Month: October 2015

Request from Ryan

Request from Ryan

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Hello Todd,

I am a fan of the ‘Doona’ series and a group of friends and I listened to them on a long (California to Colorado!) drive on tape a couple of years ago. We really enjoyed the recording!

Those friends now have a new baby boy (about a month old) and I thought it would be an awesome onesie (however long it lasts given how quickly they grow!) idea to take a photo of the three books and print it on the front (here it is: http://www.customink.com/designs/crisis/cdp0-00aa-ye0a/twt ).

However, customink.com, the vendor I chose to use for this 1-off run, would like confirmation that using the photo of the book covers is acceptable.

Is this something that is possible, given that I will not be selling this design, profiting from it in any way, and will only be ordering 1 piece as a gift for a young fan?

Thank you for the time,

Ryan

Hi Ryan,

I really appreciate your asking! However, the reproduction rights to those covers are owned by the individual artists. You’d have to find them and get permission from each of them to use their artwork. If you check in the first few pages (sometimes on the back cover), the books should list the artists (and a quick web search should disclose their websites).

Good luck!

— Todd

Question from Helen

Question from Helen

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i have been a fan since a friend started me with The White Dragon I now own all the Pern series up to the last two. I enjoy rereading the books. I’m interested to know if you will write one on after the last fall? I’m sort of glad there hasn’t been any movies done on Pern I think that some books are better just read & not brought to life as they may disopointed. I beleave in graving because every one of any age can tell you what they look like! I also colect Dragons. & I’ll be 72yrs young on Monday.

Helen,

I pretty sure my sister and I will figure out how to write the After the Fall story. Right now Gigi is working on her first Pern book.

Well, Warner Brothers now has the rights to Pern for a movie, so we’ll see what they do. I will say that it’s almost certain that not everyone will love the movie. However, I recently read Andy Weir’s The Martian, thoroughly enjoyed it, and was delighted that the movie captured the heart and the spine of the story perfectly — so there’s proof that it can be done.

Dragons are fun to collect, provided they remain well-behaved.

And belated happy birthday!

Cheers,

Todd

Lots of questions from Colin

Lots of questions from Colin

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Hi Todd,

I have just finished listenening to an audiobook copy of The Dolphins Of Pern and my ears kept pricking at the phrase “when this Pass is over.”

Do you know yet when you or Gigi will finish your mum’s work on After The Fall Is Over? I’d dearly love to find out how it pans out for the characters we Pern fans have loved and grown up with.

Also, I found mention that Gigi was planning a sequel to Dragondrums. I always well up in the last lines of that book. Any idea when that might be available?

Finally, we are just over 2 years away from the 50th anniversary of the publication of Weyr Search in Analog magazine (October 1967). I managed to track down and purchase a copy, but have not taken it out of its plastic wrap. Do you have any plans for a Pern golden anniversary celebration?

Best wishes,

Colin

Hi Collin,

I think we’re going to wait on After the Fall until Gigi’s had a chance to write her first Pern novel and take stock of how that works for her.

You know the funny thing about writing your first Pern novel (or your ninth, for that matter) is that there’s absolutely no expectations from the fans, or the publishers… except that the book has to be a #1 New York Times Bestseller and please every single possible Pern fan (old and new). So, no pressure, right?

Gigi’s feeling that pressure and certainly doesn’t want to let people down. So I’ve been asked by her to keep everything under wraps until she and her publisher are ready to talk.

She’ll do fine and hopefuly somewhere in the next year or so, you’ll know all about it.

That’s something the publishers would do and I imagine that Del Rey would rather celebrate the publication of Dragonflight rather than Weyr Search.

Cheers,

Todd

Question from Lindsey

Question from Lindsey

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Hi Todd,

First off I love all of the Pern novels and the Acorna books are favorites too. I have been converting my books over to ebooks for awhile now. I know you have answered this question before but do we have any clue when the Harper Hall Trilogy might be available by United States booksellers. I did notice that amazon has them but noticed that the publisher is in the UK not in the US so not sure if those should even be up. I use a NOOK through Barnes and Noble or I would have purchased them. Like I said I know you have answered this before but its been awhile since you gave us any news.

Thank you,

Lindsey

Hi Lindsey,

The whole Harper Hall eBook thing is something I’ve been aware of and trying to get addressed for a while now.

The Harper Hall books are with Simon & Schuster using their daughter imprint, Saga Press, which makes them separate from the rest of the Pern books which are published by Penguin Random House under their Del Rey imprint.

Even more confusing: the contracts are so old that there is no mention of eBooks. So it’s a mess.

Mum’s agent is aware of this and working to get it fixed.

Cheers,

Todd