Changes afoot for the Fate of the Jedi paperbacks

UPDATE 11/11: Sue Rostoni says that Del Rey is dropping the plan to print the Fate of the Jedi paperbacks as premiums. They will be the regular mass market.

Someone asked a question about the higher price ($9.99) listed for the first Fate of the Jedi paperback reprint over at StarWars.com, and today we get an answer from Sue Rostoni:

They’re making the books a little larger and calling them “premium” paperbacks — they’re 3/4″ taller and a touch wider. Seems to be the trend in paperbacks now. I don’t know yet whether this change is for all our paperbacks, or just the FotJ ones…

The format has been around for a while, but I can’t recall seeing it on any SF/F before…

UPDATE: See the comments for pictures of a premium format paperback with a trade and mass market.

EUbits: This week in Mara, Filoni will speak, Rostoni schedules, Irvine hints, Bohnhoff on philosophy

Namesake corner. Mara Jade is one of Crave’s ten female characters that would kick your face in. Uhh, thanks? I think. Also, apparently the Galaxies trading card game has another Mara card, yet again with art that I don’t totally hate (fourth row here, in wallpaper size and everything. Despite smearing their first offering with an April Fools, I don’t dislike it. One just gets a bit tired of the leather jumpsuit T&A, though it does come in handy for mocking up a cover for the faux smut.)

The Clone Wars. Dave Filoni will be appearing on tonight’s ForceCast Live.

Upcoming. Sue Rostoni confirms that Kemp’s Crosscurrent sequel will get a June 2011 release, pushing the Reaves/Bohnhoff holostar novel up to March. And Alex Irvine drops a few hints about what to expect from his Nomi Sunrider novel. And some people say there are too many big 3 novels…

The blogside. Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff looks at Star Wars as philosophy. (Psst… Googling ‘Midichlorian Rhapsody’ brings up this, filk fans.)

Wait, what? At first I was just rolling my eyes at a visual dictionary for LEGO Star Wars, but now it’s getting the most extensive string of bookstore events yet. Boggling. Well, I guess the kids like it.

New schedule, new titles, new authors from Sue

We’re at JadeCon, having a blast – and I’m just taking a brief email break, and what should come up on my feed reader but a brand-spanking new book schedule from Sue Rostoni? I can’t even wrap my brain around the date changes right now, but here’s the big news:

  • Fifth and final Clone Wars book (Karen Miller) is Gambit: Siege. March 2010.
  • July 2010 will be a “coming attraction by well-known author.” Nothing more to be revealed. Sean Williams, maybe?
  • September 2010. A book that only “might” come to be.
  • A second book by Joe Schreiber (not a Death Troopers sequel) is coming October 5, 2010.
  • Fate of the Jedi book seven (Allston) is titled Conviction. April 2011.
  • The tentative title for Zahn’s Allegiance sequel is Choices. September 2011.
  • October 2011 bring a new author: Jeff Grubb.

Our book release schedule will be updated… Uhh, soon. Soonish.

In other news, she has confirmed that the Boba Fett book and Blood Oath are both canceled.

Book and canon comments from Rostoni and Chee

First up, some very good news for the Fate of the Jedi fans in the crowd. Today, editor Sue Rostoni posts:

We’re moving around some pub dates, so stay tuned. Next week I’ll be posting a blog reflecting the revised calendar. The major change is that we’ve moved some of the Fate of the Jedi novels, beginning next year, to give the authors a bit more time to write …. longer novels. We conjured up a few beefy subplots to add to the mix that are really going to increase action, tension, and characters and wanted to be sure each author has enough time to really develop and write the stories without a lot of rush.

Many folks were upset by the slimness of Outcast and Omen, so bigger books are good news. Head under the cut for the canon stuff. Continue reading “Book and canon comments from Rostoni and Chee”

SDCC ’09 video: Fate of the Jedi panel

Huh.

EUC has uploaded video from the panel and it’s stayed up this far. This is only the first ten minutes; keep an eye here for more.

Topics in this first bit includes the tone of the series and the relationship between Luke and Ben.

Sue Rostoni on Fate of the Jedi story conference

So I’ve pretty much given up any hope for a complete Fate of the Jedi panel report at this point (this is the last time I’ll bring it up) but Sue Rostoni did make a post on the StarWars.com forums about the Fate of the Jedi story conference that was held at SDCC. It’s not that long, all things considered, but here’s the bulk of it:

I feel honored to be able to contribute creatively and watch the really talented people take a small idea and come up with captivating situations. And the interaction among the authors works exceptionally. Christie would have a spark of an idea that Aaron would hit on and set up in his book; Troy would see something developing in Christie’s book that he’d want to finish off; some small throw-away line would become a set-up for something happening somewhere else…

EUbits: Blood Oath, Invasion, Rebel Force, Insider and Matthew Stover branches out

The Blood Oath mysteryCannot predict now. Despite the reappearance of Elaine Cunningham’s Blood Oath in the Del Rey online catalog with a 2010 release date, we still don’t know if the book will make it to publication. Sue Rostoni said yesterday: “Can’t say yet. Still don’t have the entire manuscript.” (She also answers some questions about the Crosscurrent cover.)

  • Invasion. EU Cantina has an interview with Tom Taylor and Colin Wilson.
  • Holostar. Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff on the Force and the light/dark divide.
  • Rebel Force. Randy Martinez talks about his covers for the Scholastic series.
  • Star Wars Insider. #111 has a Clone Wars cover (how novel!) and a peek at The Essential Star Wars Atlas. It’s due by the end of the month.
  • Authors. Matthew Stover is writing at least one God of War book for Del Rey, or at least that’s what several gaming sites are saying. There’s something in the Random House catalog at any rate.

Editor Sue Rostoni on Blood Oath

Sue has stopped in at the VIP thread at StarWars.com with an update:

…We’re all doing our best to keep it in the line-up and, if the manuscript comes in soon, the book will be moved again, maybe to April 2010. If there’s no manuscript, then it’ll have to be dropped. Events beyond the author’s control, or wishes, have caused the delays. I know, that really doesn’t tell you much, but it’s not my story to tell, ya know?

UPDATE: Today, Sue elaborates on why the manuscript has to be in at a certain point… And what it has to do with FOTJ.

EUbits: Adventures, Kemp, Bohnhoff, TCW, Invasion, Threat of Peace

swa1

  • Preview: Take a peek at the first issue of the new Star Wars Adventures digest. Apparently some have found it in the UK, but there’s been no sign of it on Diamond so I wouldn’t go looking just yet.
  • The Blogside: Paul S. Kemp has thoughts on writing Crosscurrent, while Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff has two updates in her Padawan’s Journal series: Protocol Droids and Velveteen Bunnies and Mistakes Were Made.
  • The Clone Wars: Don’t expect to see a paperback of Karen Traviss’ Clone Wars novel anytime soon – There are no plans to release one, says Sue Rostoni. If you absolutely must have a paperback, look to the UK version.
  • Comics: DarkHorse.com has a new From the Editor, about Invasion. (Nothing we don’t already know, but we can expect an announcement in a week or so.)
  • Webcomics: Third and fourth updates in The Old Republic‘s Threat of Peace.