Summer nuTrek novels pulled-TrekMovie.Com

[F. King Daniel]

(I’m sure similar sentiments to mine have already been posted, but I’m not reading though every single prior post, thank you)

Having re-read the trekmovie.com article, and calmed down a little, I choose to believe the books are being delayed until the run-up to the next movie. If that’s the case (and presuming they weren’t printed already or something silly like that) I’d have to say it’s a smart move, albeit an extremely annoying one, and one that could be easily served by having new books written in time for 2012. Release the first after the trailer for STXII goes live and it’ll sell a lot more than if released today.

If, however, the books were cancelled because JJ decided they somehow disagree with “his vision”, then he can go f-k himself.

(although, if the next film opens with Kirk being demoted back to space cadet or something like that, I could see why they’d want to hold off)

According to trekmovie.com, the trouble may be that the books are set *after* the movie. Thus it’s about time that USS Kelvin series got made.

Or Trek needs a new publisher?

And WTF does this mean for that USS Enterprise manual? I want a manual about a supersized Enterprise with an entire beer brewery for an engine room to infuriate small-minded technophiles!

 

[TerriO]

Oh, you think you'll see it coming? Silly boy. Silly, silly boy.

Well, good luck with that. After all, it's not as though I have any experience with that sort of thing. None, whatsoever. Totally green in that area. Pure as newly fallen snow. Detecting an enemy before they can get close enough to do anything? I probably should've taken a class or two on that topic. Silly me.

Sweetie, you know I love a challenge.

 

[Sci]

If, however, the books were cancelled because JJ decided they somehow disagree with “his vision”, then he can go f-k himself.

If you'll read through this thread a bit, you'll see that the general consensus is that that's not the case. Roberto Orci has commented that he and his buddies had nothing to do with the books' postponements (and that he'd wanted to read them himself). Several professional authors have commented in this thread that this was probably a decision made by some mid-level person at Paramount or Bad Robot, not by Abrams and Co. and not by Pocket.

Or Trek needs a new publisher?

What on Earth makes you think that this is Pocket's fault? They wouldn't have invested so much money in these books -- commissioning them, paying the authors to write them, scheduling them -- and then willingly postponed it. This postponement would have happened irrelevant of who the publisher was.

 

[snakespeare]

The cause is a mystery, and that's why we keep worrying at it. Let's list the guesses and the reasons why they are wrong.

1. That the writers felt the needed creative exclusivity.

No. Orci said they had nothing to do with it.

2. That Pocket Books decided not to take the financial risk.

No. The money has been spent. Not only have the writers been paid, the printers will have to be paid whether or not they print the books because the time slot is reserved. And much of the marketting push was already underway. Which leaves only the cover artists, and maybe they have already been paid, too.

3. That Viacom wants to wait to have it coincide with the release of the next movie.

No. That's over 2 years from now. If they wanted to do that, they would have said so half a year ago. And why would a mega media conglomerate decide not to make some profit? It's positively un-Ferengi!

4. Because they are going to restore the Prime timeline.

Absolutely not. Orci has an ego investment in this. Although Trek has done the slingshot move for 40 years, it's not based on "real science". So he is insistent on using the many worlds theory.

5 ... any other debunked theories out there?

6. I still think there's more than a coincidence between the release of the summer catalogue and the decision to hold back the books two days later, or possibly the very next day. Something in the blurbs?

No. Because that would only halt one book, not all four.

It's a mystery...

 

[seigezunt]

Future Guy had it stopped.

 

[JarodRussell]

The answer is: bad press is better than no press.

 

[snakespeare]

I hope it is OK for me to quote ADF from the comments section of that piece:

My take: (Alan Dean Foster)
1) CBS wants to make sure that nothing comes out before the follow-up film that might contradict or work against anything Bob & Alex concoct for the next script. Once they peruse and green-light the next screenplay, additional material that does not do this can then be released.
2) Such books needn’t work as new canon…but CBS would prefer they did rather than not.
3) CBS is infinitely more concerned about protecting potential revenue from the next film than they are about any piddling ancillary income to be had from licensing spin-offs of any kind, and thus over-caution on their part is to be expected.
4) It’s all a Klingon plot.

