From: tony_becky_mikey@verizon.net   
      
   "Paul Harper"  wrote in message   
   news:1148033475.484880.59450@38g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...   
   >   
   > (Posted to the unmoderated group since I am still banned from the   
   > moderated one)   
   >   
   > Matthew Sprange wrote:   
   >   
   >> Hello to all.   
   >>   
   >> I would like to start by saying that I am very, very sorry to have to   
   >> conduct any sort of discussion in this manner.  I feel I have been forced   
   >> to   
   >> do so because Mr Straczynski has not answered any of our direct emails   
   >> for   
   >> some time.  If it turns out they have merely been lost in the ether, then   
   >> I   
   >> sincerely apologise.  From our perspective, there is nothing we would   
   >> like   
   >> better than to be on speaking terms with Mr Straczynski, whose work we   
   >> have   
   >> the deepest admiration for and, indeed, we have been immersed within for   
   >> the   
   >> past four years.   
   >>   
   >> However, given his replies to this Newsgroup, there are some items I   
   >> would   
   >> like to address publically.   
   >>   
   >> >>>Not having heard the podcast, I really can't say.  All that I can say   
   >> is that there has been zero coordination or approvals between Mongoose   
   >> and anyone else that I know of.  To date, again as far as I know, WB   
   >> hasn't been shown what they're doing, certainly I haven't seen it,   
   >>   
   >> I fully understand that Mr Straczynski may be unaware of the processes   
   >> involved in the approval process at Warner Brothers for publishers such   
   >> as   
   >> ourselves, particularly after the recent changes in their procedures.   
   >> However, everything (and I mean _everything_) we publish or manufacture   
   >> for   
   >> Babylon 5 is approved by Warner Brothers, via their Burbank offices.   
   >>   
   >> >>>decided, in essence, "screw you, we don't need you," which has been my   
   >> perception of their approach from early on, when they first approached   
   >> me to try and (in my view) reluctantly get me involved...an initial   
   >> approach that was absurd, and insulting.  When they came back, the   
   >>   
   >> I am not 100% sure as to what you are referring to here.  Our first   
   >> contact   
   >> was for the first RPG book, during which we asked you to pen a foreword.   
   >> We   
   >> offered to send you copies of the manuscript and were informed that Fiona   
   >> Avery would be the first point of contact, which we accepted.  For the   
   >> life   
   >> of me, I cannot think what was absurd or insulting - our contact was   
   >> intended to be neither.   
   >>   
   >> >>>situation did not measurably improve and the attitude was one of, and   
   >> I'm admittedly characterizing it here, sod off, we don't need you, we   
   >> can go directly to the fans, who don't need you, we can do it better.   
   >>   
   >> This was most certainly not our intent and, if you consider it just   
   >> possible   
   >> that we are not the most miserable human beings on the Earth, this has to   
   >> be   
   >> an unlikely position for anyone to seriously take.  From our perspective,   
   >> we   
   >> have been a voice in the wilderness for the past three years, trying to   
   >> carry the Babylon 5 torch - and aside from the core fanbase that has   
   >> arisen   
   >> from our work, there have not been too many people who have seemed to   
   >> give   
   >> much of a damn.  Even the original creator seemed to ignore us - now, if   
   >> that was because of some slight you feel you received from us at the   
   >> beginning, then I cannot apologise enough.  Let;s bury the hatchet and   
   >> begin   
   >> to work together, as I have a feeling our goals are much the same.  The   
   >> Babylon 5 fans are still out there.  Let us do something great together   
   >> for   
   >> them.   
   >>   
   >> >>>Let me be clear: I have provided no outlines for novels to Mongoose.   
   >> Nor are there any outlines of episodes beyond what was shot plus the   
   >> two scripted but not shot episodes.  There ARE no outlines to which   
   >> they could have had access.  So this is false.   
   >>   
   >> We have access to three scripts, which we were planning to use as the   
   >> basis   
   >> of the first Crusade novel, and a collection of notes collated mostly   
   >> from   
   >> things you have said yourself.  There has, to date, been _no_ direct   
   >> planning for Crusade beyond this.  It is something we would very much   
   >> like   
   >> to do, but the first step was to round off the open end of the televised   
   >> Crusade episodes.  There are larger implications for the B5 timeline with   
   >> regards to Crusade, and it is something we would like to see rounded off   
   >> as   
   >> a whole because of the effect on continuity.  However, this is a longer   
   >> term   
   >> plan and is something we would very much like to involve yourself with.   
   >>   
   >> >>>You cannot have less input than zero input.  I have had zero input   
   >> >>>into   
   >> these novels.  So to say there is less now means that there was some   
   >> before.  Soi this is also false.   
   >>   
   >> I believe I am right in saying that the quote was made with regards to   
   >> Babylon 5 projects as a whole, rather than the novels specifically.   
   >>   
   >> So, I would like to make an open plea.  We would very much like to   
   >> re-open   
   >> lines of communication with you, Mr Straczynski.  We stand by everything   
   >> we   
   >> have done for Babylon 5 thus far, and would be more than happy to explain   
   >> it   
   >> to you, as we see it ourselves.  We would like to bring you on board for   
   >> the   
   >> novels and the other projects that are being planned and, if possible,   
   >> would   
   >> like to commission you for original work on them.   
   >>   
   >> I believe we could have resolved all of this a long time ago if there had   
   >> simply been better communication and understanding on both sides.  I can   
   >> understand how the situation must seem to you, and I ask you to try to   
   >> understand how things are for us.  I believe there is a common ground   
   >> and,   
   >> as I said, that our goals are likely similar.  At the end of the day, we   
   >> are   
   >> a company of nice people who are passionate about Babylon 5 and wish to   
   >> provide fans of the series with a service we can all be proud of.   
   >>   
   >> I am willing to email you this evening, or give you a call.  We would be   
   >> happy to fly you to England, at our expense of course, to bring you to   
   >> our   
   >> offices and show you, face-to-face, just what it is we are doing, how we   
   >> are   
   >> doing it and where we hope to go.  If, after that, you believe we are on   
   >> the   
   >> wrong track, we would be happy to sit down and bring your ideas front and   
   >> centre.   
   >>   
   >> There are some great things still to be done with Babylon 5.  If we can   
   >> sit   
   >> down and begin communicating again, I think we can do it together.   
   >>   
   >> Matthew Sprange   
   >>   
   >> Mongoose Publishing   
   >> http://www.mongoosepublishing.com   
   >   
   > I wish you the very best of luck (and will be buying the books when   
   > they're published), but think you're wasting time and breath trying to   
   > deal with "The Great Bird Of The Galaxy 2".   
   >   
   > The teddies have long-since been thrown out of the pram, and what   
   > remains of the B5 franchise seems to be very much viewed as a line of   
      
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