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The Dresden Files => DF Spoilers => Topic started by: morriswalters on April 16, 2022, 12:12:09 PM
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The Law (https://www.amazon.com/Law-Dresden-Files-Novella-Book/dp/B09Y26JXWM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3M6BP2HGI1P3U&keywords=the+law+dresden+files&qid=1650110676&sprefix=the+law+dresden+files%2Caps%2C69&sr=8-1). Evidently we have half a story (17.5) before Twelve months and only on Audible.
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I pre-ordered immediately in an attempt to provide positive reinforcement for the idea of more Dresden.
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I do not like that at all. If someone writes a story it should be widely available for a reasonable price not something for a subscription I do not want. Hopefully it will be available via normal channels later.
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I do not like that at all. If someone writes a story it should be widely available for a reasonable price not something for a subscription I do not want. Hopefully it will be available via normal channels later.
It may also be available in print, reddit wasn't clear. I won't be buying in either case.
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It’s Bigfoot all over again.
However it is being read by Jim himself. I wonder if this falls outside his normal publication agreement and consequently his divorce settlement? It may be a way of making quick money for himself.
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I do not like that at all. If someone writes a story it should be widely available for a reasonable price not something for a subscription I do not want. Hopefully it will be available via normal channels later.
Amen
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It's 2 hours 46 minutes, and Jim reads it himself.... no Marsters.
but if it is like Bigfoot - that WAS eventually printed... in Brief Cases ? I don't mind if he gives them a head start and some exclusive time, if he does release print at a later date. Remember he had a smaller house print Backup first, then it was rolled into Side Jobs. Jim's been good about eventually getting his work out to us without having to buy other people's fiction too, if we choose not to.
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It does mean the next short story collection is almost done, this is the big lead novella, we have Christmas Eve and the Heroic hearts story unpublished, plus the microfictions.
Call it Cold Cuts please.
THIS may be why the novella, he wants a short story collection out next year. Jim may have other short story commitments in the pipeline as well, and the novella rounds it out.
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My question is the new collection, new stories aside from this one or just a reprint collection of the ones he has already written and published in the collections with other authors?
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Does anyone know the plot or when The Law takes place in the timeline?
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After Battle Ground.
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After Battle Ground.
Might go to the library though to get it since I have all the other short stories in the anthologies that he was a part of the last few yearsl
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Jim is pretty much up to date on his shorts with Brief Cases. Only The Good People, the microfictions and his Toot story haven’t been published that are known to exist. We didn’t know about The Law until a few days ago. For all we know Jim’s been spelling chapters of the Olympian Affair with the novella and new short stories and we are going to get a book of 80% new material the same time as the Olympian Affair.
How about RANDOM SHORTS (A nice hark back to GRAVE PERIL) as a title if COLD CUTS doesn’t appeal. If it was several stories about everyone’s favourite Sprite wooing Lacuna I would go for TOOT’S SUITE.
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Personally I am really happy to get anything substantial from Butcher and is willing to pay what it takes to get it.
But I think audible offers the first credit for free, so maybe that means anyone can get this one for free if they are willing to make an account?
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So far it looks like it is an audible book only, the only reason it is free is Amazon wants you to join
their audio book club for fourteen dollars or so a month.
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Maybe Amazon requested it from Jim as part of an adaption package? To sweeten the deal on a full blown Reacher style adaption of the Dresden Files?
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Maybe Amazon requested it from Jim as part of an adaption package? To sweeten the deal on a full blown Reacher style adaption of the Dresden Files?
Or it is a "hook," to get you to join though supposedly you can quit at any time. They have something like it for Kindle, I have a friend who belongs to that. I have a Kindle, and it has it's uses, but I prefer reading the old fashioned way, turning the pages of a book. So it may be an attempt to get their sales up, and with all his personal problems the royalties might give Jim a financial boost. What I don't understand, and I know nothing about audio books is it says it is two hours long.. I wonder how that translates into pages? And will we ever see it in old fashioned book form?
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It seems to me Jim is very good about getting all his anthologized work into his own exclusive anthologies. So I would have to assume this could be the main piece in the next one, but that it will be available in print at a future date. I don't think he is close to having enough for another volume, though.
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Or it is a "hook," to get you to join though supposedly you can quit at any time. They have something like it for Kindle, I have a friend who belongs to that. I have a Kindle, and it has it's uses, but I prefer reading the old fashioned way, turning the pages of a book. So it may be an attempt to get their sales up, and with all his personal problems the royalties might give Jim a financial boost. What I don't understand, and I know nothing about audio books is it says it is two hours long.. I wonder how that translates into pages? And will we ever see it in old fashioned book form?
To give you a rough idea Peace Talks is close to 13 hours long. I'm a long time subscriber but no credits for Butcher going forward. If it's any good it will be one Libby either as a ebook or as a audiobook. As an aside if you like audio books Audible isn't a bad deal.
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So, anybody got it and has a summary?
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So, anybody got it and has a summary?
I doubt it. From Audible's website (linked in the OP):
Releases July 05, 2022
Summary:
a forthcoming novella that thrusts Chicago’s only professional Wizard, Harry Dresden, back into battle–both a legal one…and the kind with explosions.
I speculate that the Larry Fowler lawsuit is finally coming to a head... of some sort.
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I doubt it. From Audible's website (linked in the OP).
Ah, I overlooked the release date. Thanks for the heads-up!
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I speculate that the Larry Fowler lawsuit is finally coming to a head... of some sort.
Or Rudolph is trying to get him on attempted murder or some such..
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Or Rudolph is trying to get him on attempted murder or some such..
Or Harry is trying to get Rudolph for murder, but it is difficult:
1. There is only one witness: Harry himself.
2. Rudolph was hurt by Harry's attack.
3. Rudolph has damn good lawyers (OK, Harry might get help from Lara here).
4. Murder? What murder? There is no body!
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...
4. Murder? What murder? There is no body!
This is an excellent point... I don't think Murphy's murder is going to the (mundane) courts. I bet there were a substantial number of Missing Persons -- including law-enforcement -- from the Battle of Chicago.
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Jim's talked about this in a Q&A last year. It's about Harry getting back to doing PI work after Battle Ground, sort of getting back on his feet. Marcone will be involved. Check out the link for the exact words.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g6EbjOFxKY&t=17m55s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g6EbjOFxKY&t=17m55s)
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It’s going to be Harry getting his PI Licence back and negotiating the post Battle Ground Chicago. It could easily be the civil authorities such as the Mayor directly hiring Harry to investigate something significant arising out of the aftermath of the battle where he butts heads with Marcone. Harry has the full force of THE LAW behind him for the first time ever? Harry no longer operating on the fringes? Harry having to be a small p politician without Murphy to intervene on his behalf? Harry having to level up his people skills?
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Jim's talked about this in a Q&A last year. It's about Harry getting back to doing PI work after Battle Ground, sort of getting back on his feet. Marcone will be involved. Check out the link for the exact words.
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g6EbjOFxKY&t=17m55s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0g6EbjOFxKY&t=17m55s)
Thank you. I began to doubt it was real, because there was no information other than amazon.com.
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It’s going to be Harry getting his PI Licence back and negotiating the post Battle Ground Chicago. It could easily be the civil authorities such as the Mayor directly hiring Harry to investigate something significant arising out of the aftermath of the battle where he butts heads with Marcone. Harry has the full force of THE LAW behind him for the first time ever? Harry no longer operating on the fringes? Harry having to be a small p politician without Murphy to intervene on his behalf? Harry having to level up his people skills?
Harry has proven to have good political skills in the past, but it was with wizards and it did make him enemies. Remember Proven Guilty, Molly is alive because Harry proved to be as good as, and in some ways better than the Merlin on her behalf.
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Keeping Harry alive in Proven Guilty required a whole team working together. Left to his own devices Harry would have become the poster boy for the headless horseman.
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In Proven Guilty the White God intervened by having Michael turn up saving baby wardens and Senior Council.
It required the Intervention of the most powerful being in the freaking multiverse to pull Harry’s political fat out of the fire on that occasion. In Turn Coat it required merely a Mist Fiend.
