^Yeah...I seem to recall the guidelines giving a rough estimate of 400 manuscript pages...?
Concerning the novel guidelines
- Thread starter Rush Limborg
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^ Give or take, depending on what font/spacing/margins are used. Not that it matters; the editor will read the whole thing, and then tell you what needs cutting, adding, tweaking, and so on, so your initial word count ends up being not all that relevant by the time it's all said and done. 
You're showing that you can write a "typical" Star Trek novel, but one that's superior to other typical ST novels, hence catching the editors' attention. A first-timer's proposal and three sample chapters is no time to attempt to out-Clancy Tom Clancy.
I don't know if it's "easier," but look at it this way: For a media tie-in novel, you have one market to which it can be sold; if that publisher passes, you're out of luck.
On the other hand, if the same publisher passes on your original novel/novel proposal, you've still got a long list of other publishers to whom it can be presented.
As for being lucrative, advances for media tie-ins tend to be larger than those for original novels (particularly "first novels"), but the royalties are smaller than those for an original novel. I've been earning royalty checks on The Last World War for going on six years now, which at this point have surpassed what I received for the original advance. While the advances for books like Open Secrets and even In the Name of Honor were larger (and slightly larger, respectively), neither book has yet earned out its advance, so I've yet to receive any royalties. There might still be hope for Open Secrets, as it's still in print and has gone back for at least one reprinting I know of, but I'm fairly certain the ship has sailed for ItNoH, which went out of print without fanfare years ago.
Plus, there's always the possibility that an original property can be optioned for film, TV, video games, and so on. The chances of that happening for a media tie-in novel are between slim and "No way in Hell," and even if yours bucks the trend, it's not as though the studio's going to cut you in in any of that fat movie cash. After all, they already own the rights to everything you put into the novel you wrote for them, remember?
So, yeah, the potential for making big money definitely rests in the "original works camp."
On the other hand, if the same publisher passes on your original novel/novel proposal, you've still got a long list of other publishers to whom it can be presented.
As for being lucrative, advances for media tie-ins tend to be larger than those for original novels (particularly "first novels"), but the royalties are smaller than those for an original novel. I've been earning royalty checks on The Last World War for going on six years now, which at this point have surpassed what I received for the original advance. While the advances for books like Open Secrets and even In the Name of Honor were larger (and slightly larger, respectively), neither book has yet earned out its advance, so I've yet to receive any royalties. There might still be hope for Open Secrets, as it's still in print and has gone back for at least one reprinting I know of, but I'm fairly certain the ship has sailed for ItNoH, which went out of print without fanfare years ago.
Plus, there's always the possibility that an original property can be optioned for film, TV, video games, and so on. The chances of that happening for a media tie-in novel are between slim and "No way in Hell," and even if yours bucks the trend, it's not as though the studio's going to cut you in in any of that fat movie cash. After all, they already own the rights to everything you put into the novel you wrote for them, remember?
So, yeah, the potential for making big money definitely rests in the "original works camp."
More lucrative, absolutely. You own your original work, whereas Paramount/CBS owns your Star Trek novel. If your original trilogy about the destruction of a third of the galaxy by cybernetic invaders is a hit, you will be asked to write the continuing story. If you write this trilogy in the Trek 'verse, they're just as likely to hire some schmuck who did a tribble story to do the follow up instead.
Easier? Well, sense that you can try to sell your original work to any publisher in the world, instead of one-strike-you're-out with Trek/Pocket, yes. In the sense that writing and/or selling any novel is an uphill climb for anyone not named Patterson or King, not so much.
EDIT: Or, what Dayton said.
Well, there's always hope--after all, how many reprints have there been of "classics" in TrekLit?
Plus, there's always the possibility that an original property can be optioned for film, TV, video games, and so on. The chances of that happening for a media tie-in novel are between slim and "No way in Hell," and even if yours bucks the trend, it's not as though the studio's going to cut you in in any of that fat movie cash. After all, they already own the rights to everything you put into the novel you wrote for them, remember?
So, yeah, the potential for making big money definitely rests in the "original works camp."
In other words--if you want to be a Trek novelist...the only real incentive for choosing that over original works...is passion for Trek.
I don't view it as an either/or proposition. I know that the potential for "real money" and "fame" is with original works, but I'm paid quite well for my Trek work. That said, I go in with the understanding that I'm a hired gun doing a job (my passion for the source material notwithstanding; I don't think I could take a media tie-in job if I wasn't already a fan of the property). Also, there is a threshold below which it's not economically feasible for me to devote a certain amount of time/effort to complete such a project, and that has factored into the equation on one or two occasions (Not Trek, but other tie-in properties where I was offered a contract, and passed because the money wasn't worth the effort, even though I was a fan of the property in question).
Understood.
I agree--I think it's best to do both, if you can.
I myself have some ideas for original works--of course, the Trek ideas seem to be coming full force.
But I think I'll get it hammered out, soon enough--and if that turns out well, I'll let you guys know.
I agree--I think it's best to do both, if you can.
I myself have some ideas for original works--of course, the Trek ideas seem to be coming full force.
But I think I'll get it hammered out, soon enough--and if that turns out well, I'll let you guys know.
I guess if you want to become really famous and rich by writing something for Trek, then better try to submit a screenplay for a Trek movie. 
Why are you always interpreting wild stuff in my statements?
Why are you always interpreting wild stuff in my statements?
I guess if you want to become really famous and rich by writing something for Trek, then better try to submit a screenplay for a Trek movie.
I absolutely no interest in becoming involved in Hollywood, beyond their checks clearing, of course.
Why are you always interpreting wild stuff in my statements?
I dunno, 'cos you seemed to be asking why no one wrote ST proposals for novels as chunky as Tom Clancy's, and I tried to give you my reaction to that.
It's a moot point anyway, since Clancy hasn't written a single word in about a decade, and he is the sole person for approval when it comes to Red Storm Entertainment, or whatever his company is called now.
Nah, just the next movie being a disappointment at the box office.
Anything less than $300 million and they'll start calling it a bomb.
Honestly, nobody knows. Certainly there hasn't been any sort of directive to "skew darker."
I imagine it will all depend on the individual stories and authors, just like it always has. I've written funny TREK stories and I've written grim ones. It all depends on what suits the idea.
Khan on Ceti Alpha V is always going to be a tragedy. Baby Hortas running amuck on DS9 lends itself more to humor . . .
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As Greg said, there's no "directive" to "skew darker," even though the natural development of certain storylines might give that impression for one series or another. But, since you'd be coming in as a new author, Pocket would be looking from you a story that fits the submission guidelines. Don't concern yourself with the series that feature ongoing storylines, whether or not they're "skewing darker." There's no way for you to know what's been plotted or what's in development by the time your agent gets your proposal to the editor's desk, anyway. That's another reason the guidelines are written the way they are; to keep a new writer free of such headaches while they're "auditioning."
Right now it looks like variety is the order of the day - darker, lighter, funnier, grimmer, more actiony, more sedate, more talky, whatever...
And that's just mine.
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