| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Feiht |
Posted - 20 Aug 2004 : 09:00:31
I am extremely confused about this book. Amazon had it slated for Aug 31, then Nov 30, and now back to Aug 31. The WOTC products page had it listed as Sept., but now has it for Dec. I also noted on the WOTC products page, that it now lists the author as Dave Gross and Don Bassingthwaite. What is going on with this novel? |
| 22 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| dbassingthwaite |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 16:42:35
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
I think this instance might be different than other joint efforts since to my knowledge, this work was not originally designed as a collaborative work. Correct?
That's right, though I'm not entirely sure that there's really a "typical" process for collaborative work - each one will probably be different.
As an example, however: when I collaborated (more years ago now than I want to think about) on the Vampire: The Masquerade novel "As One Dead" with Nancy Kilpatrick, we discussed things at the outset, came up with the plot and characters, and then wrote alternating chapters from the view points of the two protagonists.
I can't recall if we swapped chapters back and forth as we wrote or just did a single massive edit at the end. I do remember discovering at one point that Nancy had ended up writing one scene that I had written as well. We came up with the solution of keeping both and making the basic details consistent, but playing the scene twice, once from each protagonist's view point. It ended up working very effectively.
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Rad
Thanks for your time. Really looking forward to this one 
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it!
Don
|
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 16:08:39
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Rad
Dave\Don
I'm curious about novels which are written by two authors... how do you go about assigning the work on the novel? Do you both sit down and go over the complete plot and chapter overview, then choose who will be writing which chapters? Or do you each write specific scenes or scenes with certain characters? Or some other method?
Thanks for your time. Really looking forward to this one
I think this instance might be different than other joint efforts since to my knowledge, this work was not originally designed as a collaborative work. Correct? |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 18 Nov 2004 : 14:40:53
Dave\Don
I'm curious about novels which are written by two authors... how do you go about assigning the work on the novel? Do you both sit down and go over the complete plot and chapter overview, then choose who will be writing which chapters? Or do you each write specific scenes or scenes with certain characters? Or some other method?
Thanks for your time. Really looking forward to this one |
| dbassingthwaite |
Posted - 17 Nov 2004 : 04:54:51
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
BAM, B&N, and Amazon are all listing this novel as ships within 2-3 days. Thus, scribes should start seeing it on the shelves in the near future.
Awesome! When someone sees it let me know - you'll probably see it before I do!
Don |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 17 Nov 2004 : 03:07:08
BAM, B&N, and Amazon are all listing this novel as ships within 2-3 days. Thus, scribes should start seeing it on the shelves in the near future. |
| JamesLowder |
Posted - 04 Sep 2004 : 18:36:48
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
There seems to be much confusion in the publishing/Writing buisness
The biggest single reason for the public expression of the confusion is the electronic databases used by booksellers like Amazon and distributors like Ingram. When a book is announced, it is registered for an ISBN number at Bowker, and the registration data--which is sometimes very preliminary in terms of release dates and such--gets shunted off to the Ingram distribution database, which is them sent off to Amazon and BN and so on, along with the e-files from other distributors like Baker & Taylor and the like, which may or may not have the same exact information. The updates created by the files are automatic, but if a mistake gets inserted somewhere along the line, or if a publisher changes something in the base file at Ingram, it seems to be nearly impossible to get it fixed consistently throughout the system. Why? Each recipient of the various data files uses them in a slightly different format, and the mistaken data from Baker & Taylor may trump the correct data from the Ingram file for BN.com, but not Amazon, and so on.
So, trying to get errors fixed once they work into the system is all but impossible. BN.com still lists me as the co-author of the 1998 edition of Troy Denning's Crucible, for example, despite repeated efforts to get the name removed. BN tried several times, and the name did disappear for a month at a time here and there, but they never could figure out where the data was wrong farther back in the system, in one of the files that kept overwriting their fixes.
That's not to say publishers and authors are not the ultimate source of the confusion, in most cases. But the electronic age has made that confusion visible to book buyers in ways that were not possible ten years ago.