It’s like when Carlos in Peace Talks has to dissuade Harry that he was NOT suited for a diplomatic role. “Oh God, Harry No!”
Harry may be taking on his greatest foe to date, his own smart mouth. If he is to be the Wizard of Chicago he needs to make it a thing to political and civil authorities of Chicago, he needs to impress them with his non-wizard skills as well as those as a wizard. Dear god, he may have to show them that he is smarter than he looks, he can hold his smart mouth, that he can respect figures of authority in their own spheres of influence, that he can be diplomatic, and most of all that he isn’t going to set the building on fire. Or blow it up. Or given his recent interest in Carlos technique, disintegrate it as a change of pace.
Harry is going to have to deal with the Mayor, the Chief of Police (“Harry Dresden, why do I know that name?”) the Fire Chief (“Harry Dresden, why do I know that name?”) etc and carry that past baggage with him. The Feds will also be interested, so he has to dance to their tune as well, and smile while he is doing it.
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Harry may be taking on his greatest foe to date, his own smart mouth. If he is to be the Wizard of Chicago he needs to make it a thing to political and civil authorities of Chicago, he needs to impress them with his non-wizard skills as well as those as a wizard. Dear god, he may have to show them that he is smarter than he looks, he can hold his smart mouth, that he can respect figures of authority in their own spheres of influence, that he can be diplomatic, and most of all that he isn’t going to set the building on fire.
He can have his new sweet wife-to-be deal with them, and take notes on it....
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Ah but Jim loves tormenting Harry, so Harry having to do the “political thing” whilst his inner monologue would just prefer a nice “Fuego” to resolve the situation is what we are likely to see.
Harry may have problems adapting some of Lara’s ‘techniques’ to his own use, and will have to figure out something which works for him.
For a start though he is going to have to sharpen up his image, and there Lara might be of some use, decent tailoring, haircut and personal grooming. Harry has worn some ridiculous things over the years, he is going to require clothing for meetings for the school, city officials etc, basically a wardrobe rather than just jeans, sneakers and humerous black tee shirts. ID Harry had the idea. I would go with a white shirt with proper double cuffs, black waistcoat (with mechanical pocket watch) , black trousers and black shoes, no tie but the amulet for more formal wear. Leather versions of the trousers and waistcoat Spell enhanced for battle, as The Duster allowed far too much damage to get past it in Battle Ground, swapping out for black jeans and White Tee for more casual wear. As always the duster over everything. Otherwise Mab, Lea and Molly will dress him like a Ken Doll.
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In Proven Guilty the White God intervened by having Michael turn up saving baby wardens and Senior Council ...
That was just Harry taking a leap of faith (specifically, taking Michael's leap of faith, by proxy...)
;D
... the Chief of Police (“Harry Dresden, why do I know that name?”) the Fire Chief (“Harry Dresden, why do I know that name?”) ...
<heh>
<heh-heh>
I expect that -- even with an image-upgrade by Lara -- Jim would write at least some of this to run Harry through the wringer!
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I forgot the Chief Building Inspector (‘Harry Dresden, why do I know that name”) the Head Librarian (“Hello Harry, you have three books overdue, and we aren’t accepting the excuse that you were dead for six months, and then marooned on an spooky island for 18 months, pay up or replace them. They were burnt in a fire weren’t they?)
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I forgot the Chief Building Inspector (‘Harry Dresden, why do I know that name”) ...
;D
Jim could launch a whole new line of Harry-Torment, as various city, county, & state officials (maybe even some fed!) begin a conversation with "Harry Dresden, why do I know that name..."
Harry grits his teeth, and counts to one hundred
by prime numbers
in Latin (because guilt & self-flagellation, thy name is Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden)
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Pratchett did this with Vimes, I can easily see Jim doing this with Harry.
If you are going to borrow, borrow from the greats, it shows good taste.
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Ok, I am worried.
I don't understand audiobooks too well. I hope this is going to be eventually published some way I can read.
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I would guess yes after a period of exclusivity.
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It will be published either as part of a Story Collection, or I am wondering as part of a fix up novel maybe the already announced Twelve Months? With Christmas Eve plus other new material. The Big Foot Stories were re-published as Part of Brief Cases, bulking up that collection and enabling Jim to use River Shoulders in Peace Talks and Battle Ground.
Fix ups are where connected stories were published in the likes of Analogue or Fantasy and Science Fiction and then republished with new connective material in book form. Foundation and Voyage of the Space Beagle are examples of Fix up novels.
If so I doubt The Good People and Little Things would be part of a fix up novel as they are not Harry’s point of view, and they will be republished in the next short story collection, hopefully called COLD CUTS if they involve Harry as Winter Knight.
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Ok, I am worried.
I don't understand audiobooks too well. I hope this is going to be eventually published some way I can read.
Yeah, the "exclusive" part pisses me off a wee bit.. I don't buy them, have no desire to, I prefer to and have the time to read my books. This is a strict marketing ploy designed to "hook" more customers for Amazon, and apparently Jim is going along with it.
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It means you can’t buy it from the Apple Store or other audio book market places, so definitely an Amazon marketing ploy. When published in hard copy format Amazon have no hope of keeping it exclusive to them. They hope you will buy the rest of the series on audible, get audible pay money to Amazon.
Obviously Jeff Bezos is Black Council in the Dresdenverse.
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It means you can’t buy it from the Apple Store or other audio book market places, so definitely an Amazon marketing ploy. When published in hard copy format Amazon have no hope of keeping it exclusive to them. They hope you will buy the rest of the series on audible, get audible pay money to Amazon.
Obviously Jeff Bezos is Black Council in the Dresdenverse.
Amen, though I buy a lot of crap from Amazon and enrich Mr Bezos, I am not going to switch to audible books just for him, nor for Jim as far as that goes. Still love the Dresden Files but I am not going to buy a format that doesn't fit me. I understand that others like audible books for a number of reasons and I respect that and see nothing wrong with them.
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I got Audible when I had significant vision impairment for several months. The first thing I bought was the Bigfoot Stories, they weren’t published in text until 2 years later.
It’s like Zoom and Facetime they are both good enough for the deaf to lip read or sign on, so having a mobile phone for the deaf has made their life so much easier, rather than be a distasteful joke.
So to the extent it is giving a bonus to the visually impaired community then I do not regret pre-ordering on Audible. It’s just that the evil ferromancer Bezo’s doesn’t need my money.
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I could care less about Bezos or Musk or any other Robber Baron. I'm not income restrained and I've had Audible for years. It will come out sooner or later on the library lending service either alone or in some type of bundle. I also suspect it will sooner or later end up on Kindle and as a paper book. But he made me wait six years for a new book and then he gave me a sub par performance, IMO. Now Butcher needs to earn my trust to entice me to spend my dollars on him.
Having said all that it does make me wonder if something is going on in the background.
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I could care less about Bezos or Musk or any other Robber Baron. I'm not income restrained and I've had Audible for years. It will come out sooner or later on the library lending service either alone or in some type of bundle. I also suspect it will sooner or later end up on Kindle and as a paper book. But he made me wait six years for a new book and then he gave me a sub par performance, IMO. Now Butcher needs to earn my trust to entice me to spend my dollars on him.
Having said all that it does make me wonder if something is going on in the background.
You and me both, he also split a book into two that didn't benefit from being split into two.. And if you add up the cost of the two books it came out to more than what one bigger book would have cost. I know there are really good reasons for some who want the audible book. That is their choice and maybe their only choice. However it isn't mine nor apparently Dina's choice, we are fans just like the rest of you, so why should we be forced to buy a format that we don't want if we want to enjoy a Dresden story along with the rest of you? If Jim or his publishers are playing games with us I wish they would stop.
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You and me both, he also split a book into two that didn't benefit from being split into two.. And if you add up the cost of the two books it came out to more than what one bigger book would have cost. I know there are really good reasons for some who want the audible book. That is their choice and maybe their only choice. However it isn't mine nor apparently Dina's choice, we are fans just like the rest of you, so why should we be forced to buy a format that we don't want if we want to enjoy a Dresden story along with the rest of you? If Jim or his publishers are playing games with us I wish they would stop.
