AUTHORTALK: Kevin J. Anderson AOL Messages [28-may-1996]
Alec Usticke
Here are some messages from KEVIN J. ANDERSON, author of THE JEDI
ACADEMY trilogy, DARKSABER, and THE SITH WAR comic book. He also
edited TALES FROM THE MOS EISLEY CANTINA, TALES FROM JABBA'S PALACE,
and TALES OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS and is writing the YOUNG JEDI KNIGHTS
saga with his wife, Rebecca Moesta. These are reposted from the
America Online Star Wars Fan Forum.
If you'd like to ask Kevin a question, send it to me. I'll post it on
the AOL SW Forum and when Kevin responds, you can see the answer when
I repost the message here. Kevin asks that you pose these questions
publicly, so everyone may see the answer.
Thank you.
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Subj: Re:A serious question.
Date: 96-05-06 18:55:48 EDT
From: <Kevin J. Anderson>
Thank you all for this discussion. I have found it very interesting
and informative, a good focus for some of the comments about my work
-- both the good and the bad.
Unquestionably, this is what these folders should be doing, not just
lame exchanges of "KJA bites!" and "KJA rules!" Again, thanks for
the tone of debate.
KJA
Subj: Re: A serious question
Date: 96-05-09 07:42:36 EDT
From: <Tom Dupree - Bantam Star Wars Editor>
The relative performance on the bestseller lists isn't a very good
indicator of relative sales, since:
1) A particular book's position on the list is relative [that word
again] to the other books that happened to be out that week, meaning
for example the #1 book in two different weeks will have two different
sales performances and
2) We've gradually accelerated our STAR WARS program up to this year,
when we consider ourselves at full speed. [We will not be publishing
any more often, or any more titles per year, than we do now.] So the
first books to appear were the *only* new SW books at the time.
So it isn't surprising that the best NYTimes performance by a Bantam
SW novel [or *any* SW novel, for that matter] was the very first one,
HEIR TO THE EMPIRE, which hit #1. That book has also sold more copies
than any other. *But it's also the book that's been on sale for the
longest time*. Suffice it to say that although they don't move at the
identical pace, *all* the SW novels -- from Tim, Kevin, Rog, Vonda,
Barbara, Kathy, Dave, Mike, Mike, and Steve -- are among the
most-frequently-reordered books on the Bantam list, even the ones that
are now five years old. The story collections are also very, very
successful, but at a slightly more modest level, since collections
tend to sell a little bit less than novels as a general rule, and STAR
WARS is no exception.
Tom/Bantam
Subj: Re:Appearances?
Date: 96-05-09 16:37:36 EDT
From: <Kevin J. Anderson>
>>Ever coming down South, Kev? Charlotte, Columbia?
I'll be at DragonCon in Atlanta, Sguil -- close enough?
The new Rebecca Moesta JR. JEDI books will start coming out this
spring, sort of in time with the re-released movies. The titles are
ANAKIN'S QUEST, VADER'S FORTRESS, and KENOBI'S BLADE. She's in the
middle of #3 right now.
KJA
Subj: Re:I want kev's opinion
Date: 96-05-13 13:10:33 EDT
From: <Kevin J. Anderson>
Lobot,
>>excluding your own books, which of the sw book did you like the most and
which book did you like the least?????????<<
What Wedge said -- I have always made it a policy of not commenting on
the work of other SW authors, since we're all on the same team.
Besides, you guys seem to have so much fun comparing all of them...
As for DragonCon, that's June 20-23, which should handily miss the
Olympics traffic. I've never met Mark Hamill (or any of the actors,
for that matter). I'm just one of those writer dudes...
Thanks for the comments and compliments, and for keeping the
discussion on a civil level.
KJA
Subj: Re:Ill Wind
Date: 96-05-20 12:00:17 EDT
From: <Kevin J. Anderson>
Well, *I* would recommend it...but then I'm biased <g>.
Also, here may be a place to quash YAUSWR (yet another untrue Star
Wars rumor) -- at this time there are *no* plans to make a Young Jedi
Knights TV series. In the past week I've received a dozen or so
e-mails from people asking me about it. Nobody's ruling out the
possibility, but Lucasfilm is concentrating all efforts on the new
movies.
Kevin J. Anderson
Subj: Re:audio books
Date: 96-05-21 14:13:46 EDT
From: <Kevin J. Anderson>
Lobot, the audio versions are drastically abridged -- that
unfortunately goes with the territory. From a 100,000-word to 150,000
word book, they usually manage to retain only about 10,000 words. Of
course, a lot can be added with music and sound effects, but you are
really getting just a "highlights" of the novel -- don't think you're
actually reading the whole thing. It's a great "refresher" though,
and fun on trips, etc. As for unabridged audio versions, I know Tim's
three novels are available from Books on Tape (pretty expensive to buy
outright, but you can rent them for about $15-20).
As for the YJK television series, Reb and I met with one of the Fox
Kids programming execs (by accident, since we were sitting at
adjoining tables in a restaurant, we just struck up a conversation).
the guy was very interested, but when we put him in touch with LFL, he
was told "maybe, but we have to wait until after the movies come out
before we even consider such a project." So, it's pure vaporware. I
think it's a good idea, and since they'll have eleven books to draw
from, they have a solid foundation -- but don't count on anything for
the foreseeable future.
KJA
Subj: Re:audio books
Date: 96-05-24 15:20:45 EDT
From: <Kevin J. Anderson>
Lobot, I don't really have much input into the revisions and deletions
in the audio product. Lucasfilm and Bantam have asked me for advice
sometimes (especially with DARKSABER), but overall I think they do a
very good job, considering the constraints they have to work under.
All this talk about a YJK show is really pointless, guys, because it's
not even under consideration. It could be good, it could be bad --
just like *any* TV show.
KJA
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=''' Alec Usticke
c-OO unc...@nai.net
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