A question about why Masques was so expensive before the reissue.

[essencia23]

Hello!
I am sure that this subject has been discussed exhaustively; however I am new in this forum and did not find any posts concerning it. So, here we go...

Naturally, I tried to buy the book and found the price absurd! Apologies for that, but does not change the fact that it is the truth.
Next step was to understand the reason of such price, since the MRP points to $4.50. Obviously it has to do with offer and demand. The demand is there what is lacking is the offer; therefore the ones who have it are offering it for amounts which can achieve $325.00.

Of course like everybody else I’ve read the reason why there isn’t a reprint at the moment, however I must say it, I felt very disappointed: “Her publisher has made it clear that the newer contracts take precedence over this one”. Yes I understand that newer contracts take precedent over the unpublished sequel “Wolf’s Bane”, but what does that have to do with reprinting “Masques” and deploy it?  The book is already written and as far as I am aware an author does not have to be physically present to ensure that the books are printed. That is the reason why “some people who are blaming it on Patty!”

The way I see it is, by allowing the prices to go as they are, you and the publisher are making sure that, when “Masques” is reprinted it will be sold between $10.00 and $50.00, the readers will think it is a reasonable amount based on the amount is being asked at the moment.

The reason behind my disappointment:
I know that all is business and nothing is really personal; however after reading so often how Patricia Briggs is so “considerate” and “nice” and “friendly” and “thinks about her readers” and that all the above “is not her responsibility”, by becoming aware of the game being played with “Masques” makes me rethink on my choices in authors. Does not change the fact that Mrs. Briggs is very talented, just changes my view on where her talent is being channelled to.

This is not a personal attack towards the author; it is actually a view of a silent attack towards the readers, such as me, who make sure that each writer can live as a writer and not as a secretary (oh, excuse me for that! I mean “executive assistant”) dreaming about the day that, they will be able to live as a writer.... and this is how we are paid back. Indeed, no good deed goes unpunished!

[Patty Briggs]

Okay.  I do understand your anger, and I'm sorry for it.  However let me clear up some of the misunderstandings. 

First of all, Masques was my first book.  It is not as good as my later books (although it is the best I could do at the time and I am not ashamed of it).  I would not pay $50+ for it and I am surprised that other people are doing so.  I do not profit at all from any of the "collectible" bookselling going on and I have no way of influencing it one way or the other.  And, as far as I know, when it comes out with Wolfsbane, it will be in paperback priced at whatever paperback books are selling for.  In fact it should be a good value as it is really two books and I've spend more than two full years working on it.  Actually, if you count the first write of both books, the revision I did of Wolfsbane and the edits of the new version, I'll have spent considerably more time than that on it.  If the decision (which is not mine to make) is made to publish it hardcover or trade initially, it will doubtless be priced at standard  prices.

That being said, I have to fulfill my contracts.  I started the Anna and Charles book I'm working with four months to write it.  I'm not a particularly fast writer, but I'm putting in a lot of time and I'll make it.  After that I have five months to finish the next book.  From then on, we're looking at six months a book for the next three and half years.  If I am late for one, I'm late for every subsequent book.  At this stage in my career, being late impacts a whole lot more people than just me.

Moon Called has sold something over 100,000 copies.  Masques sold 4,000 -- which is abysmal even by first book standards.  My best selling traditional fantasy (Dragon Bones) has sold about half of what Moon Called has.  Which means that most of my readers are more interested in the Urban fantasies than in traditional fantasies like Masques.  In fact, the only way I got my publishers to agree to reprint Masques was to package it with its sequel so they could hide it from the bean-counters -- who would never knowingly agree to reprint a book with such low sales.  My editor spend considerable time and effort trying to figure out a way we could get this back into print as a favor to me.  I don't think Ace is planning on publishing this one for big money <grin>.

I am certainly not the only writer with out of print books.  Masques got caught up in legal hell due to some very savvy "seemed smart at the time" decisions.  I am working on the revisions (which will progress faster as soon as I'm through this initial crunch).  It is coming slowly because . . . well as I told you Masques suffers tremendously from first book syndrome as well as a bit of Mary Sue which I am cleaning up.  I am writing full time plus a bit -- and I'm a wife and mother so full time plus a bit is all I can do.  I apologize for the wait -- and will do the best I can to see that the story is worthwhile in the end.

In the meantime, keep an eye out at garage sales and used bookstores.  I still get letters from people who find copies for 1/2 cover price to 50 cents.
 

[Grey Drakkon]

More specifically Patty wrote:
"Masques and its sequel, Wolf's Bane have been resold to Ace, and are to be written into a single book. However, my editor has asked me to write the additional books in the Mercy series first. I honestly don't know when I'll be able to get time for Masques, so I can't give you any idea of when it will be published -- sorry!"

   She is working on it on and off.  Not only is she writing the sequel, but she's re-writing the first story so it's up to her current standards.