Trek fiction sales, then and now

[SicOne]

A recent post regarding Trek comic book sales by IDW Comics got me to wondering how sales of Star Trek fiction stack up nowadays compared with sales from the late 80s/early 90s, which was when I was of the understanding that Trek fiction books began to appear on the New York Times bestseller list, IIRC from previous TrekLit discussion.

I don't know if anyone from Pocket Books past or present participates in the forum anymore, or if the published authors are even at liberty to discuss this topic, so I apologize in advance if I'm rubbing anyone the wrong way by even asking these questions.

Not looking for amounts earned by authors or by Pocket, but was curious about numbers of books sold, numbers of printings and which titles had the most reprints, how the anthologies did versus stand-alone fiction, how the whole "Destiny" event might or might not have improved sales, how Titan and Vanguard are faring currently compared to when they began, how "Needs Of The Many" did (and what expectations of that title were, concerning how many people do online gaming); stuff like that.

And though it's not in the "fiction" category, I gotta ask...how did the Haynes manual do? There has certainly been a lot of discussion of that book, both here and in TrekTech, which piques my curiosity.

I apologize if this has been done before, but I don't think it's been discussed recently or at least post-Destiny...if it has and I just missed it, feel free to post a link to the conversation.

Share your thoughts on these topics, please?

 

[F. King Daniel]

Pocket books keep their sales highly secret - but I know that Alan Dean Foster's STXI novelization was the first time Trek has been on the New York Times bestseller list in ages.

I was curious about the success/failiure of The Needs of the Many, since it was aimed at a slightly different audience to regular Treklit - but since no other STO tie-ins have been announced I'm thinking it didn't go so well.

 

[BillJ]

I don't need sales figures. Just a general idea of how Trek fiction sales are going versus current expectations? New Trek novels don't even make it to the sci-fi 'New Releases' shelf at my local Barnes and Noble they're just stocked with the regular Trek books.

 

[Ktrek]

I don't need sales figures. Just a general idea of how Trek fiction sales are going versus current expectations? New Trek novels don't even make it to the sci-fi 'New Releases' shelf at my local Barnes and Noble they're just stocked with the regular Trek books.

That's probably because the store does not order enough copies to feature them and also whoever is in charge of the sci-fi area may not be a fan of Trek. In my local B&N there have been times in recent months when they bought enough copies to place among the new releases but they are inconsitent with it. I suspect they would sell more if they did put them with the new releases every month.

Kevin

 

[Steve Roby]

Trek fiction sales are a lot lower than they used to be, mainly because Trek is a lot less popular than it used to be. As for the difference Destiny may have made, Pocket has never released sales figures and the editors who used to at least tell us if books went back for more printings don't work there any more.

I suspect that right now the books are mainly selling to a hardcore fanbase much smaller than the mass audience of the early '90s, and I doubt that will change any time soon. I don't think the movie and its sequels will make any difference unless whoever blocked the movie tie-in novels changes his or her mind, because the books aren't about that universe and its characters. I don't think cutting back on continuity and change in the novels will draw new readers, either, though.

What's going to change that? I think it's going to take a wildly successful new TV series, not an occasional movie. A TV series creates a relationship with viewers that a movie doesn't; it makes the viewers want more of a regular fix of the characters. I just hope that, if it happens, Pocket doesn't follow the BBC's lead with the Doctor Who books, canceling everything based on the old shows and just doing nice, simple books that stay firmly within the show's current status quo.

 

[Christopher]

I suspect that right now the books are mainly selling to a hardcore fanbase much smaller than the mass audience of the early '90s, and I doubt that will change any time soon. I don't think the movie and its sequels will make any difference unless whoever blocked the movie tie-in novels changes his or her mind, because the books aren't about that universe and its characters.

Well, there are the Starfleet Academy YA movie tie-in novels currently coming out. It's not so much that they objected to doing tie-ins at all as that they only wanted prequel books, not sequels. I'm not sure if YA books will appeal to as broad an audience as standard novels would, but hopefully they'll help bring in a new generation of fans.

What's going to change that? I think it's going to take a wildly successful new TV series, not an occasional movie. A TV series creates a relationship with viewers that a movie doesn't; it makes the viewers want more of a regular fix of the characters. I just hope that, if it happens, Pocket doesn't follow the BBC's lead with the Doctor Who books, canceling everything based on the old shows and just doing nice, simple books that stay firmly within the show's current status quo.

Well, I think it's a given that any books actually based on that new show would have to be limited to stay within the show's status quo, just as past Trek novels weren't able to move beyond those limits until the respective series they were based on came to an end. It's just the nature of tie-ins to an ongoing series. The question is whether we'd get to continue doing our existing, freer lines of Trek books alongside tie-ins to a new series.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Pocket has never released sales figures and the editors who used to at least tell us if books went back for more printings don't work there any more.

