Star Trek XI has failed... Trek Lit

[DaveGalanter]

Let's see how "Troublesome Minds" fares (can't wait for that one!).

With luck, it lives up to your expectations. I wrote it as if it were an episode of the original series. Even the ends of chapters are like commercial breaks. If you're looking for a classic Trek TV episode, I hope it fits the bill.

does this mean the old theme song starts playing when you get past the teaser?

In my head, yes indeed it does.

 

[seigezunt]

With luck, it lives up to your expectations. I wrote it as if it were an episode of the original series. Even the ends of chapters are like commercial breaks. If you're looking for a classic Trek TV episode, I hope it fits the bill.

does this mean the old theme song starts playing when you get past the teaser?

In my head, yes indeed it does.

So is there a picture of Balok on the final page? or a description?

 

[DaveGalanter]

Well, I just read the first few pages on Amazon. Consider it sold! The dialogue is wonderful. I'll pick it up later today.

Bri

You are kind. I hope you enjoy the rest of the book.

 

[Broccoli]

The Marvel movies are in totally different continuities from the comics, but that hasn't created any kind of "confusion" that's hurt the sales of the comics. Same with the animated series that are in yet another continuity and yet still manage to draw an audience.

I don't think that really is the same thing as the movies/cartoons are adaptations of the comics. People wouldn't necessarily expect it to be the same or to follow what issue 233 of Spider-Man established. Star Trek isn't an adaptation of TOS (you could make a case for it, but it was clearly not the intention of the filmmakers).

However, your point still stands. If people are interested enough in Trek to go buy a Trek novel, they are going to A) know about the different continuities to begin with or B) figure it out.

 

[Christopher]

^Or C) not care one way or the other, so long as the story is enjoyable. There are plenty of fictional franchises that have no continuity to speak of (The Simpsons, The Outer Limits, Bugs Bunny cartoons), but people still enjoy them. Continuity is not the purpose of storytelling. It's a nice thing to have, but it's never been the end-all and be-all of the entertainment experience for most people.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Can't they simply put out some existing titles for that kind of demand?

Which is what I argued for the past six months or so.

If it were up to me, I'd have done reprints of the books Orci and Kurtzman kept talking about -- Best Destiny and Spock's World especially -- with photo covers of Pine and Quinto, in nice trade paperback editions, and made sure they were in bookstores a month before the film hit.

I don't know if Pocket ever considered anything like that, and if they did consider it I don't know if bookstores would have been receptive.

 

[Mysterion]

^^^^
Well, given the amount of tie-in marketing Pocket seems to have done for the new film (i.e. none), anything could have been an improvement.

 

[seigezunt]

^^^^
Well, given the amount of tie-in marketing Pocket seems to have done for the new film (i.e. none), anything could have been an improvement.

Perhaps they were unsure about how their core readers would react, and were afraid of losing what few readers they have...?

 

[Claudia]

^^ I also don't quite get the Pocket Book's policies regarding the movie and TrekLit.

I for one would have welcomed reprints of old, sold-out novels - especially since the only new books (save for TM) are relaunch books, but no TOS. If I had anything to say at PB's I'd have reprinted 2-4 TOS novels, perhaps as omnibus-editions, publication dates around the movie release, followed up by TM as an "all new TOS adventure".

But no, instead they even cancel the Crucible-omnibus which would have fit perfectly (IMO at least)...

(And just to avoid any misunderstandings: Nothing against relaunch books - I'm myself eagerly waiting for LtP as well -, I just question PB's marketing policies and lost chances...)

Let's see how "Troublesome Minds" fares (can't wait for that one!).

With luck, it lives up to your expectations. I wrote it as if it were an episode of the original series. Even the ends of chapters are like commercial breaks. If you're looking for a classic Trek TV episode, I hope it fits the bill.

I have it preordered since forever on amazon.de, just waiting to finally get the information that it's been shipped.

And since I'm still going through most of TOS episodes right now (sorry, but Spock's Brain's definitely *not* on my "to watch"-list, therefore only "most"), your novel should fit right in.

 

[William Leisner]

^^ I also don't quite get the Pocket Book's policies regarding the movie and TrekLit. [...] they even cancel the Crucible-omnibus which would have fit perfectly (IMO at least)...

Folks, remember that CBS laid off the senior editor of the Trek line right when any tie-in projects would have been revving up, and threw that entire office into fucking chaos. "Pocket wuz dum" is really an unfair assessment of what happened here...

 

[Trent Roman]

This is just my observation, but I think one of the aims of the movie was to establish nu-Trek as a parallel continuity, with the original continuity continuing to exist. In fact there is a line in the film to that effect.
If the aim of that was as some sort of placation to fans of the original continuity, it worked, as I'm sure that Trek fans understand that. (...)
This is just my opinion, based on the comments I have read on IMDB, and a couple of other places, but it seems that the layman believes that the new film erases the original stories, I keep seeing comment after comment to that effect, saying that Trek XI has made TOS, TNG, and all the rest vanish.

I don't really think the producers gave a shit. Unless you're familiar with the (geekish) lingo of what alternate realities entail at the multiverse level, the film doesn't actually do anything to point to the survival of the original timeline... or, for that matter, indicate that it finds its origins in the original timeline at all (the 24th century scenes are so vague and generic that the older Spock could have come from any number of possible futures--would tossing in a shot of LaForge working on Spock's ship or the ENT-E assisting in the evacuation of Romulus really have killed them?).

Or...woman, as the case may be. I've still not seen the film - so one should hold off at this point from delving too much into this...but I hope to God that TPTB haven't again opted to render the majority of humanity into the sex/angst/sister/mother object of the main male characters.

