[B5JMS] JMS: Re: Babylon 5 Universe Novels?

Thu Oct 20 04:31:27 EDT 2005

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From: "KoshN" <macthevorlon at yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 21:51:50 +0000 (UTC)
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Re. the new novels that were (are?) going to be coming out:

Were they graphic novels or regular (all words) novels like the last
three trilogies?

Is there a chance that the new novels are still going to come out, or
is that project 100% dead?

KoshN

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From: "KoshN" <macthevorlon at yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:09:45 +0000 (UTC)
Lines: 51

Amy Guskin wrote:
> >>On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 18:45:29 -0400, John W. Kennedy wrote
> (in article <4QV4f.11361$vV4.9033 at fe08.lga>):
[=2E...]
> >> KoshN wrote:
> >>>
> >>> Re. the new novels that were (are?) going to be coming out:
> >>>
> >>> Were they graphic novels or regular (all words) novels like the last
> >>> three trilogies?
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Is there a chance that the new novels are still going to come out, or
> >>> is that project 100% dead?
> >>>
> >>> KoshN
[=2E...]
> > <MANUEL-THE-WAITER>=BFQue?</MANUEL-THE-WAITER> <<
>
> Okay, that's better than anything I could have come up with.  Tip o' the =
hat
> to you.
>
> Amy

You know, I was sorta hoping for a serious answer from somebody, like
maybe JMS, or somebody else who remembered the last *real* info. we had
on the new, B5 universe novels.  I tried looking under JMSNews by
"Mongoose" and "novel"  to no avail.  I seem to remember JMS saying
that Mongoose made an announcement on their web page, but that they
"jumped the gun" and now the project was dead or probably dead, but I
can't find any JMS posts in JMSNews saying that.

The last I have are:

06/15/2004
http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=3D1-17110
"Also, expect word fairly soon-ish about a new series of B5 novels."

.=2E.and...

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=3D&threadid=3D31677

Maybe I'm having a senior moment, but I could've sworn that JMS said
more about this.

KoshN

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From: Jan <janmschroeder at aol.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Oct 2005 19:47:03 +0000 (UTC)
Lines: 78

In article <1129662567.030585.96170 at g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>, KoshN says...
>
>Amy Guskin wrote:
>> >>On Mon, 17 Oct 2005 18:45:29 -0400, John W. Kennedy wrote
>> (in article <4QV4f.11361$vV4.9033 at fe08.lga>):
>[=2E...]
>> >> KoshN wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> Re. the new novels that were (are?) going to be coming out:
>> >>>
>> >>> Were they graphic novels or regular (all words) novels like the last
>> >>> three trilogies?
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>> Is there a chance that the new novels are still going to come out, or
>> >>> is that project 100% dead?
>> >>>
>> >>> KoshN
>[=2E...]
>> > <MANUEL-THE-WAITER>=BFQue?</MANUEL-THE-WAITER> <<
>>
>> Okay, that's better than anything I could have come up with.  Tip o' the =
>hat
>> to you.
>>
>> Amy
>
>You know, I was sorta hoping for a serious answer from somebody, like
>maybe JMS, or somebody else who remembered the last *real* info. we had
>on the new, B5 universe novels.  I tried looking under JMSNews by
>"Mongoose" and "novel"  to no avail.  I seem to remember JMS saying
>that Mongoose made an announcement on their web page, but that they
>"jumped the gun" and now the project was dead or probably dead, but I
>can't find any JMS posts in JMSNews saying that.
>
>The last I have are:
>
>06/15/2004
>http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=3D1-17110
>"Also, expect word fairly soon-ish about a new series of B5 novels."
>
>.=2E.and...
>
>http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=3D&threadid=3D31677
>
>
>Maybe I'm having a senior moment, but I could've sworn that JMS said
>more about this.
>
>
>KoshN

The last thing I remember JMS saying was at the Philly Wizard Con where he said
something to the effect that there were going to be some novels but that the
company involved (Mongoose) had oversteped their authority somewhat and that the
books were now in limbo.  I'll post the link to the transcript later tonight.

At the same time JMS mentioned that he hasn't completed the B5 graphic novel
because each time a feature opportunity comes up, he zigs the GN away from that.

More recently, over at B5TV.com, a Tony Lee posted that he's going to be doing
the first of the novels and that (unnamed) DC had prevented the previously
announced comics so his novel would be based on one of proposed comic outlines. 
The thread he posted to is here
http://www.b5tv.com/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/303831/page/0/fpart/8/vc/1

JMS, if you're reading, any chance you could comment?

Jan

-- 
Here, gathered together in common cause 
We agree to recognize this singular truth 
and this singular rule: 
That we must be kind to one another.
                           G'Kar (J. Michael Straczynski)

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 07:00:59 +0000 (UTC)
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Jan wrote:

> More recently, over at B5TV.com, a Tony Lee posted that he's going to be doing
> the first of the novels and that (unnamed) DC had prevented the previously
> announced comics so his novel would be based on one of proposed comic outlines.
> The thread he posted to is here
> http://www.b5tv.com/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/303831/page/0/fpart/8/vc/1
>
> JMS, if you're reading, any chance you could comment?
>

Mongoose asked me to consult with them, since they are doing just a
couple of books and as I understand it ONLY for release in the
UK...asked if I could help come up with some stories for them, or
provide material from myh notes, proofread the manuscripts, make
corrections, maybe write an intro, and do lots of other stuff...and I
said okay, great, what are you going to pay for my work?