Cheers,
James Lowder |
| dbassingthwaite |
Posted - 02 Sep 2004 : 00:55:54
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
There seems to be much confusion in the publishing/Writing buisness
If it wasn't for confusion, we'd have no idea what we were doing. :)
Don
(One foot in writing, the other in publishing!) |
| Kuje |
Posted - 01 Sep 2004 : 18:55:15
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Amazon now have the release date as 31 August and the Availability is 2-3 days
Yes, but they've been saying the same thing about Realms of the Dragons for about a month and that's not true either.
I know some online vendors list MotN as December. Eventually everyone will get on board. If you wish a link to some vendors that have the right date simply let me know.
SB
Hells Amazon still says you can purchase the NwN's anthology. :) Which never saw the light of day..... |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 01 Sep 2004 : 15:17:57
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Amazon now have the release date as 31 August and the Availability is 2-3 days
Yes, but they've been saying the same thing about Realms of the Dragons for about a month and that's not true either.
I know some online vendors list MotN as December. Eventually everyone will get on board. If you wish a link to some vendors that have the right date simply let me know.
SB |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 01 Sep 2004 : 14:02:32
There seems to be much confusion in the publishing/Writing buisness |
| dbassingthwaite |
Posted - 01 Sep 2004 : 13:48:18
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
Amazon now have the release date as 31 August and the Availability is 2-3 days
Once again - ignore Amazon's release information on the book. It's wrong. They're picking up information from some other source and it's writing over the correct information in their system. It's not uncommon to see this happen when a book (any book from any publisher) changes release dates.
The correct release is December. Have no fear - the writing is done and the proofs have been returned. Mistress of the Night will be in typesetting and production by now.
However, if you want to pre-order from Amazon, I'm not going to say no. 
Thanks!
Don |
| Dargoth |
Posted - 01 Sep 2004 : 11:32:07
Amazon now have the release date as 31 August and the Availability is 2-3 days |
| Kameron M. Franklin |
Posted - 26 Aug 2004 : 18:54:41
quote:
Originally posted by dbassingthwaite
For my part, I find trying to write spirituality a bit more of a challenge - I want to convey depth of faith while at the same time keeping it natural and interesting to the reader when it might otherwise be too easy to slip into an introspective mode. Mistress of the Night isn't actaully the first novel I've done with a spiritual character, but it is the first I've done that uses spiritual characters as the view point (if my novel for Kenzerco's Kalamar setting ever sees light of day, there's a paladin in it but not as a view point character).
However, action first, so I think you'll still find Mistress of the Night a good, fast-paced read!
Don
Heh, glad to hear I'm not the only one who struggled with that balance between depth of faith and fast-paced action. |
| dbassingthwaite |
Posted - 26 Aug 2004 : 15:05:55
quote:
Originally posted by Lord Rad
i'm sure now that the novel will have an even more gritty, dark edge to it...judging by your writing style and flavor in The Yellow Silk (My favorite Rogues novel).
Thanks! I'm glad you liked The Yellow Silk!
I think you'll find Mistress of the Night a bit different, though - it's still dark (well, it does deal with Shar after all!) but I'm not absolutely sure I'd personally use gritty to describe it (Dave might have another view).
'Gritty' really fit with the mood I wanted for Yellow Silk because it was rogues, down and dirty, and slightly desperate (my inspiration for it was Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch). Mistress of the Night carries some desperation, too, but it's not quite the same - probably because of the spiritual element in dealing with priests had a different feel from working with rogues.
For my part, I find trying to write spirituality a bit more of a challenge - I want to convey depth of faith while at the same time keeping it natural and interesting to the reader when it might otherwise be too easy to slip into an introspective mode. Mistress of the Night isn't actaully the first novel I've done with a spiritual character, but it is the first I've done that uses spiritual characters as the view point (if my novel for Kenzerco's Kalamar setting ever sees light of day, there's a paladin in it but not as a view point character).
However, action first, so I think you'll still find Mistress of the Night a good, fast-paced read!
