What's KRAD up to these days?

[Greg Cox]

Yeah, its a shame. Just because the show ends doesnt mean there isnt a fanbase out there willing to buy and read the books, I mean look at Star Trek for example

Star Trek is an exception to the rule. Most tie-in lines don't survive long beyond the cancellation of their shows, because the audience drifts away. It's not like they arbitrarily cancelled the Buffy novels without checking the sales figures. On the contrary, they kept publishing the books for years after the series ended, and it thrived much longer than most tie-in lines do. But eventually, apparently, sales dropped to the point that they couldn't sustain it any longer.

Exactly. You don't see a lot of ALIAS or XENA novels anymore either, more's the pity. Ditto ROSWELL, SMALLVILLE, THE 4400, FARSCAPE, etc. Eventually the license expires and the publisher decides it's not worth renewing . . . .

Notable exceptions include STAR TREK, DOCTOR WHO, and, curiously enough, MURDER SHE WROTE (which books are still going strong).

 

[Christopher]

MURDER SHE WROTE (which books are still going strong).

Are they still pretending to be books written by Jessica Fletcher "with" the actual author (sort of a prototype of the "Richard Castle" Nikki Heat books), or are they books about Jessica Fletcher herself solving the murder mysteries that crop up absolutely everywhere she ever goes? (Honestly, you'd think people would've stopped inviting her places after a while...)

 

[Greg Cox]

MURDER SHE WROTE (which books are still going strong).

Are they still pretending to be books written by Jessica Fletcher "with" the actual author (sort of a prototype of the "Richard Castle" Nikki Heat books), or are they books about Jessica Fletcher herself solving the murder mysteries that crop up absolutely everywhere she ever goes? (Honestly, you'd think people would've stopped inviting her places after a while...)

A little bit of both, I think. The books are credited to "Jessica Fletcher" and a co-author, but also feature the character of Jessica Fletcher solving mysteries, as on the show.

(Or so I gather. I don't claim to be an expert on the series. I just gather that they're still coming out on regular basis, even years after the show ceased production.)

In addition, I believe the MONK novels are still doing well.

 

[Therin of Andor]

Jessica Fletcher herself solving the murder mysteries that crop up absolutely everywhere she ever goes? (Honestly, you'd think people would've stopped inviting her places after a while...)

Did they ever do a shark story? It used to amuse me, at Universal Studios in LA, that Bruce, the "Jaws" shark, used to emerge daily from a lake just outside Jessica Fletcher's house.

 

[ATimson]

You don't see a lot of ALIAS or XENA novels anymore either, more's the pity. Ditto ROSWELL, SMALLVILLE, THE 4400, FARSCAPE, etc. Eventually the license expires and the publisher decides it's not worth renewing . . . .

Notable exceptions include STAR TREK, DOCTOR WHO, and, curiously enough, MURDER SHE WROTE (which books are still going strong).

I'm surprised that more publishers seem to have not negotiated licenses that let them keep old material in print, even if they can't create new stuff.

Del Rey has been issuing new editions of their Star Trek and Star Wars (before they got the license back in 1999) works, and Bantam Spectra did the same for their Star Trek (and possibly Star Wars - though since they & the current license holder share a corporate overlord, that may be why their editions can stay in print) books too. But off the top of my head I can't name any other licenses that have acted similarly...

 

[Therin of Andor]

Bantam Spectra did the same for their Star Trek

If I understand it, their old contract with Paramount permitted reprints in perpetuity, even after the exclusivity for new ST fiction had passed to Pocket Books. Interestingly, I have a set of TAS omnibuses (all ten "Logs" in three volumes) that were published by Pocket Books internationally, yet simultaneously with a domestic set of omnibuses by Ballantine/Del Rey (first nine "Logs" only, in three volumes). The most recent TAS omnibuses were in trade, by Ballantine (ten "Logs" in five volumes) and had a newly-written introduction by AFD, serialized across the five books.

More recent contracts are more restrictive, to favour the copyright holder and enable better control of the property.

