Cinemaker Press
| Zine Publisher | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Cinemaker Press |
| Contact: | Ed Gross |
| Type: | |
| Fandoms: | Beauty and the Beast |
| Status: | defunct |
| Other: | |
| URL: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Cinemaker Press was a unique hybrid of fan produced and published fan fiction with the approval of TPTB (in this case Republic, the copyright owners of Beauty and the Beast). The press worked directly with fan writers (mostly), unlike the more traditional tie-in novels that were commissioned by Avon using professional writers.
Two novels were published - both in paperback and one of the two in hardback.
They were Legacy of Love and Beyond Words, Beyond Silence.
Major Financial Problems and Failure
Cinemaker had financial problems and the books listed as upcoming publications were published by the authors themselves as fanzines. See Bright Spirit Descending for more on this subject.
A 1992 Introduction and Description
The initial puffed-up description for fans, from a much, much lengthier article in Pipleline v.5 n.1:
Mr. Gross has taken over the task of bringing the saga of Beauty and the Beast" to the printed page having licensed the rights from Republic Pictures. "I had heard from a great many people that they were not satisfied with the Avon books. Avon, for their part, felt that they were going to have another Star Trek' series. Then, when the show went off the air, they thought there was nothing to keep it alive. I was a firm believer that 'B&B' still has a life to it and I queried about obtaining the rights. Republic had apparently liked the non- fiction books I'd done through Image and agreed to the license for another line I've started called Cinemaker Press.
People seem to forget that 'Star Trek' wasn't 'on the air' either in the '70s, except for syndication. We all know what happened with 'Star Trek.'"
With only 79 episodes to watch over and over again, Trek fans needed new stories to keep things from growing stale, "which is why people have been writing their own fan fiction." Ed knows of what he speaks: "I always had an interest in television and film. Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy genres have always appealed to me. I used to write little horror stories when I was a kid, I was a big fan of Dark Shadows.' I started writing about movies in junior high school publications...
[...]
In 1985 Ed also "hooked up with this publisher in California (who subsequently moved to Las Vegas for various and sundry reasons that I won't go into). I wrote a few magazine-style volumes for him on 'Dark Shadows,' 'V,' Super Heroes on Film,' and more books on 'Star Trek' than I'd care to think about. After five years I finally realized that they were getting rich off me but were not sharing any of the profits that the books were obviously generating. I decided In 1990 to try and start on my own. I haven't look back since."
Image Publishing has produced a dozen books in little more than a year, and Ed Gross as publisher has tried to make sure that his authors fare better than he did. "It's my determination to make both Cinemaker Press and Image Publishing companies by a writer for writers. People who write for me won't make much money up front, but we give them a hefty percentage of the royalties and all the proper paperwork so they know that everything is on the up and up."
[...]
The books will initially be coming out in a 6" x 9" format for $9.95 each and be illustrated with original art on the cover and inside. Award-winning fan artist Beth Blighton has been approved as Cinemaker's first official "Beauty and the Beast" artist. "We were not looking for photo reproductions in art form, with my license I could just print the actual photographs. It is more worth the reader's money to get something never seen before, original illustrations for an original novel. Then you are not only bringing the tale to life with words, but you're seeing images that will enhance the overall experience."
The series will begin with 3 novelizations, the first based on the trilogy episodes, "What Rough Beast," "Ceremony of Innocence" and "The Rest is Silence," by Nan Dibble. And the second and third books based on the entire arc of episodes from the 3rd season which will be penned by Kathy Cox. "These adaptations will not be scripts just put into prose form," explains Gross. "They will have a lot of additional material which will provide deeper insights into the characters and will go where neither the television budget nor the network would allow the show to go dramatically."
Cinemaker has been and will continue to work closely with the series' creator. "Ron Koslow and I will be discussing each project and we will look at what works or does not work within each particular plotline."... [Each book] will have Ron Koslow's stamp of approval and it will not conflict with his vision," says Gross.
