Hatrack River Forum: "If you put a dwarf or a halfling on the cover, sales drop."

This is topic "If you put a dwarf or a halfling on the cover, sales drop." in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :

So, I'm reading in the new issue of Dragon magazine about the creation of the latest D&D tie-in novel.

It should surprise no one that it's written by committee.

The alleged author of the book has chosen a changeling as the hero.

He is then given a list of demands...er...suggestions.

"Eberron isn't Eberron without warforged. How do you plan on addressing that?"

"I don't want to see a novel of changeling angst."

"Changelings are an alien race, and we need to make sure the hero is still someone the audience can identify with. That's the danger of writing about non-humans- elves we can get away with, because elves are sexy. But no matter how cool the book is, if you put a dwarf or a halfing on the cover, sales drop. The audience needs to relate."

Thirty minutes later, the writer leaves with his new, changeling de-emphasized premise.

Explains a lot about the D&D tie-in shelf at the local bookstore, eh?

Posted by Eduardo St. Elmo (Member # 9566) on :

How's about the 'Orcs' series by Stan Nicholls?

Or the 'Philosophical Strangler' by Eric Flint

not to mention several of the Discworld novels...

It doesn't have to be about humans or elves to keep the reader's interest. It just takes a little bit more imagination to identify with the protagonists.

Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :

Wow, that makes me really not want to write a D&D novel.

I enjoy coming up with my own characters and plots, thanks committee.

Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :

How about, I don't know, The Hobbit... I think that sold pretty well with a halfling on the cover. And, if I remember, The Two Towers had a dwarf on the cover.

Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :

It's a D&D novel. If the author is even remotely interested in writing in that world, he probably has little to no talent to begin with. If I were the commitee, I'd give him a list of crap I didn't want to see as well. I'm sure they get novel after novel of absolute trash and don't want to waste publishing resources on another tale of the plucky halfling who started off a total boob then worked his way into ruling the empire with all kinds of big-breasted elven warrior princesses as concubines.

I mean, D&D books aren't published to be high fiction. They're published to sell. I don't blame them at all.

And a ban of halfling angst? Sounds like a good rule to me in general. I'm sure there are a whole bunch of "authors" out there who'd love to write a bunch of crappy emo fantasy novels about how hard it is to be a teenage hobbit or something.

Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :

quote:
It's a D&D novel. If the author is even remotely interested in writing in that world, he probably has little to no talent to begin with.

Tell that to Tracy Hickman, Margaret Weis, and R.A. Salvatore.

Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :

Okay.

Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :

Fair enough. It is worth noting, though, that they are well published outside the D&D sphere.

Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Primal Curve:
Okay.

Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :

Ban of halfling angst? I don't think I quoted anything like that. [Smile]

Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :

Oops. Yeah, well, angst in general then. I think the whole young reluctant hero saving the world schlock is now well into the realm of "been done." I'd say it's probably more in the realm of "been done by the football team and half of the frat boys on campus."

Posted by TheGrimace (Member # 9178) on :

hey now... don't bring Schlock into this. He's a good man, thing, amorph... =p

Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :

quote:
If you put a dwarf or a halfling on the cover, sales drop.

Since when does the cover of a novel have anything to do with the contents? Just put hot elf chicks on the cover (maybe mix in a tentacled monster if it will be placed near the manga section in the bookstore) and watch it fly off the shelves. If the Enterprise-D can be on the cover of Ender's Game in some countries... [Wink]

Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :

rofl.

I must say that I love the DragonLance and Forgotten Realms books and alot of them were really well done. Example: War of the Spider Queen and pretty much alot of the non-Drizzt novaels the Drizzt novals are ina aleague of their own.