Agreed even though I am interested in audio books.
I've been looking for some information about a readable version, and I found something on Twitter. One of the answers to Jim's post: someone asks if it will be audio book only and there is an answer from podium audio:
Podium Audio
@PodiumAudio
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28. Apr.
It will be available in both audiobook and ebook formats
But so far I have found nothing, not even on subterranean press.
So there will be a ebook version someday, but no idea when.
And I think there might be a print version in an anthology containing all the microfiction on the website someday.
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And I think there might be a print version in an anthology containing all the microfiction on the website someday.
Which screams that it is some kind of marketing ploy, I think Jim needs to get a new agent. I don't think he is served by these marketing ploys in the long run.
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Which screams that it is some kind of marketing ploy, I think Jim needs to get a new agent. I don't think he is served by these marketing ploys in the long run.
I just got the idea: remember, he gave away all those microfictions in 2020 for free. Could be he was reminded to produce something fast that could be sold.
And I am thinking of "Christmas Eve", the story that was finally published in the last pages of "Battle Ground".
So yes, it totally is a marketing ploy, but I don't think you'll miss out on the story, because I believe it might be in one of the new books, either Cinder Spires or Dresden Files or a collection including all the microfictions of 2020 and "Little Things".
I definitely won't buy from US audible, but I will wait if it comes to audible.de someday.
I am sure the story will be available to everyone in their preferred format someday.
It is just sad, that we won't be able to discuss it here at the same time until then.
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I just got the idea: remember, he gave away all those microfictions in 2020 for free. Could be he was reminded to produce something fast that could be sold.
And I am thinking of "Christmas Eve", the story that was finally published in the last pages of "Battle Ground".
So yes, it totally is a marketing ploy, but I don't think you'll miss out on the story, because I believe it might be in one of the new books, either Cinder Spires or Dresden Files or a collection including all the microfictions of 2020 and "Little Things".
I definitely won't buy from US audible, but I will wait if it comes to audible.de someday.
I am sure the story will be available to everyone in their preferred format someday.
It is just sad, that we won't be able to discuss it here at the same time until then.
The question becomes, why? One is simple greed, the other is financial problems, either one is sad for him and us..
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On a business level I don't care why Butcher does what he does. I don't really know him. I know his work.
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I am going to go with the positive: maybe it is because there are negotiatings for a high quality series on Amazon prime (if that is the name of their streaming service). And this is part of those negotiations. I have not followed the news about the lord of the rings series, but it sounds like they take it serious.
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I am going to go with the positive: maybe it is because there are negotiatings for a high quality series on Amazon prime (if that is the name of their streaming service). And this is part of those negotiations. I have not followed the news about the lord of the rings series, but it sounds like they take it serious.
Something like the Jack Reacher series which did everything right that the Dresden sci fi series did wrong in an adaption. But yes, marketing across Prime and Audible does make sense in that context. Content is key these days, and there are a lot of Dresden files to adapt, and Prime doesn’t have much in the urban fantasy genre at the moment.
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The question becomes, why? One is simple greed, the other is financial problems, either one is sad for him and us..
Someone asked him to write a story and he did. We get it sooner or later
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Someone asked him to write a story and he did. We get it sooner or later
You and I both know it isn't that simple. Nor do I think it has anything to do with creating a new series on Prime. That doesn't make any sense at all if anything Amazon would want to broaden the viewership as much as possible. That isn't done by putting a Dresden Story on just one format, nor is there any proof that there are more audio users using Prime to stream than non audio users. I think the answer is in the first line of the advertisement for the story, oh this is free, then after a month for fourteen dollars or so a month you can get more audio books. Cancel anytime helps but this is what this is about.
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You and I both know it isn't that simple. Nor do I think it has anything to do with creating a new series on Prime. That doesn't make any sense at all if anything Amazon would want to broaden the viewership as much as possible. That isn't done by putting a Dresden Story on just one format, nor is there any proof that there are more audio users using Prime to stream than non audio users. I think the answer is in the first line of the advertisement for the story, oh this is free, then after a month for fourteen dollars or so a month you can get more audio books. Cancel anytime helps but this is what this is about.
Amazon has all kinds of plans with that story and other stories. Jim just sold a story. After some time Amazon loses the exclusive rights and then we can read it.
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Ok, I did not want to spark such a controversy. I was just worried I would not have the chance to read the book.
I personally do not like audiobooks too much, but my problem in this case is simply. While I can read acceptable well (obviously) I have problems understanding oral English. Many years ago, when I buy my first kindle, I used the audible free sample for Storm Front, a book that I knew almost by heart as the time, as before Ghost Story I've reread the entire series everytime a new one was released. Well, I needed to give the audiobook my whole attention to been able to barely understand what was going on. It was exhausting. I am a little more familiar with oral English now, but even so, it is difficult for me.
Of course, I think audiobooks are great, providing a chance to visually impaired people to enjoy books, and also lots of people like to listen to them while doing other things. As Mira says, that does not work for me (even in my own language, and definitely not in English).
But Regen's post made me happy. Perhaps I will have it, and I would not to need to wait so much (but if it is included in a short story book it will be fine). It could be refreshing to read Toot-Toot POV :)
Meanwhile, do you have any update in "the Olympian affair" status?
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Of course, I think audiobooks are great, providing a chance to visually impaired people to enjoy books, and also lots of people like to listen to them while doing other things. As Mira says, that does not work for me (even in my own language, and definitely not in English).
But Regen's post made me happy. Perhaps I will have it, and I would not to need to wait so much (but if it is included in a short story book it will be fine). It could be refreshing to read Toot-Toot POV :)
Then again it makes some of us buy stories twice..
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Yes I really want to hear Marsters in Toots voice say “Mab’s frozen Boogers” when Little Things is collected.
As I suspect does Jim.
Not sure why Jim is doing the audio on The Law, after Ghost Story you would have think they would have learnt better.
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Yes I really want to hear Marsters in Toots voice say “Mab’s frozen Boogers” when Little Things is collected.
As I suspect does Jim.
My reading of the title details for the audio version of Heroic Hearts on Amazon is that each story has its own narrator with Marsters doing "Little Things."
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I think it will be Jim’s new ringtone.
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I am going to go with the positive: maybe it is because there are negotiatings for a high quality series on Amazon prime (if that is the name of their streaming service). And this is part of those negotiations. I have not followed the news about the lord of the rings series, but it sounds like they take it serious.
Their adaptation of Wheel of Time wasn't exactly confidence-inspiring (sure, a lot of the source material aged poorly as modern values are concerned, but a lot of the changes that had nothing to do with that aspect were for the worse). I hope they don't get Dresden Files.
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Living author helps, Lee Child’s was an Executive Producer on Reacher, and was happy with the adaption whereas unhappy with the films.
This doesn’t bear well for the Tolkien series.
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They have done well with The Expanse, but have diverted some from the novels.. However that might be because one of the actors wanted to leave.
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The Tolkien series looks amazing, but I am quite intrigued about the plot, as, as far as I know, it is not based in any book. So it is like one of us playing a LOTR RPG. That could go wrong, but also it could be amazing (especially because there are not so many doors in LOTR :D)
The Wheel of time series looked great too but I have not read the books. I liked the show in general but found the season finale lacking.
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They have done well with The Expanse, but have diverted some from the novels.. However that might be because one of the actors wanted to leave.
He got fired.
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The Tolkien series looks amazing, but I am quite intrigued about the plot, as, as far as I know, it is not based in any book. So it is like one of us playing a LOTR RPG. That could go wrong, but also it could be amazing (especially because there are not so many doors in LOTR :D)
The Wheel of time series looked great too but I have not read the books. I liked the show in general but found the season finale lacking.
Be glad you were not a book reader, they messed up Wheel of Time worse in the first book than the final season of Game of Thrones. But it was passable but weak to every non-book reader I've talked to.
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They have done well with The Expanse, but have diverted some from the novels.. However that might be because one of the actors wanted to leave.
That was picking up an existing show that already had three seasons of faithful book adaptation on another network, though, not original.
And specifically, he got fired for metoo stuff.