At first, silence.  As if they were stunned that I would actually ask
to be paid for my time and work.  Then finally, they came back
with...five hundred bucks per book.

To which I responded, "You have GOT to be kidding me."

I have, subsequently, washed my hands of the Mongoose books.  I haven't
seen anything, don't know what they're doing, so sure as hell it ain't
canonical.

This is getting annoyingly commonplace.  I got an email from the Warner
Bros. division handling the German DVD superbox, for instance, wherein
they said, very happily, that they were figuring on getting maybe six
to ten million bucks for this new edition, and would I help them to
make sure everything was right, to consult with them on the design, the
packaging, the text, the artwork, the docs, a bunch of stuff.  So I
said, again not unreasonably, "And what is WB's standard fee for this
consultation?"

To which WB responded that they don't pay people for the honor to be
involved in these DVDs.  But he's getting paid, the guy who did the
artwork is getting paid, the only person who's not getting paid is the
guy who made it.  So I declined.  They replied with ominous words
suggesting that it would be bad if I let the fans down...but I don't
bow down for emotional blackmail.

Writing is a job no less than being a carpenter.  All a writer has, at
the end of the day, is time, energy and visceral material.  And right
now, there's an awful lot going on career wise, and my free time is at
a premium.  You pay for someone's time if you have them consult, or
write, or research for you, or if you otherwise engage their
professional services.  That is pro forma for every profession on the
planet...except, it seems, for writing, where they think you're so glad
to be asked to the ball that you'll go along with being treated
unprofessionally.

Pass.

jms

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From: Andrew Swallow <am.swallow at btopenworld.com>
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 15:19:12 +0000 (UTC)
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jmsatb5 at aol.com wrote:
[snip]
> 
> To which WB responded that they don't pay people for the honor to be
> involved in these DVDs.  But he's getting paid, the guy who did the
> artwork is getting paid, the only person who's not getting paid is the
> guy who made it.  So I declined.  They replied with ominous words
> suggesting that it would be bad if I let the fans down...but I don't
> bow down for emotional blackmail.

As a scriptwriter and/or producer are you getting residues for each DVD 
sold?

Getting paid 3 times for the same piece of work is rare.  Some times you 
just have to get a bigger second payment.

Andrew Swallow

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com
Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 23:10:13 +0000 (UTC)
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Andrew Swallow wrote:

>
> As a scriptwriter and/or producer are you getting residues for each DVD
> sold?
>
> Getting paid 3 times for the same piece of work is rare.  Some times you
> just have to get a bigger second payment.
>

As a scriptwriter, my residuals is tied to the WGA's formula for
residuals off DVDs and VHS tapes...which were thrown away a long time
ago, before the market broke...meaning that I get zero off the sales of
the DVDs as a writer.

As a producer, my revenue from the DVDs is tied to the overall profit
of the show, which is still showing $50 million in the red (thanks to
creative accounting), so I get zero off the sales of the DVDs as a
producer.

As a small potted plant, I get even less.

So to answer your question...no, I get nothing off the DVDs.  At all.

Even if I were, to engage someone's services to perform a job of work
for you is what it is, and you're doing a different job.  You don't say
to a carpenter, "Listen, I paid you to make this chair for me, and now
I want you to make a cabinet for me, for free, since I paid you for the
chair."

But in any event...it's a moot point.  I've never received a dime off
the DVDs and likely never will.

jms

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From: Andrew Swallow <am.swallow at btopenworld.com>
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 00:13:25 +0000 (UTC)
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jmsatb5 at aol.com wrote:
[snip]
> 
> But in any event...it's a moot point.  I've never received a dime off
> the DVDs and likely never will.
> 
> jms
> 

Without royalties the whole thing is an unethical rip off.

Andrew Swallow

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From: kruegerb76 at hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 00:57:36 +0000 (UTC)
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Andrew Swallow wrote:
> jmsatb5 at aol.com wrote:
> [snip]
> >
> > But in any event...it's a moot point.  I've never received a dime off
> > the DVDs and likely never will.
> >
> > jms
> >
>
> Without royalties the whole thing is an unethical rip off.
>
> Andrew Swallow

I admit, I was dumb enough to assume years ago that JMS was earning
royalties left, right, and center on B5.

I sincerely hope he never regrets doing B5.  Such a monumental effort.
Such a disappointing business reward.

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From: jmsatb5 at aol.com
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2005 04:00:00 +0000 (UTC)
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kruegerb76 at hotmail.com wrote:
> Andrew Swallow wrote:
> > jmsatb5 at aol.com wrote:
> > [snip]
> > >
> > > But in any event...it's a moot point.  I've never received a dime off
> > > the DVDs and likely never will.
> > >
>
> I sincerely hope he never regrets doing B5.  Such a monumental effort.
> Such a disappointing business reward.

No, not at all.  I went into this situation with my eyes open...I knew
that I would never see a dime off B5.  Doesn't mean I can't tweak them
about it, because it's emblematic of the problem faced by lots of
people in Da Biz, but I regret nothing.

Well, maybe that evening with the two sailors and the taffeta
outfit....

jms