WotC Should WotC buy a Fantasy Novel Publisher like Tor next?

[gyor]

As others have already noted - buying a publisher might net you the book publishing rights for the titles currently in publication. But it may not get you all fo them. And it WILL NOT get you the software, TV, or movie rights - those are separate, and you'd have to get them from each author (if they weren't already optioned out to someone).

Plus, the scales are completely different. Tor Books publishes new titles by the dozens each year. WotC does a handful. It would not just be about having a channel to publish, or content deals they actually wouldn't get - it would become about managing a whole separate business that they don't have the expertise in.

So aim lower, buy a smaller, but reasonable size Publisher.

 

[gyor]

This is rampant speculation. Not a shred of evidence Wizards is doing any of this.

What has happened; Wizards exploring partnerships with different IPs and third-parties (the Rick and Morty box, the Acq. Inc. book, mentioning Exandria from Critical Role in the Descent). They've also opened a Texas office exploring new IPs that is outside of Magic or D&D.

That combined just looks like more ways of growing D&D, and there certainly aren't any big moves like buying publishers. The Texas office could be exploring d20, or something completely different.

And again, Hasbro has minimal influence on what Wizard's does. They don't try to tell their subsidiaries what to do if they're already really profitable.

You just forgot they just bought a company with 55 employees that is still hiring more talent, who bought a more larger work space. Tuque Games might still be indy size and one reasonably success game, but that would still likely cost a lot more then an indy fantasy novel publisher. So yeah that is a big movie, and Tuque studios is already bragging about going AAA, which suggests a massive investiment from WotC. So yeah they made a really, really big move, much bigger then buying a indy fantasy novel publisher, which would cost peanuts in comparison.

 

[gyor]

It's possible. Seems odd letting Star Wars slide away though but yeah we don't have the financials.

Your not going to make Megabucks with a Star Wars RPG. You'll get into top 5 with it but it's not gonna be tens of millions of dollars.

FFG Star Wars battle game might idk.

It was a wise choice, the value of Star Wars liciencing has dropped hard.

 

[gyor]

All of the fantasy/sci-fi publishers out there are already imprints of huge multinationals, so no.

I'm sure are some Indie Fantasy publishers.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm sure are some Indie Fantasy publishers.

Publishing is a business for the big boys now: it's mostly big publishing conglomerates, or self-publishing.

 

[gyor]

Publishing is a business for the big boys now: it's mostly big publishing conglomerates, or self-publishing.

Some examples of small independent Sci Fi/Fantasy novel publushers that aren't imprints are:

Bellebooks
Angry Robot
Edge (Canadian Publisher, great distrubtion in Canada, good distrubtion in North America)
Great Old Ones
Pen-L Publishing
Ghostwood Books
Double Dragon
Solstice Publushing

And I found these after a very brief search. Buy one and have them WotC novels in addition to their regular novels.

 

[Parmandur]

Some examples of small independent Sci Fi/Fantasy novel publushers that aren't imprints are:

Bellebooks
Angry Robot
Edge (Canadian Publisher, great distrubtion in Canada, good distrubtion in North America)
Great Old Ones
Pen-L Publishing
Ghostwood Books
Double Dragon
Solstice Publushing

And I found these after a very brief search. Buy one and have them WotC novels in addition to their regular novels.

Unlike a video game studio, probably isn't worth the ROI versus selling novel rights.

 

[Salthorae]

I mean by default aren't they a book publishing company?

I hadn't noticed that their novel lines were now coming from other publishers until this thread though. Interesting.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

You just forgot they just bought a company with 55 employees that is still hiring more talent, who bought a more larger work space. Tuque Games might still be indy size and one reasonably success game, but that would still likely cost a lot more then an indy fantasy novel publisher. So yeah that is a big movie, and Tuque studios is already bragging about going AAA, which suggests a massive investiment from WotC. So yeah they made a really, really big move, much bigger then buying a indy fantasy novel publisher, which would cost peanuts in comparison.

Big leap to go from buying one indy developer to buying a publisher like Tor. Even bigger leap to say buying a company like Games Frikkin Workshop (I know that LuisCarlos, but that's who I originally quoted).

Also I think you're strongly downplaying purchasing Tor; it's been around for 39 years. No idea how many employees they have, but it's a weird leap to say "Wizards bought a video game developer; publishing next???"

 

[Parmandur]

I mean by default aren't they a book publishing company?

I hadn't noticed that their novel lines were from other publishers until this thread though. Interesting.

They used to publish novels, but haven't since 2016. They don't have the staff to do so anymore (editors dedicated to fiction, etc.). They do publish RPG books, but game manuals are a different animal.