Question About Future Shatnerverse Novels?

[cb31]

I admit it, I love the Shatnerverse novels by William Shatner! I know he's doing the Academy novels right now, but since the new movie is a similar type thing I was hoping he'd jump back into writing Kirk novels set in the 24th century. Does anybody know if he has any plans for a novel that takes place after Captain's Glory?

 

[Therin of Andor]

I was hoping he'd jump back into writing Kirk novels set in the 24th century. Does anybody know if he has any plans for a novel that takes place after Captain's Glory?

I'm assuming he had a trilogy in mind for the "Academy" series. Not many authors are planning four books ahead of themselves.

 

[ClayinCA]

I thought the future of any Shatner novels was in question at the moment - am I mistaken, or is it more a case of nothing's been announced either way?

 

[Steve Roby]

I wouldn't hold my breath. As I recall, Shatner wasn't happy that Pocket didn't do an audiobook of his last Trek novel, nor does he think they promoted it adequately. Now the economy's going down the tubes and publishers are laying off lots of people (including one of the Star Trek editors). If Shatner's still peeved at Pocket, they may not be able to do what he wants with fewer people and less money.

 

[shanejayell]

I suppose it depends on the books sales, too. Personally I kinda stopped buying them after the Mirror Universe Kirk story... it just got too much. *lol*

 

[nx1701g]

^ Agreed. I did the same and it's hard to keep up with just the main novel series (the ongoing series). I am afraid I don't have time for a divergent timeline.

 

[Dayton Ward]

Well, if it makes him feel any better, he can have my slot the next time I'm invited on to Letterman or Leno to pimp my latest Trek book.

Oh, wait....

 

[Therin of Andor]

I thought the future of any Shatner novels was in question at the moment - am I mistaken...?

I think the difference is, with the last two "Shatnerverse" trilogies he had three book contracts. This last book was more a one-off, but seeing it ends with the announcement of a second book in the "Academy" series there may well be more after the dust settles on JJ's movie.

What Shatner doesn't seem to appreciate is that the only reason "Captain's Glory" got its audio version (and then, only on CD) was because the book itself had been delayed at least 12 months. S&S Audioworks had essentially already given up on ST a year before.

Also, now that Pocket seems to have eliminated all hardcover fiction (eg even the next "New Frontier" is to be a trade), he'll see any trade version of "Academy II" as a demotion.

 

[Csalem]

Maybe we could have the "Pine-verse" now?

 

[cb31]

NO MORE HARDBACKS!

That's disappointing, I really like those! Is this decision just because it is cost prohibitive?

 

[Thrawn]

Overall novel sales are down, industry-wide; overall sci-fi sales are down, even by comparison to most book lines; and, on top of that, most bookstores are starting to highly prefer trades, I believe (IIRC) because of the high shelf-visibility encouraging customers to buy but at a lower price point. It's not just Trek; most sci-fi publishers are expanding their trade output and decreasing HCs.

 

[Christopher]

^^That's a higher price point, meaning the store gets more money per copy sold. Unless I'm very much mistaken.

And yes, trades are becoming a lot more popular. David Mack's upcoming original novel The Calling will be a trade paperback.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I've never been a big fan of hardcover novels myself and not just because of the price either. The announced follow up to Collision Course was going to be called Trial Run, the announcement page is as was pointed out above included in the back page of both the hardcover version and the paperback. What surprises me and gives me a glimmer of hope is that it was also included in the paperback release...my point being that Pocket probably had the option of removing that page entirely if there were no concrete plans to continue the series. I was under the impression that Star Trek Starfleet Academy would be a series but was halted around the time that JJ was hired to direct Star Trek.

 

[Thrawn]

^^That's a higher price point, meaning the store gets more money per copy sold. Unless I'm very much mistaken.

And yes, trades are becoming a lot more popular. David Mack's upcoming original novel The Calling will be a trade paperback.

Hm, yeah, that makes sense; I just meant that it cost less than hardcovers but still had the shelf visibility, so people would be just as likely to check it out on impulse and more likely to buy it. But I could totally be making shit up on this one, I'll admit; it just makes sense to me that that'd be the case.

The bookstore getting more per copy sold, though, that I do remember hearing somewhere. Do they get more per copy than they do for hardcovers though?

 

[Christopher]

^^Oh, I see, you were comparing the price point to hardcovers rather than to MMPBs. Never mind. My mistake.

 

[Marcus Porcius Cato]

Overall novel sales are down, industry-wide; overall sci-fi sales are down, even by comparison to most book lines; and, on top of that, most bookstores are starting to highly prefer trades, I believe (IIRC) because of the high shelf-visibility encouraging customers to buy but at a lower price point. It's not just Trek; most sci-fi publishers are expanding their trade output and decreasing HCs.

Yeah, but Del Ray is having their next Star Wars books in hall Hardcover!

 

[StCoop]

Yeah, but Del Ray is having their next Star Wars books in hall Hardcover!

Blasphemy I'm sure but I suspect Star Wars books sell a lot more copies than Trek books. (individually I mean. I know there's a hell of lot more Trek books overall.)

 

[Steve Roby]

Yeah, but Del Ray is having their next Star Wars books in hall Hardcover!

Blasphemy I'm sure but I suspect Star Wars books sell a lot more copies than Trek books. (individually I mean. I know there's a hell of lot more Trek books overall.)

If the various bestseller lists that Locus (the newsmagazine of the science fiction book world) runs are anything to go by, the Star Wars books do indeed sell a lot more than the Trek books.

 

[ClayinCA]

I just wish they could have gotten rid of the hardbacks after they'd reprinted the Crucible trilogy....

 

[Christopher]

I just wish they could have gotten rid of the hardbacks after they'd reprinted the Crucible trilogy....

As far as I know, the Crucible hardcover wasn't cancelled because of some decision to stop publishing hardbacks (and really I don't recall hearing anything about Pocket making any such decision). My understanding is that it was cancelled because Marco's layoff required delaying various projects, and since the Crucible omnibus was meant as a movie tie-in, there wasn't much point to doing it if it got delayed.