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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 02:28:25
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Does anyone have any thoughts on the constant reissued novels? I understand the need to update editions, but it seems like half the material being released this year is reissued stuff from 2nd and 3rd ed Realms novels.
It seems to me like if there is a market for, say, Cadderly novels for instance, why continue re-releasing it and not produce a new novel with those characters? I already own the novels, ergo, I'm not going to buy the new edition. I know Salvatore's a busy man, but as I'm not a fan of Greenwood's work, it seems like I'm going to have to wait around for some new material for a while...
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My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
Learned Scribe
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 02:46:40
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| I didn't like the Salvatore reissues because there were already so many in circulation that I didn't think it was necessary. It also bothered me when they renamed and reordered the Drizzt books. However, I can see the use for certain other reissues. For example, the original Twilight Giants series is hard to find, so reissuing it makes it more accessible. I personally would rather have an earlier printing of it, but I would be willing to settle for a newer edition if it allowed me to read the novels. |
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 02:59:39
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True, I didn't consider the use of reissues as a way to keep the works accessible. And the Dark Elf Trilogy is a treasure that should be reissued.
But I feel like they're flooding market with reissues rather than taking a risk with some new material. |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
Learned Scribe
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 04:05:21
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| I don't know about the ratio of reissues to new books, but it seems like, as long as they have the same number of authors, they should have the same number of new books. I haven't actually looked at the numbers, though, so I really don't know. I suppose having a lot of reissues released all at the same time could be a problem though, as people might pick up the reissue as opposed to a new book. So the smart way to do things would be to space out the reissues. On the other hand, if they have a dearth of material to publish right now, reissues could be their way of masking this lack of new material. |
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 04:38:11
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If this is all we will expect this year, then it seems like re-issues are the order of the day. Salvatore being the biggest 'offender', so I guess my main issue is with Drizzt and co. But why re-issue the Lady Penitent in gift box form along with all the Drizzt novels, then do the same to Cadderly and Friends if there's a market for them in the first place?
City of the Dead Novel Forgotten Realms Rosemary Jones 06/2009
City of Torment Novel Forgotten Realms Bruce R. Cordell 09/2009
Corsair Novel Forgotten Realms Richard Baker 03/2009
Edge of Chaos, The Novel Forgotten Realms Jak Koke 08/2009
Fallen Fortress, The Novel Forgotten Realms R.A. Salvatore 07/2009
Fanged Crown, The Novel Forgotten Realms Jenna Helland 01/2009
Hand of the Hunter, The Novel Forgotten Realms Mark Sehestedt 07/2009
Lady Penitent Gift Set, The Novel Forgotten Realms Lisa Smedman 09/2009
Legend of Drizzt Collector's Edition (Book III), The Novel Forgotten Realms R.A. Salvatore 01/2009
Mistshore Novel Forgotten Realms Jaleigh Johnson 09/2008
Night Masks Novel Forgotten Realms R.A. Salvatore 05/2009
Pirate King, The Novel Forgotten Realms R.A. Salvatore 08/2009
Restless Shore, The Novel Forgotten Realms James P. Davis 05/2009
Sea of Swords (Paperback) Novel Forgotten Realms R.A. Salvatore 06/2009
Silent Blade, The (Paperback) Novel Forgotten Realms R.A. Salvatore 02/2009
Sword Never Sleeps, The (Paperback) Novel Forgotten Realms Ed Greenwood 05/2009
Twilight War Gift Set, The Novel Forgotten Realms Paul S. Kemp 09/2009
Unholy Novel Forgotten Realms Richard Lee Byers 02/2009
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My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
Learned Scribe
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 04:47:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
But why re-issue the Lady Penitent in gift box form along with all the Drizzt novels, then do the same to Cadderly and Friends if there's a market for them in the first place?
I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what you mean by the way you have worded this. Could you please explain?  |
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darkcrow
Learned Scribe
USA
269 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 05:03:49
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The new material has been at about 14 per year for a few years now and will probably stay that way. The re issues are probably for many reasons.
1) To keep the popular novels in print and new looking. If you look at the old art work compared to the new, you can see the change with the time. Make it look more appealing to the new generation of readers. It may pass off to them as a new book ( little do they know that it's been around since the 80's).
2) To get out-of-print books back in print with nifty new art. Thank Tymora too cause Black Wolf was going for $100 used at one time.
