[Shadowswordfan]

... ... ... .

[Alex]

Just a quick question.... If she has started to work on book 4 as she says why is the "sword from red ice" scheduled for a december 2007 release?
I'm no editor or such but if it would take a book 1.5 years after completion to hit the shelves It would take the fastest writing author 2 years to put a book on the shelves....

Well, I've been waiting for the next book in this series for a long time, guess I can wait a while longer...

[Shadowswordfan]

.... .... ..

[Physics Knight]

Fortinutly for me, I've only just started A Cavern of Black Ice so I have some JVJ to tide me over, and I won't have to wait like five years or something for Sword from Red Ice. But then the wait will begin and that will suck.

[Blog_the_troll]

Any publishers frequenting this forum? How difficult is it to publish a finished book. Just bung it through the press. If it needs proof reading then send me a copy and I'll have it done in a week!

[Steven Savile]

What you need to consider is not the physical printing but all the rest of it. The book needs to go into the publisher's catalogue to go to distributors and then bought by distributors and then bought by store buyers. Right now distributors are buying for Feb next year, for instance. In a couple of months they will be doing Spring/Summer. But those publisher catalogues need to be produced, artwork commissioned etc. Even if it went to the publisher today it'd be a minimum of 9-12 months to see it on a shelf...

[Rob B]

I hope you aren't posting this a second time just to advertise your own Web site shadows. SFFWorld doesn't allow new members to post only to link to their own Web sites.

[Mithfânion]

This is a farce though. Jones handed in the manuscript in December 2005, as she stated at the time at her website. We still have the threads here to prove it. At the time people thought it would at least be published by the end of the year, but Orbit have decided to treat her as dog **** and publish her not at the end of 2006, but the end of 2007. That is nearly two full years since she handed in the manuscript. I'm sorry but that is ridiculous by any means, and uncommon in the Fantasy industry, especially not for a noted author. A year, yeah that happens, but not two.

Imagine of Bantam and Voyager treated GRR Martin like this, you'd see Dance with Dragons in November 2008, and still wouldn't actually have had Feast for Crows.

Yes, Jones was very late. But the delay we see now is insane, and very much the publisher's fault. Why not slot her in in the Spring? Or Summer?

[JonLaidlow]

Of course it could be that the publishers feel that there just isn't an easy market for JV Jones at the moment. Many of the readers who have been waiting this long for the conclusion will have forgotten about her or forgotten what happened. If it was me, I'd want to relaunch the series with a reissue of vols 1 and 2 in new covers, and I'd want to do it properly, when my publishing slate wasn't full with new authors or the new books from big names. 2007 might be the best time to do it, in their opinion. Plus you seem to suggest that its not the last book in the sequence, so maybe they want some assurance that they'll get that manuscript on time too..

Not a criticism of JVJ, just a thought

[JohnH]

Of course it could be that the publishers feel that there just isn't an easy market for JV Jones at the moment. Many of the readers who have been waiting this long for the conclusion will have forgotten about her or forgotten what happened.

I'm not sure how delaying the publication by more than a year serves as a means to reminds readers of the series. Not mention that the genre itself is hardly a stranger to delays and long gaps between segments in a series.

If it was me, I'd want to relaunch the series with a reissue of vols 1 and 2 in new covers, and I'd want to do it properly, when my publishing slate wasn't full with new authors or the new books from big names.

Re-issues happen all the time regardless of who else in on the horizon. And re-issues with new cover art might not be the way to go to remind old readers who already have the books; it might be all well and good to try and trick readers who think a "new" book is coming out -- or nabbing new readers who passed initially. Regardless, re-issues are hardly going to be effected by a "full slate".

In the U.K. and U.S. both of the books are in print. So I really don't see how bringing them out again is anything but redundant. Not to mention confusing.
Why spend money that would be essentially throwing good money after bad to put even more copies out of what is already available on the market? As opposed to putting out what isn't out there at all but presumably does have a willing and able market no matter how small it might have beome over time.

2007 might be the best time to do it, in their opinion. Plus you seem to suggest that its not the last book in the sequence, so maybe they want some assurance that they'll get that manuscript on time too..

Except that the facts would say otherwise. Since Jones announced her completion, both Tor and Orbit (though not sure what Tor and Jones' relationship is at the moment) have scheduled books that still have not be written. Scheduled to be to be published between December of 2005 and 2007. What's more, neither Tor not Orbit have a set schedule, never have and never will. Let alone one that is locked in place for the next year or so that would prevent bringing the book out if they really wanted. In January of 2006, Tor's actual schedule was about nine months out tentatively and 14 months out as possible but hardly probable. Orbit's even less so.

I don't see how waiting on the book is really going to help sales.

It is quite obvious that even "going it right" the two publishers could have gotten the book out by last initial date of Dec 06. For some reasons or other they don't. And again, I'm not sure what the status is of Jones' U.S. publisher. Tor had stepped away after taking her on from Warner and no third book seemed to be coming along any time soon. But I'm not sure that Tor didn;t retain some sort of first look rights if she managed to ever complete the book. I know two authors who have a clause for their international sales that waive publication to their primary U.S. publisher. Depending on how Jones signed her contract with Orbit, this may be key to the delay.

Another reason might be that one or both publishers had planned for book three to actually end the trilogy (I believe it was sold as such initially wasn't it?). Now they find out it won't. Considering her history, the publishers might want to see something of that fourth book in terms of not only not having to sit on a stalled series for a couple of more years but also to see where exactly Jones is going. I could understand a strategy of waiting until book fourth is ready for first edit so that when book three comes out the publisher knows book four in well in the works.

Certainly that would make more sense than sitting on it and hoping that somehow by not publishing it, readers will find out about the book and the series and be ready for it in Dec. of 2007.

If Tor passes, I wonder if Orbit US will take the series back for Warner? If Orbit is trying to get US rights to book two and get back rights to book one, that might have something to do with the delay as well. Because certainly when aSfRI finally hits the shelves a reprinting of the first two in paperback will be in order to up the stock levels.

But all in all? Plenty of time has passed if her publishers wanted the book out. No matter how full the docket.