More Scott Lynch news

Anne Groell just got in touch with me, and here's the lowdown on Scott Lynch's The Republic of Thieves (Canada, USA, Europe).

If she receives a final manuscript before April 16th, then we are looking at a spring 2010 pub date. If not, then we are looking at summer 2010 and beyond. . .

Alas, it looks as though this book will be postponed once again. . .

14 commentaires:

Cecrow said...

I always wonder how they come up with cover art before seeing the manuscript ...

Anonymous said...

Usually, the author already has an idea of what's going to happen in his book. In the case of Mr. Lynch, since he already know how many books he wants to write, he must have a synopsis of every book. And most ofthe time, the Author/editor want to get some art/concept/sketchs of whats going to be in a book to help with publicity and creation in general.

Matt said...

Ok Pat, where are the recriminations here? It's clear that they are just milking the loyal fan for money, they will probably put the price up due to the delay.

Hypocrite.

Todd Moses said...

I'm not really disappointed by these delays anymore.

I still have lost of other stuff to read, and the NHL playoffs are right around the corner!

The Amazing Buttcrack said...

Dear Matt,

Dude, you should get your facts straight before bitching like this and calling Pat a hypocrite, or else you'll always make an ass of yourself.

How can there be recriminations towards people at Bantam when it's Lynch who's late again in delivering the final manuscript. So no one is milking the fans for there is nothing to milk them with.

But don't worry, we won't hold it against you, as you are obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. Now go download some porn and leave this discussion to people who actually have something to say.

Best regards. . .

Downloader of Porn said...

I resent that!

Matt said...

My point was about the amazing amount of disgust shown about the decision to split the three books by a business doing their job; making money. But when an author doesn't hand in their manuscript on time, that's fine.

I will admit I was angry when I wrote that and it wasn't very well thought out because they are different things, but the one I would be more angry about is the author not handing in a manuscript, not necessarily Scott Lynch but that other best selling author that Pat appears to be friends with.

My respect for Pat as a reviewer and a recommender (is that a word? If not I claim coinage rights) is still massive, its just that this last week since the Tor story broke it feels to me as though Pat was picking a fight rather than take a look at Sanderson's long post about what was happening and why. You may call me naive but I tend to think that what Sanderson is saying is true.

On a personal note, Pat I apologise for calling you a hypocrite. Your blog; your rules, but I just think forwarding your readers to Sanderson's blog post on this matter rather than say he "chimes in" would have looked better.
The Amazing Buttcrack thanks for your comment for making me reread and reevaluate, I hope you understand now why I said what I said even if it was harsh.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, can we just forget about tracking books that aren't even partially delivered? What's the point in this?

Jebus said...

Yeah I kinda agree with Anon with that one. Let's concentrate on and read the myriad great books we have on our bookshelves right now and we'll get the ones we're waiting for when they are done, with not a day saved by complaining and malingering.

That being said - FINISH YOUR FUCKING BOOKS YOU LAZY SODS!!! ;-P

Patrick said...

Hey Matt,

There is indeed a link to Sanderson's post on the subject. Perhaps you missed it?

For the record, I've corresponded with Brandon Sanderson on the matter last week and again this week. The author asked that we keep our conversations private, so that's that. I've known Brandon longer than I've known Scott Lynch, and I don't think I'm more "friends" with either one of them more than with the other.

Of course I'm upset that we'll likely have to wait even longer for a book that's been postponed three times already, I believe. But this is not due to a corporate decision which elected to split the book into a number of installments so we'll have to spend more money to read it.

That's my problem with Tor Books' decision to split AMoL into three volumes. I'm mad because it could easily be done into two volumes. Forcing us to purchase a third installment is, in my own humble opinion, unacceptable. Yes, I've read Brandon's post and Harriet's interview, and I don't buy it.

That's basically what I told Brandon. It's now his turn to prove me wrong and show everyone that AMoL truly needed three volumes so the story can be told the way RJ envisioned it. Nobody wants Brandon Sanderson to succeed in this literary endeavor more than I do. Yes, I've said many times that I don't feel he's the "perfect fit" for the gig. And yes, I'll be happy to shout it from every rooftop if he blows my socks off with killer books. Until then, I stick to my guns and continue to feel cheated that AMoL will be split three-way and we must wait till 2011 to see how it all ends.

Only time will tell if I'm right. Yet I hope I'm wrong.

Now, The Amazing Buttcrack's post may have been a bit harsh, but he did demonstrate that the two situations are quite different. Be assured that I would blow a gasket if Bantam Dell decided to split Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS into two or three volumes just to make money. The same goes for Bantam Press, if they decided to split Steven Erikson's DUST OF DREAMS into many installments instead of a single novel.

So no, I'm not trying to pick up a fight with Brandon Sanderson, Tom Doherty, and Tor Books. But until they prove me that this move was necessary in order to get the story right, I will continue to believe that it's a corporate decision meant to bring in more money from loyal WoT fans.

As I said, time will tell. Time will also tell whether or not Lynch will turn in that final manuscript on time...

Anonymous said...

Hey Pat

Just out of curiosity... why would it take more than a year to publish the Republic of thieves if SL hands in the manuscript by April 16th?

I do not know how the publishing industry function, but if the auhtor has finished writing the book why would it take an year to publish it?

Any sagacious advice?

Patrick said...

It usually takes about a year for a final manuscript to go through production and be published.

There is also a question of the publisher having a slot to release it. Sometimes, a delay of a couple of weeks might result in a delay of a few months in terms of pub date if there are no slots available...

Anonymous said...

Why do you guys care so much about a book being divided to make more money? It's their right to make money however they see fit. Yeah, it bothers me that I'll have to pay extra for a story, but I don't see how anyone can hold it against anyone if they decide to divide a book in order to increase profits.

It's not like they have a 500 page story and are simply dividing the story in two novels with 250 pages each. We'll get our content, and the money will be worth it.

Joshua said...

So, this comment is a few stories behind, but anyway:

Pat, have you heard anything about Lynch's collection of short stories (Bastards and Knives)? Do we know if they even exist on paper yet?