I was so sorry to hear that Steve is having trouble publishing The Killing God. Evidently the publisher (Berkley) is balking at the length of the novel and wants 30% of it cut to proceed. Wayfriend may be right; the publisher may be trying to get out of its contract since Steve isn't very profitable.
While all of this is very disheartening (especially for Steve), I was wondering if fans at Kevin's watch could possibly do something about it by writing letters to Berkley showing our support for SRD. I don't know the editor at Berkley who Steve is dealing with, but the general email for Berkley Publishing is: BerkleyNALpublicity@us.penguingroup.com. We could also inundate their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/BerkleyPub/
Even if Berkley refuses to compromise, Steve can certainly try to publish elsewhere, where he may get a better title and an editor who respects his work. But why take the chance? Let's make some noise!
Donaldson's Publishing Woes
Moderator: Savor Dam
This is what I posted to Berkley's Facebook page:
Please publish Stephen R Donaldson's The Killing God, and in a manner that respects his work. I have been a loyal fan of his for over thirty years. No other author has had such an impact on my life. It was one of the reasons I became a writer. Through all of Steve's works, whether fantasy, science fiction or mystery, one common theme can be found through them all; an exploration of what makes us human. When I learned that Berkley was balking at publishing his novel The Killing God (and the concluding volume of The Great God's War trilogy, no less) I was saddened and more than a little outraged. If this is how you treat your authors (and readers) then I will certainly look elsewhere when it comes time to purchase books.
Please publish Stephen R Donaldson's The Killing God, and in a manner that respects his work. I have been a loyal fan of his for over thirty years. No other author has had such an impact on my life. It was one of the reasons I became a writer. Through all of Steve's works, whether fantasy, science fiction or mystery, one common theme can be found through them all; an exploration of what makes us human. When I learned that Berkley was balking at publishing his novel The Killing God (and the concluding volume of The Great God's War trilogy, no less) I was saddened and more than a little outraged. If this is how you treat your authors (and readers) then I will certainly look elsewhere when it comes time to purchase books.
Something there is in beauty.