Laurell K Hamilton has become a best-selling SF/Fantasy author - and Pocket was faced with four blank MMPB slots with the shelving of four JJ movie tie-ins - so reprinting "Nightshade" at this time is an excellent choice.
New Nightshade cover
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Laurell K Hamilton has become a best-selling SF/Fantasy author - and Pocket was faced with four blank MMPB slots with the shelving of four JJ movie tie-ins - so reprinting "Nightshade" at this time is an excellent choice.
DS9 also used a different font for the post-series novels, though it has continued to use the series font for both subsequent books set during the series.
As for why change TNG's logo for pre-relaunch novels? Because Pocket hates us.
Huh. Well, the new DS9 font is similar enough to the original font to be almost identical. The new TNG font is EXTREMELY different. So I'm still wondering why the style change in the first place.
I like the new logo. It's classy. And I would've hated having that garish 80s-rific TNG logo on one of my books.
It doesn't matter much from a promotional standpoint whether the content of the book is in-series or post-series. The logo design is meant to catch the eye of the potential buyer and convey something to them. The trend in ST novel cover designs in recent years is to go classier, to make book covers that can pass the subway test -- is it a book you wouldn't be embarrassed to be seen reading in a public place? I would assume that's the reason for the adoption of a more "mainstream" logo style.
This is the only such re-release on the schedule. Remember, the next four months in the schedule were supposed to be filled by the four Abramsverse novels written by Alan Dean Foster, myself, David Mack, and Greg Cox. But the decision was made recently to shelve those books and leave it up to the filmmakers themselves to decide what happens after the movie. That left a gaping hole in the publication schedule, and Pocket had to fill it with whatever they could. We're getting two Corps of Engineers print collections out of it sooner than we otherwise would have, but they also decided to help fill the gap by reprinting Nightshade. That book was chosen because its author Laurell K. Hamilton has since gone on to become hugely successful, so it makes sense to try to latch onto that by reprinting her old TNG book. (Which is why it's so odd that they've printed her name so small on the cover.)
Really? Certainly, it's similar enough to the font used for the credits (because I think it's the same). But it's quite different from the logo font...
The TNG-R logo fails the "catch the eye of the potential buyer" half of that, and a message of "you should be embarrassed to read me, but that's okay, we're trying to hide it" probably isn't what they wanted to be conveyed.
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
I didn't know about this re-release and I'll gladly get it as I'm one that wants more TNG stories from their original 7 years mission.
I never read it when it first came out and here in Taiwan it's very difficult, no wait, impossible, to come by old, used Trek books, so this may show up at our major book store soon I hope.
I never read it when it first came out and here in Taiwan it's very difficult, no wait, impossible, to come by old, used Trek books, so this may show up at our major book store soon I hope.
FWIW, I always thought the old TNG font and logo, as seen on TV, was pig ugly. They should have changed it 25 years ago.
I'm sorry... but the "subway test" reasoning makes absolutely no sense when Pocket prints umpteen Star Trek titles with the original (or near original) logos. In this new world of seeing every other person on the bus reading "Twilight" or some other fantasy title, Pocket may be wise to actually embrace Star Trek instead of trying to run away from it with their "classier" TNG (are they designed for those that are embarrassed to be ST fans?) titles. I have to tell you that I used to be able to spot TNG titles from across a bookstore because of that "embarrassing" title font. Now it looks just like every other sci-fi book. And I think it's a shame that TNG has lost that distinctiveness.
You're missing the point. It's got nothing to do with being "embarrassed" with Star Trek itself. It's about presenting Star Trek with the dignity and class it deserves.
That isn't what you said with your "subway" remark. And regardless of what font is used, you still have bumpy forehead aliens and spaceships on the cover. Or are we going to phase those out too, so people aren't embarrassed on the subway? We could have every Trek book come out with just a white cover. It'll be classy and not embarrass anyone to boot.
It's "Star Trek". I'm more concerned with it being fun... it is entertainment you know? I think Pocket may be losing sight of that simple fact.
Nardpuncher
Rear Admiral
^^ My buddy and I would browse the sci-fi section and laugh at books whose covers would be the most embarrassing to be seen reading.
The Star Fist series is great for embarrassing covers.
The Star Fist series is great for embarrassing covers.
According to Marco, the new logo typeface is Rotis Serif.
You can make a very reasonable facsimile with Palatino Linotype. The only difference is the serifs. The weights and shapes of the letters are otherwise virtually indistinguishable.
You cannot make any sort of facsimile with Times New Roman. The letters are too narrow, and they're too heavy.
The typeface the television series used was very 80s.
Ordover replaced it with A Time To..., where he even rebranded the TNG novels as "Star Trek" straight up. The reasoning, as I recall, was that because the movies had dispensed with the "Next Generation" identifier, it made sense for TNG[/i] movie-era novels to likewise abandon the identifier. Serpentine (which was used on Del Rey's Star Wars novels and Babylon 5) became the new series typeface.
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Yes, it is. You just misinterpreted it. I was saying that the cover design should not be something that one would be embarrassed to be seen reading. You incorrectly extrapolated that to embarrassment about the content of the book. My point was that the goal is a cover design that's worthy of the interior content, rather than one that misleadingly makes it seem like something less respectable than it is.
This bee you seem to have in your bonnet about Star Trek itself being embarrassing -- that comes from you. That's your issue and you're projecting it onto what I'm saying. But it's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is that the old TNG logo is garish and cheesy. That's all.
I prefer the new one as well, but I like the idea of using the old logo for books taking place during the run of the TV show, as DS9 does/did. Sure, it looks dated, but I'm sure it can be updated without changing the overall design. Maybe by adding some texture, better colour use, etc. Like how the TOS lettering was updated for the new movie. I mean, looking at the original Nightshade cover, even the new logo would look hideous with those colours. OY!
Heck, I never liked the TNG logo even back when it was new. Those letters are just so weird and awkwardly shaped, and the "racing stripe" effect with the gaps is just laying on the "Hey, we're dynamic and exciting!" way too thickly, especially given what a sedate and restrained show TNG turned out to be. The whole design is just trying too hard, with too much piled on stylistically. So I'm glad to see it changed. Both the movie-era logo and the new book logo are better. (Though my favorite logo style overall remains the TMP/DS9/VGR font.)
Hamilton is now known for her particular style of romance/fantasy style SF. The new cover of "Nightshade" looks very romance/fantasy/Star Trek to me. It should do exactly what the marketing people want it to do.
But Worf and Deanna are recognizably TNG, and there's nothing about that cover that demands a retro logo of the TV show to say "fun".
I don't mind the new cover. (This is coming from one who is not a big TNG fan, nor a big Worf fan)...
I think my liking it may be because I am a Laurell K. Hamilton fan; however, I do recall the story wasn't anything extraordinary, although it did play up the Worf/Troi angle....
I think my liking it may be because I am a Laurell K. Hamilton fan; however, I do recall the story wasn't anything extraordinary, although it did play up the Worf/Troi angle....
I see. thank you for the detailed response! I loved the new logo on the TNG R novels. It's a shame i had to sell them (got laid off last year- now underempyloed..) Hopefully soon I will get a better job that pays more and I will be able to re-buy them!
Allyn, Bill, KingDaniel - it looks like you got your wish, as the cover for the reprint has changed, and Hamilton's name is, um, slightly bigger...
http://catalog.simonandschuster.com/Covers800/9780671795665.jpg
http://catalog.simonandschuster.com/Covers800/9780671795665.jpg
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