Marketing and promotion

[Christopher]

But Chris that's comparing apples and oranges. M&M did not dis "These Are the Voyages" they tried to right what they believed was a wrong in creating their story.

There are scenes where Jake and Nog are discussing the blatant logic flaws in the official history that are pretty clearly authorial commentary on the episode in question.

I don't think that's the same as a reviewer writing a review that would come down hard on a book even though it may be justified. I doubt that Star Trek Magazine would go that far. They would probably avoid the book before they would publish an unretractable review that could piss off folks in the upper decks of CBS/Paramount.

You know... it would be a good idea to get some actual facts on the subject before you start impugning the integrity of a professional reviewer. I'm having no trouble finding negative reviews in my back issues of the magazine. Between issues #10 and #14 (US), I find reviewer John Freeman expressing negative opinions of: Slings and Arrows Books 2 & 3; Alien Spotlight: Andorians; Year Four #6; Terok Nor Books 2 & 3; Assignment: Earth #1; and the New Frontier comic miniseries as a whole. He's also lukewarm toward the Creative Couplings TPB and Assignment: Earth #2. So you are dead wrong.

I mean, come on, "piss off folks in the upper decks of CBS/Paramount?" Those "folks" have a lot of other priorities than reading reviews of Trek fiction. Yes, Titan Magazines is licensed to publish the magazine, but that doesn't mean the CBS executives have nothing better to do than to micromanage its content. Like all licensed tie-ins, it probably just goes through Paula Block's office. And her job is just making sure that tie-in material is consistent and accurate, not to impose some kind of Orwellian censorship over its contents.

 

[Ktrek]

You see it as authorial commentary Chris and I see it as a plot device to advance their own story.

I will pull out my back issues of the articles you mention and re-read them but I do not recall ever reading any reviews that blast other Star Trek properties in the magazine.

Kevin

 

[Dayton Ward]

From the latest issue, reviewing The Kobayashi Maru, which I just happen to have on my desk:

The overall story is intricate and clever, but marrred by the use of far too many coincidences to resolve dangerous situations, such as a frankly unlikely rescue of Trip by T'Pol and Malcolm Reed. I also have problems with other sequences, such as Archer's failure not to notice that two of his command staff have gone AWOL until after a major crisis erupts on the Enterprise, and what I'd consider as being the factual inaccuracy of a mention of the Neutral Zone before, I believe, such as buffer has even been established. While absorbing, it's not Mangels and Martin's best work.

Yeah, that's first-rate PR right there. Makes me want to run right out and buy it right now.

The magazine reviews are fine. He raised some of the same points folks have brought up right here on the board. While I don't know if he's ever outright shredded a book in a review, I think it's safe to say John Freeman is a bit more than a simple cheerleader for Pocket.

Edited to add:
(In an attempt to be a good sport, I went looking for an issue with a review of something Kevin and I had written, but the copies of the mag I have don't feature any of our stuff in the review section....mostly because Kevin and I largely have been Trek deadbeats the last couple of years. )

 

[Ktrek]

Yeah, that's first-rate PR right there. Makes me want to run right out and buy it right now.

The magazine reviews are fine. He raised some of the same points folks have brought up right here on the board. While I don't know if he's ever outright shredded a book in a review, I think it's safe to say John Freeman is a bit more than a simple cheerleader for Pocket.

Well, that's good to know Dayton! Thanks for taking the time to post that!

Kevin

 

[LightningStorm]

I'll say, negative reviews have encouraged me to purchase a book or two. Most notably Vanguard: Harbinger. Though the reviews of that I had read were not by professional reviewers, it was the negative reviews of the book that made me say "Wow, that sounds fantastic, I need to get that." And I'm quite glad that I did, because Vanguard is by far my favorite Trek series.

 

[JD]

LOL, it always cracks me up when somebody gets a book because of the way someone else was dissing it. For me it was the stuff that the bad reviews rip on that has made it one of my favorite series. I kind of think of it as an HBO/Showtime version of Star Trek.

 

[Icemizer]

I have always thought that a missed marketing opportunity was in the actual theaters themselves. You see the movie and you walk out. Why is there not a store in the front of the theater sellings items related to the movie you just watched. Hey that Star Trek movie was great and look there is a store selling some Star Trek stuff let me go check it out. Or any movies stuff for that matter. Shirts, books, magazines, DVD's. Most theaters just have a great amount of wasted space in the front doing nothing. How many toys do you think could be sold after the kids pile out of a Pixar movie? Anyway my two cents.

 

[PaulSimpson]

There's promotion? Other than this site, where?

How about every month, in the Titan ST Magazine? The latest books are reviews, upcoming books are previewed, and most months have an excerpt.

While Pocket would have no control over the reviewing process, certainly there's a lot of back and forth re preview covers and permission for excerpts.

