A Game of Thrones LE

A teaser on the Folio main page would seem to (heavily) suggest A Game of Thrones LE is upcoming:

Oh boy. That will set records.

The SE is already such a great offering I can’t imagine what they are going to bring out for an LE

>2 howtoeatrat: retail price records, certainly!

I'm sure it'll sell well, but this is very much like Howl's Moving Castle -- the first volume of a series that most people who are interested in it will already have a complete series set of it and may not be keen on adding a non-matching volume. But I imagine there's enough ASOIAF uber enthusiasts out there to gobble it up regardless.

I would get it if the series was complete, but best case scenario there are still at least 2 books still to be written...

>6 JorgeAntonioGuzm2493: I do believe we'll eventually get The Winds of Winter in one form or another (Martin reportedly has written ~1200 pages), but I can't imagine we'll ever get A Dream of Spring at this point (an opinion that I truly hope is proven wrong). That said, I enjoy each book for what it is and have been entertained by plenty of series that weren't completed before their author's passing (i.e. Dune, Parable, Gormenghast). At the end of the day, I'm just glad we got what we got, and I'm OK with completing them in my own mind's eye.

The email link:

https://clickom.email.foliosociety.com/f/a/W06DnJWtVAzV2xOKRI5T6g~~/AAAAARA~/QVa...

>6 JorgeAntonioGuzm2493: I’m with you.

>7 HonorWulf: What's the source on the 1200 pages written? I had no idea.

>10 Shotcaller: Martin has given various updates over the years in interviews and his own blog. For the past five years, the page count has been bouncing between 1000 and 1200 pages as he writes, edits and rewrites (he calls it the zero sum game since every time he adds words, he edits out some). He has also either released or read aloud at least eight chapters that he's written.

But the latest update from January was in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/george-rr-martin-interview-thro...

"Martin says he has around 1,100 manuscript pages finished."

"Here’s what happens when he sits down to write: 'I will open the last chapter I was working on and I’ll say, ‘Oh fuck, this is not very good.’ And I’ll go in and I’ll rewrite it. Or I’ll decide, ‘This Tyrion chapter is not coming along, let me write a Jon Snow chapter.’ If I’m not interrupted though, what happens — at least in the past — is sooner or later, I do get into it.'"

ASOIAF is one of my favorite series of all time. I own all SE from FS. Yet all of that said, I would only purchase if it is a standalone GoT (first book only) LE. Not interested in purchasing LE of all books.

>12 anymos:

For me it's the opposite. With series I want all or none of it as limited editions.

>3 Geo135: I suspect it will be the same as the standard with a nicer binding. It sounds like the art is the same unless the artist had additional work that wasn't used in the standard edition. The books are already large, so a bigger size would make them way too big for my taste. We will see.

>11 HonorWulf: Thank you!

>13 SF-72: I mean expectation is 1k per book. You down to spend 5k on it?

Most likely GoT, but could it be something else? Seems unlikely that it would be The Icewall Trilogy by Douglas Niles but who knows :)

>17 astropi: I don't own any of the GoT series but I had a nosey on Folio's website and the image in the teaser is definitely from GoT.

See here: https://www.foliosociety.com/uk/a-game-of-thrones

For just a small moment, I thought this could've been Anna Kavan's Ice.

>19 UltansLibrary: I thought the same - wishful thinking!

>16 anymos:

I'm not down to spend any money on it, actually. I already have the standard editions, which are okay but not great with regard to the illustrations, don't expect this to become a complete set, and am not a huge fan either. Folio's treatment of ROW customers has also been keeping me from a lot of purchases I might otherwise have made. But if it was something I really wanted and the money was available, yes, I would spend that on a complete set of books I really enjoy and where the edition really convinces me.

edited to remove a double post

>20 HonorWulf: I would think that ice being at the intersection of SF and being a modern classic of literary value (given that Penguin has multiple printings of it), there'd be a deluxe edition of it by now (not just folio)!

Release is set for 4pm 14th July limited to 1,000 copies. Dragon leather binding.

That looks pretty cool, I haven’t picked up any of the GoT books yet so I may be tempted by this one.

Looks nice watched the series but never read the books will sell out quick I am sure but not for me.

The leather binding looks absolutely stunning. I hope that FS puts out a promotional video showing how the leather was treated to produce such an effect.

Found this article: https://people.com/game-of-thrones-30th-anniversary-special-edition-11968490

According to article the limited edition book will be sold for $2,200.

>29 DeviousMouse: it better be real dragon leather for that price.

Never will pay that much for a book and have bought quite a few LE’S from folio easy pass.

I do wonder in what way the illustrations will differ from the standard edition.

And they're really going over the top with that price, though let's face it, it will sell anyway.