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uh, is he an actor known outside the Expanse (I watched the first 3 episodes of that show and left it)
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The Tolkien series looks amazing, but I am quite intrigued about the plot, as, as far as I know, it is not based in any book. So it is like one of us playing a LOTR RPG. That could go wrong, but also it could be amazing (especially because there are not so many doors in LOTR :D)
The Wheel of time series looked great too but I have not read the books. I liked the show in general but found the season finale lacking.
The series follows what happened before the Lord of the Rings.. Tolkien wrote another book and other tales about the history of Middle Earth before he wrote The Hobbit, but they are a bit of a slog to read. The series is based on those stories.
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That would be the history of Middle Earth published posthumously in about 10 volumes and edited by Christopher Tolkien. They are very very heavy reading.
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I liked the Silmarillion, but apparently the series is not based in it. I do not if it is based in Tolkien's son works. And I've never read any of them.
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I have, it is basically an editing of JRR’s extremely extensive research notes by his son, effectively the show runners bible. It lacks any of the characterisation or narrative drama of the Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings.
To a large extent it will be dependent upon the skill of the writers to inject that into the source material, turning a history into a novel. JRR had it, Christopher didn’t.
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The new series is covering the period after the Fifth Battle through Sauron's rise to power. Done well it could be epic, as we'd get the rise and fall of Numenor, the corruption of the Nazgul and to a lesser extent, the Dwarves, and perhaps even the last battle in Mordor with all the heroic sacrifices.
But what I've seen of the preview material looks pretty but came off as bad Tolkien fan-fic. I'll watch in hope of being wrong but I don't have much expectation for this. Until Hollywood learns to respect thje source material, we won't get any more LotR level movies or GoT level miniseries.
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The new series is covering the period after the Fifth Battle through Sauron's rise to power. Done well it could be epic, as we'd get the rise and fall of Numenor, the corruption of the Nazgul and to a lesser extent, the Dwarves, and perhaps even the last battle in Mordor with all the heroic sacrifices.
But what I've seen of the preview material looks pretty but came off as bad Tolkien fan-fic. I'll watch in hope of being wrong but I don't have much expectation for this. Until Hollywood learns to respect thje source material, we won't get any more LotR level movies or GoT level miniseries.
That is why I preferred the extended version of the movies, there were more moments from the books that I loved.
Unfortunately they really blew the last two or three seasons of GoTs.
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It is rare for an adaption to succeed when they seek to go beyond the original work unless they have the author with them, otherwise they baffle newcomers and enrage old hands.
Marvel have perhaps avoided this with their Disney Plus shows, but they often mix and match from different runs as they have far more source material to adapt then they can actually adapt, and often a superfluity of creators, and a readership familiar with retcons. They can afford to discard some things and ramp up others, and giving a show runner with a definite vision to be able to add there own stamp. Moon Knight is a case in point they merged several different stories into a single narrative, retconned the main identities and appointed a show runner with a strong vision in a way which has satisfied the fan base and new viewers.
Can’t see this myself with Wheel of Time or the new Tolkien series. If there is a Dresden Series Jim needs to be heavily involved and that cuts time from writing. The trade off better be worth it.
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I agree with your last line about a DF show, CT.
I think comics are somewhat more flexible, as we have seen many incarnations of the characters in different situations along the years. On a side note, I enjoyed Moon Knight but I still have some problems with the season finale. That said, I am a fan of Layla and I would gladly watch an spin-off about her. And I love Taweret with all my heart.
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Did you watch to the end credits sequence?
The Layla/Scarlet Scarab is a case in point, in the comics her father was the Scarlet Scarab, he appeared in the Invaders comics set in WW2, so they gender flipped and gave a previously unused god Tawaret as her patron. No one was unhappy with how that played out. Layla as an amalgam of her father and Marlene, Marc’s love interest, showed herself to be far more than a mere love interest in the earlier episodes. Tawaret was a completely new character who didn’t appear in the comics, (but does in mythology) but whose addition certainly improved the narrative and became an immediate fan favourite.
Not something I think that could be pulled off with the Dresden Files other than bringing in elements from the comics and RPG.
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Yes, I did watch the scene.
Layla and Taweret for the win :)
I agree, I do not think they will do something like that with a DF show. I hope any tv show adaptation follows the books as much as possible. Still, what they did with Bob in the show was excellent, and I also liked the hockey stick, so who knows? They may surprise me.
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Yes, I did watch the scene.
Layla and Taweret for the win :)
I agree, I do not think they will do something like that with a DF show. I hope any tv show adaptation follows the books as much as possible. Still, what they did with Bob in the show was excellent, and I also liked the hockey stick, so who knows? They may surprise me.
I feel in love with what the show did with Bob, but that had a lot to do with the actor playing him. Since I watched the shows before I read the books, I was actually disappointed when I read how Bob was described. However my reaction to the hockey stick was opposite from yours, I thought it looked silly. For a man as tall as Harry Dresden, a staff to aid in walking would not be out of place, but carrying around a hockey stick would in my opinion.
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What they did with Bob in the show cut quite badly across the books, especially Dead Beat.
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What they did with Bob in the show cut quite badly across the books, especially Dead Beat.
It wasn't what I'd call a faithful adaptation, sure. But the actor and the writers got the sarcastic essence of the character down right, and changing his origin story from the book version of a spirit into a condemned human ghost wasn't anywhere near the worst thing the tv adaptation did.
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I feel in love with what the show did with Bob, but that had a lot to do with the actor playing him. Since I watched the shows before I read the books, I was actually disappointed when I read how Bob was described. However my reaction to the hockey stick was opposite from yours, I thought it looked silly. For a man as tall as Harry Dresden, a staff to aid in walking would not be out of place, but carrying around a hockey stick would in my opinion.
Yes, I remember we talked about this years ago :) I found quite normal to see adult people with hockey sticks, as long as they are young. At some point, Harry would look too old, but at the time, I thought it was good.
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The Law exists within the Dresdenverse to allow Supernatural creatures to hunt mortals, it is referenced in Welcome To The Jungle and Zoo Day. It may be a coincidence of wording, as this is supposed to be the long heralded showdown between Harry and Marcone, with litigation and explosions but is it? We know so little about the story.
It certainly takes place after Little Things, but it is not clear whether it takes place after The Good People/Christmas Eve. I would hazard afterwards, indeed all the care packages Molly delivered from the Wizard of Chicago may be what sets Marcone off. No good deed goes unpunished, and Molly did thousands of good deeds in Harry’s name.
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Yes, I remember we talked about this years ago :) I found quite normal to see adult people with hockey sticks, as long as they are young. At some point, Harry would look too old, but at the time, I thought it was good.
Yeah, I remember, since then my son has moved to Chicago, I finally was able to spend Christmas and some time with them. Anyway, hockey is a big thing in Chicago, lots of small neighborhood outdoor ice rinks and hockey leagues advertised at all of them. My six year old grand daughter caught the ice skating bug for a bit. Anyway as a result we visited a couple of these small rinks, but never did I see one kid, let alone adult walking around with a hockey stick.
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Also, it's a bit of a recurrent element that Dresden uses McCoy's staff-pattern, and a tree from his farm.
I wouldn't wonder if there's some setup there, where McCoy is following something Blackstaff-influenced, and that Harry's own staff habits are (in some ways) pre-conditioning him to wield the Blackstaff itself...
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The exception is Harry’s current staff, made from an Oak branch from a Demonreach Tree.
Given Harry’s intellectus he would have been able to select the perfect branch physically and magically.
Still to the McCoy pattern though.
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Yeah, I remember, since then my son has moved to Chicago, I finally was able to spend Christmas and some time with them. Anyway, hockey is a big thing in Chicago, lots of small neighborhood outdoor ice rinks and hockey leagues advertised at all of them. My six year old grand daughter caught the ice skating bug for a bit. Anyway as a result we visited a couple of these small rinks, but never did I see one kid, let alone adult walking around with a hockey stick.
I heard you, you are not the first to tell me that. It surprises me because hockey is not too much of a big deal here (I mean, there are a lot of people practicing Hockey, it is just not something people plays everywhere) and still is common to see teenagers (especially girls) carrying hockey sticks in the bus and, not so common but not weird, a few adults too. Harry would have passed for a hockey teacher or player without any problems, at least in his first years.