I'm happy to see all that Paul Simpson has done in giving so much space to the books in recent issues. However, I wonder if this is not some kind of mutual cooperation that benefits both parties and thus you would be hard pressed to find a negative review of any new Star Trek book within it's pages. I'm just sayin'.

Kevin

Go and check out the review of Before Dishonor, or even the comments about Kobayashi Maru and then repeat your comment!! John Freeman writes an honest appraisal of the books - I always work on the basis that you should be able to criticize, as long as it's done with justification. I'd doubt a reviewer for the mag would ever send in a review saying "This book stinks" for two very simple reasons - there's no argument made, and, more importantly, they'd only get paid for 3 words!!!

Paul

Edited to add: As Dayton mentions above, John's reviews often raise similar points to those raised on this board - and he's writing them probably 3 months ahead of release!

 

[Thrawn]

I have always thought that a missed marketing opportunity was in the actual theaters themselves. You see the movie and you walk out. Why is there not a store in the front of the theater sellings items related to the movie you just watched. Hey that Star Trek movie was great and look there is a store selling some Star Trek stuff let me go check it out. Or any movies stuff for that matter. Shirts, books, magazines, DVD's. Most theaters just have a great amount of wasted space in the front doing nothing. How many toys do you think could be sold after the kids pile out of a Pixar movie? Anyway my two cents.

I never thought of that, but yeah. Huh.

Theaters are losing money at an increasing rate these days; I wonder if something like that could help.

 

[Ktrek]

I have always thought that a missed marketing opportunity was in the actual theaters themselves. You see the movie and you walk out. Why is there not a store in the front of the theater sellings items related to the movie you just watched. Hey that Star Trek movie was great and look there is a store selling some Star Trek stuff let me go check it out. Or any movies stuff for that matter. Shirts, books, magazines, DVD's. Most theaters just have a great amount of wasted space in the front doing nothing. How many toys do you think could be sold after the kids pile out of a Pixar movie? Anyway my two cents.

Not too many years back The Rave theater near where I live tried that on a small scale. They would have music soundtracks and some collectible stuff for sale but it must not have sold well because they stopped. For the type of idea you're talking about to work it would mean having something attended at all exits because most people do not go back out through the main entry.

Kevin

 

[PaulSimpson]

I have always thought that a missed marketing opportunity was in the actual theaters themselves. You see the movie and you walk out. Why is there not a store in the front of the theater sellings items related to the movie you just watched. Hey that Star Trek movie was great and look there is a store selling some Star Trek stuff let me go check it out. Or any movies stuff for that matter. Shirts, books, magazines, DVD's. Most theaters just have a great amount of wasted space in the front doing nothing. How many toys do you think could be sold after the kids pile out of a Pixar movie? Anyway my two cents.

Not too many years back The Rave theater near where I live tried that on a small scale. They would have music soundtracks and some collectible stuff for sale but it must not have sold well because they stopped. For the type of idea you're talking about to work it would mean having something attended at all exits because most people do not go back out through the main entry.

Kevin

Not only that, but think how much merchandise they'd have to have available - and in an era where movies last one, maybe two weeks in theatres before heading for DVD, it would be constantly changing. That's where the internet scores so heavily!

Paul

 

[Therin of Andor]

I doubt that Star Trek Magazine would go that far. They would probably avoid the book before they would publish an unretractable review that could piss off folks in the upper decks of CBS/Paramount.

Titan's "Star Trek Magazine" goes to Paula Block for approval, yes, but I'd be very surprised if she insisted that only positive reviews were published. I thought I recalled that the reviewer disliked Peter David's "Before Dishonor"?

Update: Ah, I see I was remembering correctly. PaulSimpson responded already.

LOL, it always cracks me up when somebody gets a book because of the way someone else was dissing it. For me it was the stuff that the bad reviews rip on that has made it one of my favorite series.

Similarly, I expected to really hate ENT's "A Night in Sickbay", because I couldn't find one positive review, but I really enjoyed it. Similarly, I've read devastating print reviews of "How Much for Just the Planet?" from people who wanted it to be "The Final Reflection 2" and were angry it wasn't.

 

[Therin of Andor]

I have always thought that a missed marketing opportunity was in the actual theaters themselves. You see the movie and you walk out. Why is there not a store in the front of the theater sellings items related to the movie you just watched.

Well, that's often the case.

I bought my official souvenir program books for ST:TMP and ST II from cinema candy bars. TMP also had the novelization! At "Superman: The Movie" they had luminous kryptonite necklaces.

Only just this week, my local cinema is selling beautiful Nicole & Hugh-decorated "Australia" popcorn tins, plus the soundtrack CDs for "Twilight", "High School Musical 3" and "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa".