Ask Steve Perry

Started by Corporal Hicks, May 06, 2007, 09:22:14 PM

Author
Ask Steve Perry (Read 187,724 times)

SM

SM

#825
Do you have any idea how the recent Aliens and/ or Predator books have sold (the ones you didn't write I mean) out of curiosity?

Mr. Domino

Mr. Domino

#826
Quote from: maledoro on Nov 04, 2009, 03:19:26 AM
Quote from: Mr. Domino on Nov 04, 2009, 02:39:57 AMSo, let me get this straight, here. Not only did 'many' people who went to your showing of Aliens know about a deleted scene which, to my knowledge, was only really available in the novelization, but then this suddenly becomes the situation everywhere, completely disproving what the filmmaker has told you? Genius, I wish my world worked that way.
So, on the same token you're saying that the only people who knew about it were in my cinema and my cinema only. The conspiracy has been exposed! Yes! We were the only ones who had this sacred knowledge! Come on, Dom.

Knowledge of the footage came from more than just the novelization. It was in just about every magazine that featured Alien. It was covered in books that were written about the film. There were alot of materials circulating about Alien from 1978 to 1980 and they pretty much all had something about that scene. You remember all those books, magazines, and documentaries back then, don'tcha, Dom?

Well, for one thing, I was not saying, or meaning to imply, that yours was the only theater that had anyone with any knowledge of the scene. Of course there were fans of the first film going to see the second. But as ludicrous as it sounds for you for nobody to know about that scene, I think its just as ludicrous for everyone to know about that scene (and yes, I realize, you never said 'everyone'). As I've said ad nauseum all over the place on here, the fans make up a very small percentage of who actually goes to see these movies. I could certainly understand some people having prior knowledge, until someone shows me some proof, I have to go with the filmmaker whose track record proves he at least somewhat knows what he's doing on this one.

EDIT: This is ridiculous. We've hijacked Mr. Perry's thread, and gone way off course on a discussion that has absolutely no meaning, because we're debating subjective topics. I'll reread Prey when I get the chance, and then we can create a separate thread where we can go back and forth with me saying 'they're different individuals' and you saying 'but they're different'. Until then, I'm through debating this.

maledoro

maledoro

#827
Quote from: Mr. Domino on Nov 04, 2009, 01:19:45 PM
Well, for one thing, I was not saying, or meaning to imply, that yours was the only theater that had anyone with any knowledge of the scene. Of course there were fans of the first film going to see the second. But as ludicrous as it sounds for you for nobody to know about that scene, I think its just as ludicrous for everyone to know about that scene (and yes, I realize, you never said 'everyone'). As I've said ad nauseum all over the place on here, the fans make up a very small percentage of who actually goes to see these movies. I could certainly understand some people having prior knowledge, until someone shows me some proof, I have to go with the filmmaker whose track record proves he at least somewhat knows what he's doing on this one.
I opened the first point with "On the same token", which means "If I were to use your logic". As for him "knowing what he's doing", there are alot of questions on that, such as the change of spelling of the Company's name, etc.

Quote from: Mr. Domino on Nov 04, 2009, 01:19:45 PMEDIT: This is ridiculous. We've hijacked Mr. Perry's thread, and gone way off course on a discussion that has absolutely no meaning, because we're debating subjective topics. I'll reread Prey when I get the chance, and then we can create a separate thread where we can go back and forth with me saying 'they're different individuals' and you saying 'but they're different'. Until then, I'm through debating this.
Also, before you create that separate thread, please keep in mind that I am not arguing (nor had ever argued) that the preddies are all the same and not different individuals. Either you understand that, don't twist my words, or not change the point.

steveperry

steveperry

#828
No way for me to track sales on books other than my own. My daughter's seem to sell pretty well. As far as I can tell by looking at the number of printings, the books do well. 

How to tell is, usually there is a list of numbers at the bottom of the copyright page that looks like this on a first printing: 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Every time the book goes back to press, the number at the end goes up one, so if the sequence goes like this:

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7,

then the book is in its seventh printing.Typically such printings are an additional 10-15,000 copies.

Time it gets to twenty printings, you probably have a quarter million copies shipped. Depends on the initial run, aka laydown. (A direct movie tie-in usually ships more the first run, but doesn't go back to press as much.)

Last time I looked, nobody's books other than mine, my daughter's, or our collaborations had as many reprintings, so I'm guessing ours are still the best-selling ones of the bunch.

SiL

SiL

#829
Neat, never noticed that stuff.

Looks like Alan Dean Foster's Alien Omnibus has been reprinted ten times (Well, up until 2004), with two reprints in 1994.

SM

SM

#830
The Omnibus has been reprinted 10 times?   :o Wonder how they went as single volumes?

SiL

SiL

#831
It doesn't say - Just gives the original printing dates of the originals. :(

But given the omnibus came out in '93 I don't think they would've bothered continuing selling them as individual releases, or at least not as much. I've only ever seen them in second hand shops, and in one comic shop in England. And even then I think that was second hand.

maledoro

maledoro

#832
Quote from: steveperry on Nov 04, 2009, 09:05:25 PM
Every time the book goes back to press, the number at the end goes up one, so if the sequence goes like this:

16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7,

then the book is in its seventh printing.Typically such printings are an additional 10-15,000 copies.
When it gets to "0", does it explode?
;)

Mr. Domino

Mr. Domino

#833
It implodes, creating a black hole that sucks all the creativity out of future works. This happened at Fox in the mid-90s.

maledoro

maledoro

#834
I tried to warn you guys about those books. But did you listen? Nooooo....

SM

SM

#835
None of my Alien novelisations had the 10 9 8 7 thing.  I think they're printed in the UK, so maybe it's different there?

AvP did have it, but it went all the way down to 1.

maledoro

maledoro

#836
Quote from: SM on Nov 09, 2009, 12:28:41 AM
AvP did have it, but it went all the way down to 1.
Soak it in water and cut the green wire...
:o

steveperry

steveperry

#837
Quote from: SM on Nov 09, 2009, 12:28:41 AM
None of my Alien novelisations had the 10 9 8 7 thing.  I think they're printed in the UK, so maybe it's different there?

AvP did have it, but it went all the way down to 1.

My British editions show "impressions," at the top of the copyright page, along with a date, thus:

Second impression 1994
Third impression 1994
Fourth impression 1995

and so on.  Leastways the Millennium Editions do it thus. If you have one going to 1, then that's a first edition.

steveperry

steveperry

#838
Um, I dunno if anybody else is getting these we-know-who-your-ISP-and-browser-are messages when they drop by as am I, but I'm wondering why somebody is bothering. My blog's stat tracker gets that and more at the touch of a button.

Is there a point I"m missing?

I mean, I, uh, already know what browser I'm using and the brand of computer and all. You don't need to keep telling me ...

SM

SM

#839
You mean that little graphic at the bottom of Maledoro's posts?  Or something else?

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