3) Well, they're probably is a third reason but I can't think of it right now. |
May Tymora smile upon ye |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 09:56:29
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-Its so WotC can make more Money.  I would love for WotC to reprint the Old Harper series. 
BRIMSTONE  |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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mnb128
Learned Scribe
USA
130 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 15:17:15
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quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
-Its so WotC can make more Money. I would love for WotC to reprint the Old Harper series.
BRIMSTONE
This, I would guess, is what it's all about. It's a fairly easy, inexpensive way to generate new revenue for the company. I've only been reading realms novels for about a year, but I've purchased over 160 realms novels in that time, most of them used. From the used novels I purchased WOTC made exactly $0. However, when I purchased the reissued versions of the Sembia series, Twilight Giants, Darkwalker on Moonshae, the Avatar series, etc. WOTC made money. Salvatore's books are reissued the most because his books sell the most. Simple as that. I doubt he has much to do with it. New people are introduced to the realms every day just like myself. WOTC would be insane from a business perspective not to take advantage of that.
Ditto on the Harpers. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36878 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 15:23:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
-Its so WotC can make more Money. I would love for WotC to reprint the Old Harper series.
BRIMSTONE
Yeah, they won't reprint some of the novels I'd like to see reprinted. I'd love to get my hands on new copies of the Finder's Stone or Counselors & Kings trilogies.
Speaking of reprints... This bugs me: I saw the Verdant Passage at the store the other day. It was originally sold as a mass market paperback, with a cover price of $4.95. Now it's being sold as a paperback, with a cover price of $12.95. If it was being sold as a mass market paperback, the price would be $7.99, just like the price of any other current mass market paperback. I would not mind paying $7.99 for a new MMPB version. I will not pay $5 more for the same book, though, because they decided to release it in a larger version. To me, that's both bogus and a rip-off. The book is slightly bigger -- no other aspect of its production and distribution is different. So why is it 60% more expensive?
Yay for putting a good book back in print. Yay for Troy Denning getting a bump up on his royalties checks. Boo, boo, and boo again for reprinting in a different format just to milk a few extra bucks out of the consumer. 
I have no problem with someone making a reasonable profit off of me. I have a serious problem with someone making an overly-inflated profit off of me. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen!  |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36878 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 15:26:36
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| Oh, and one other thing on reprints: TSR did it, too, but they released new versions at the same time. Spellfire and The Crystal Shard were both reprinted with changes from the original text. I don't like that, at all. I'd rather have the original version than a modified version... In fact, for both books, when I had to replace them, I made a point of getting the original version, instead of the changed reprint. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 18:20:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
I'd love to get my hands on new copies of the Finder's Stone or Counselors & Kings trilogies.
From your lips to the gods' ears.
quote:
Speaking of reprints... This bugs me: I saw the Verdant Passage at the store the other day. It was originally sold as a mass market paperback, with a cover price of $4.95. Now it's being sold as a paperback, with a cover price of $12.95. If it was being sold as a mass market paperback, the price would be $7.99, just like the price of any other current mass market paperback. I would not mind paying $7.99 for a new MMPB version. I will not pay $5 more for the same book, though, because they decided to release it in a larger version. To me, that's both bogus and a rip-off. The book is slightly bigger -- no other aspect of its production and distribution is different. So why is it 60% more expensive?
Simple answer: Troy Denning is at least 60% more marketable.
His work with Star Wars has given him a huge audience and very strong name recognition. In such cases, it's pretty standard for publishers to bring out shiny, upgraded versions of authors' early works. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 18:32:53
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Here's a few more things to consider. Bricks-and-mortar book stores have limited shelf space. Many of them are also in dire financial straits, so they've been devoting more and more space to sure-thing bestsellers. As a result, midlist books come and go a lot more quickly. A newly released Forgotten Realms book, with the exception of Bob Salvatore's books, is likely to have a shorter shelf life than comparable books published a few years back. And since there are a lot more FR books these days--as well as a LOT of other tie-in novels--than there was a few years back, it's virtually impossible for a bookstore to keep all the in-print FR books in stock.
So. Periodically reprinting books is a way to get them back on the shelves. Buyers are more likely to order "new" releases than to reorder backlist, unless there is a very strong demand for those backlist books.
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 21:37:18
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quote:
Originally posted by ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
But why re-issue the Lady Penitent in gift box form along with all the Drizzt novels, then do the same to Cadderly and Friends if there's a market for them in the first place?
I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what you mean by the way you have worded this. Could you please explain?
