DnD Novels Dead?

[lrsach01]

Or is this more "restructuring?"

Over on the Dragonlance.com Forums, Margaret Weis is reporting that Phil Anthans, Managing Editor for Wizards of the Coast Book Publishing, has been laid off. Dragonlance fans already know THAT particular line has been shelved. What is the status of the Forgotten Realms and Eberron?

 

[Festivus]

Perhaps retooling for digital media?

 

[IronWolf]

Not sure what this will mean for D&D novels, but it is true they let Phil Athans go. It came across Twitter yesterday. You can read a blog entry from him here.

 

[Alzrius]

I confess that I haven't been paying attention to this particular area of WotC lately. Have the novels been slowing down since 4E was released? I seem to recall some hubbub about the Drizzt books in the Forgotten Realms line, but nothing specific that I can remember. I certainly hadn't heard if Dragonlance was officially shelved?

In other words, what news have I missed?

 

[Erik Mona]

I have no insider information other than what Phil posted to his blog, but I do have a copy of the Wizards of the Coast 2011 Spring Catalog on my desk at the moment, and it contains (among a LOT of other eyebrow-raising game-related things) some information that may provide some clues as to what's going down with their books department.

The catalog covers exactly FOUR months (January - April), and includes only THREE novels, all of them omnibus collections of older novels.

JANUARY
----------
The Stonetellers, a Dragonlance Omnibus by Jean Rabe
• Collects Rebellion, Death March, and Goblin Nations.

FEBRUARY
-----------
The Empyrean Odyssey, by Thomas M. Reid
• Collects The Gossamer Plain, The Fractured Sky, and The Crystal Mountain.

APRIL
-------
The Lady Penitent, by Lisa Smedman
• Collects Sacrifice of the Widow, Storm of the Dead, and Ascendency of the Last.

And that's all she wrote.

Interestingly, all three of these books look like they have been significantly rebranded. They feature the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS logo in great big type and the words Dragonlance or Forgotten Realms (no logos, just words) in about 14 point type.

Margaret Weis was barking up a storm on her Facebook the other day, because this is also apparently the way the new Dragonlance Chronicles ombibus is packaged.

I'm not sure what you can read from that, but the Wizards of the Coast novels operation certainly appears to be in what can be called a "transition period."

--Erik

PS: By contrast, a similar 4-month period in the Summer of 2008 listed SEVEN stand-alone novels (some of which were canceled) and two hardcover fiction "coffee table" style books. The Winter 2008 catalog also featured seven novels (some old, some new). I have a bunch of older catalogs, but I don't have the time to dig them out at the moment.

 

[airwalkrr]

I always thought the novels line from TSR and WotC for D&D tie-ins was a very profitable branch. I also know that a ton of people who don't play D&D at all read RA Salvatore and Weis and Hickman stuff.

 

[mhensley]

I always thought the novels line from TSR and WotC for D&D tie-ins was a very profitable branch. I also know that a ton of people who don't play D&D at all read RA Salvatore and Weis and Hickman stuff.

I'd be surprised if D&D novels didn't make more money than the game itself.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Don't we have a Dark Sun novel on its way?

 

[Shemeska]

Paul Kemp has a trilogy of FR books that was cancelled but is now back on again. Not sure of release for any of them. And Elaine Cunningham has an FR novel as well recently announced, not sure on release date either.

The branding change that seems to -really- downplay specific settings however, that's what gets my attention. A number of ways to speculate from there, but too soon for me to say much other than I don't expect setting support to be that forthcoming for those settings I used to really like.

 

[Stormonu]

I always thought the novels line from TSR and WotC for D&D tie-ins was a very profitable branch. I also know that a ton of people who don't play D&D at all read RA Salvatore and Weis and Hickman stuff.

I don't seem to recall that the 3rd edition books did very well. I can't even remember the names of them (with Krusk, Lidda, Ember, etc.)