Update on Planet Stories Hiatus?

[Serin]

I picked up a book from the Planet Stories line during a recent sale and after finishing it I immediately realized I was missing out. I am very disappointed to see that the line has gone on hiatus, I fully intended to sign up for a subscription today.

I've already started digging into the backlog but I'd still like to know - any updates on the future of the Planet Stories line?

For what it's worth, I've been following Paizo since the Dungeon/Dragon days and signed up for the Pathfinder Tales subscription as soon as it was advertised yet somehow Planet Stories flew completely under my radar. My case may be unique but if not there might be others that, like me, have the interest but are unaware. Perhaps doing some sort of promotion tied in with the Pathfinder Tales line would get some more eyeballs on the Planet Stories line?

[gbonehead]

It would be awesome if Planet Stories came back.

Perhaps Paizo could work with the folks at the Brooklyn Bookshop who seem to be doing something similar, except e-books only, whereas Planet Stories was physical books only.

Edit: I do notice they haven't done away with the Planet Stories Subscriber tag.

[Christopher Paul Carey]

Serin wrote:

I've already started digging into the backlog but I'd still like to know - any updates on the future of the Planet Stories line?

For what it's worth, I've been following Paizo since the Dungeon/Dragon days and signed up for the Pathfinder Tales subscription as soon as it was advertised yet somehow Planet Stories flew completely under my radar. My case may be unique but if not there might be others that, like me, have the interest but are unaware. Perhaps doing some sort of promotion tied in with the Pathfinder Tales line would get some more eyeballs on the Planet Stories line?

We're still in a holding pattern right now, focusing all our energies on Pathfinder, though we're still considering options for Planet Stories. Some kind of tie-in promo is not a bad idea--I'll pass it up the chain!

And thanks for your support, guys!

[JoelF847]

Is it a matter of PS just not making enough money, or more that Paizo has limited man hours, and they're being focused on Pathfinder?

If it's a money issue, would a Kickstarter for the line make sense?

[Erik Mona]

It's definitely a combination of all of the above. The line has always been more of a "labor of love" project than a huge moneymaker. The honest truth is that the audience for this kind of book is not very large, certainly smaller than we anticipated.

But the bigger problem is time and resources. The Pathfinder RPG line is taking off like a rocket, and supporting it is a more than full-time effort.

The prospect of something like a kickstarter is very intriguing, but I can say from experience that that is a huge undertaking, and something that demands exactly the right moment. And right now is not the right moment.

[Elorebaen]

Just wanted to pipe in and say that Planet Stories totally rawks, and I would love to see it come back. With that said, it should continue to be a labor of love (it shows in the product), and as such if that means a holding pattern, then so be it.

[Philip Waits]

I just received my copies of ELAK OF ATLANTIS and BATTLE IN THE DAWN, and I am very impressed with the quality and price. It is so nice to be able to have physical copies of these stories.

I noticed on your messageboard that you will not be publishing any more of these (at least any time soon). I am sorry that that is the case. The Planet Stories line is a really great idea. I am surprised (as I gather you are) that they were not more popular.

I had always hoped to see Robert E. Howard's 'Turlogh O'Brien' stories collected under one cover. It is kind of amazing, given the popularity of Howard over the years, that no one has ever done this. When I saw that Planet Stories had reprinted some of Manly Wade Wellman's work, I was hoping that I might finally see the 'Kardios' tales collected as well. For some unknown reason, they were left out of Night Shade's "definitive" collection.

Still, I wanted to write and say how happy I am with the two volumes I purchased. I am certain that others will (like me) discover them (late) and be equally pleased that you have made some great stories available again. Thank you !

[James Sutter]

Thanks, Philip! And yeah, we would love to bring back Planet Stories someday, but at the moment the opportunity cost for us is just too high. We're very proud of the books we were able to put out, though!