Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years

[JD]

Problem with that statement is that first Paramount (and now CBS) has ALWAYS priced Trek well above what other studios priced their product, often by a factor of 4 or more.

Even now, buying discount from Amazon, TOS remastered on dvd is over $50. Compare that to ~$20-30 for nuBSG or ~$20 for Stargate, both shows that were still covering their production costs whereas TOS has long since paid for itself and the DVD money is all "gravy".

There was no reason to go all fancy and "boutique" with this project. A nice, solid TBP size like the Encyclopedia would have done just fine, and could have been offered at a better price point.

The Star Wars Jedi Path, and Book of Sith collections were this same kind of thing, and the full collections were pretty much the same price. So this does appear to be the standard for this kind of thing. They did appear to release a cheaper book only version of Jedi Path, so there is a chance the same thing could be done with this.

 

[Christopher]

Missed this before...

There was no reason to go all fancy and "boutique" with this project. A nice, solid TBP size like the Encyclopedia would have done just fine, and could have been offered at a better price point.

Actually it wouldn't have done just fine. Nonfiction Trek books haven't been profitable for Pocket for quite a while, which is why they stopped doing them. The last time we got a new edition of the Encyclopedia was in 1999, even though there's been a significant amount of new Trek material since then, including the final season of VGR, two movies, and the entirety of ENT. If it were still possible for something like the Encyclopedia to do "just fine" in today's market, we would've gotten another edition or two by now.

So now that a new publisher is taking a stab at a "nonfiction" Trek product, they're not just going to repeat a strategy that already failed for Pocket. Given the limited interest something like this would generate, it has to be fancy enough to try to increase that interest, and conversely it has to have a high enough price point to allow a profit without huge sales numbers. Both of those mean it's going to cost more. Not to mention that this is their inaugural effort in Trek publishing. Of course they're not going to treat it as a routine book.

 

[Ian Keldon]

And the fancyness and boutiqueness makes it more of a collectible, for which there certainly is a market. Maybe it's less of a price question and more that this one just isn't up your ally taste-wise? I certainly don't need to own every Trek product either.

No, it's right up my alley in terms of interest...I love "in universe" stuff like this. It's all about feeling like I'm paying for something way more fancy than it needs to be. I was the same way about comics back in the 90s, whenever they would do a fancy hologram/foil/whatever cover, I always got the "plain Jane" regular version whenever I could. I didn't care about the cover, I wanted the content.

 

[Ian Keldon]

Even now, buying discount from Amazon, TOS remastered on dvd is over $50. Compare that to ~$20-30 for nuBSG or ~$20 for Stargate, both shows that were still covering their production costs whereas TOS has long since paid for itself and the DVD money is all "gravy".

I think you're overlooking something. It's not just about paying for production costs. Actors, writers, producers, directors, and other "above-the-line" staffers are entitled to residual payments for every broadcast or home video sale of their work. That doesn't expire after a certain period of time, it's perpetual. So the cost of a TOS-R DVD is partly about paying residuals to the cast and creators.

I'm sure the same goes for the other shows as well, so that alone doesn't explain the price difference -- I'm just saying it's a mistake to assume that covering the production costs is the sole consideration.

That's a fair point. Depending on what their residuals rates are, they might be higher than those of today's actors. I doubt it, but it's possible.

 

[JD]

And the fancyness and boutiqueness makes it more of a collectible, for which there certainly is a market. Maybe it's less of a price question and more that this one just isn't up your ally taste-wise? I certainly don't need to own every Trek product either.

No, it's right up my alley in terms of interest...I love "in universe" stuff like this. It's all about feeling like I'm paying for something way more fancy than it needs to be. I was the same way about comics back in the 90s, whenever they would do a fancy hologram/foil/whatever cover, I always got the "plain Jane" regular version whenever I could. I didn't care about the cover, I wanted the content.

But part of the whole point of something like this is all of the fancy extra stuff. That's one of the biggest selling points for these types of books.

 

[Christopher]

But part of the whole point of something like this is all of the fancy extra stuff. That's one of the biggest selling points for these types of books.

Right. It's the reason some people buy designer clothes and accessories instead of cheaper off-brand ones, or buy luxury cars instead of economy cars.

I believe someone said that a similar book did come out in a more basic, modestly priced edition later on, so that could happen here too. Failing that, maybe the book alone will eventually become available from used-book vendors or eBay.

 

[Therin of Andor]

There was no reason to go all fancy and "boutique" with this project.

