Shatner and Nimoy are Kirk and Spock so they should be on the book covers

Why is Abrams viewed as the second coming?

I am glad that both universes are still being covered. Will the novels in the new universe clear up the contrivance of Kirk going from cadet to Captain in the new movie? A plot point that I found stupid

(still in AP’s doghouse, back by the litterbox and snarling dog)

I haven’t bought any Star Trek fiction books lately for the reason that poster #34 stated – the fiction line moved into a direction that I didn’t enjoy. The editors made this choice. Others do like what they have done. That’s capitalism.

What is really sad are the decisions made by the editors, especially
Ms. Clark, regarding the Star Trek non fiction line of books.

I posted a request back when Ms. Clark had a Q & A column at the Simon and Schuster website about publishing the definitive reference book on the Starship Enterpise, while everyone who had contributed to the legend of NCC-1701 could have their stories told. Her response was “we really know what you fans want!” and went on to detail that they were working on such a project.

Time passed, with many more people asking how the project was progressing. Answer – working on it, still working on it, etc.

Finally, the project gets cancelled because “the numbers never worked out right,” despite the continued interest shown by their customer base that they really wanted to see this book in print, and that they would pay a premium price point for it if it were done well.

And very soon after the cancellation, Matt Jefferies passed on.

Anthony Pascale, in your post #32 you made mention of the 2008 non fic books that didn’t so well, and buyers from the big retailers weren’t interested in them. I’m not being rude or disrespectful here, I’m being honest. The reason why the books didn’t sell well is that they weren’t very good.

Star Trek 101 was a book that most Trek fans or their friends didn’t need to read – there was nothing in it that wasn’t in another reference book already on the Trek reader’s shelf.

Star Trek Star Charts was a rehash of “Worlds of the Federation” and “Star Trek Maps.”

There is no very compelling reason to buy the reprints of the Star Trek Compendium simply for the page or two added for whatever new movie that wasn’t in the the previous version. The compromises made to get The Deep Space Nine Companion printed (low quality paper, black and white pictures, etc.) made sure that I wasn’t going to buy it.

Star Trek Origami?

The editors in the Pocket Trek office produced a bunch of inferior non fic Trek books that their readers didn’t want, then then cite the fact that they didn’t sell as why they won’t publish the books that their readers do want.

Look at a copy of ” The Making of Star Wars” by Jonathan Rinzler. This book essentially redefined the “making of the movie” book genre, and “The Making of the Empire Strikes Back” is due next year. Lorne Petersen’s book, “Sculpting A Galaxy” features pictures of the models that he worked on in the ILM Model Shop and the stories behind them. There aren’t any Trek counterparts to these Star Wars books, and there should be – before more of the people who contributed to making Trek pass on and their stories are never told.

Again, I don’t wish ill will towards anyone, and good luck to Ms. Clark in her future endeavors. But the Star Trek nonfiction books that were published during her tenure didn’t sell not because the Internet is a better resource, or that the books weren’t popular with fans anymore – they are. Trek fans saw that they were being offered an inferior product and would not support it.

And guess what, you don’t always get everything you want in life, but there is no need to get petulant about it.

The moral of the story is: George Lucas did it the right way by creating Lucasfilm. He can have his company coordinate everything with Star Wars. Star Trek has essentially two different owners, with countless contracts to other subdivisions that once were or weren’t part of Viacom (deeta deeta deet).

In fairness, I wasn’t being specific about a publisher there. I just think it was wrong-headed of whoever published the non-fiction material not to have the tie-in books ready for May!

And Pocket really ought to have liaised with the production team well in advance and had ‘new universe’ novels published by now. There was a long (pre-)production period and a six month delay in releasing the film, so the fact that the first tie-in novel isn’t due till a year after release seems bonkers when there are related comicbooks already going to trade paperback compilations!

You are correct; I was rude. And I do apologize.

My misinformed rant was due to the fact that I was frustrated and perplexed over the lack of any non-fiction related to the film. I transferred those feeling to Pocket Books because they have been the sole provider of Trek fiction and non-fiction titles for a long while (unless I’m mistaken).