Am I wrong or could that be alligator or crocodile leather? If so, buying it internationally just might turn problematic.

I’d only buy it if it came with a binding contract, in blood, saying that Martin will complete the series.
That would worth a couple of grand.
Nice of them to remind us that he has taken 30 years to not complete it. Might be more relevant to point out its fifteen years since the last instalment came out.

Should include a gold dragon coin with that price!

That is a higher price than I was expecting so I’m having second thoughts.

>29 DeviousMouse: Wow $2,200 each to move 1000 units?

It'll be interesting to see how that works out. Maybe the enthusiast base is that large, who knows?

Or maybe unsold copies end up in a 50% off sale some years down the line - which is still quite steep at $1,100...

With how fast some of the more popular LEs sell out even when approaching $1000, as much as I hate to admit it that price might not be unreasonable.

Kindle version until Martin finishes the series.

>26 anthonyfawkes: Me too. I've never read GoT but that does look fabulous enough to make me give it a try. The price is less appealing, though.

>36 Ibkay: I believe there’s definitely a market for this — perhaps there have even already been requests for Folio Society to produce an edition like it. I’d assume ASOIAF is currently one of the Folio Society’s strongest-selling series. Considering how globally popular George R. R. Martin is, 1,000 copies really isn’t that many in the grand scheme of things.

The price is certainly high, but when you look at examples like Curious King’s Red Rising edition, where the most expensive version cost over $10,000 and sold out within seconds — it shows that the collector’s market is absolutely there. Of course, that edition was limited to only 10 copies, but still, the demand existed. And Martin is on an entirely different level in terms of popularity and recognition compared to Pierce Brown.

I also think the current Folio Society edition is already quite beautiful, but there will always be hardcore fans who fear missing out on a more exclusive version, especially if it’s signed by the author. And we know Folio Society tends to put way too high prices to signed editions.

I honestly wasn’t expecting this edition to be quite this expensive either but it’s probably best to wait until all the details and specifications are fully revealed.

The binding looks great, but for $2200 they should have kept two volumes for the book.

>40 DeviousMouse: Yes, the more I now think about it, the more I can see that it'll probably sell out quickly even at this price point.

ASOIAF is extremely popular - the fan base is enormous; and this is actually signed by Martin himself.

Well, I suppose book collecting prices are gradually getting up there with comic books and trading cards. We've honestly had it pretty good so far in comparison.

>41 SDB2012: I agree. It'll be very disappointing if the paper is somewhat thin so it fits into a single volume. But then they'd have charged even more. We'll see how it comes out.

I have zero interest in this book, but I have to admit the case looks really really nice and the book itself looks beautiful.

The latest Folio magazine has a short article on this LE, which is due for release on July 14, focusing on the design and production of the cover:

"Marc Lamb is no stranger to a challenge, but even he was excited when Folio came calling last year with a very particular request: to recreate the skin of a mythical creature known for its size, its wings and its fire breathing.

Marc, of specialist tanners Harmatan and Oakridge Leathers, remembers the conversation well. 'Folio's Production Director, Kate Grimwade, called to say she was working on A Game of Thrones, book one of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, and she made it very clear: "We need a leather that looks and feels like dragon skin." But no one, as far as I know, has ever seen a dragon!'

The idea, it turned out, was to create a dragon skin cover for the book. 'It just had to be, says Kate. 'It's simple and strong, with a touch of the medieval. We chose trusted craftspeople who we knew could make this limited edition something extraordinary, with the highest production values.
Folio are fans, after all, and all our customers are fans. So we wanted to create an in-world experience for our community of obsessive A Game of Thrones fans!

Next was a call to Paul Kidson of Ludlow Bookbinders. I've worked with Folio since 2008, says Paul, 'and it's important that we have that shared passion. The skills we use need champions - without them, they will be lost. So customers like Folio are vital. They trust us, and we trust them!

The team rose to the challenge. Harmatan proposed a bold, heavy grain called Giant Hornback for the embossing plate. The plate was pressed onto carefully chosen, vegetable-tanned leather in an unwieldy but delicate embossing process.

It takes two people to lift the plate onto a forklift and into position on the press, explains Marc, 'and then the plate is heated. The embossing process is just 10 to 15 seconds - too short and the pattern isn't deep enough, too long and the leather cracks and goes hard.! Once embossed, each panel of leather is hand-finished with black dye to create the two-tone effect, then individually polished.
The cover is, however, just one part of the story.

Inside, special handmade endpapers featuring a bespoke watermark and made with water and rag courtesy of the Paper Foundation run by Croppers, a papermaker in the Lake District.

The watermark features a dragon created by illustrator Jonathan Burton, invisible until you shine a light through it.