Cinemaker will not be giving away many secrets, discussions with Ron K. have cleared the way for virtually every possible storyline. For example, specific events that may constitute future novels include: alternate time lines in which Catherine Chandler lived; prequels to the series detailing the origin of the Tunnel World and Vincent's youth; sexual but not pornographic relations between Vincent and Catherine; even the possibility of a Vincent and Diana romance which would move slowly as "a natural progression to a maturing relationship." Continues Ed, "The parameters are wide open, the only limitation being that we need good stories and writers who can bring them to life. This will give us the ability to appeal to everybody. That's not to say everybody will love every novel, but the series as a whole should really prove pleasing." According to the publisher: "We will be dealing with 3rd season events, in fact we will even take up where 3rd season left off. I know there is a controversy regarding the whole thing and I understand it to a degree. But there are also a great many people who admire what was done in third season and I think that as much as the Classic people have to be listened to, so do the 3rd season people. What's fair for one group is fair for the other. Anyone who's read my book 'Above and Below' knows that I'm a fan of the show. The bottom line is I truly respect 'Beauty and the Beast.' I'm not just some publisher who says, 'Ah, I can make a few bucks off 'Beauty and the Beast,' let me do it.' I really care about the show. I think it's terrific and I'm happy and proud to be the one to be able to continue it in some form or another. I mean to say I respect the Catherinites, and I respect the people who like 3rd season. We're going to get a mixture of both... the best of both worlds."
Sounds like we're in for a lot of innovation. One of the 'secrets' of Star Trek's longevity is its ability to change or regenerate into new forms can B&B do the same? Ed is obviously 'anti-rehash: "Status quo is in itself self- fulfillment, isn't it? You're not taking the chance of not liking something because it's sticking to a strict formula. If it doesn't vary, then you know you're not going to be disappointed. But that doesn't allow for creative growth. Sure it's creative to think of new dilemmas to set up, but if things don't evolve there's no point in even doing it. It doesn't create life within that universe. People have turned to fan fiction because they're hungry for new material. If we can deliver quality material, I think the publisher will be happy, the public will be happy and the fans will be happy. As long as it's quality and nobody finishes the last few pages saying, 'What a rip-off.' As long as they feel that, even if they may not agree with this writer's take on 'Beauty and the Beast,' it was a damn good story, or the writing style was great, or Vincent was wonderfully portrayed. You at least walk out with some satisfaction and it's worth your buck."
There's concern from some parties that the series will just be more fan-fiction. That Cinemaker will not be using professionals. "First of all," Gross notes, "one of the writers we're going to use is Nan Dibble. Nan is a professional, but people don't realize it because she's been so involved in fandom." In fact, Ms. Dibble's credentials make for quite a read unto themselves. With an MA, MFA, and Phd. from the University of Iowa, the author taught college creative writing courses for 12 years and was senior content editor for Writer's Digest Books in Cincinnati for 6 and a half years. She will be writing for Cinemaker Press under her own name, though her professional nom-de-plume, Ansen Dibell, may be more familiar to readers.
[...]
Cinemaker's next contributor will be famed fan writer Kathy Cox, who will be adapting the 3rd season arc into a two- novel set. "She's certainly proven herself," comments Gross, "She had written a graphic novel for First Publishing. It was not published because it's my understanding that the company's having a financial restructuring. Kathy had, in fact, been recommended to First Publishing by Ron Koslow, which was certainly enough of a recommendation for me to contact her. The quality of her writing certainly strikes one as professional. It's not a question of a person's credits, it's being able to go to them and say 'You have an understanding of the show, you can write. Write.' It's better than going to a professional writer who's written 22 books in the fantasy genre and then having to say, "Okay, there are these tunnels, you see, and in those tunnels..." I'm much more prone to want to use someone who knows the show and can write than someone who would have to take a refresher course."
Can you write for Cinemaker Press? Unsolicited manuscripts will be returned. but query letters containing a brief, one-to-two paragraph summary of your storyline and/or examples of already published work will gladly be accepted. "We're developing a writers' guide and release form which we will send out in return for a query letter and a SASE. We are looking for other artists as well. Unsolicited original artwork will not be accepted, but xeroxes are welcome; please note that all submissions are non-returnable.