 

[captcalhoun]

it's not a Klingon plot, it's a ROMULAN plot!!!!

 

[Paris]

I hope it is OK for me to quote ADF from the comments section of that piece:

My take: (Alan Dean Foster)
1) CBS wants to make sure that nothing comes out before the follow-up film that might contradict or work against anything Bob & Alex concoct for the next script. Once they peruse and green-light the next screenplay, additional material that does not do this can then be released.
2) Such books needn’t work as new canon…but CBS would prefer they did rather than not.
3) CBS is infinitely more concerned about protecting potential revenue from the next film than they are about any piddling ancillary income to be had from licensing spin-offs of any kind, and thus over-caution on their part is to be expected.
4) It’s all a Klingon plot.

People are always blaming Klingons for their troubles. No one takes responsibility for themselves anymore

 

[Therin of Andor]

That's over 2 years from now. If they wanted to do that, they would have said so half a year ago.

Number crunching is an ongoing exercise, not a "Gee, the numbers were pretty impressive six months ago so we decided we'd still go with it, and keep our promise to the 1% of the audience" hit 'n' miss affair.

 

[Therin of Andor]

The answer is: bad press is better than no press.

The controversy about the postponing of four ST tie-in novels has now been read by more people than would have bought and read those books this summer.

So, yeah, as yet another well-crafted part of the media push of JJ's Star Trek, it has worked!

 

[seigezunt]

I hope it is OK for me to quote ADF from the comments section of that piece:

My take: (Alan Dean Foster)
1) CBS wants to make sure that nothing comes out before the follow-up film that might contradict or work against anything Bob & Alex concoct for the next script. Once they peruse and green-light the next screenplay, additional material that does not do this can then be released.
2) Such books needn’t work as new canon…but CBS would prefer they did rather than not.
3) CBS is infinitely more concerned about protecting potential revenue from the next film than they are about any piddling ancillary income to be had from licensing spin-offs of any kind, and thus over-caution on their part is to be expected.
4) It’s all a Klingon plot.

People are always blaming Klingons for their troubles.

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

 

[Lonemagpie]

No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.

Surprise is their main weapon.

And fear! Surprise and fear are their two main-

 

[Ronald Held]

That did in the four books???

 

[DimesDan]

That did in the four books???

Yes, a Monty Python sketch "did in" the four books!

 

[Captain Robert April]

I suspect that the pre-orders were rather anemic, so rather than be forced to remainder the lot, just hold off and see if the mood towards the merchandising changes. A quick trip to a local Toys R Us, and seeing the mountain of Trek09 toys on clearance would be enough to give anyone considering a tie-in with this thing a reason to hesitate.

I do feel bad for the authors in question, but I can’t say I’m the least bit surprised.

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

How stupid. I hope they still get paid.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I suspect that the pre-orders were rather anemic, so rather than be forced to remainder the lot, just hold off and see if the mood towards the merchandising changes.

And I suspect that you're talking out of your Clavin.

Pocket's sales catalog for summer had just come out, within a week of the book's being pulled from the schedule. There simply wasn't time for bookstore chains to be ordering the books, and there certainly wasn't enough sales data for Pocket to decide to pull the books on that basis. Pre-orders are not a reason to pull the books.

I would also reiterate what I've said above; Pocket has sunk six figures into this quartet of books. Pulling the books doesn't recoup that sunk cost.

Plus, these books are mass market. They would be stripped, not returned and remaindered.

In other words, all of your speculations, Robert, are factually challenged in this case. Sorry.

 

[Captain Robert April]

Maybe on the specifics, but I'd bet I'm not far off on the general concept. Enthusiasm in the secondary market for Trek09 related merchandise is rather underwhelming; that has to be a factor in Pocket deciding to not put more millions into putting out a product that has less chance of hitting it big than a flashy toy.

 

[William Leisner]

Maybe on the specifics, but I'd bet I'm not far off on the general concept.

Ah, the depthless self-confidence of the ignorant.