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Publication format:

In answer to questions I've seen here about format: THE PURIFYING FIRE has been published in trade paperback format, which is the large-sized paperback (similar to non-fiction, literary fiction, and--here's a twist--erotica novels). Cover price $14.95, but I've seen it steeply discounted for Barnes & Noble members (under $9, I believe).

AGENTS OF ARTIFICE by my friend Ari Marmell was released in hardcover, and will be reissued in paperback later on, though I don't know if they're planning that as a trade paperback or as a mass market paperback (the smaller size, typical of most commercial fiction releases).

Why any publisher chooses various formats has a lot to do with distribution, the collapse of mmpb distribution, the consolidation of distributors, the increases in paper and shipping costs, decreases in orders, the squeezing-out of the traditional jobber markets for commercial fiction, and other things that aren't really that interesting unless your full-time income depends on it.

With turmoil in the market, a lot of publishers are experimenting with different formats to figure out what works best with their audiences. Consequently, in recent years, I (as a writer) have been put in hardcover, taken out of hardcover, put in trade paperback, taken out of trade paperback, put in mass market, taken out of mass market, and will not be terribly surprised if one of my subsequent contracts calls for me to stand in the village square and recite my books aloud.

In any case, what publishers want is for readers to get exactly the format THEY want. And what publishers are most capable of hearing is the sound of your coins clinking in the cash register when you purchase the format that you best like to buy.

LauraR
http://www.LauraResnick.com

Chandra promo card with book?

I have no idea. I didn't know they do that. (Do they do that?)

If so, how cool!

I do know that Wizards of the Coast is doing a fair bit of cool viral marketing that I'm impressed by and that my writing friends envy!

- They set me up on an "internet blog tour" to answer questions about the book
- They're sending me to Gen Con ("the world's biggest gaming convention," according to the con's website) to sign books for the book's best audience, i.e. gamers
- THE PURIFYING FIRE is a downloadable desktop
- THE PURIFYING FIRE is an iGoogle theme (how cool is THAT!)
- Through a licensing deal with Jones Soda, there's a limited-edition set of soft drinks based on MAGIC's Planeswalkers, including a red soda called "The Purifying Fire" with Chandra (looking a tad psychotic) on the label; this set also features a blue drink called "Illusion Indusion" that has the cover of AGENTS OF ARTIFICE on it
- Certain contents of THE PURIFYING FIRE relate to the upcoming new release set of the game, a deck/pack called ZENDIKAR
- A character I created for THE PURIFYING FIRE will be made into a card and become part of the game (more about that in subsequent post)


Keep in mind, most publishers simply print a book and toss it out there on the bookstands to sink or swim. And thus most books sink. My writer friends who are watching this experience with me keeping saying, "Wow. Those Wizards of the Coast people actually want to SELL their books! Isn't this amazing?" Because so many of us have worked with publishers who seem determined to keep the books they publish a dirty secret.

LauraR
http://www.LauraResnick.com

Will Gideon be a gaming card?

I believe so.

That's not official, since I'm not a WotC employee, let alone part of any decision-making processes there. And I hope I'm not breaking confidence or giving the game away by mentioning it.

Here's what little I know: When they signed me, WotC said that they'd like me to create a conflicted love-interest for Chandra. They gave me 2-3 specific specs they'd like me to include, which I'm not mentioning here, since that would be a spoiler for anyone who hasn't read the book; but if you're read the book, you know the main surprises that unfold about Gideon, so you probably can guess what those specs were.

Subsequently, WotC liked Gideon enough that they told me they were going to turn him into a gaming card. I have since seen a first-draft of the card, but was told there will be a number of changes to it. So I don't know what the final card will look like, and I forgot to ask which release set he'll be in. Obviously, none of the I've seen or heard is a GUARANTEE he'll be a card in the game, but it sounds like it will happen.

LauraR
http://www.LauraResnick.com

Do you need to read AGENTS OF ARTIFICE or any other books before reading THE PURIFYING FIRE?

Since -I- hadn't read any other MAGIC books before writing THE PURIFYING FIRE, I'll go out on a limb here and say: NO.

The idea of the Planeswalkers series, as conveyed to me when I was signed to do this book, is that it's a series of books featuring (wait for it!) the game's various individual Planeswalkers as protagonists. I had the impression that subsequent or later storylines -may- eventually relate to each other more; but this first Chandra book is definitely a stand-alone storyline introducing her as a fictional character in narrative form for the first time.

In the manner of spin-offs and stories set in the same world, there are cross-references within the books that hopefully make reading all of them a richer individual experience. But SO FAR, at any rate, they're plotted as stand-alone tales.

RE something I saw on this chatboard about a timeline--the creators of WotC (and fans) may be placing PURIFYING FIRE within a timeline, but if so, it's one that I don't know about. (I'd also never heard of ALARA UNBROKEN until a few weeks ago, and I don't know its contents.)

Additionally, whether or not Chandra Nalaar is a "third oldwalker" is a complete mystery to me, since it's a phrase I'd never heard before reading this chatboard the other day. This is not to say she -is- or is -not-; as an overall character who exists in multiple media, Chandra's ultimate fate is decided by the creators at WotC, not by mw. I can only guarantee there are no hints one way or the other in THE PURIFYING FIRE about whether she's a "third oldwalker," since this concept is unfamiliar to the book's author, i.e. me!

LauraR
http://www.LauraResnick.com

Dear God. In less than one hour, you've contributed more toward author-fan communication than we've seen in the past four years. Thanks?