David
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
When I got my book published, I was told that I couldn't publish another book for two years, for fear of cannibalizing my own sales. You're releasing three hardbacks in a year. Is this a new publishing idea--a reflection, say, of pressure from ebooks (where single authors sell many books a year)--or is it just a trilogy-specific marketing plan that isn't reacting to ebook realities at all? Why did they let you do it?
Jeff VanderMeer
I don't think it's new--in various genres we've seen multiple books in one year before. But it's new for FSG and The Fourth Estate, which creates some buzz on its own, and it's perhaps new to have a full-on strategy behind it. I do think it's definitely trilogy-specific. You couldn't use this strategy, necessarily, for three stand-alones. Although it's worth noting that FSG successfully did just that for their author Sjon, with one hardcover and two trade paperbacks all released simultaneously. It was FSG's idea, too, not mine, but I heartily endorsed it.
More Answered Questions
Chad Post
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Annihilation and Authority bring to mind a few Stanislaw Lem books (Solaris and His Master's Voice in particular) along with the Strugatsky brothers (Roadside Picnic)--do you view Lem & Strugatsky as influences on your work? Which other works by these authors, or works by other fantastic world authors would you recommend to bide the time until Acceptance finally comes out?
Andrew Brenycz
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
One aspect I found interesting about the first book was the all female expedition. Some of my favorite horror has a focus on a single gender such as John Carpenter's The Thing and The Descent. What made you decide to go with a predominantly female cast and was that a challenge?
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