Friday, June 29, 2007

First Steps: Excitement Abounds

My name is Sean Thompson; I'll be the center of operations for ensuring the publication of the Virginia Edition. This blog will serve to keep the Heinlein community updated on the latest progress concerning the Virginia Edition.

I will try to keep this posted and updated on a daily basis--or as often as warranted--and will address any questions I receive in the comments section. This blog isn't meant to be an entirely one-way window; we want to hear from you with your questions, comments, concerns and ideas.

To summarize the events of the past few months for those who are unaware:
Meisha-Merlin, the publishers who won the contract for the Virginia Edition, went bankrupt sometime after publishing the sixth volume. Due to their inability to continue activities, the Trust has stepped in to ensure the continuation of the VE. There was an unavoidable delay while we evaluated the status of the project and determined what the best course of action was. As I write this, volume 7--Beyond This Horizon--is at the printer and we expect it to be ready in the next two months while volumes 8, 9, and 10 are currently being proofed.

Ad Astra

2 comments:

Fred said...

Hi Sean:

Having stumbled upon this blog, may I ask: with whom are you affiliated? Are you with Meisha Merlin RAH, or with the Heinlein Prize Trust? Other?

Happy to see this communication vehicle set up. Timely too - will you be at the Centennial to answer questions?

Zarf said...

Sean,

There have been just a few changes in the environment since the good folks at Meisha Merlin last emailed a projected printing/distribution schedule, back in October 2006. (See below --- pardon the formatting, but I can't seem to get blogger.com to cooperate!)

Could you provide some sort of update, even if it is simply for the remaining volumes in "Group 1"??

Thanks!!

---------------------------------
---------------------------------

Subject: Virginia Edition update
Date: Fri, Oct 27, 2006
From: Tiffany at Meisha Merlin [mmptiffany@bellsouth.net]
To: mmpheinlein@bellsouth.net

On behalf of Meisha Merlin Publishing and our owners, Stephen Pagel
and Kevin Murphy, I would like to apologize for the delay in sending
out Volume 3 of the Virginia Edition, Starship Troopers.  A
typographical error was made on the spine of the books and the dust
jackets, and we have been holding the books while working out a
solution with our printer.
 
For Cloth-bound and Exclusive Leather Edition customers, we have
decided that the best course of action is to send you the books as we
have them now and to then reprint a corrected version of this volume
at the completion of the series.  At that time you would of course be
able to keep both versions of Volume 3. 
 
For regular Leather Edition customers, we are having new slipcases
made before we send out your copies, and they should hopefully be
ready within a couple of weeks.  By then we should also have Volume 4
ready to ship out and can send you both books.  If, however, Volume 4
is ready first, we will naturally send that to you as soon as it
arrives.  Leather Edition subscribers will also receive replacement
books at the completion of the series as mentioned above.
 
The good news is that Volume 4 is on schedule to ship to our warehouse
in the next 2 weeks, and Volume 5 is on schedule to be ready the first
week of December.  Also, below I have included an update from Lynn
Hatcher, our Production/Editorial Manager, about the order of the
remaining books in the series.*
 
Once again, I apologize for this error and delay.  We are making every
effort to produce a collection that you will be proud to own.  Thank
you for your understanding.
 
Tiffany Marlin
Office Manager
Meisha Merlin Publishing, Inc.
 
 
 
*Now that we're a few books into production, I wanted to take the time
to send everyone a listing of the titles and order in which they
should be arriving. Sometimes production on a particular title may
take longer than expected so we reserve the right to change the order
somewhat. Also, Groups Three and Four may vary if we are able to
obtain rights to extra material for some of these titles.
 
When we initially began working with the printer we were told 6 weeks
would be the production time. We've since discovered that they need
about 8 weeks and have now built this into the schedule.
 
We hope you enjoy the end product as much as we enjoy creating it.
 
Here's what you have to look forward to:
 
month to month
Group One/12 titles printer shipping
I Will Fear No Evil   July
Time Enough For Love   September
Starship Troopers   October
For Us, the Living   November at printer

The Door Into Summer December
Double Star November Jan-07
Beyond This Horizon December Feb
Destination Moon Jan-07 March
Past Through Tomorrow February April
Vol. 1
Past Through Tomorrow March May
Vol. 2
Stranger in a Strange April June
Land
How to Be a Politician May July
     
 
month to month
Group Two/12 titles printer shipping    
Rocket Ship Galileo June August
Space Cadet July September
Red Planet August October
Farmer in the Sky September November
Between Planets October December
The Rolling Stones November Jan-08
Starman Jones December February
The Star Beast Jan-08 March
Tunnel in the Sky February April
Time For the Stars March May
Citizen of the Galaxy April June
Have Space Suit--Will May July
Travel
     
 
Group Three/11 titles
 
Number of the Beast
Friday
Job: A Comedy of Justice
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls
To Sail Beyond the Sunset
Creating a Genre (short stories)
Sixth Column
Podkayne of Mars
Nonfiction #1
Nonfiction #2
Nonfiction #3

 

Group Four/11 titles
 
Expanded Universe
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
New Worlds to Conquer (short stories)
Glory Road
The Puppet Masters
Letters #1
Letters #2
Letters #3
Farnham's Freehold
Tramp Royale
Grumbles from the Grave

 

Lynn Hatcher
Production/Editorial Manager
Meisha Merlin Publishing,Inc.