 

[Greg Cox]

I don't know about Bantam or Buffy, but nowadays these sort of licensing agreements often have some sort of expiration date built into them. (I remember having to renegotiate the CONAN license a couple times back when I working full-time for Tor.)

 

[Therin of Andor]

I don't know about Bantam or Buffy, but nowadays these sort of licensing agreements often have some sort of expiration date built into them. (I remember having to renegotiate the CONAN license a couple times back when I working full-time for Tor.)

Yep. I seem to recall something in "Starlog" where it was mentioned that someone at Bantam noticed that there was no expiration date for their old ST titles, so they launched into another round of reprints in competition with Pocket, with freshly designed covers modeled on the post-ST IV range that Pocket was putting out.

 

[Defcon]

In addition, I believe the MONK novels are still doing well.

Although that could come to end, since Lee Goldberg will stop writing the Monk novels after the 15th book (which will be out early 2013 I think), and so far I haven't read anything that indicates that another author will pick up the series.

 

[Yevetha]

Is he ever going to write a new Klingon book?

 

[Sho]

Check back a few pages for the answer. The summary is that KRAD is open to more Trek projects if and when the opportunity arises, but there's nothing concrete planned at the moment, and his plate is plenty full with other stuff to boot.

 

[Greg Cox]

In addition, I believe the MONK novels are still doing well.

Although that could come to end, since Lee Goldberg will stop writing the Monk novels after the 15th book (which will be out early 2013 I think), and so far I haven't read anything that indicates that another author will pick up the series.

True, but, as I understand it, that's not because of declining sales, but because Lee wants to concentrate more on works of his own creation.

It will be interesting to see if the books continue without him.

 

[Defcon]

In addition, I believe the MONK novels are still doing well.

Although that could come to end, since Lee Goldberg will stop writing the Monk novels after the 15th book (which will be out early 2013 I think), and so far I haven't read anything that indicates that another author will pick up the series.

True, but, as I understand it, that's not because of declining sales, but because Lee wants to concentrate more on works of his own creation.

It will be interesting to see if the books continue without him.

Sorry, I think I was a bit unclear in my post. I wasn't trying to say that the sales where declining, only that this rather successful tie-in line (which has survived the TV series' end) could end soon.

I have read two of Goldberg's Monk novels and have another one on my to read pile. One was rather good (Mr. Monk in Germany) the other one (Mr. Monk in Outer Space) a bit unspectacular, so I'm not especially attached to Goldberg writing the books and would really like to see other authors' takes on the series.

There are a few Trek alumni I could see writing good Monk: Among them are KRAD (not only to stay on topic ), yourself and for some reason I would really like to see what Peter David would do with the characters.

 

[Captaindemotion]

MURDER SHE WROTE (which books are still going strong).

Are they still pretending to be books written by Jessica Fletcher "with" the actual author (sort of a prototype of the "Richard Castle" Nikki Heat books), or are they books about Jessica Fletcher herself solving the murder mysteries that crop up absolutely everywhere she ever goes? (Honestly, you'd think people would've stopped inviting her places after a while...)

I'm convinced that she was actually the real killer all along.

 

[Christopher]

I'm convinced that she was actually the real killer all along.

That's a popular theory, it seems.

 

[BrotherBenny]

That could be an interesting story to write, with Fletcher being arrested as the worst serial killer in American history, responsible for what, over 400 murders?

 

[Christopher]

^Not to mention revealing how she managed to frame other people for her crimes so effectively that she actually made them believe they were guilty.

Though that still wouldn't explain why anyone was willing to invite her anywhere after a few years of this...

 

[BrotherBenny]

An interesting premise...food for thought.

 

[Greg Cox]

Had the show lasted longer, Carl Kolchak probably could have racked up a rep like Jessica Fletcher's. You couldn't send him to a fashion show or a cruise ship without freakishly dead bodies turning up.

Sure, sure, it always seemed like a werewolf or succubus was responsible, but you have to wonder . . . .

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Werewolves or succubusses (succubi?) are more plausible than most of the plots on MSW.