The new Concordance (again) and ST: Of Gods and Men

[Allyn Gibson]

Can't someone sit Bjo down at a computer and get her to read this thread? If she still doesn't care to add STXI afterward, fine. I just think she needs to read a viewpoint on STXI that isn't CRA's.

Or, you could just write Bjo; CRA posted her home address in this very thread.

I was on the fence about doing that very thing, but learning that the Concordance is a self-published thing really takes the wind of the sails. The book won't be available in bookstores, so there won't be a casual audience for the book, so it really doesn't matter if the book's complete or not because it's only going to be bought and read by a niche audience that already knows of its existence.

And, really, if Bjo and Robert want to make an anti-commercial decision with the book, I have to admit that it is their book, and they're free to make whatever decisions they want, no matter how boneheaded they are.

 

[Captain Robert April]

I'm pretty sure XLibris (again, assuming we go with them) provides for bookstore presence, like Barnes & Noble, as well as mass market advertising; I'll have to check the brochure. It's not going to be the old "here's your five thousand copies, where d'ya want 'em?" situation.

Anyway, I'm not so sure how much of a "casual audience" this book would have in the first place.

And ya never know, she may decide to reverse herself with regard to the movie. In light of all the new stuff that's going to be added anyway, it's possible that one more dopey entry might not seem that much more, after all.

Remember, it's still VERY early.

 

[Steve Roby]

Still wondering who's paying Xlibris the "publishing" costs, CRA or Bjo. You can easily lose thousands of dollars working with this kind of outfit.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

We find out the final fate of Spock and Romulus in the new movie. Neither one of these revelations is even remotely bush league. They belong in the book.

This is true - what happens to Leonard Nimoy's Spock in this movie is as significant as just about anything that happens to him in any Trek movie...and the new continuity is the universe in which, as far as we yet know, this character who has been central since the beginning of TOS lives out the end of his days.

 

[seigezunt]

I'm pretty sure XLibris (again, assuming we go with them) provides for bookstore presence, like Barnes & Noble, as well as mass market advertising; I'll have to check the brochure. It's not going to be the old "here's your five thousand copies, where d'ya want 'em?" situation.

Anyway, I'm not so sure how much of a "casual audience" this book would have in the first place.

And ya never know, she may decide to reverse herself with regard to the movie. In light of all the new stuff that's going to be added anyway, it's possible that one more dopey entry might not seem that much more, after all.

Remember, it's still VERY early.

I think you might want to research XLibris a little more. Last time I checked (which was admittedly about 4 years ago or so, when I was marketing a friend's novel) that "provides for bookstore presence" was kinda iffy.

 

[Steve Roby]

I think you might want to research XLibris a little more. Last time I checked (which was admittedly about 4 years ago or so, when I was marketing a friend's novel) that "provides for bookstore presence" was kinda iffy.

The book will probably be listed on Amazon.com, possibly some other online bookstores. It won't be in any traditional bricks'n'mortar bookstores at all.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Anyway, I'm not so sure how much of a "casual audience" this book would have in the first place.

If you go the self-publishing route, like Xlibris, then you're not going to have anyone randomly picking up the book off the shelf in a bookstore. That's what I meant by no "casual audience."

 

[Captain Robert April]

Who is going to randomly pick up a book like this? The Concordance has been a niche item from Day One. That's what I mean by there not being much of a casual audience for this book in the first place.

As for publishing routes, I'm only citing XLibris because that's the one I'm familiar with. Again, this is VERY EARLY in the process. We haven't even finalized a single page of this thing and you're ready to consign it to the Clearance shelf!

 

[OmahaStar]

We haven't even finalized a single page of this thing and you're ready to consign it to the Clearance shelf!

Actually, you're being rather generous. I don't think anyone here would even rate it that highly just yet.

You're taking a lot of liberty here, posting private communications from outside the board (which is a direct violation of board rules), posting someone's home address ... The last time someone did that, they were permabanned.

You do seem to be speaking for Bjo. I wonder what Bjo herself actually thinks? And does she realize just anti ... well, everything you are when it comes to this project?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

We haven't even finalized a single page of this thing and you're ready to consign it to the Clearance shelf!

Actually, you're being rather generous. I don't think anyone here would even rate it that highly just yet.

Fuckin' A!

 

[Therin of Andor]

You're taking a lot of liberty here, posting private communications from outside the board (which is a direct violation of board rules), posting someone's home address ...

