Author Topic: Crazy Germans...  (Read 5624 times)

Spriggan

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #15 on: December 07, 2004, 09:11:37 AM »
Thanks for the heads up, sheesh, you know it takes us several weeks to hide the china and ferrets.
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The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #16 on: December 07, 2004, 09:34:56 AM »
you've got but 10 days. sorry. I was thinking about not saying anything, since I'd have to put pressure on you guys to gather at all. But, since I have to tell EUOL to blurb his own EUOLogy next week, I figured it'd come out anyway.

Prometheus

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #17 on: December 07, 2004, 06:38:05 PM »
Congratulations, EOUL! 17th is looking clear to my knowledge, but December is nasty with those ninja party invitations.
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fuzzyoctopus

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #18 on: December 07, 2004, 08:43:53 PM »
Yeah, I actually might be OFF that day.  
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stacer

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #19 on: December 07, 2004, 10:40:51 PM »
I will be there two weeks later. Too bad. But if any of y'all are around then, I'll be there from the 29th-5th. (Old roommate's wedding on the 30th.)
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Olaf

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #20 on: December 21, 2005, 05:27:15 AM »
Hi Brandon,
I was wondering which German publisher bought the rights to Elantris?

Something to keep in mind about the German market. About 90% of all books published by the sf/f imprints are mass-market originals. Some publishers do trade paperbacks of the titles they expect to sell well and even fewer do hardcover editions of their most successful writers. Even Robert Jordan and Raymond Feist are released in mass-market paperbacks, Tad Williams, however, is released in hardcover and a major mainstream bestseller in Germany.

EUOL

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2005, 07:57:10 PM »
Olaf,

German rights went to Heine.  Thanks for the info on the publishers.  Tell me, are there a lot of German fantasy writers?  What percentage of books you see on the shelf come from foreign markets?  
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Olaf

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #22 on: December 23, 2005, 03:52:19 AM »
Heyne (rather than Heine) is a good publisher. They do nice trade paperbacks for their most prestigious writers. Though no hardcovers.

I would say that between 90 and 95 % of all fantasy and science fiction published in Germany comes from foreign markets. Most of these from the US and UK. A small percentage from eastern Eurpean countries (Stanislaw Lem, Strugatzki brothers).

Olaf

EUOL

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #23 on: December 23, 2005, 08:17:42 AM »
As I've grown to understand this business more, I've learned that a nice trade paperback can be as good as a hardback, at least from a marketing standpoint.  Bookstores tend to keep them on the shelves longer than both hardbacks and mass market paperbacks, and the profit margins are very good on them.  We're seeing more and more publishers over here turn to them for initial releases.  Some believe that only Tor's overpowering presence in the fantasy market (and their insistence on hardbacks) keeps the US hardback fantasy market going so strong.  
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Olaf

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #24 on: December 23, 2005, 05:15:29 PM »
Well, the recent Heyne trade paperbacks have been very successfull and several have made it onto the mainstream bestseller list. Stan Nicholls trilogy about Orcs for example was a huge bestseller over here. In trade paperback.

stacer

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #25 on: December 24, 2005, 02:59:07 PM »
I think that trade paperbacks are a nice compromise between quality and price. You get a nice-looking book that'll hold up for a while, and you pay usually under $10 for it, as opposed to $20-30. Especially working with a teen market (as I do), that means that if the teen has $30 to spend, she will be be able to buy 3 books instead of just one--or buy A book, and have money leftover for makeup, rather than having to choose between a favorite book and something else she wants to get. (insert "video game" or something for "makeup" if you're talking about a boy)
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MsFish

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #26 on: December 25, 2005, 02:52:06 AM »
Most trades I've seen are between $10 and $15.  Course, those were in literary mainstream, so maybe that's why.
« Last Edit: December 25, 2005, 02:52:50 AM by MsFish »
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dark prophecy

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #27 on: December 25, 2005, 05:53:34 AM »
very nice. Glad to hear it. Sorry I couldn't stay longer at the signing the other day in Poky. I've been hurting for sleep for a while now. Working at this hotel can keep a brother nice and tired some days... :-/
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Lanternpost

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #28 on: December 26, 2005, 03:21:20 PM »
I am really disappoint that TOR does not utilize the trade paperback more often.  Three releases of Elantris would give Brandon more attention and sales than two.  More book sales, more money in the pocket.  And not only because of book sales.  What is an author's earnings off of an eight dollar paperback?  Between thirty and forty cents?  When the author is likely to make close to ten percent with trade paperbacks.  Of course the publisher would probably make a little more too, which is all the more reason to make the books available in trade paperback a full year before mass market.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2005, 03:23:04 PM by Lanternpost »
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EUOL

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Re: Crazy Germans...
« Reply #29 on: December 27, 2005, 01:01:35 AM »
Tor is doing more and more of them, from what I understand.  However, their current philosophy is to do the trade paperback THIRD, rather than second.

The idea is to do a big hardback release on a new book.  Then, about a year later, do a mass-market to get as many copies of the book out there as possible to do publicity for the next hardback.  Then, a few years later, release a trade paperback that can sit on the shelves for a while.  

I've only seen them do this with a few books so far, but I think you'll see more in the future.  
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