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I heard you, you are not the first to tell me that. It surprises me because hockey is not too much of a big deal here (I mean, there are a lot of people practicing Hockey, it is just not something people plays everywhere) and still is common to see teenagers (especially girls) carrying hockey sticks in the bus and, not so common but not weird, a few adults too. Harry would have passed for a hockey teacher or player without any problems, at least in his first years.
I don't think there are many hockey players that are nearly seven feet tall with their skates on. So that in of itself would make him seem odd.
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That is true, I never thought of that because the actor of the show is not so tall.
Anyways, I am sure an eventual reboot won't have Harry carrying a hockey stick. I think they are going with a magical solution where Harry's staff can magically shrink to appear as a normal walking cane or even more, to something that can be hidden in normal clothes.
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That is true, I never thought of that because the actor of the show is not so tall.
Anyways, I am sure an eventual reboot won't have Harry carrying a hockey stick. I think they are going with a magical solution where Harry's staff can magically shrink to appear as a normal walking cane or even more, to something that can be hidden in normal clothes.
I think that could work. I think Elaine uses that kind of staff doesn't she? I seem to remember hers is folded up when not in use in her purse. Harry could keep his staff as well as his blasting rod in his coat pocket.
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Nah Harry has always been out and proud as a wizard. They will go with that.
Although Jim might have to fight them about the hat.
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I think that could work. I think Elaine uses that kind of staff doesn't she? I seem to remember hers is folded up when not in use in her purse. Harry could keep his staff as well as his blasting rod in his coat pocket.
The staff is Harry's (the most-coomon, I think, for Euro-wizards) "multi-toool."
Elaine, I think, uses a chain; though her precise magical habits are less-clearthan Harry's, and the chain might be more like Harry's blasting-rod, a combat-specific tool.
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Elaine whilst advertising as a wizard is still trying to fly under the White Council radar, a staff would be a dead giveaway, even Carlos might suspect she had bamboobzled him. Harry on the other hand was a white Council wizard, it would be expected, neatly as much as the beard.
Elaine’s advert may come back to haunt her, the White Council specifically forbade Harry to advertise himself as a Wizard when they booted him out, I can’t see them not cracking down on Elaine, a bunch of old men would prefer to pick a fight with Elaine rather than Harry. I am afraid she will end up being declared a warlock.
In spite she might just adopt a staff but re-invent it to de-masculinise it, to show she is just as much as a wizard as they are.
Besides the spear of destiny would just look weird on a hockey stick.
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... Elaine’s advert may come back to haunt her, the White Council specifically forbade Harry to advertise himself as a Wizard when they booted him out, I can’t see them not cracking down on Elaine, a bunch of old men would prefer to pick a fightwith Elaine rather than Harry.
I had gotten the impression Elaine had gone over to more or less full-time Paranet operations. She may not have the advert any more!
... I am afraid she will end up being declared a warlock ...
I think they really prefer to have evidence of black magic. That we have heard of, from Harry's POV, we don't see any.
OTOH, if they realize she was DuMorne's student, who has been hiding for over a decade -- secretly operating as a wizard, and deceiving the Warden who came to test her -- that probably looks like "evidence" to them.
HOWEVER... I am one of those fans who think Elaine isn't as good as Harry thinks she is. I suspect she was the Nemfection-vector who got to Aurora.
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Elaine can’t do much on the Paranet as she suffers the same technology restrictions of all Wizards. I would imagine a large part of what she does is troubleshooting for paranetters too afraid of Harry to ask for his help, the rest IS the paying the pro wizard gig. She lives in LA so plenty of clients from a phone book ad. This is 2014 after all.
Basically after Harry the White Council are going to be seeing Warlocks everywhere and seeking to make an example out of everyone they can i.e. everyone NOT Harry, because they are afraid of him and will wait for the Blackstaff to recover. Even Binder may be at risk, as is everyone Morgan would routinely harass.
Elaine may indeed have been a Nemfection Vector, but that does nor make her nemesis. There is something unexplained in her backstory, what did she trade to Summer for their protection? They can no more ‘give’ protection than Winter, they can trade it though. Her service to Summer does not seem enough based upon the lesser protection Lea gave to Harry.
Elaine could only be nemfected if she was not a Starborn. Justin may have been interested in her to use her as a disease vector for Summer, she may not have been aware, after Harry killed Justin nemfected Elaine carried out that part of the plan. Same way the knife was used on Lea to infect Winter.
Now Nemesis has used its host to deliberately become pregnant before with Justine. What if that was the plan?, a pregnant Elaine would throw herself on Summer using her baby, a child of two powerful wizards as bait to get close to the Summer Lady, the ultimate target of that scheme.
The events of Justin’s death took place around 1991. Any child would likely have been born in 1992. That child (effectively owned by Summer ) would have just turned 21 in 2014 the furthest forward in the narrative we are. The old Summer Knight would have known, but he was killed by the old Winter Knight Lloyd Slate, who was working with Aurora. They wanted to capture the Mantle and pour its energy into Winter, but what if a secondary reason was to kill a potential source of information ? Ruel lived in Chicago, he might bump into Harry and have accidentally disclosed the Elaine/Nemesis connection without realising what it was.
That’s my conspiracy theory of the day.
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Elaine can’t do much on the Paranet as she suffers the same technology restrictions of all Wizards.
Well... kind of.
First: I don't think "all wizards" suffer the same.
Harry's magical Gift is unusually strong, and he's not much into subtlety & delicacy. Elaine isn't as powerful, but is *MUCH* better with subtlety & delicacy. I'm sure she can manage more with tech than Harry can.
That said... I doubt she could be very active "on" the Paranet (i.e. the internet), you're spot-on there!
Still, she might be able (for example) to sit back and watch a big-screen monitor from 30 feet away, and have a mundane or a weak-talent person operate the computer on her behalf...
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HOWEVER, she can do a tremendous amount for them on the magical side of things. She can disseminate a solid, shared, theoretical foundation, instead of hardscrabble hedge-witchery lineal-descent oral traditions.
She can teach what methods the Paranetters are capable of using, and better ways to spot young talents, train them, etc.
She can give them safety-courses -- less-known (but not less-common) things to watch out for, etc.
But more than anything else, she can act as a nexus for everyone else to rally 'round -- Elaine isn't part of ANY of their groups, so they don't have to fear favoritism.
... Elaine could only be nemfected if she was not a Starborn ...
I don't think that's clear at all.
Justin had Elaine enthralled; but (even with Elaine-thrall to help) failed to capture Harry's mind.
We saw Harry immobilized by Outsider magic in the Raith Deeps; only the secret knowledge of a Fallen Angel helped him break free; no Lasciel in that scene = dead Harry.
I think Young-Elaine was vulnerable, and could have fallen to Nemfection... possibly Justin even infected her!
But also -- in the post-Justin time, but before she found Summer -- her psychic shields would have been in shambles(*) and a powerful assault could have broken her.
(*) - I think Justin deliberately didn't teach much psychic-defense, so he could take them easier; remember how much Harry & Molly had to figure out by trial & error!
I wonder if Elaine isn't Nemfected, still!
... What if that was the plan?, a pregnant Elaine would throw herself on Summer using her baby, a child of two powerful wizards as bait to get close to the Summer Lady, the ultimate target of that scheme.
...
The old Summer Knight would have known, but he was killed by the old Winter Knight Lloyd Slate, who was working with Aurora. They wanted to capture the Mantle and pour its energy into Winter, but what if a secondary reason was to kill a potential source of information ? Ruel lived in Chicago, he might bump into Harry and have accidentally disclosed the Elaine/Nemesis connection without realising what it was.
That’s my conspiracy theory of the day.
Oooo.
That's a doozy! I don't much LIKE that plan. But it has a certain screw-Harry-over morbidity to it, that I fear might appeal to Jim in one of his more-twisted moods. And it gives Harry a "Mordred" figure, an "illicit" fairy-nurtured child who has been raised to oppose him. That sort of folkloric link is like catnip for Puss-in-Butcher...