Don't get your hopes up.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[KRAD]

So, yes, Pocket could have seen "ripples," bookstores could "increase the presence." It's not outside the realm of possibility that these things could have happened.

The fact is, Ian, they didn't.

I don't know where the ball was dropped. Was it the bookstores? Was it Pocket? I don't know. But dropped it was.

The fact that the novelization is doing so well is a cause of cheer. The fact that Pocket has little on the shelves to take advantage of that is a cause for alarm.

There are several factors at work here.

One is the fact that that extra five months was utterly meaningless, for several reasons. Publishing doesn't function well on a rush schedule, and it functions even less well on a rush schedule when half the editorial team is laid off without warning.

Doing books that tie into a movie also requires access to the filming of the movie. Said access was heavily restricted, which I suspect (though I'm not 100% sure of this) curtailed a lot of the possibilities. Hell, Alan Dean Foster wasn't even formally hired to write the novelization until February, and that wasn't because anybody at Pocket dragged their feet.

Another factor is that bookstores are hurting badly right now. They're not ordering more of anything.

Yet another factor, which probably factored into Pocket's thinking on this: until the end of May 2009, nobody knew if this movie was going to be a hit. An example I love to give is the 1992 release of A Perfect World. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood fresh off Unforgiven and also starred Kevin Costner fresh off Dances with Wolves. There weren't two more hot or bankable actors drawing breath that year -- and the movie totally flopped.

Pocket already has a successful Star Trek publishing program that has continued to thrive with no new Star Trek on the air since 2004 and no Star Trek that could be considered seriously popular since the turn of the century.

A cautious approach (coupled with a company-mandated layoff of the editor responsible for 60% of the Trek output) was probably deemed wiser, especially in the shite economy. If JJTrek proved successful, then they could put together books that would take advantage -- not while the iron was hot, true, but it also meant that they didn't risk putting out a ton of books that nobody wanted because the movie was a total flop, which was a legitimate concern (as all the people who published Watchmen tie-ins are discovering to their regret).

 

[captcalhoun]

oooh, you got it off Teletext!!! what a fount of knowledge and wisdom THAT is... teletext is deader than A-line flares with pockets in the knees. anyone using teletext hasn't got their finger on the pulse. it's jammed up their butt.

 

[Lonemagpie]

An example I love to give is the 1992 release of A Perfect World. It was directed by and starred Clint Eastwood fresh off Unforgiven and also starred Kevin Costner fresh off Dances with Wolves. There weren't two more hot or bankable actors drawing breath that year -- and the movie totally flopped.

Which is a real shame, cos it's a beautiful movie

 

[Valin]

Let's see how "Troublesome Minds" fares (can't wait for that one!).

With luck, it lives up to your expectations. I wrote it as if it were an episode of the original series. Even the ends of chapters are like commercial breaks. If you're looking for a classic Trek TV episode, I hope it fits the bill.

I have it preordered since forever on amazon.de, just waiting to finally get the information that it's been shipped.

You should be getting it soon; I picked up a copy at the local supermarket yesterday. It reads very much like an episode of the original series.

 

[donners22]

I've still not seen the film - so one should hold off at this point from delving too much into this...but I hope to God that TPTB haven't again opted to render the majority of humanity into the sex/angst/sister/mother object of the main male characters.

Well...we don't meet anyone's sister...

On the bright side, even if you don't like it, hopefully you can write a better feminist rant than some of the ones that are already around.

 

[The Laughing Vulcan]

oooh, you got it off Teletext!!! what a fount of knowledge and wisdom THAT is... teletext is deader than A-line flares with pockets in the knees. anyone using teletext hasn't got their finger on the pulse. it's jammed up their butt.

Exactly...People who aren't Trek fans, who aren't informed, who have a vague knowledge of the franchise and little more... Laymen. Which is the whole point of my initial post.

 

[Therin of Andor]

(And don't thinK I can't recognize that's aimed at me.).

It wasn't aimed at you specifically at all. (Didn't you tell me not to be so narcissist?) If I intended to aim the comment at you, I'd have named you.

It was a comment re my personal reaction to many, many comments here, over the past three or so years, about the state of ST presence at retail. If that's a misrepresentation of others' comments, it wasn't my intention.

And I'm not laying blame anywhere; sadly, not many people tell bookshops today exactly what books they came in to find. They just wander out empty handed. And people tend to insist on a bargain; if I tell local fans where to buy ST books, they'll inevitably say "Not at that price!" (air freight), or "Why is it three months late?" (sea freight), or "I refuse to pre-order."

I've been trying to buy the Star Trek movie soundtrack CD here, despite already buying it on iTunes weeks ago. It seems no local music store has bothered to order it, or there's simply no local distributor. I can buy "17 Again", "Watchmen" (both), "Twilight", and all manner of recent movie soundtracks, but ST's not been worth book/record stores' worth ordering in for about ten years now, and the excellent numbers the movie is still doing has taken plenty of retailers, distributors and license-holders by surprise.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I dunno...I always find of figured that the covers to any future TOS novels would be very important in determing which continuity we're dealing with. If I saw a book with Chris Pine's Kirk or the revisioned NCC-1701, I would know immediately that it was the new movie continuity...

 

[Bri]

And since I'm still going through most of TOS episodes right now (sorry, but Spock's Brain's definitely *not* on my "to watch"-list, therefore only "most"), your novel should fit right in.

No? How did you enjoy the Alternative Factor?

Right now it's in my top running for most hilarious ep of all time.

Bri