Aw, crud! Margaret Clark is gone now, too.

[Therin of Andor]

Let's just hope her replacement has a clue and doesn't insistute a second Richard Arnold-esque Dark Age of TrekLit.

RA was neither an editor nor a Pocket Books employee. He vetted manuscripts on behalf of Gene Roddenberry at a time when the manuscripts were also being vetted by then-Paramount Licensing. While RA's job vanished abruptly when GR died, the Paramount Licensing duty has passed to CBS Consumer Products.

CBS Consumer Products have never indicated they desired a return to stricter controls, rather they sem to encourage Pocket to diversify (eg. "New Frontier", "Vanguard", "Titan").

 

[Christopher]

Let's just hope her replacement has a clue and doesn't insistute a second Richard Arnold-esque Dark Age of TrekLit.

As KRAD and others have already pointed out, the remaining tie-in editors at Pocket, Ed Schlesinger and Jennifer Heddle, are highly experienced editors who've both done Trek novels in the past. They've both worked in the same department with Marco and Margaret for years. It's not like a complete newcomer is being brought in.

And as Therin pointed out, Richard Arnold had nothing to do with the editorial staff at Pocket. He was the one who approved the books on behalf of Roddenberry and Paramount.

My only real concern is that we're in the middle of a bunch of ongoing plots, and DS9 in particular has been building to a lot of stuff that I'm hoping was going to be paid off at some point soon. I hope the ongoing stories are plotted or sketched out on paper, so the new editors can pick up where Palmieri and Clark left off; I hope we don't just lose all that buildup and go in a random different creative direction with everything.

Well, why should it be any different from when Margaret took over Marco's various story arcs, or when various editors took over from John Ordover? We already know that Margaret was going to change the direction of the DS9 books by jumping them forward to synchronize with the post-Destiny timeframe. And we've seen how Marco and Kirsten Beyer changed the direction of the Voyager novel series starting with Full Circle. A lot of the ongoing storylines were in periods of transition already due to earlier changes of editorship. New editors naturally take new directions, bring in new ideas. But that doesn't mean they "randomly" throw out what came before. I'm sure every effort will be made to make what follows feel like a natural continuation, even if it doesn't continue in the same direction Marco or Margaret would've taken it (and it's a cinch that Marco and Margaret would not have taken any given series in the same direction).

How far along are the Typhon Pact books? Outlined?

Their authors and titles have been announced, so I would assume they've been outlined, and certainly the authors are under contract for them. Presumably they'll be completed as planned under the new editors, just as Margaret took over Marco-initiated projects such as The Soul Key, The Never Ending Sacrifice, and Seven Deadly Sins (though that one's going to have to be wrapped up by yet another editor).

 

[Man of Steel]

Or, and this is just wild speculation on my part, they might just think twice about acquiring any new franchises while they're short-handed.

I know that, if I was in their shoes, I'd think long and hard before I'd add another line of books to my workload . . . .

They did cut a lot.

They never renewed the Marvel License of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I'm sure once the Starcraft (I think that's SS) license runs out there's be no more of that either and I'm sure some Trek franchises will be got as well.

I have a feeling we can say goodbye to:

New Frontier
KRAD's Klingon's
Shtaner's books
And maybe some that I'm not aware of..

And if a company is losing money, why print a book in trade only to reprint a year later as a mass which is what's happening with Treason..

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

While RA's job vanished abruptly when GR died, the Paramount Licensing duty has passed to CBS Consumer Products.

At least he was doing enough for Paramount that the studio didn't bums-rush him off the lot within forty-five minutes of GR's passing, as happened to another Roddenberry associate...

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'm sure once the Starcraft (I think that's SS) license runs out there's be no more of that either and I'm sure some Trek franchises will be got as well.

I can't see any reason why Pocket would want to drop the Blizzard license. The books apparently sell incredibly well, and Pocket has made moves in the past year to raise the profile of the books by, for instance, launching a hardcover line. If the books make Pocket money, if Blizzard is happy with the books and they're making money, I don't see why this is a license that would fade away, especially with new StarCraft and Diablo games on the way.

 

[Deano2099]

I'm sure once the Starcraft (I think that's SS) license runs out there's be no more of that either and I'm sure some Trek franchises will be got as well.

I can't see any reason why Pocket would want to drop the Blizzard license. The books apparently sell incredibly well, and Pocket has made moves in the past year to raise the profile of the books by, for instance, launching a hardcover line. If the books make Pocket money, if Blizzard is happy with the books and they're making money, I don't see why this is a license that would fade away, especially with new StarCraft and Diablo games on the way.

