posted
Does anyone know how to contact Adam Lebowitz? I would like to organize a petition and letter/email campaign to Pocket Books in an effort to get "Unseen Frontier" back on their schedule. Prior to this, however, I would like to contact Mr. Lebowitz to see if he has any issues or concerns with this approach.
Any help would be very much appreciated.
Best regards, Richard Knapp
Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
This has been discussed elsewhere, including the boards where the editors hang out ( www.psiphi.org ).
I don't know how to contact Mojo, but there's definitely a push to get the book back on track.
I myself have proposed utilizing the same signature drive methods used in the "Sulu Book Campaign" of a couple years back. Response so far has been fairly enthusiastic on the part of the fans... and almost dead silence on the part of the editors.
-------------------- "The best defense is not a good offense. The best defense is a terrifyingly accurate and devastatingly powerful offense, with multiply-overlapping kill zones and time-on-target artillery strikes." -- Laurence, Archangel of the Sword
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
The unfortunate thing is, that despite the apparent multitude of fans that are on the Internet, we really DON'T represent the general consumer market that Pocket Books or Sci-Fi Channel or any other business must take into account when planning to publish something. We may be loud, we may be enthusiastic, but we're likely a small minority compared to the millions who shop in bookstores across the country.
Still, after seeing books like "The Art of Star Trek" and "Where No One Has Gone Before: A History in Pictures" still on the shelves at Borders and Waldenbooks and other places, I can't fathom why Pocket Books wouldn't want to do another of those books, using ORIGINAL ARTWORK showing UNSEEN settings in the Trek universe. It'd be something for fans both devoted and casual. Of course it's going to be loved more by the devoted fans, because it's exactly the kind of treat we want to get from the creators. But that doesn't mean it won't sell in the general market.
-------------------- “Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” — Isaac Asimov Star Trek Minutiae | Memory Alpha
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
But are those books on the shelves because they are constantly selling and being reordered, or because they are not selling?
I had a look at the Trek section of the local Barnes & Noble today, and neither of these books were there, incidently, though I doubt that means anything. I was looking at that "Worst-Case Scenerio" take-off book. It is interesting.
But anyway, how well do the art books sell?
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Good idea, but on the other hand, let's not scare him away by being overly enthusiastic and pressing. I'm sure his work takes up a lot of his time, and after that I think he will have better things to do than "hang around" on the net with geeks like us.
We should consider ourselves lucky that he shows up at all from time to time.
-------------------- Lister: Don't give me the "Star Trek" crap! It's too early in the morning. - Red Dwarf "The Last Day"
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
My contact with Mojo these days is infrequent and brief - not because he doesn't want to talk to me/us/Flare, but because he's got lots of his own stuff to do.
Unfortunately, less of his work has to do with Trek these days. Beyond the completed 2003 Calendar, he's not doing much for our beloved franchise - and since he's not with Foundation anymore, his insider angle with stuff isn't as current as it used to be during Voyager. He stays in touch, though, with me and with his former co-workers on Enterprise.
We've pretty much established that UF will not be happening - whatever the reason, Pocket is saying no. What Mojo has been doing on and off these past few months involves trying to convince Pocket to let SOMETHING happen with the work he and his underlings (myself included) have done on the book so far. To date, Pocket has not approved anything. Mojo is fully aware of the support the Flare gang has for UF and anything he wants to do, and this has been communicated to Pocket.
I believe that the best we can do right now is for everyone to sit tight and expect nothing - Pocket has been pretty skittish about Trek of late, and beyond the novels seems hesitant to take risks on anything bigger. However, when something DOES happen, I'll hopefully be among the first to know. And shortly thereafter, so will you.
posted
What is/was that Trek/Sci Fi 3D artwork forum called... 3D Gladiators? Something like that Markr posts his fantabulous bridges there...
The background to the place use to be all white (or something).
I'm sure we could get their support for such a book.
Get rec.arts.startrek.tech, TrekBBS (is that it - where Major Barclow hailed from) and Trekweb forums on to this - that's already a relatively big audience. Relatively.
-------------------- "Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica." - Jim Halpert. (The Office)
quote: Pocket has been pretty skittish about Trek of late
Certain kinds of Trek books, perhaps. The novels are hugely, bigly, amazingly huge, and that is perhaps the most depressing fact ever.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Don't think saying that is fair to the novelists. The quality of the novels, especially those in the "DS9 Relaunch" has increased considerably, IMHO.
Given all the above, I am reminded of the last time there was a fan campaign to get a certain type of book published.
A few years ago, there was a small but vocal group who were dying to get a book published set on Captain Sulu's Excelsior.
The deal that the editors eventually came up with was: a snailmail letter-writing campaign. If the Sulufans could drum up enough support to convince 1000 (or maybe it was 10,000... my memory is inexact) people to write and mail actual letters to the editors, then that would demonstrate a market for a Captain Sulu book, and they'd put it on the schedule to be published.
The effort fell short, getting only about 2/3 of the votes they needed. That's the bad news.
The good news is I've already heard MUCH more support expressed, on this board and others, for UF than I ever heard for a Captain Sulu book.
I have proposed the idea of another, similar contest, over at the psiphi board. My response has been as I noted above. The fans are enthusiastic, but I've heard bugger-all from any of TPTB so far.
Registered: Mar 1999
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