Bjo granted permission for her Facebook comments to CRA to be posted here. And her home address has never been a secret.

When I visited Bjo's home, in January 1984, there was a huge wooden chest of drawers on her front porch. She joked it was her mail box. Sure enough, when the postman came along later that morning, he proceeded to fill several drawers with mail!

Since then, the Trimbles have moved to Houston, TX, and now back to California. I'm betting the chest of drawers is still in use, despite good ol' email and Facebook reducing the physical payload somewhat.

 

[BillJ]

We haven't even finalized a single page of this thing and you're ready to consign it to the Clearance shelf!

Isn't that where all books eventually end up?

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

We haven't even finalized a single page of this thing and you're ready to consign it to the Clearance shelf!

Isn't that where all books eventually end up?

Some faster than others.

 

[Captain Robert April]

For the record, that's not her home address, it's a mail drop. They don't trust the local mail carrier to deliver the mail to their actual address. And it's the address she told me to tell those who want to submit artwork.

So, OmahaStar, don't you have a picnic to disrupt somewhere?

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

To be frank, I have no interest in this new Concordance especially since its sole representative on this forum seems to be using someone else's work as a platform to push a singular agenda. Nevertheless, I wouldn't want anyone, aspiring or professional author, to fall into the pitfalls that can come with vanity, POD, and "self-publishing" subsidiaries.

A.C. Crispin contributes to an excellent blog on publishing scams, "Writer Beware Blogs!". It is part of the Science Fiction Writers of America's watchdog group, which also maintains a resource page.

 

[Captain Robert April]

I think I've proven numerous times that I don't need the Concordance to push my "singular agenda," even assuming I was doing any such thing in the first place, which was never the case, and never would be.

 

[OmahaStar]

Then why are you pushing this agenda?

 

[Captain Robert April]

What agenda?

And why this incessant need to derail these threads off of the topic of the book and onto me?

 

[OmahaStar]

What agenda?

And why this incessant need to derail these threads off of the topic of the book and onto me?

They are one and the same. No one else is pushing your agenda, and no one else is attempting to put out an incomplete Concordance. Also, no one else is posting private information.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

What agenda? It's no secret to anybody in these parts that you hate Star Trek 09. That's all well and good. Nothing is for everybody. You have the right to like and dislike whatever you want. But you're taking things a step further than not liking the new movie.

You're a writer on the new Star Trek Concordance. As you know the Concordance is highly respected and loved by the fan community. It was essential material in the days when Trek was for all intents and purposes dead. By agreeing to write the new Concordance you've attached yourself to a great legacy.

The new Concordance will also be bearing the name of Bjo Trimble. Bjo is a key and beloved figure in Trek history and the fan community in general. Her name, reputation and opinions carry a ton of weight. By agreeing to write the new Concordance you've attached yourself to her legend.

That's where the problem is.

It seems that you're not writing an objective reference book. You seem to be using this book as your soapbox to take the piss out on Trek 09. What's worse is you're riding on Bjo's coattails to legitimize your personal opinion.

Don't even bother to deny it. It's obvious and I'm willing to bet most people here would agree with me.

If you were truly writing a reference book you would go to great lengths to make it as up to date and all encompassing as possible. If that meant adding more pages a pro would add the pages. They wouldn't turn in a half-assed product. They would base the new book on the standard of the old. You've decided to flush standards down the crapper and include only what you want and fuck the rest.

Worst of all you're insulting the intelligence of the fan community (your target audience) and making excuses for excluding relevant material from your "reference book". You've claimed it would add too many pages to the book. It's clear you've said this to avoid the appearance of bias which by the way is a year too late. Instead of looking unbiased you've made yourself look lazy and unprofessional. Why would anyone want to buy a reference book from someone unwilling to do the research and turn in an incomplete work?

From what I can tell the Nu-Concordance appears to be Bob's Abridged Guide to Star Trek. No thanks. Memory Alpha and Beta is a free and comprehensive guide to Trek. I used it when I wrote for SNW. If I ever get any Trek work in the future that's what I'll be utilizing for reference.

If I were you I would look deep down into my heart and ask myself if taking a shot at JJ Abrams was worth pissing on Bjo Trimble's reputation for. Because that's what Bob's Abridged Guide to Star Trek is doing to her. She gave you a job to do. Update the Star Trek Concordance. Do it goddammit!