Yeah Starcraft 2 is due out next year. Starcraft 1 came out in 1998! If the books sell well without a new game in over 10 years then I can't imagine them going anywhere with a new game out next year.
Likewise the Warcraft license (and I assume the two are tied together) is being linked a lot more with the plot of the game - there's one in the works with the same name as the next expansion pack.

Likewise, don't underestimate New Frontier. There's a reason it gets a hardback/trade slot every year. It sells, and it sells to an audience who don't buy many other Trek books. I was one for a long time. Remember it's a series that launched way back when Trek was far more popular, and it had a massive marketing push behind it. Plus it's maintained a momentum with no major gaps in publishing of books, so people keep buying the series.

 

[Christopher]

While RA's job vanished abruptly when GR died, the Paramount Licensing duty has passed to CBS Consumer Products.

At least he was doing enough for Paramount that the studio didn't bums-rush him off the lot within forty-five minutes of GR's passing, as happened to another Roddenberry associate...

No, that was Richard Arnold.

 

[KRAD]

The StarCraft books aren't going anywhere, says the guy who recently finished his 2010 SC novel.

And the Star Trek license is inclusive. Series will contnue or not for the same reason they always are (or aren't): editorial preference and/or sales.

And, as with Marco, this layoff had precisely zero to do with Trek. First off, Trek was only part of Margaret's responsibility. Secondly, several other employees of S&S were also let go on Monday. This was a salary dump.

Oh, and the Marvel license wasn't renewed due to poor sales.

 

[Julio Angel Ortiz]

Wow, just heard. Best wishes to Margaret.

 

[Man of Steel]

The StarCraft books aren't going anywhere, says the guy who recently finished his 2010 SC novel.

And the Star Trek license is inclusive. Series will contnue or not for the same reason they always are (or aren't): editorial preference and/or sales.

And, as with Marco, this layoff had precisely zero to do with Trek. First off, Trek was only part of Margaret's responsibility. Secondly, several other employees of S&S were also let go on Monday. This was a salary dump.

Oh, and the Marvel license wasn't renewed due to poor sales.

Fair enough.

Will we see anymore Gorkon novels though? How did the last one do?

 

[kimc]

I hate to say this but I'm not sad one bit. I think she was leading Trek Lit in the wrong direction. Unfortunately it's probably too late to undo what she has done.

Kevin

I have to agree. Nothing personal especially since this is not the best time to be out of a job but some bad calls were made.

 

[Lonemagpie]

While RA's job vanished abruptly when GR died, the Paramount Licensing duty has passed to CBS Consumer Products.

At least he was doing enough for Paramount that the studio didn't bums-rush him off the lot within forty-five minutes of GR's passing, as happened to another Roddenberry associate...

Er... They did - same guy.

 

[Deano2099]

The StarCraft books aren't going anywhere, says the guy who recently finished his 2010 SC novel.

Awesome. I still need to pick up Nova, I figure I'm nearly caught up on Trek stuff, should be in time for immersing myself in the universe in the run up to Starcraft 2.

 

[Ronald Held]

I think that the trend is unfortunate and am concerned about the directions the books will take, with new editors.

 

[Christopher]

I think that the trend is unfortunate and am concerned about the directions the books will take, with new editors.

Marco and Margaret were new editors once too. And let's not forget that Margaret only took over Marco's former titles 9 months ago.

 

[Greg Cox]

I think that the trend is unfortunate and am concerned about the directions the books will take, with new editors.

Marco and Margaret were new editors once too. And let's not forget that Margaret only took over Marco's former titles 9 months ago.

And, as I keep pointing out, Ed and Jen aren't exactly "new." They've been part of the Trek team for years.

It's not like they're bringing in a whole new administration.

 

[Kirks_Flying_Wig]

This is terrible news. I wish Margaret the best of luck in her next job and thank her for her hard work with the Trek Lit line over the last few years.

 

[Defcon]

And, as I keep pointing out, Ed and Jen aren't exactly "new." They've been part of the Trek team for years.

It's not like they're bringing in a whole new administration.

Is it official that the two are taking over, though? The comment David quoted above says that "the editorial responsibilities will be announced shortly", has that been done in the interim, or is it it just an educated guess that the two (or one of them) will edit the line in the future?

 

[TerriO]

I'd say an educated guess, because there's a metric potload of work that's going to need to be shifted around.

And a friend of mine whose original novels Jen is editing for Pocket is just going to love this.

 

[Greg Cox]

Indeed. Just an educated guess. Nothing official has been announced yet.

Heck, I don't even know who is editing my books at the moment.

And, trust me, I'm dying to find out . . . .