Whenever you see a new batch of ST books appear on the shelves, have a quick look at the number of printings indicated. I recall Christopher saying that "Ex Machina" had supposedly sold below expectations, but I recently noticed one copy that was either a third or fourth printing, so it's been a bit of a sleeper.

 

[kkozoriz1]

Pocket has never released sales figures and the editors who used to at least tell us if books went back for more printings don't work there any more.

Whenever you see a new batch of ST books appear on the shelves, have a quick look at the number of printings indicated. I recall Christopher saying that "Ex Machina" had supposedly sold below expectations, but I recently noticed one copy that was either a third or fourth printing, so it's been a bit of a sleeper.

That depends on the size of the print runs. They may be smaller these day as well. Ex Machina was a great read and deserved a bigger readership.

 

[William Leisner]

That depends on the size of the print runs. They may be smaller these day as well.

True enough, but the initial print run is always going to reflect the expected sales for that title. So, now as then, when a book goes to a second printing, that means it exceeded sales expectations.

 

[David R. George III]

...Alan Dean Foster's STXI novelization was the first time Trek has been on the New York Times bestseller list in ages.

Not sure what you consider "ages," but Serpents Among the Ruins debuted on the New York Times bestseller list in 2003.

 

[kkozoriz1]

That depends on the size of the print runs. They may be smaller these day as well.

True enough, but the initial print run is always going to reflect the expected sales for that title. So, now as then, when a book goes to a second printing, that means it exceeded sales expectations.

And the initial expectations could have been dropped a peg or two as well. Either way I'd say it's fairly safe to say that sales have dropped overall.

 

[shanejayell]

It's hard to measure since book sales IN GENERAL have declined too.

 

[kkozoriz1]

When I look at the SciFi/Fantasy section of my local bookstore the amount of shelf space for Trek has declined in comparison to the other series (SW, etc). Total space is down but Trek is down more than the others. I would assume that SciFi fans were among the first to buy online but the decline of shelf space isn't the same across the various series.

 

[Almost Unique]

About a month ago the total number of copies of Star Trek paperbacks in my local bookstore was 25-30. This weekend I stopped in (to check for Shattered Light, which wasn't there), and there were only 7 total copies of Star Trek paperbacks. I was shocked, though glad that the copies they had previously are selling (the city I'm in isn't all that big). As long as they keep stocking the new ones I'll be fairly happy, but to catch up on "older" titles, I'll have to go online. (In this case "older" means last year...heck, in this case "older" means the last two SCE omnibuses from this year!)

 

[Therin of Andor]

I would assume that SciFi fans were among the first to buy online but the decline of shelf space isn't the same across the various series.

Exactly. Bookshops did notice that SF fans were early adopters of online shopping, and thus reduce shelf space in anticipation of falling sales in that area. Ditto music stores with movie soundtrack collectors.

Also, many ST collectors "special order" their new releases, so those copies never end up on the regular shelves. I know shops where, by the time a new title arrives, the "special orders" outnumber the copies ordered, and thus no copies end up on the shelves and extra copies are back-ordered.

What do you see in the front shelves of so many bookshops today? Boxed children's books containing a stuffed toy of the main character. Jigsaw puzzles. CDs and DVDs. Fridges with drinks and chocolates. Stationery. Bookmarks. Giftcards. Bookshops used to sell books.

BTW, pre-sales of "Titan" #1 ended up exceeding Pocket's actual print run, and that meant that some stores only ever received the second printing, which was done almost simultaneously with the first.

About a month ago the total number of copies of Star Trek paperbacks in my local bookstore was 25-30. This weekend I stopped in (to check for Shattered Light, which wasn't there), and there were only 7 total copies of Star Trek paperbacks.

So, were the 25-30 books sold, put on special, remaindered or were the covers ripped off and the insides recycled?

 

[Almost Unique]

My guess is sold. They weren't in the bargain section, anyway.

 

[Greg Cox]

Ditto music stores with movie soundtrack collectors.

Heck, I was chagrined to discover that the WAREHOUSE 13 soundtrack is only available on iTunes at the moment.

I've never downloaded music in my life. I just want a disk I can play in my office.

 

[BrotherBenny]

The reason I buy online is because I can get the books at a substantial discount to the full price. Yes, I will buy in a bookstore if I have a coupon that drops the price to something similar to Amazon or wherever, but sometimes the coupons don't offer enough of a discount.

Additionally, I have less money now than I ever have before and therefore less to spend on books I want. As I mentioned in another thread, I have over 50 Star Trek books that I own and still have to read, and another 30 non-Trek books besides. But I also have something like 20 I want to get, a mixture of Trek and non-Trek.

 

[BillJ]

BTW, pre-sales of "Titan" #1 ended up exceeding Pocket's actual print run, and that meant that some stores only ever received the second printing, which was done almost simultaneously with the first.

But that was five-and-a-half years ago.

 

[Therin of Andor]

But that was five-and-a-half years ago.

Sure, but to someone who's been buying ST novels since 1980, that's "recent".