Lividian Publications

[Sock Monkey]

I expanded my post while you were typing this, if you want more details.

Thanks for the further info. The whole thing just sounds like a mess. And I agree: 5000 copies would be way too high. It's crazy that there is no idea how many books were produced.

[goathunter]

I was happy to be able to get my matching letter E until the book arrived. Speaks was published more than 20 years ago, is there a typical amount of time the rights will hold for? If River City no longer exists, then once Leviathan is published, let's circle back to the beginning and do Speaks the right way!

It all depends on what the contract says, and what happened to the rights that River City had. No one seems to know.

[joejets]

I was happy to be able to get my matching letter E until the book arrived. Speaks was published more than 20 years ago, is there a typical amount of time the rights will hold for? If River City no longer exists, then once Leviathan is published, let's circle back to the beginning and do Speaks the right way!

[goathunter]

Hey! You must have been reading my mind while I was typing my last post! Thanks for the info. That situation seems rather misleading on River City's part. Don't understand that thinking at all and would definitely turn me off from buying any books from them since they don't seem to understand the market at all.

I expanded my post while you were typing this, if you want more details.

[Marmaduke Grigsby]

Hey! You must have been reading my mind while I was typing my last post! Thanks for the info. That situation seems rather misleading on River City's part. Don't understand that thinking at all and would definitely turn me off from buying any books from them since they don't seem to understand the market at all.

Well, right after those "lettered" editions appeared, River City Publishing fell off the face of the earth. There were 52 copies apparently, lettered A thru ZZ. And yes, they were charging a hefty premium for them over the numbered price. Perhaps it was a desperate cash grab from a publisher that was going under.

[Sock Monkey]

Now only Mystery Walk and Mine remain to get the limited treatment, hopefully from Lividian. Also would eventually like a better limited for Speaks the Nightbird, a nice Lividian limited and lettered. That crappy River City limited does not fit with all the other limited Corbett books.
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I thought the same thing about Mystery Walk and Mine when I heard about this announcement. I haven't read Mine yet (though I picked up secondhand paperback about 8+ years ago), but I've always been a fan of Mystery Walk. Hoping that more limiteds do happen. Truth be told, I've been holding off on Lividian titles as the budget has been really tight this last year with all the various releases and something had to give. This announcement is definitely going to be hard to pass on.

[Sock Monkey]

That's because there was no lettered edition. A few years ago, presumably somebody at River City decided to use letters on the remaining (?) stock, probably to try to justify asking higher prices. But there was no lettered state when the limited was produced.

Hey! You must have been reading my mind while I was typing my last post! Thanks for the info. That situation seems rather misleading on River City's part. Don't understand that thinking at all and would definitely turn me off from buying any books from them since they don't seem to understand the market at all.

[Sock Monkey]

I have River City limited and lettered editions of "Speaks" - identical books, just a letter instead of a number.Â

Really? Was the lettered like a PC thing like PS Publishing's lifetime subscriber "lettered editions"? Hopefully there wasn't a price difference between the numbered and lettered, because I'd be pretty ticked about paying extra for that.

[goathunter]

I have River City limited and lettered editions of "Speaks" - identical books, just a letter instead of a number.Â

That's because there was no lettered edition. A few years ago, presumably somebody at River City decided to use letters on the remaining (?) stock, probably to try to justify asking higher prices. But there was no lettered state when the limited was produced.

When Camelot Books had this magical stock of "lettered" editions a few years ago, I stated then that they weren't really lettered books, but people ignored what I had to say---and some argued with me---and bought the books at elevated prices anyway. But here's the thing: I was involved with River City during that whole process. They had never done a limited edition before. They didn't even know what a limited edition typically looked like until i explained it to them. They knew nothing about lettered editions, and when they produced the limited, they were just numbered. How many they actually produced is a mystery. They initially wanted to do 5000 copies. I told them they were nuts. I suggested a limitation of 300 to 500. I don't know how many they actually did, but I believe it was around 500. But they never publicly revealed the limitation, so my guess is just a guess based on my conversations and recommendations with them at the time.

[joejets]

I have River City limited and lettered editions of "Speaks" - identical books, just a letter instead of a number. 

[sholloman81]

You are not wrong, River City still owns the rights to Speaks The Nightbird. It's a complicated mess. There have been efforts to try and secure the rights but River City has been unresponsive. It is unclear if they even still exist.

Makes me a bit sad, but thanks for that info!  Hopefully, it will get straightened out in the future because Speaks the Nightbird truly deserves something better!

[Marmaduke Grigsby]

I'm speaking completely from ignorance here, but I think there may be a rights issue with Speaks the Nightbird which may be why it hasn't been done again. Hope I'm wrong on that!

You are not wrong, River City still owns the rights to Speaks The Nightbird. It's a complicated mess. There have been efforts to try and secure the rights but River City has been unresponsive. It is unclear if they even still exist.

[sholloman81]

Now only Mystery Walk and Mine remain to get the limited treatment, hopefully from Lividian. Also would eventually like a better limited for Speaks the Nightbird, a nice Lividian limited and lettered. That crappy River City limited does not fit with all the other limited Corbett books.
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Yeah, I'd kill for a new LE of Speaks the Nightbird. Have LE's of all the other Corbett books; however, I just can't bring myself to spend the money on an inferior River City edition that was pretty much falling apart at publication. I'm speaking completely from ignorance here, but I think there may be a rights issue with Speaks the Nightbird which may be why it hasn't been done again. Hope I'm wrong on that!

[joejets]

Now only Mystery Walk and Mine remain to get the limited treatment, hopefully from Lividian. Also would eventually like a better limited for Speaks the Nightbird, a nice Lividian limited and lettered. That crappy River City limited does not fit with all the other limited Corbett books.
 

[sholloman81]

The official annoucement of the book is coming in May, but since ARCs have been sent out there was a pre-announcement posted on Robert McCammon's website and on Facebook.

https://www.robertmccammon.com/2023/...from-lividian/

I am over the moon about this announcement.  I have wanted a limited of Gone South forever, and to know that Lividian is the one doing it has me ecstatic!