'The pièce de résistance is a limitation label of handmade paper, with hand-lettering commissioned from the artist Stephen Raw, blocked in 24 carat gold,' says Kate. 'The label was hand-delivered by a member of the Follo team to George R. R. Martin for signature, and one will be tipped into each book.' The final book will be housed in a Solander box bound in metallic buckram and foil blocked with artwork by Jonathan Burton. Each box features a map housed in a secret compartment.

'This has been a project of a lifetime, says Kate, 'and is certainly the most ambitious limited edition Folio has produced to date.'"

>44 MisterTrister: Thanks for sharing this article. I have to say, the hype is steadily building up for this one.

I am now taking a more serious look at it, still not an easy purchase though...

I've never read any of the GOT books, nor have I seen the series. But I'll save the $2200 and buy hundreds of books from the thrift store or other outlets.

I've given a no-evidence explanation for the long delay for the last two books, which GOT fans of my acquaintance have been enthusiastic about. The (again, evidence-free) idea is that Martin gave the show producers an outline of the last two books, which they followed. But once he saw how unpopular the finish was, he's gone back to re-do the whole thing so that it would come to a more satisfying conclusion.

>46 coynedj: The first four seasons of GOT (which adapt the first three books) were excellent. Unfortunately, the producers chose not to faithfully adapt books four and five and presented a butchered form of the books in seasons 5-6 (there was enough material for at least three or four seasons). The final two seasons were based on Martin's notes, but were so poorly rushed that I don't think the plot points really mattered. The producers (Benioff & Weiss) wanted to leave HBO for other projects and turned down HBO's request for additional episodes/seasons, so the whole thing became a shitshow at the end.

I personally believe the experience broke Martin's morale -- writing the series has clearly become more work than passion. He does have 1100 manuscript pages complete on the The Winds of Winter, so I imagine it's just a matter of time before he calls it a day and publishes what he has. A Dream of Spring, though, is another story...

>47 HonorWulf: Thats one read of events.
The show runners had a real world problem, ageing child actors. The idea that they could keep making seasons while waiting for Martin to finish would have twenty year olds playing early teenagers. It was bad enough as it was. Bran in particular looked far too old by the end.
Not to mention that the later books introduce yet more characters and stray further and further from the main plots of the initial books.
Martin had one job, finish the books. He didn’t do that. And still hasn’t, six years after the show finished.

>46 coynedj: I largely agree, with the addition that Martin, obviously, has not come up with a better ending.
Hence no new books even since the show ended.
He is far more interested in other projects now. Ones which don’t keep reminding him of his failure.

>48 lawrencegough: The only real world problem the showrunners had was that they signed a Star Wars development deal with Disney and needed out of GOT by 2019. Martin begged for at least ten seasons and was willing to put a time jump in to account for the actor's ages if necessary. HBO was also strongly onboard. Ironically, Disney ended up scuttling the Star Wars project, and Benioff & Weiss ultimately pivoted to Three Body Problem at Netflix (another book they ended up mishandling).

>50 HonorWulf: Very interesting, anywhere I can read more about this?

>48 lawrencegough: six years after the show.
It's seven now. :^)
15 years wait since the last book.

>46 coynedj: But once he saw how unpopular the finish was, he's gone back to re-do the whole thing
Just want to note he's repeatedly denied this. He's also denied other popular theories like the book(s) being finished but waiting for some mystical date (usually a new show release/conclusion, his death).

>47 HonorWulf: I personally believe the experience broke Martin's morale
He's made it pretty clear that he's bad at finishing work, as his other projects also suggest. Maybe watching them make some version of "his ending", or the reception soured him, but he wasn't exactly a productive engine prior to that, going by his own timeline. His original pitch was 3 years to finish Winds, before the show got close to catching up (Dance and s1 of GOT was 2011).
Maybe the simplest answer is to believe what he says: he's "busy" with a lot of other projects. Not just his own adaptations and spinoffs (7 were in the works at some point), he champions other writers' work (Zelazny, Hillerman) being adapted as well, promotes short films of his buddies like Waldrop, and various side projects like the bookstore, rail line, theatre, conventions. When he gets back to work he doesn't like what he's written, so rewrites or skips characters with necessary plot. Again, that's not my theory, that's what he's said on his blog. He also has to deny having given up, or not writing anything, and seems rather fed up with the audience, especially after the incident where someone got up and said he'd be dead soon so he should get Sanderson to finish it (terrible idea for the record). He also had a stinkpiece on the HotD adaptation that he said was part of a whole series of upcoming posts and then had to retract it, presumably when the lawyers got involved.
Obviously at the end of the day he has to own a lot of this reception since it's his job to do, and his own broken deadlines that lay strewn across a decade and a half.

