paulskemp ([info]paulskemp) wrote,
2008-07-17 21:34:00
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WotC Discoveries Line Appears Finito

Via Fantasybookspot, who obtained it from Steve Tem on Shocklines. It looks like Hasbro has made the decision to axe the Discoveries line and focus on their core brands. I regard this as highly unfortunate and feel especially bad for the authors who had books in the publishing pipeline.

And this, combined with some recent news re the Eberron line, doesn't exactly give me a warm fuzzy.

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  • 25 comments

[info]mouseferatu

July 18 2008, 01:48:18 UTC 3 years ago

Yeah. I've been in a major funk for the past 24 hours. Shades of Grey was going to be my first non-game-related fiction publication, and getting it on the market has been one of my goals for years.

What really burns me is that, if it hadn't been postponed by the brand team to come out after my Magic novel, it would've been on shelves before the "end of '08" cutoff. :-(

My agent loves the book, and I know he'll be happy to try to sell it elsewhere, but you and I both know that there's nothing even approaching a guarantee of success.

[info]charlesatan

July 18 2008, 01:57:10 UTC 3 years ago

That's a major bummer Ari.

Good luck with finding a new home for the book.

[info]paulskemp

July 18 2008, 01:58:15 UTC 3 years ago

I'm really sorry for you, Ari. Best of luck finding it a home elsewhere.

[info]matt_m_mcelroy

July 18 2008, 01:59:02 UTC 3 years ago

E-mail me when you get the chance.

[info]evildmguy

July 18 2008, 02:03:28 UTC 3 years ago

That sucks! I am sorry to read this.

I hope you can get it published through someone else!

edg

[info]neutronjockey

July 18 2008, 06:44:18 UTC 3 years ago

Dude...half your battle is won. Book written and in your agent's hands. Let the agent handle it and keep trudging forward man.

It's the suck, I know--- but I've known you 'bout the interwebs to know that this is 'old hat' for you and you'll pull through with a swift kick to their jimmy and add to with a next novel of even more fury.

Chin up Ari.

[info]dragonreader

July 18 2008, 13:09:45 UTC 3 years ago

Ari, I am so sorry to hear this. I was very much looking forward to Shades. I just don't understand what WOTC is doing with all the cancelations lately. especially after all the time you and others have put into these novels. Time you can't ever get back. It just doesn't seem right to me.

I hope you will find a new home for the book. If you do make sure you let us know.

Again, I am so sorry to hear this.

[info]jetthomasboat

July 18 2008, 19:34:40 UTC 3 years ago

Sorry to hear that. I-I don't actually know who you are, but I mean I still feel for you.

[info]charlesatan

July 18 2008, 01:53:52 UTC 3 years ago

Sad news. =(

And I was looking forward to the upcoming Discoveries books.

[info]beezermn

July 18 2008, 03:06:52 UTC 3 years ago

Can you elaborate on the Eberron comment, Paul? I haven't heard anything... I feel so out of the loop.

Thanks.

[info]dragonreader

July 18 2008, 13:13:59 UTC 3 years ago

Well it appears both Marcy and Jeff have had their novels cancelled. Perhaps there are other we don't know if yet. I know amazon.com has removed Rich Wulf's novel and Edward Bolme's as well. I don't know if that means they have been axed as well (it is possible they have just been postponed or something, but it doesn't bode well in my opinion).

And what doesn't make sense, is that all 4 of these authors are ones whose novels were top-notch.

[info]realmswalker

July 18 2008, 15:35:44 UTC 3 years ago

This is terrible news. I have just started reading the Eberron line and actually cut my teeth on Marcy's "Legacy of Wolves".

Does this mean there will be no more Ebberron novels?

[info]dragonreader

July 18 2008, 15:42:35 UTC 3 years ago

I don't think it means that there will be no more Eberron novels. There are still novels on the schedule by Keith Baker, Don Bassingthwaite, James Wyatt and others. I have not heard anything about those being canceled, so I am assuming they are still on.

[info]paulskemp

July 18 2008, 16:38:03 UTC 3 years ago

Does this mean there will be no more Ebberron novels?

I wouldn't draw that conclusion either. As far as I've ever heard, the Eberron line was doing just fine. Could be some shuffling going on, but I wouldn't necessarily generalize it to the line overall.

[info]mrockwell

July 18 2008, 20:54:06 UTC 3 years ago

No, it does not mean there will be no more Eberron novels -- that was a question I specifically asked my editor when I got the news. So no worries there.

[info]tgreenf

July 18 2008, 03:58:48 UTC 3 years ago

Bad news on Eberron isn't totally unexpected. While I have seen a few fantastic books from Eberron, I've also run in to plenty that kind of fell short of my expectations. Of course, a high bar was set for those writers by Forgotten Realms.

[info]dragonreader

July 18 2008, 13:18:13 UTC 3 years ago

Well it is unexpected to fans of the Eberron novels. Especialy since the ones cancelled were bein written by fan favorites. Everyone has there own tastes. And I for one have thought the recent Eberron novels have all been top-notch. As have the recent Forgotten Realms novels.

[info]jetthomasboat

July 18 2008, 19:33:23 UTC 3 years ago

I whole-heartedly agree with Dragon here.

[info]tgreenf

July 18 2008, 21:30:11 UTC 3 years ago

hey hey i didnt mean any offense and yea everyone has their own tastes. just saying that to mine alot have fallen short. but there were many exceptional ones, i agree. personally i really enjoyed Tim Waggoner's work, but i found that some others spent less time on characters and more time describing the world. and that's just my take on it. you don't have to take it as a personal attack.

[info]jetthomasboat

July 18 2008, 21:34:16 UTC 3 years ago

I'm sorry if it came off that way, but same here. I didn't think it was an attack. I felt that way about the first Eberron book I tried, like a year ago, but since then, I've read ones that I think incoporate parts of the world with the characters very well.

[info]tgreenf

July 18 2008, 22:28:40 UTC 3 years ago

now on that I can agree. with books like Thieves of Blood, i felt that the characters were well defined and the dark tone of Eberron was also well incorporated.

[info]dragonreader

July 18 2008, 23:49:46 UTC 3 years ago

No worries tgreenf, I did not think you meant any offense. Plus you didn't say anything bad anyway. I was just meaning that I personally and others were surprised because I have only heard good things about the authors whose books got cancelled.

[info]neutronjockey

July 18 2008, 06:47:56 UTC 3 years ago

Not a surprising move...but a dissapointing one nonetheless.
The world needs more publishers willing to gamble on new talent (or focus solely on new talent).

Bummer..it had such a polished hype and ring to it.

[info]emeraldlich

July 18 2008, 15:27:23 UTC 3 years ago

Wow.

So much for submitting something to the Discoveries line, then.

Guess my road to getting published won't go through the land of Hasbro.

And for the authors affected by their recent decisions, I'm so sorry. You guys are talented writers who deserve way better than this.

[info]sheriffjoe

July 18 2008, 23:45:16 UTC 3 years ago

I would so boycott anything Wizards puts out from now on if I didn't have other LJ friends who are writing for them and who deserve the support. But whoever is running things up there with Hasbro or Wizards or whoever, they really do have their collective heads firmly entrenched in their butts. They should all be fired...suddenly and unexpectedly...see how THEY like it. Probably a lot fewer people would be negatively affected.

Then again, I am violently loyal to my authors...some of whom have become good friends...and right now, Wizards is on my BIG TIME s*** list. BOO! HISS!!!
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