogies and he said he wouldn't rule it out if no other option
> appeared.   I'll keep looking for the interview.
>
> >> A publisher would have to be found *first*
>
> > That goes without saying.
>
> Well, given your confusion over the way Cafe Press works, and given
> that *other* people might be reading this thread, I thought it should
> be said anyway.
>
> > Last word I had from Steve Saffel, then (not now) at Del Rey was:
>
> "Last word" and he goes back to 2001!  <g>   A *little* closer to the
> present day is this three-year old item:
>
> > In May 2003, waning sales and talks with the licensor were what
stood in
> > the way of Del Rey considering new Babylon 5 or Crusade novels and
short
> > stories.
>
> The key words there, of course, being "waning sales"
>
> > And that was the last I heard. If I had to guess, and I have to
because
> > Del Rey is never going to say anything officially, I'd guess that
Del
> > Rey wanted a reduction in license fee because of lower than expected
> > sales figures, and WB balked. And that was that.
>
> Well, you don't *have* to guess.  You could say, "I don't know what
> happened after that or why things didn't work out."


Oops!  Found two more emails from Del Rey during housecleaning of my
Yahoo Email account, both more recent than the May 2003 item.  And yes,
I have permission to post 'em.


June 25, 2004:
Dear Mac:
No, the new novels won't be coming from Del Rey, but I'll leave it to
others
to make the appropriate announcements.  We're still working on the
possiblity
of the short stories, though...

Steve



December 1, 2003:
Dear Mac:
While we'd be happy to be publishing more Babylon 5 novels (including
the
short story collection and Crusade novels), I'm afraid it will require a
new
agreement with Warner Bros., and interest from a lot more fans.  We seem
to
have reached a plateau, and there are no new fans buying the existing
novels,
so there's not much indication that new books would succeed.  And
sending us
e-mail doesn't really help; what we really need is for new people to buy
the
existing novels.  That would make everyone sit up and take notice.
Publishers love to publish books that sell, and book stores love to sell
them.

One of my personal crusades--if I may borrow that word--is to make sure
fans
don't take "no" for and answer in the book store.  Because sales have
fallen
off, many book stores don't feel they can stock all of the B5 novels.
This
is understandable, since they only have so much shelf space, so the only
way
these books will stay in print is if the fans demand the books, and keep
at
it.  Press the store to order the books you want to buy--after all, this
is a
sale for them!  If one store doesn't feel as if they can order the book,
go
to another store, or one of the online retailers.

One caution: don't ask the store to order the books unless you plan to
buy
them.  They can't waste their valuable shelf space on books that very
well
may not sell.

We'll keep talking with Warner Bros. to see if we can come up with a new
agreement, but for the moment the fans will have to be happy with what
we've
got.

Best,
Steve


-- 
Mac Breck (KoshN)
-------------------------------
"Babylon 5: Crusade" (1999)
Galen: "There is always hope, only because it's the one thing that no
one has figured out how to kill yet."
(Galen's obviously never met Warner Brothers, TNT-Atlanta or Sci-Fi.)

"Brimstone" (1998)
[Stone lights a candle for the dead in a Catholic church]
Gina: Who's that for?
Ezekiel Stone: Me.
                     
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