Yes there is. This is aimed at fans and gift-givers who are looking for an item that is "fancy and 'boutique'", not just a regular trade.

A nice, solid TBP size like the Encyclopedia would have done just fine, and could have been offered at a better price point.

The commercial failure of the last edition of the "ST Encyclopedia", "ST Star Charts" and the "DS9 Companion", among overs - all highly-regarded books that failed to sell sufficient quantities to cover projected figures - means that publishers do need to go "fancy and 'boutique'", with smaller print runs and higher price points to attract sufficient interest and sales from the more-discerning members of the fanbase.

Typically because the Star Trek fan base has generated higher demand. If there's higher demand, that means that all customers are competing with one-another for a limited stock of product, which means higher prices.

Exactly. If a brand new ST DVD set came out on Day #1 at the lowest-tier of price point, Paramount/CBS Home Video would not be able to keep stock flowing into stores at an acceptable rate.

There would be riots, similar to the Mini Beanie Baby craze outside McDonalds stores.

 

[Ian Keldon]

^And the rest of us can just "do without" unless and until we can either afford the retail or find a used one?

Why shouldn't they offer product to ALL segments of the market, not just the "upscale" fans? Especially in this economy, they should be more sensitive to the fact that not all of us who might otherwise be interested in the product can afford "fancy" versions with lots of bells and whistles.

 

[Sci]

^And the rest of us can just "do without" unless and until we can either afford the retail or find a used one?

Yes. This is a Star Trek book, not food and shelter.

Why shouldn't they offer product to ALL segments of the market, not just the "upscale" fans?

Because if they did, they would not make enough money to pay back the costs of making the book. By creating a more expensive product for a narrow market, they're able to support themselves.

Especially in this economy, they should be more sensitive to the fact that not all of us who might otherwise be interested in the product can afford "fancy" versions with lots of bells and whistles.

The problem is the demand curve. If the product is more expensive and produced at a lower rate, then even a relatively low demand can support its production. But if the product is made less expensive and produced en masse, that doesn't mean the demand rises to meet these new costs--in fact, the demand may shrink relative to the more expensive product, because the "bells and whistles" can themselves generate higher demand. The intersection of how much demand there is, how much of the product is produced, how expensive the product is to create, and how much the product costs is finite.

Having said that, there is one solution to your problem which is free of charge: Your public library.

 

[Plaristes]

The commercial failure of the last edition of the "ST Encyclopedia", "ST Star Charts" and the "DS9 Companion", among overs - all highly-regarded books that failed to sell sufficient quantities to cover projected figures - means that publishers do need to go "fancy and 'boutique'", with smaller print runs and higher price points to attract sufficient interest and sales from the more-discerning members of the fanbase.

Why do Star Trek reference books like these fail to sell well when Star Wars reference books sell so well? What explains the difference? Is there just a smaller ST fanbase? Or is it quality? Of the three you mention, I've only read the Star Charts book. While it's readable, Star Wars: The Essential Atlas kicks its ass in every way possible (e.g., quality of the maps, amount of fascinating new lore, comprehensiveness). Are the SW reference books just better overall? After all, The Essential Guide to Warfare, The Jedi Path, Book of Sith, and Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force are all books of outstanding quality. Is there just not as much effort put into ST reference books?

 

[Sci]

The commercial failure of the last edition of the "ST Encyclopedia", "ST Star Charts" and the "DS9 Companion", among overs - all highly-regarded books that failed to sell sufficient quantities to cover projected figures - means that publishers do need to go "fancy and 'boutique'", with smaller print runs and higher price points to attract sufficient interest and sales from the more-discerning members of the fanbase.

Why do Star Trek reference books like these fail to sell well when Star Wars reference books sell so well? What explains the difference? Is there just a smaller ST fanbase? Or is it quality? Of the three you mention, I've only read the Star Charts book. While it's readable, Star Wars: The Essential Atlas kicks its ass in every way possible (e.g., quality of the maps, amount of fascinating new lore, comprehensiveness). Are the SW reference books just better overall? After all, The Essential Guide to Warfare, The Jedi Path, Book of Sith, and Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force are all books of outstanding quality. Is there just not as much effort put into ST reference books?