Allow me to try again o lady o the horned horsey. 
If WOTC reissues the Cleric Quintet for example (as it is currently doing), then that means there's a market for the adventures of a certain cleric in a silly hat. So if there's a market for it, rather than simply putting some new cover art on an old novel, why not bring new stories to the forefront? Expecially considering that the Cleric Quintet already has been released as a series of five individual novels AND a single collection (of which I
am a proud owner).
I understand the theory - bring in new buyers to the Realms by re-releasing tried and true works to hook them in. But if they have any hope of doing well by releasing old books back into the wild, then it seems economically viable to release new novels of the same characters as well.
Have I made myself any clearer or have I been flinging Confusion spells left and right? |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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mnb128
Learned Scribe
USA
130 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 21:49:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
quote:
Originally posted by ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
But why re-issue the Lady Penitent in gift box form along with all the Drizzt novels, then do the same to Cadderly and Friends if there's a market for them in the first place?
I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what you mean by the way you have worded this. Could you please explain?
Allow me to try again o lady o the horned horsey.
If WOTC reissues the Cleric Quintet for example (as it is currently doing), then that means there's a market for the adventures of a certain cleric in a silly hat. So if there's a market for it, rather than simply putting some new cover art on an old novel, why not bring new stories to the forefront? Expecially considering that the Cleric Quintet already has been released as a series of five individual novels AND a single collection (of which I
am a proud owner).
I understand the theory - bring in new buyers to the Realms by re-releasing tried and true works to hook them in. But if they have any hope of doing well by releasing old books back into the wild, then it seems economically viable to release new novels of the same characters as well.
Have I made myself any clearer or have I been flinging Confusion spells left and right?
Actually, this is the second reissue of The Cleric Quintet.
Also, you make a very interesting point. Ironically enough aforementioned cleric in a silly hat will be making an appearance in The Ghost King. Coincidence? |
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ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
Learned Scribe
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 23:01:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
quote:
Originally posted by ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
But why re-issue the Lady Penitent in gift box form along with all the Drizzt novels, then do the same to Cadderly and Friends if there's a market for them in the first place?
I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand what you mean by the way you have worded this. Could you please explain?
Allow me to try again o lady o the horned horsey.
If WOTC reissues the Cleric Quintet for example (as it is currently doing), then that means there's a market for the adventures of a certain cleric in a silly hat. So if there's a market for it, rather than simply putting some new cover art on an old novel, why not bring new stories to the forefront? Expecially considering that the Cleric Quintet already has been released as a series of five individual novels AND a single collection (of which I
am a proud owner).
I understand the theory - bring in new buyers to the Realms by re-releasing tried and true works to hook them in. But if they have any hope of doing well by releasing old books back into the wild, then it seems economically viable to release new novels of the same characters as well.
Have I made myself any clearer or have I been flinging Confusion spells left and right?
Yeah, now I get what you mean. It's an interesting idea, and I think it could work under certain circumstances, though I can see a few reasons why they don't do it. In the case of the Cleric Quintet, R.A. Salvatore is busy writing Drizzt books, so he probably doesn't have time to write more books about Cadderly. He could put Cadderly in some more Drizzt books, but it would detract from Cadderly's position as a main character even more. And there have been some cases in which a continuation of a series has gone downhill. Sometimes it's just not possible to retain the quality of the first few books and it's better to just stop before you completely alienate the fans.
By the way, I like the nickname you gave me. |
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Brimstone
Great Reader
USA
3290 Posts |
Posted - 17 Feb 2009 : 23:34:03
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-I think WotC would make alot of Money by Re-issuing The Harper Series!
BRIMSTONE |
"These things also I have observed: that knowledge of our world is
to be nurtured like a precious flower, for it is the most precious
thing we have. Wherefore guard the word written and heed
words unwritten and set them down ere they fade . . . Learn
then, well, the arts of reading, writing, and listening true, and they
will lead you to the greatest art of all: understanding."
Alaundo of Candlekeep |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 00:34:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
It seems to me like if there is a market for, say, Cadderly novels for instance, why continue re-releasing it and not produce a new novel with those characters?
It's obviously cross-promotion for the upcoming The Ghost King, which will in fact feature Cadderly. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 01:37:47
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
It seems to me like if there is a market for, say, Cadderly novels for instance, why continue re-releasing it and not produce a new novel with those characters?
It's obviously cross-promotion for the upcoming The Ghost King, which will in fact feature Cadderly.
