Seeing the recent posts on Ebay auctions of rare works, convention special publications, the availability of Unfinished Works, and other "what's going to get published" comments, I think it would be helpful if I provided you all with an update.
I have a very simple plan for publishing:
Since getting the Heroquest publishing license in December of 2005 I have been gearing up to do just that. I am personally not a creative writer of Gloranthan material. I am a publisher, first, last, and foremost. Once I get a completed manuscript I will get it into print at an affordable price, and keep it in print.
I thought that I had gotten that message across already, but I'm not sure that it has reached all of the people I hoped it would reach. Regardless, I have no problem repeating that message here.
Greg Stafford and I have reached a very simple, elegant, and solid working arrangement. Any Gloranthan material he wants to get published, he can send to me and I will get it published, either as a regular HQ book, an Unfinished Work, a special publication, or as a PDF. That said, it doesn't mean that he will send me everything he wants to get published. He also works on Mongoose RQ projects and non-Gloranthan writing projects as well.
As for the Godlearner 2nd Age book (of recent ebay fame), the authors chose to get 15 copies published as a special limited edition. Most of the 15 copies went to the contributors. Some were also set aside for convention auction specials. Having been a convention organizer several times, I appreciate it when the authors of freeforms put together a freeform masterpack as an auction fundraiser. The same goes for special publications by prominent authors.
The next step with the 2nd age book is to publish it, very probably with additional content, as an Unfinished Work. While the Ebay description may not have gone into this amount of detail for its future publication fate, I don't feel that the ebay description needed to. That's what this group, and this type of post, is meant to do.
My biggest concern right now is that people would rather speculate,
possibly with pessimism, cynicism, or negativity, about how
something may (or may not) get published, instead of just asking me
(or Greg) what our plans are. As I declared in my recent "Great
Compromise" posts about publication status, people are very welcome
to ask what the status of any publication is, including even if it
has a status or will ever get published.
Without singling anyone out, please remember that I am happy to
answer such questions, including the future publications plans for
the limited edition 2nd Age book currently being sold on Ebay. My
answer would have basically been that it will get published
(probably with more content) as an unfinished work later THIS year.
It would have been better for me to make an announcement about the book prior to it going on Ebay, but the special limited edition was rapidly produced, and only appeared a few days before the Tentacles convention. We weren't sure exactly what we would do with it until very recently.
In the end, please ask. I feel it beats just speculating.
Hope that helps,
Rick Meints
Moon Design Publications
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