I rather think that the already-higher popularity of Star Wars, combined with the fact that Star Wars has had three financially successful live-action films, a successful animated film, and a successful animated TV series since 1999 -- contrasted with the relative disappointment of Star Trek: Insurrection in 1998, the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1999, the end of Star Trek: Voyager in 2001, the underperformance of Star Trek: Nemesis in 2002, and the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005, with the J.J. Abrams Star Trek in 2009 as Star Trek's only real mainstream success story in 15 years -- all combine to generate a more than adequate explanation for the relative success of Star Wars reference books and the relative underperformance of Star Trek reference books.

 

[Christopher]

Is there just not as much effort put into ST reference books?

No; the reason the later reference books were fairly bare-bones is because earlier, more elaborate ones had sold poorly, so that Pocket wasn't willing to invest as much money in reference books.

As for why the SW books sell better, I think it's just that SW is a bigger, more popular franchise in recent years, due to the prominence of the prequel films and The Clone Wars at a time when onscreen Trek has been in relative decline. But now we've got a successful new Trek film franchise, and we're starting to see more interest in nonfiction tie-ins like this one, so maybe the tide will turn in the years to come.

 

[Plaristes]

Is there just not as much effort put into ST reference books?

No; the reason the later reference books were fairly bare-bones is because earlier, more elaborate ones had sold poorly, so that Pocket wasn't willing to invest as much money in reference books.

As for why the SW books sell better, I think it's just that SW is a bigger, more popular franchise in recent years, due to the prominence of the prequel films and The Clone Wars at a time when onscreen Trek has been in relative decline. But now we've got a successful new Trek film franchise, and we're starting to see more interest in nonfiction tie-ins like this one, so maybe the tide will turn in the years to come.

I hope you're right, Christopher. I've pre-ordered Federation: The First 150 Years and I hope it's really good. I've immensely enjoyed the Star Wars reference books I mentioned and I'd love to see ST books of the same quality. There have got to be ST authors who are also fans who can do for ST reference books what Jason Fry, Dan Wallace, and Ryder Windham have done for SW. Perhaps you're even one of them, Christopher? I know I'd pre-order in a heartbeat any ST reference books you wrote.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Why shouldn't they offer product to ALL segments of the market, not just the "upscale" fans?

Because that (formerly large) demographic let their compulsion to buy ST products wane or vanish. These fans either found other fascinations to spend disposable income on, or they moved into different demographics (marriage/children taking over their man caves, or they aged/downsized themselves into smaller housing and sold off their collections) - and once TNG went out of production, many faded out of the market for ST products in sufficient numbers as to make such mass market products no longer viable.

You usually only see comics with multiple, alternate covers when the publisher anticipates there will be keen interest (or sometimes to stir up interest). In the book trade, it's rare that hardcover books, trade PBs and smaller format MMPBs are issued simultaneously; there is usually a tiered campaign of releases, each one aimed at different demographics of consumers, stretched over months or even years.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Why do Star Trek reference books like these fail to sell well when Star Wars reference books sell so well?

It's important to note that, even when a "Star Wars" set of reference books sell incredibly well, they can still send a publisher to the wall. Such was the case with Dorling Kindersley. They had built up a huge reputation for their "Visual Dictionaries" and "Incredible Cross-Section" books in the 80s and 90s, and then began doing did a range based on commercial tie-in franchises, such as the original "Star Wars" trilogy.

Then they won the exclusive license to do "Star Wars: Episode One: The Phantom Menace". Despite selling in very large numbers worldwide, the "Phantom Menace" versions of the "Visual Dictionary" and "Incredible Cross-Section" failed to make back Dorling Kindersley's investment. The original UK company faltered and its international warehouses were ordered to pulp the books because it was going to be too expensive to remainder them. (Down Under, all Australian schools were going to be given free copies, rather than see the books go to waste - but only if the Australian government was willing to foot the postage bill; my boss at the Dept. worked out that that amount was, of course, thousands of dollars, just to accept a warehouse of free books. So we had to refuse the offer, much to the publisher's annoyance.)

The "DK" brand, as it is now known, is more of an imprint, passed onto the new owners who, in recent years, have more carefully fostered the creation of other tie-in "Visual Dictionary"-type books, "Incredible Cross-Section" and "Essential Guide" reference books - and even more "Star Wars" volumes.

It was a severe lesson in how easily publishers can get burned, even on a best-seller. Similarly, Marvel Comics overspent on the license for "Star Trek" when they were doing the Marvel/Paramount lines. "TOS/TNG", "Early Voyages" and "Starfleet Academy" were very popular lines, and critically acclaimed, but not popular enough to bring in sufficient profits to make the comics commercially viable.