Any chance of SNW revival, via eBooks?

[chrinFinity]

Hello,

Anyone know if Pocket might bring back the Strange New Worlds contest via eBook releases? Their challenge with SNW was always money-related, was it not?

 

[Christopher]

Hello,

Anyone know if Pocket might bring back the Strange New Worlds contest via eBook releases? Their challenge with SNW was always money-related, was it not?

The difference in cost between publishing a paper book and an e-book is fairly small. Most of the cost goes into paying for the labor of the writers, editors, copyeditors, proofreaders, cover designers and artists, etc. And that's all the same for both print and e-books.

In the case of SNW, there was the added time and labor that the editors had to spend on sorting through many, many contest entries, plus the cost of paying the contest prizes, of course. Those costs would also remain the same regardless of whether the final book was physically printed.

 

[JD]

There was actually a story on The Trek Collective on Saturday that said that SNW will be coming back.

 

[Defcon]

And a thread on here ...

 

[bfollowell]

True, but neither of those posts nor the official post they link to say anything about the contest returning as a normal, recurring contest like it was in the past. It could very likely be a one-time thing for the 50th anniversary.

Still, if they get some good material from a new group of really good amateur authors, and they get a decent return on their investment, who knows?

 

[chrinFinity]

This is excellent news. Thank you.

 

[Therin of Andor]

True, but neither of those posts nor the official post they link to say anything about the contest returning as a normal, recurring contest like it was in the past. It could very likely be a one-time thing for the 50th anniversary.

The first SNW contest was a one-off. Until it wasn't.

 

[Idran]

True, but neither of those posts nor the official post they link to say anything about the contest returning as a normal, recurring contest like it was in the past. It could very likely be a one-time thing for the 50th anniversary.

The first SNW contest was a one-off. Until it wasn't.

Do you mean they never had plans to do a second, but the level of reception was high enough that they decided to make it a regular thing? Or were they more just testing the waters to see if it could support an ongoing contest and planned to only do one if it didn't have much success but had in mind future SNWs if it did?

 

[Therin of Andor]

Do you mean they never had plans to do a second, but the level of reception was high enough that they decided to make it a regular thing?

I believe this was true, yes. I can ask John Ordover or Paula Block, if you like.

Or if someone can check the preface of SNW II, please?

 

[loghaD]

Here's hoping that for the 50th anniversary volume they decide to relax the previously imposed condition that one must be a resident of the USA or Canada to participate!

However, that would mean having to go through even more entries and probably a lot of additional legal paperwork, so that's if they're willing to invest a lot in this.
...which is not impossible, given that it's a 50th anniversary thing, but it's also not a given.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Here's hoping that for the 50th anniversary volume they decide to relax the previously imposed condition that one must be a resident of the USA or Canada to participate!

I expect that the old restrictions are still in place.

As for the free eBook on the same page: "Free Star Trek eBook offer expires 8/14/15 while supplies last. Open only to legal residents of the United States. Requires a Glose.com account. By redeeming the ebook, you agree to receive email updates from Simon & Schuster. Void where prohibited by law."

 

[bfollowell]

All this talk of S&S reviving the Strange New Worlds series got me to thinking how many authors we got from that series.

Dayton Ward, William Leisner, Ilsa J. Bick, Geoffrey Thorne, Scott Pearson. Did I miss anyone?

Some of those guys went on to write multiple books. One of them is a Star Trek regular and one of my favorites. Here's hoping we see a new crop of talent come out of this new series.

 

[Defcon]

Looking at the authors in the SNW books (beside the ones you already mentioned) here are the authors that had Star Trek stories outside the SNW sphere:



Phaedra M. Weldon wrote a couple of eBook novellas (S.C.E and TNG)
Peg Robinson had a story in New Frontier: No Limits
Kathy Oltion co-wrote one of the New Earth novels with her husband
Christian F. York (co-)wrote a couple eBook novellas with her husband and a story in No Limits
Kim Sheard had a story in VOY: Distant Shores
Robert T. Jeschonek had stories in No Limits and Distant Shores and wrote one S.C.E. novella
Mary Scott-Wiecek had a story in No Limits
Kevin G. Summers had a story in DS9: Prophecy and Change
Kevin Killiany had a couple S.C.E. novellas
Jeff D. Jacques had a COE novella
Louisa M. Swann had a story in Tales from the Captain's Table
Kevin Lauderdale had a story in TOS: Constellations
Jim Johnson had a story in Mirror Universe: Shards and Shadows

And of course there are a couple who submitted stories but weren't chosen by D.W. Smith but made it anyway like Terri Osborne or Allyn Gibson.