... The events of Justin’s death took place around 1991. Any child would likely have been born in 1992. That child (effectively owned by Summer ) would have just turned 21 in 2014 the furthest forward in the narrative we are.
Except that the Faeries are utterly capable of using time-flow in the Nevernever to tweak things however they want. If Jim is going with this, Harry's "21-year-old" son could be anything from a newborn, to an old man...
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Wizards only start to slow their aging in their forties, Elaine hadn’t slowed, so she was in a one to one time flow, as would presumably be any child.
Of course Harry killing the Queen of Summers child without any apparent retaliation is suspicious, does she know something Harry doesn’t?
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There was a WOJ about he's done with surprise family relations as of Thomas, Eb and Maggie.
Anything could have been one of the necessary lies to protect a narrative surprise, but that seems like an odd one to actively mislead on rather than just evade.
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There was a WOJ about he's done with surprise family relations as of Thomas, Eb and Maggie.
Anything could have been one of the necessary lies to protect a narrative surprise, but that seems like an odd one to actively mislead on rather than just evade.
You forgot Bonea (don’t worry so does Jim)
Yes and Jim lies, sometimes in black and white (cough two versions of Christmas Eve).
A firstborn son would be a dreadful thing to dangle over Harry, and these Fae they do love a firstborn.
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Wizards only start to slow their aging in their forties, Elaine hadn’t slowed, so she was in a one to one time flow, as would presumably be any child.
But if Elaine surrendered the babe, it could have been whisked off to a very time-dilated bit of the Nevernever. Elaine's experience of aging need not be related to the child's.
... Of course Harry killing the Queen of Summers child without any apparent retaliation is suspicious, does she know something Harry doesn’t?
Titania has admitted that it had to be done (but that she hates Harry anyway). The possibility of future vengence still seems like a "clear and present danger!" Enacting a child-snatching to use tit-for-tat & eye-for-eye against Harry (for killing her own daughter), however, suggests that she foresaw Harry killing Aurora, which only happened because Aurora got Nemfected...
... A firstborn son would be a dreadful thing to dangle over Harry, and these Fae they do love a firstborn.
Yes they do!!! (and yes, it would be)
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But if Elaine surrendered the babe, it could have been whisked off to a very time-dilated bit of the Nevernever. Elaine's experience of aging need not be related to the child's.
Titania has admitted that it had to be done (but that she hates Harry anyway). The possibility of future vengence still seems like a "clear and present danger!" Enacting a child-snatching to use tit-for-tat & eye-for-eye against Harry (for killing her own daughter), however, suggests that she foresaw Harry killing Aurora, which only happened because Aurora got Nemfected...
Yes they do!!! (and yes, it would be)
I would presume Elaine would raise the child up until she was released back into the world. That would give Aurora an angry teenager to work with. Perfect. Which Titania would inherit. Lily then become Summer Lady so never the brightest spark, neither she nor Fix were told. With Sarissa as Summer Lady she is far more likely to ferret out any nasty secret, but if so is likely to be put under a geas.
To be fair if this is correct then Summer took Harry’s child before he took Summers. Elaine bargained without Harry’s rights being taken into account. The Summer Court is a matriarchy. I wonder if we see an Aurora v Harry battle and whether Sarissa becomes Summer Queen.
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...
Yes and Jim lies, sometimes in black and white (cough two versions of Christmas Eve) ...
Hmmm ... ?
D'you mean the Molly-POV one, beginning from when she departs from Harry?
And where's the "Jim lies" bit? Not that I disbelieve you... I just didn't see it.
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I would presume Elaine would raise the child up until she was released back into the world ...
I wouldn't presume that; not at all!
A bunch of the folklore has faeries taking very small children, toddlers, etc; sometimes even babies from cradles.
Elaine may have given the child up at birth ("a life for a life" protection). Which is a nifty reversal -- Margaret LeFay bargained to get protection for Harry; this hypothetical child was bargained-away to get protection for the mother...
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Hmmm ... ?
D'you mean the Molly-POV one, beginning from when she departs from Harry?
And where's the "Jim lies" bit? Not that I disbelieve you... I just didn't see it.
There were two versions of Christmas Eve. The first version published on his website before Battle Ground has Harry describing himself as a Wizard of the White Council, the second version published in Battle Ground has Harry describing himself as the Wizard of Chicago.
A lie pure and simple in black and white.
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Of course Harry killing the Queen of Summers child without any apparent retaliation is suspicious, does she know something Harry doesn’t?
You seemed to have missed the premise for Small Favor.
And where's the "Jim lies" bit? Not that I disbelieve you... I just didn't see it.
It's what he's paid to do. In the books he uses Bob. Otherwise if his lips are moving.........
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Nope they failed.
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And where's the "Jim lies" bit? Not that I disbelieve you... I just didn't see it.
I don't have the link anymore, but in one of his appearances he mentioned there were a very small number of occasions where he had to lie in Q&A's to avoid spoilering things he had planned. I understood that as mostly applying to situations where declining the question would have been a big hint in and of itself.
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Yes but is he lying about the times he lied?
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Yes but is he lying about the times he lied?
Naw, I don't think he can remember, the series has been a long one and he has done thousands of the these Q&As... Details are going to elude him, so I don't think he lies exactly, then again..
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... Naw, I don't think he can remember, the series has been a long one and he has done thousands of the these Q&As... Details are going to elude him, so I don't think he lies exactly, then again..
I believe that one of the key things Jim's "Beta Readers" do these days, is to track "Dresden'verse canon," spot inconsistencies, &c. They obviously cannot catch his verbal slips and errors in live events... :o ::)
I wonder if they have a private channel for "Jim goofed ... again." ;D
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I believe that one of the key things Jim's "Beta Readers" do these days, is to track "Dresden'verse canon," spot inconsistencies, &c. They obviously cannot catch his verbal slips and errors in live events... :o ::)
I wonder if they have a private channel for "Jim goofed ... again." ;D
Maybe the Betas can, and they do a good job when he writes a book. However they cannot be at every live appearance, screen all the questions before hand, and Jim has written millions of words over the years, he isn't going to remember every detail.
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A look at some artwork and a synopsis (https://subterraneanpress.com/law) for The Law at Subterranean Press press. The price made my eyes water.
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The lettered edition is more than I make in a month. Lol
I'll wait for an ebook, thanks. :D
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A bit more info than we have previously had.
We knew it was Marcone, as the ultimate antagonist but the two Lawyers? Previously Harry relied upon Father Forthill who is also a qualified lawyer and veritable saint. Is he the lawyer who might be more than he seems? Or a new character? The one who is definitely more than he seems might be an entirely new character. We have seen Mab as a lawyer and White Court Lawyers, I am not entirely sure Harry would go for either. Demi-god? the cover makes me think of Justicia, The junior Roman Goddess of Justice, one of the four virtues is that the Lawyer who definitely more than they seem? Forthill might br Uriels man in the fight, If so Justicia might be Hades? The Greco Roman Etruscan gods are so entwined.
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Mmm, this is definitely interesting. Of course, I will wait for an ebook. As much as I would like to have a book signed by Jim, this is too much (and it would be even more with the shipping).
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Didn’t Jim split Peace Talks and Battle Ground because he didn’t want fans to pay $50 for a single book?
I have the Audio book on order as I have the credit.
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These are signed limited editions, with colorful art. Of course they are expensive.
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I was enjoying the irony, Jim is quite happy for a limited number of fans to pay more than $50.
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Didn’t Jim split Peace Talks and Battle Ground because he didn’t want fans to pay $50 for a single book?
I have the Audio book on order as I have the credit.
Yeah, so they'd pay close to thirty each for two books, he makes a few more bucks that way..
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A look at some artwork and a synopsis (https://subterraneanpress.com/law) for The Law at Subterranean Press press. The price made my eyes water.
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/91ead2c5-f838-4aa5-9384-01fd8e2614d4
2000 copies of a novella (so, shorter than any prior Dresden novel), at $45 each.
And 26 collectors-editions at $300 per.
And the website states "Ours is the only print edition currently planned."