Wow - I didn't know that. This is what an elated nerd looks like.
That said, considering that (4ed Cadderly SPOILER): Cadderly is no longer running around the Spirit Soaring in 4th ed and is in fact, presumed dead, I wonder how this will all play out. |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 01:38:43
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quote:
By the way, I like the nickname you gave me.
Oh, my pleasure. |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 09:01:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
-I think WotC would make alot of Money by Re-issuing The Harper Series!
BRIMSTONE
And the Azure bonds series would be a nice touch. As would a couple of the earliest anthologies. |
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ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
Learned Scribe
USA
292 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 12:10:25
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quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
-I think WotC would make alot of Money by Re-issuing The Harper Series!
BRIMSTONE
And the Azure bonds series would be a nice touch. As would a couple of the earliest anthologies.
Yeah, I'm still searching for Realms of Infamy, though I have the rest. I'm pretty happy looking for the old copies, but I think they should republish Harpers because I refuse to pay $20 for Ring of Winter, and that's the price that just about every copy on ebay lately has been at. |
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The Red Walker
Great Reader
USA
3567 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 13:27:55
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quote:
Originally posted by ranger_of_the_unicorn_run
quote:
Originally posted by Jorkens
quote:
Originally posted by Brimstone
-I think WotC would make alot of Money by Re-issuing The Harper Series!
BRIMSTONE
And the Azure bonds series would be a nice touch. As would a couple of the earliest anthologies.
Yeah, I'm still searching for Realms of Infamy, though I have the rest. I'm pretty happy looking for the old copies, but I think they should republish Harpers because I refuse to pay $20 for Ring of Winter, and that's the price that just about every copy on ebay lately has been at.
I am pm'ing you a link, the first has Ring of Winter Very Good condition for $0.45 + 3.99 shipping and a like-new for $2 + 3.99.
ed: fixed weirdness! |
A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka
"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -
John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Edited by - The Red Walker on 19 Feb 2009 18:37:26 |
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Arion Elenim
Senior Scribe
933 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 16:05:34
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| So...I guess I shouldn't part with my copy of Infamy, hm? |
My latest Realms-based short story, about a bard, a paladin of Lathander and the letter of the law, Debts Repaid. It takes place before the "shattering" and gives the bard Arion a last gasp before he plunges into the present.http://candlekeep.com/campaign/logs/log-debts.htm |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36878 Posts |
Posted - 18 Feb 2009 : 16:20:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Arion Elenim
So...I guess I shouldn't part with my copy of Infamy, hm?
Heh... I got rid of an extra copy of that last week. While trying to replace my FR novels, I bought a bunch of lots of novels, and had two office paper boxes full of duplicates. Most of them weren't in great shape, so I didn't think it'd be worth the effort of putting them on eBay. And all the used bookstores in this area closed down... So I took them to Goodwill, just to get them out of my closet. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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DragonReader
Senior Scribe
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - 19 Feb 2009 : 16:01:30
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A couple of thoughts. As someone who found his way to the Realms somewhat late in the game, the reprints seem a nice way to catch up (though I already have all the RAS books). Also the box/gift sets are nice because I sometimes wait for an entire series to be released before piicking it up.
Also it does not appear that the reissues have affected the publishing of new materials. By my count we have 13 new releases this year (at least thouse are the ones I have sen announced so far):
Jan -- The Fanged Crown, by Jenna Helland (The Wilds #1)
Feb -- Unholy, by Richard Lee Byers (The Haunted Lands #3)
Mar -- Corsair, by Richard Baker (Blades of the Moonsea #2)
Apr -- Downshadow, by Erik Scott de Bie (Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep, #3)
May -- Restless Shore, By James P. Davis (The Wilds #2)
Jun -- City of the Dead, by Rosemary Jones (Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep, #4)
Jul-- The Crystal Mountain, by Thomas M. Reid (Empyrean Odyssey #3)
Aug -- The Edge of Chaos, by Jak Koke (The Wilds #3)
Sep -- City of Torment, by Bruce Cordell (Abolethic Sovereignty #2)
Sep -- The Shadowmask, by R.A. and Geno Salvatore (Stone of Tymora #2)
Oct -- The Ghost King, by R.A. Salvatore (Transistions, #3)
Nov-- The Fall of Highwatch, by Mark Sehestedt (Chosen of Nendawen #1)
Dec -- Wrath of the Blue Lady, by Mel Odem (The Wilds #4)
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Reissues