Don |
| JamesLowder |
Posted - 23 Aug 2004 : 23:29:34
quote:
Originally posted by Feiht
Thanks Tom and Don. Makes me wonder though if everything is going OK wiith the novel department these days. We've already had an author change in the WotSQ series, and now an author addition here with Mistress.
These things happen with shared world books now and then; it isn't all that uncommon. The books are set for release sometimes before authors are even assigned the projects, and if something happens to throw off the schedule with the original author, the release date might not be flexible enough to change.
With Spectre of the Black Rose, for example, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer while I was writing the first draft, and I spent a lot of time for three months driving back and forth between Wisconsin and my parents' house in Massachusetts. I couldn't keep up with the draft schedule and WotC chose not to move the release date, so I asked someone to work with me on certain parts of the book to get it done on time.
I've not heard anything of the sort about Dave Gross. I know he's really busy running the newly relaunched Amazing Stories magazine, so that might be a factor. Or it could just be that Dave or WotC decided Don should come in after the first draft to help him revise the book in a certain way. Until Dave or Don or WotC decides to comment, it's safest to assume that all parties involved thought adding Don to the project was a good idea to make certain it got done for the proposed release date, or in the way WotC originally envisioned.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
| Feiht |
Posted - 21 Aug 2004 : 21:53:45
Thanks Tom and Don. Makes me wonder though if everything is going OK wiith the novel department these days. We've already had an author change in the WotSQ series, and now an author addition here with Mistress. I don't mean that as a complaint. I really like the addition that all the new authors bring to the table. It is nice to see all the diversity in different writing styles. |
| Lord Rad |
Posted - 21 Aug 2004 : 16:23:23
Hi Don
Why the sudden addition of you as a co-writer? Did Dave Gross request this for some reason or was it WotC's decision?
I'm particulary lookin forward to this novel out of all the others in the Priests series. I loved Radu Malveen from Dave's Black Wolf, and i'm sure now that the novel will have an even more gritty, dark edge to it...judging by your writing style and flavor in The Yellow Silk (My favorite Rogues novel). |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 21 Aug 2004 : 16:04:30
Thanks to Thomas M. Reid and Don Bassingthwaite for providing information about this novel. |
| dbassingthwaite |
Posted - 21 Aug 2004 : 15:57:25
Hi all -
Wow, stay away from the computer for a couple of days and news breaks!
Yes, I am the co-author on Mistress of the Night and it was a pleasure to work with Dave. Announcement of the collaboration was put off pending official word being put out on the Wizards of the Coast's website.
Feiht, I understand your confusion with the release date - it is definitely a December (although hopefully actually late November!) release. I think official word on the change of pub date was late going into the distribution channels, just as word of the collaboration was late going out.
As for Amazon having August, then November, then August again, they receive publication information from a number of sources (direct from the publisher, through Bowker Books in Print, through Ingram...) and sometimes when there's conflicting information, new data from one system will be overwritten by old data coming from another system. It will sort itself out eventually.
If you go looking for the book, though, be sure to look under Dave's name - he's the senior writer on the project!
Thanks!
Don |
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 21 Aug 2004 : 14:56:45
quote:
Originally posted by Thomas M. Reid
I'm looking into it right now. Should have an answer in here soon.
Basically, the book was in flux for a while. I'm not sure if it was changed on the schedule and then back again or not, but eventually, Don was added as a co-author for reasons I am not privy to.
Thomas |
| SiriusBlack |
Posted - 20 Aug 2004 : 14:27:55
quote:
Originally posted by Thomas M. Reid
I'm looking into it right now. Should have an answer in here soon.
Thomas
Isn't Shar part of the focus for this novel? I think that fact alone explains the unrevealed secret regarding the novel's publication date.  |
| Thomas M. Reid |
Posted - 20 Aug 2004 : 14:04:52
quote:
Originally posted by Feiht
What is going on with this novel?
I'm looking into it right now. Should have an answer in here soon.
Thomas |