I don't think Jim Butcher has previously done anything that felt quite so much like a massive "F^@K YOU" to his millions of fans.
Maybe he's "planning to plan" to republish later, in another venue/format... Though that'd be a really mealy-mouthed & weasel-worded thing to do, I for one would appreciate it!
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Yup.. And it did start a while back, breaking the last novel into two books wasn't saving us any money, as claimed, the math didn't add up. Is it just me or is someone, either the author or the publisher, or both, suffering from under some kind of delusion of grandeur and popularity? I mean we love Dresden Files and Jim, we've also been starved from lack of printed material about our favorite character.. But really? Last I heard Jim wasn't nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. ::) In this economic climate they want to charge us $45.00 for a novella? ??? $300.00 for a collector's signed edition? :o Honestly what makes it so collectable? ??? Does the author provide some of his DNA? For that price we should at least get a free beer with it@##$$! >:(
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I assume it will end up in a new collection of short stories sooner or later but it is frustrating to know that it is there but you can not realistically get it.
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... breaking the last novel into two books wasn't saving us any money, as claimed, the math didn't add up ...
I understood that rationalle to be something different. Not an "absolute $ outlay" issue, but that Jim didn't want to be the first "genre fiction" author to put out a novel at the above-$50 pricepoint.
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I understood that rationalle to be something different. Not an "absolute $ outlay" issue, but that Jim didn't want to be the first "genre fiction" author to put out a novel at the above-$50 pricepoint.
Yet I doubt that it would have been more than fifty dollars, or even fifty dollars. At least not because of the length of the book, "The Order the Phoenix" is eight hundred and fifty pages and sells for $30.00, it did when it came out and it still does new, I just checked. Inflation hadn't hit when "Peace Talks" and "Battle Ground" came out, and the two together might be close to eight hundred and fifty pages, so one big book shouldn't have cost fifty or over fifty dollars. Now the author does get a significantly higher royalty for a thirty dollar book, and I guess you can double the profit if you can sell two thirty dollar books. That seems to be more of a factor, than wanting to keep the price of a book down for us. Also the way the two books read, one longer book would have been better reading. So it doesn't make any sense, especially the bit about not being the first popular author to demand fifty dollars for his work.. That sounds like fiction to me, especially in the light of the original information you gave us about the new novella. Sounds a lot more like someone is peeing up our backs and calling it rain, because they want to maximize profit while still seeming to be on our side... With the latest information about how they are marketing the new novella, it looks like they have dropped that pretense and are now going for "special and exclusive signed and limited copies." Usually those kinds of offers to readers are given after copies are sold through normal means at "normal" prices. If the demand is high, then the publisher and author go for the "special and exclusive" limited and signed copies for the rabid fan to buy. Apparently now they are just going for the higher prices..
I don't think Jim Butcher has previously done anything that felt quite so much like a massive "F^@K YOU" to his millions of fans.
Maybe he's "planning to plan" to republish later, in another venue/format... Though that'd be a really mealy-mouthed & weasel-worded thing to do, I for one would appreciate it!
Actually he has, when he published the last two novels the way he did, you may not want to believe that, but that's where the evidence is heading.. I can accept that like everyone he wants to make money and perhaps needs it, but I wish he or his publishing company wouldn't B.S. us about it. >:(
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With the increased delay between Dresden Files books, I find myself less of a fan than I was before. A main novel needs to come out at reasonable price for me to get interested in the series again. I've moved on to the litrpg genre.
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In a recent podcast Jim is trying to get back up to 2 books a year, we have The Law definitely this year in July, and in the April Podcast he said that he had nearly finished the Olympian Affair, so hopefully September/December. One and a half books in 2022 (hopefully) and at least one short story.
He isn’t travelling or going to Cons much this year except probably Dragoncon, so less distractions, but his son is publishing his first novel in Hardback on October 11, don’t know whether he would want the Olympian Affair to get in the way of that with a publication around that date, or whether they go for a bit of synergy, but the Olympian Affair isn’t up for pre-order yet whereas Dead Mans Hand is and has been for a couple of months.
Of course Jim has a second divorce to pay for, so ramping up the workload may be a necessity, and probably explains why nothing came out in 2021.
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Of course Jim has a second divorce to pay for, so ramping up the workload may be a necessity, and probably explains why nothing came out in 2021.
It could explain the song and dance as far as prices go.. Divorces can be expensive. Hopefully we will seeing new Dresden books sooner.. But as Raidem said, he has already hurt himself by the long time lag between books, the price song and dance with the last two novels and now the novella isn't going to heal any wounds.
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He seems to be shut in the house with just a laptop, Brutus and Fenris. I would say Brutus and Fenris are too much of a distraction but bizarrely they appear to have become the real life Mouse and Mister, so thats okay.
Jim really needs to get the Olympian Affair out this Fall, then Twelve Months/Next Book in Spring 2023 and either Cinder Spires 3 or Maggie and Mouse 1 Fall 2023, and then new short story collection including The Law out Spring 2024 and Mirror Mirror out Fall 2024 then he might win back the fans. Three solid years of two books at least 3 of which are Dresdenverse. Plus short stories. Goodman Grey I think works better for short stories, to build towards a collection and would work having different supporting characters in the Dresdenverse hiring him for different things they don’t want to bring to Harry, or when he is busy, or are not Harry’s thing, or is against Harry.
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He seems to be shut in the house with just a laptop, Brutus and Fenris. I would say Brutus and Fenris are too much of a distraction but bizarrely they appear to have become the real life Mouse and Mister, so thats okay.
Jim really needs to get the Olympian Affair out this Fall, then Twelve Months/Next Book in Spring 2023 and either Cinder Spires 3 or Maggie and Mouse 1 Fall 2023, and then new short story collection including The Law out Spring 2024 and Mirror Mirror out Fall 2024 then he might win back the fans. Three solid years of two books at least 3 of which are Dresdenverse. Plus short stories. Goodman Grey I think works better for short stories, to build towards a collection and would work having different supporting characters in the Dresdenverse hiring him for different things they don’t want to bring to Harry, or when he is busy, or are not Harry’s thing, or is against Harry.
All well and good, but milking his fans for every penny he can get isn't the way to go.
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All well and good, but milking his fans for every penny he can get isn't the way to go.
I think you need to revisit your assumption about Jim's motivations: the money doesn't add up the way you think it does.
The Law:
26 * $300 = $7,800
2000 * $45 = $90,000
So, just shy of $100K in toto (these are limited print-runs; there's no more blood in that turnip until The Law gets re-released in another format).
Skin Game sold 50K copies in the first week (per a reddit thread, dunno the source of the number, but seems viable).
50,000 * $28 = $1,400,000 in one week. So more than a tenfold-larger insta-sales... with ongoing sales thereafter (not available to The Law, as noted above) probably doubling that over the course of a few months, amd dribbling off after that.
In both cases, of course, we don't know Jim's share of the price; but since Subterranean Press' collectors'-edition is gonna include color plates, and is a small print-run, I presume their manufacturing costs-per-book are MUCH higher than a mass-market mainstream book.
I'm pretty sure sure Jim is getting less money this way (or at least, getting the money slower).
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My own WAG -- a realworld WAG vs a Dresdenverse WAG -- is that the issue isn't "revenue" but contracts & "exclusive rights..." I theorize that Jim has negotiated the end of Subterranean's "exclusive" rights to this novella, so they match closely with the end of a bunch of other anthologized shorts. So it'll all be available around the same time, for him to produce a new Dresden collection.
But the story is written & available, and big enough to be its own thing; so he releases it in a "deluxe" collectors' edition, and the well-heeled megafans can get their hardcore itch scratched, and Jim gets a bit of revenue, pending the rest of his collection exiting their excusive-first-rights periods.
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I think you need to revisit your assumption about Jim's motivations: the money doesn't add up the way you think it does.
The Law:
26 * $300 = $7,800
2000 * $45 = $90,000
So, just shy of $100K in toto (these are limited print-runs; there's no more blood in that turnip until The Law gets re-released in another format).
Skin Game sold 50K copies in the first week (per a reddit thread, dunno the source of the number, but seems viable).
