making of books tie-ins etc
- Thread starter bush01
- Start date
guys,do you know if there are any art of or making of books on the way?
I haven't read anything about that sort of thing.
We haven't even heard anything about the novelization of the movie let alone art & making of books.
But I guess it'll happen sooner or later
trevanian
Rear Admiral
I'm surprised to have not seen anything on publishing sites or trekmovie. Makes me think that the screenwriters are doing the makingof book themselves ... either that or maybe a paramount publicist.
Guess if it happens, it won't be a wartsNall like the wonderful MAKING OF EXORCIST II book, or SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, which covered Otto Preminger's ROSEBUD in scathing detail.
Guess if it happens, it won't be a wartsNall like the wonderful MAKING OF EXORCIST II book, or SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, which covered Otto Preminger's ROSEBUD in scathing detail.
There was a recent article on TrekToday that gave the run-down of all the 2009 releases from Pocket Books, and no Trek XI tie-in or making-of books were mentioned. The last I heard of it was about half a year ago, when one of the authors (possibly KRAD) said that a writer had been chosen, but they couldn't say who yet.
I'm surprised Simon & Schuster isn't trying for the full-court press (no pun intended) on this, when you consider the massive level of tie-in books for Transformers and The Dark Knight, and for all levels of readers, from kindergarten up through adults no less.
edit: Here's the TT article: http://www.trektoday.com/news/040109_01.shtml
I'm surprised Simon & Schuster isn't trying for the full-court press (no pun intended) on this, when you consider the massive level of tie-in books for Transformers and The Dark Knight, and for all levels of readers, from kindergarten up through adults no less.
edit: Here's the TT article: http://www.trektoday.com/news/040109_01.shtml
Yeah it bugs me as well that no announcement has been made yet offically about a novel or other coffee table books. Keith did say that a writer had been chosen and that they're waiting to make the announcement. Since we're essentially in Feb already and the movie comes out in the second week of May I'm guess we are about a month or two away from any significant announcements. I'm thinking there might not be any behind the scenes or art books since Pocket has always had the position that coffee table books don't sell very well. I would buy them if they're published though.
To be honest, I hope any novelization will not come out before the movie.
That will mean too much panic and too many spoilers online which I don't think is that good.
That will mean too much panic and too many spoilers online which I don't think is that good.
But they only stopped selling well when TNG was off the air and there were no more TOS movies. TOS and TNG non fiction works sold well - consistently - in the 80s and early 90s. The TOS and TNG companions, and "ST Encyclopedia" had at least three revised editions each. It was later things like "Star Trek: Action", episode companions to DS9 (even though it was excellent!) and VOY, and the "ST Starcharts" (even though it was excellent!) that disappointed the marketing people and editors.
DS9, VOY and ENT's audiences were simply too small to support NF guidebooks and blueprints, and bookshops refused to stock copies.
I seem to recall JJ's people saying, though, that they were looking forward to being involved in a "making of" book.
trevanian
Rear Admiral
Well, the way they were done may have also contributed to their failure.
I admire them for doing the PHASE II book (even if it was following in the footsteps of a decent unauthorized volume), but there's a lot of screwedup factchecking there, and TONS more in the ART OF STAR TREK, which suffers hugely from being a superficial look at all the series and films instead of being a focused and comprehensive look at one of them in chronlogical fashion, so the progression for each environment from designer to designer can be studied and understood (assuming they'd bothered to interview any of these folks, that is.)
I've always thought that Pocket needed to contract this stuff out to some organization that knew how to produce them with the appropriate financial shortcuts to make the books worthwhile to do ... DelRey has their big SW books assembled in Hong Kong or someplace like that, and the results are a lot better than what Pocket does, and while I don't know where Chronicle does their SW work, it usually outstrips everybody else's in quality.
I admire them for doing the PHASE II book (even if it was following in the footsteps of a decent unauthorized volume), but there's a lot of screwedup factchecking there, and TONS more in the ART OF STAR TREK, which suffers hugely from being a superficial look at all the series and films instead of being a focused and comprehensive look at one of them in chronlogical fashion, so the progression for each environment from designer to designer can be studied and understood (assuming they'd bothered to interview any of these folks, that is.)
I've always thought that Pocket needed to contract this stuff out to some organization that knew how to produce them with the appropriate financial shortcuts to make the books worthwhile to do ... DelRey has their big SW books assembled in Hong Kong or someplace like that, and the results are a lot better than what Pocket does, and while I don't know where Chronicle does their SW work, it usually outstrips everybody else's in quality.
I think I have to agree with you on that. Although in the past, I've eagerly waited to get my hands on the novelizations before the movies came out, I think this time it would be a good thing to see the film first, then read.
OTOH, I could see myself caving in and buying it a week ahead of time, if it were out.
I remember before Transformers came out there was a prequel novel to the movie. I'm surprised Pocket Books isn't trying something like that.
Yes, I am well aware of the comic book prequel developing Nero's backstory, but there is plenty of other fodder that they could twist into a novel prequel. Something like a an adventure for Captain Robau and the crew of the USS Kelvin, perhaps?
Yes, I am well aware of the comic book prequel developing Nero's backstory, but there is plenty of other fodder that they could twist into a novel prequel. Something like a an adventure for Captain Robau and the crew of the USS Kelvin, perhaps?
There is another Transformers prequel novel listed on Amazon right now along with a prequel novel for Terminator Salvation so yeah I'm surprised that Countdown wasn't novelized. I suspect that the Star Trek novel will come out on the day of release for the movie much like the Dark Knight novelization did which drove me no ends of crazy since I wasn't able to go see the movie due to my surgery.
Star Trek: Phase II: The Making of the Lost Series and The Art of Star Trek still represent the "good years" of Trek books. Star Trek: Action was too.
The downward slide started with Star Trek: Aliens & Artifacts, which just seemed thin, cheap, and poorly executed.
Pocket decided to follow that mediocre book with "gems" like The Hologram's Handbook, The Star Trek Cookbook, Voyages of Imagination, Star Trek Crosswords, and Starship Spotter. No one bought these books because no one wanted them. The concepts were poor or the publication cheap or both. A book about other books? CGI wireframes plus full-color photos a deep page crease right through the middle? Neelix's recipes for gagh?
Starcharts was shockingly well done, but I think most people had abandoned Trek books by then.
IIRC, "ST: Action!", and the companions for both DS9 and VOY, were shelfwarmers for bookshops, who told Pocket they didn't want to stock big, chunky ST books any more. Sales for the "DS9 Companion" were disappointing, even though it was critically acclaimed. I recall Marco Palmieri reminding people, many years later, that it was still "in print" because there was so much unwanted stock in the warehouses.
Who said no one wanted that? Who said it was poorly executed? Who said it didn't sell well?
