TLC in the UK
Posted on September 6, 2008 Posted by John Scalzi 26 Comments
The Last Colony had its official UK release yesterday (it had been available before that as an import but is now out via Tor UK), and today saw a nice review of it in the Guardian, which called it “a fast-paced political thriller laced with observant characterisation, great dialogue, and some genuinely original science.” Can’t complain about that. So if you’re in the UK and have been holding off for an official UK edition, head to the stores. It’ll be there, waiting — nay, pining — for you. Note also that if you shop for your science fiction at Forbidden Planet, The Last Colony is part of a special discount promotion there through the end of the year.
At last, something for the we Brits (that doesn’t involve the defenestration of tannin-loaded beverages).
Tor/Scalzi 08 on the Independent ticket – Yay!
When your books get released in the UK, does someone go through and mess all the spelling up, adding u’s and changing z’s into s’s willy-nilly so that Brits will be able to understand it?
Also, John Perry is renamed “Nigel Fotheringsworth” in the UK edition, I think, and the Obin get Scottish accents.
Every use of the word “Sorcerer” is replaced with “Philosopher”.
This UK-ification of the OMW series has in fact been previously essayed.
Ha, and I thought it was anarchy in the UK! Oh, wait…
When I first saw the title of this post, I thought it would be about British people hugging. I’m not disappointed, though.
John, most British people spell your name Jouhn Scalsi, as you know, but in the link above the Grauniad writes that The Last Colony is by ‘Eric Brown’. A quick check tells me that their reviewer is called Eric Brown and he seems to have written several of the books he’s reviewed.
You could try complaining about it. Don’t worry about the sub-editor getting fired for the error as I think they give them extra points for this sort of thing. The Guardian is famous for typos, once managing to get its own name wrong, which is why it’s known as the Grauniad.
I wonder if the hard-cover Zoe’s Tale I got from Forbidden Planet last week was import or not…
I’d rather imagine the Zoe’s Tale hardcover from Forbidden Planet was imported, yes.
I regret I’m not so much jumping for joy at this news as I’d normally be, as I picked up TLC when I was in New York last week (and, thanks to a rather delayed flight, I was able to finish it all on the way home).
Huh… I got TLC months ago from Amazon UK and it said nothing about being an import. I’m impressed, normally it takes weeks to get in that case. (Or, they spend 6 months trying to get it then eventually tell you they can’t only for you to visit the Amazon US site to discover within 3 minutes that it’s available and ships in 24 hours. Happened to me once, bloody Amazon.) My OMW must be an import though and I’ll have to find the UK version because it sounds even better! ;-) But if you want unintelligible aliens, try the Aberdonians. They get offended when you ask them to repeat themselves…
From the advertisement:
I’m Sorry, You Haven’t A Clue.
Subject! Pronouns! Verbs! Agreement! Death!
This message brought to you by the Professional Organisation for English Majors.
Christopher Hawley @ 12
Ahem.
Gerund.
Also sprach Lyle Hopwood @8 on 06 Sep 2008 at 6:30 pm:
John, most British people spell your name Jouhn Scalsi, as you know, but in the link above the Grauniad writes that The Last Colony is by ‘Eric Brown’. A quick check tells me that their reviewer is called Eric Brown and he seems to have written several of the books he’s reviewed.
Next you’ll be telling us that it’s spelled “Jouhn Scalsi” but pronounced “Throat-Warbler Mangrove.”
…
And FWIW, a polite request for correction has been dispatched unto the powers that be at the Guardina.
What, you haven’t been pronouncing Jouhn Scalsi as “Throat-Warbler Mangrove” all these years? That’s madness!
Dr. Phil
Heh, well what do you know, I actually picked it up on the day of release without realising it.
Yes – realising.
You can underline it with your ignorant red dotted line if you wish, Sir Firefox, but you shall not dissuade me.
Gosh, why does it take so long for some books to come out in other countries. I’d have though TLC would have been out in the UK same time as here.
It takes time because foreign publishers have to make deals with me to publish the books. The UK is a foreign company; Tor UK needed to buy the license to publish it.
Aha. The inner workings of the publishing biz. I guess I was thinking it was some kind of octopus-like entity that could do it all at once.
Oh yes, the UK and the US: two countries divided by a common language. (I wish I could remember who actually coined that phrase). As an English expat in Canada I have not two but three linguistic cultural variations to deal with. It can be such fun at times…
Scalzi @18:
“The UK is a foreign company..”
Isn’t this taking privatisation of public assets a little too far?
MikeB @ 20:
I believe it was George Bernard Shaw who coined that phrase.
What is actually to advantage to anyone that exactly the same book, in the same language with the same cover is now published by an English publisher instead of an American one?
BTW, only 2 weeks ago I purchased The Last Colony from a Dutch online retailer and it was cheaper than the British version on discount.
Philbert:
“What is actually to advantage to anyone that exactly the same book, in the same language with the same cover is now published by an English publisher instead of an American one?”
Well, the advantage to me is that I got paid for it twice.
I received a very nice reply from Barbara Harper at The Guardian:
Just checked, and the author is correctly given as John
ScalviScalzi.What is actually to advantage to anyone that exactly the same book, in the same language with the same cover is now published by an English publisher instead of an American one?
Well, who could complain about Mr. Scalzi getting paid twice. But it also gives obsessive fan boys, bibliophiles, writers, booksellers and publishers and the people who tolerate them something to do. You really don’t want any of the above with idle hands… :)