50,000 * $28 = $1,400,000 in one week. So more than a tenfold-larger insta-sales... with ongoing sales thereafter (not available to The Law, as noted above) probably doubling that over the course of a few months, amd dribbling off after that.
In both cases, of course, we don't know Jim's share of the price; but since Subterranean Press' collectors'-edition is gonna include color plates, and is a small print-run, I presume their manufacturing costs-per-book are MUCH higher than a mass-market mainstream book.
I'm pretty sure sure Jim is getting less money this way (or at least, getting the money slower).
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My own WAG -- a realworld WAG vs a Dresdenverse WAG -- is that the issue isn't "revenue" but contracts & "exclusive rights..." I theorize that Jim has negotiated the end of Subterranean's "exclusive" rights to this novella, so they match closely with the end of a bunch of other anthologized shorts. So it'll all be available around the same time, for him to produce a new Dresden collection.
But the story is written & available, and big enough to be its own thing; so he releases it in a "deluxe" collectors' edition, and the well-heeled megafans can get their hardcore itch scratched, and Jim gets a bit of revenue, pending the rest of his collection exiting their excusive-first-rights periods.
Then it makes even less sense...
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Then it makes even less sense...
See my "realworld WAG" at the end of my post.
It's about contractual timings, and the next Dresden-shorts-collection.
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See my "realworld WAG" at the end of my post.
It's about contractual timings, and the next Dresden-shorts-collection.
Jim has something to do with those contracts, they do not happen in a void..
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Your calculations don't take into account either the profit margin, or the turnover rate.
the signed-lettered-hardcover are much more profitable than paperback. They also take a long time to turn in revenue. The limited edition thing is a significant amount of cash in more or less 3 days.
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2 books a year means he needs a short story collection next year, if The Olympian Affair comes out next year, only The Good People, Little Things, the Microfictions, and The Law are known to exist and not otherwise formally published. Little Things is part of a compilation so will have restrictions on republication as will The Law.
There might be other shorts not otherwise published, and frankly a new collection will require not previously published or widely disseminated material, of which The Law is at least partly in that category
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2 books a year means he needs a short story collection next year, if The Olympian Affair comes out next year, only The Good People, Little Things, the Microfictions, and The Law are known to exist and not otherwise formally published. Little Things is part of a compilation so will have restrictions on republication as will The Law.
There might be other shorts not otherwise published, and frankly a new collection will require not previously published or widely disseminated material, of which The Law is at least partly in that category
The last collection sold was compiled of all the old short stories that were previously published in the anthologies. I cannot remember if it included a new story or not.
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I am still excited to know he is writing again. I am sad about The Law but I am looking forward to "The Olympian affair"
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Honestly I don't really care what his motivations are. I just want to read what he writes. And if that means, I'll have to wait longer, I'm not happy, but I will do so. I am sure, one day in a future not so far away in this galaxy on this planet, there will be "The Law" for everyone to boldly read, what few people have read before.
Edit: Just think about 2020: There has been so many stuff for free on his website, including microfictions.
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The last collection sold was compiled of all the old short stories that were previously published in the anthologies. I cannot remember if it included a new story or not.
Day One and Zoo Day were previously unpublished.
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Your calculations don't take into account either the profit margin, or the turnover rate.
the signed-lettered-hardcover are much more profitable than paperback ...
There is no "turnover" here. It's a one-and-done collector's edition (two thousand and twenty-six total books).
There are only twenty-six of the "Lettered" books. Even at $300per, the gross revenue is substantially under $10K.
A lot of that is going downstream, to the paper-mills and the printing houses. Limited runs and color plates are expensive!
If Jim gets as much as 25% of that gross, I'd be shocked... but that'd be just shy of US$2000. Which is nice, I guess -- I wouldn't say "no" if someone wanted to give me 2 grand! But it's not gonna make a dent in a divorce-proceeding or otherwise be life-changing for Jim.
His share of the larger 2000-edition print run is likely a smaller percentage, but higher in absolute dollars: even though his income-per-book is lower, 2000 copies is a LOT more than 26, so his total income from that will be higher.
Neither of which are even close to what he gets from the mass-market, which sells in the hundreds of thousands.
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If Jim gets as much as 25% of that gross, I'd be shocked... but that'd be just shy of US$2000. Which is nice, I guess -- I wouldn't say "no" if someone wanted to give me 2 grand! But it's not gonna make a dent in a divorce-proceeding or otherwise be life-changing for Jim.
Which makes no sense because with a $30.00 book he gets a 45% royalty I looked up how that works. And it is a huge risk because, though unlikely, what if the new novella turns out to be a real stinker? Word will get out and sales will suffer.
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I was pleased to see that the official site is active again, with a new community manager. That is all what I wanted, to have some news and feel like someone cares for stay in touch with us readers.
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Which makes no sense because with a $30.00 book he gets a 45% royalty I looked up how that works.
???
Where is your data from? 45% (of the retail/MSRP price?) sounds like WAY too high a share.
Most of what I can find -- and the numbers vary from one resource to another -- say the author's % varies by...
- lower % on paperbacks than hardcover
- lower % for the first 5K to 10K copies, higher % thereafter (I presume Jim can negotiate for the higher % throughout)
- generally topping around 20%-25% for the proven sellers
I cannot find ANY source saying the author gets over 30%
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My own WAG -- a realworld WAG vs a Dresdenverse WAG -- is that the issue isn't "revenue" but contracts & "exclusive rights..." I theorize that Jim has negotiated the end of Subterranean's "exclusive" rights to this novella, so they match closely with the end of a bunch of other anthologized shorts. So it'll all be available around the same time, for him to produce a new Dresden collection.
But the story is written & available, and big enough to be its own thing; so he releases it in a "deluxe" collectors' edition, and the well-heeled megafans can get their hardcore itch scratched, and Jim gets a bit of revenue, pending the rest of his collection exiting their excusive-first-rights periods.
Or even they already had an option on him - didn't they publish Backup, was it? Maybe that was a two book deal.
and the "No current plans" to publish The Law could be "no date yet" when he is thinking " "Little Capers" comes out when I have 350 pages of material to make it worthwhile. "
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I prefer Cold Cuts if the stories are all post Winter Knight.
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Which makes no sense because with a $30.00 book he gets a 45% royalty I looked up how that works. And it is a huge risk because, though unlikely, what if the new novella turns out to be a real stinker? Word will get out and sales will suffer.
Except it's sold out already.
Oops, I forgot the audible version. Yea, a series of weak reviews that came from the fanbase could hurt sales there, but the limited edition stuff was pre-sold pretty quickly.
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After a while e gets the rights back and he can sell the story again in any form he wants. It is a form of market segregation.
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Jim has something to do with those contracts, they do not happen in a void..
Yeah... That's exactly my point.
My WAG is a multi-step process --
1. Back when he had no specific reason to ask them to vary the contractual-exclusivity duration, he took the default terms (or close to them). Even for a best-selling author like Butcher, there's only so far he can negotiate away from a "standard" contract, before it begins costing him in other contractual terms. Without a backlog of uncollected shorts, he didn't ask for anything terribly unusual on this front.
2. Now -- mid-2022 -- there is a backlog of Dresdenfile shorts -- stories published in multi-author (often "themed") anthologies. So he's eyeballing those, and the expiration of their original-publication exclusivity clauses, and it's looking to him like it's getting close to a new Dresden Files collection.
3. But, it needs a bit more. Another short, or two. Maybe collect all the microfictions, etc. But really, he wants to add a nice meaty piece, a reward to the Dresden fans who bought other anthologies (at least in part & maybe primarily) for his work, so it's not only buying the same content multiple times.
4. He may also have some target dates in mind with TOR, because of their other publishing commitments &c.
5. And so he saw these dates lining up, but then had a burst of inspiration for this story & knocked it out... before it was needed.
6. With a large unpublished story in-hand, but the other shorts still contractually locked-up, he decided to release a "collector's edition" early, with its own exclusivity-clause that would line up with the other stories. Expensive enough and a limited edition, to the general fandom won't experience the "buy it twice" phenomenon.
Thus do I WAG.
Thus may it be.
Amen.