>24 assemblyman: It's a pretty book, and if I had to buy just one of the series it'd be the one with all the promise, but at 2000 dollars there's no chance. Too many other (finished!) books beckon.

>51 lawrencegough: James Andrew Miller reported on it back when it all went down and included it in his book Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers. Some of the relevant extracts here:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/george-r-r-martin-begged-201052476.html

>52 A.Godhelm: I think the biggest clue we got on The Winds of Winter was in the Hollywood Report interview earlier in the year when he said he simply wasn't "in the mood" to write it:

https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a64917333/george-rr-martin-the-winds...

His passion is clearly for other projects at this point, some of which are in the ASOIAF universe. I'm sure the House of the Dragon experience didn't help either, where, after a promising first season, the producers butchered the source material in the second season, forcing Martin to disown the show.

Folio has confirmed in a reply to a comment on Instagram that it will be £1500.

>55 The_JPS: So, maybe £1800 ROW? 👀

>55 The_JPS: Is this the most expensive LE now (setting aside the infamous scroll)?

>57 MyrddinWyllt: Yes, in terms of raw pounds. But the £1090 Luttrell Psalter from 2006 is actually more expensive if you factor in inflation -- that would be over two thousands pounds today.

>54 HonorWulf:
Amazing how Martin always manages to find people who butcher his work. Poor chap.
Might imagine he would stop getting HBO to adapt his books. Yet he doesn’t.
Real pity he couldn’t get a ten season GOT. Of course, if he had actually managed to write a book after 2011, maybe he would have been in a better position making such a suggestion.

>56 Dr.Fiddy: ROW pricing for every book I've checked recently was +15% on the UK with some rounding so £1725 more likely.

>59 lawrencegough: I believe he was happy with GOT seasons 1-4, HotD season 1 and the new Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1. He wasn't happy with GOT seasons 5-8 and HoTD season 2, which basically mirrors the fan response. In terms of HBO, they acquired rights to all of Martin's past and future Westeros books in the 2007 deal, with a perpetual renewal option as long as they keep making new shows, so Martin has no ability to stop them or take his works elsewhere. He does have a side contract with HBO for his own personal involvement that expires this year, but HBO can continue to make the shows with or without his involvement.

>38 treereader: Kindle version until Martin finishes the series.
I laugh, but I do agree. Some might argue GRRM does not "owe" his fans anything, and my attitude is "okay then, explain where GRRM would be without his fans?" so yeah, I do think he owes finishing the series and so far as I can tell, he's done anything and everything to avoid finishing the series.

In defense of Mr. Martin, I would note that in these last years he had been a model citizen-activist here in Santa Fe--instrumental in the founding of Meow Wolf (a local installation providing employment to any number of artists), re-opening a long-closed art house theater, the Jean Cocteau, and co-producing (with the late Robert Redford) the Dark Winds series, featuring the memorable Navajo cops from Tony Hillerman's books.

As it happens I've never read any of his books, and in the few episodes I've seen of the HBO programs I found the violence excessive. For the sake of his readers I do hope he gets around to finishing his series. But I have to add that I've read (this being America) that he has gotten anonymous death threats for not writing fast enough. Not the sort of thing to feed your enthusiasm.

>63 RickartAllen:
Yeah, I think that's what >62 astropi: meant when by "he's done anything and everything to avoid finishing the series". He can do what he wishes, though, I don't begrudge him that. But if he was smart, he would finish his story for his own legacy's sake. If he passes away before finishing those last two books, his publisher will find someone else who will. There's too much money at stake for it not to happen.

>62 astropi:
Right. He doesn't owe us anything. It's funny, though, because if it weren't for the HBO series, comparatively few people would know his work. Sure, he had a following prior to HBO, but it pales compared to the worldwide recognition the series brought him.

For what it's worth, I do think this deluxe Folio edition is quite stunning.

>64 treereader: I would just like to point out that a publisher cannot continue a series without permission from the author's estate unless there is already a clause in the existing contract assigning rights to derivative written works to the publisher (which is not common practice as far as I know).

While of course there is a big financial incentive for the estate to give such permission there's no guarantee. He doesn't have any children so it really depends on his wife if she survives him.

Martin himself has stated his objection to such an arrangement. In fact his comments in this interview implies his will likely explicitly forbids it and pretty much confirms there is no derivative works clause in his contract: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/george-rr-martin-interview-thro...

I ask Martin if he’s ever considered simply giving up on the book. It’s your life, George, I say. You don’t have to spend it working on something if you find it torturous.

“I would hate that,” Martin says. “It would feel like a total failure to me. I want to finish.”

Handing the project to another writer — which some fans have lobbied for him to do — isn’t going to happen, Martin says. There is also no secret contingency plan for somebody else to take over if Martin gets struck by lightning. “If that happens, my work won’t be finished,” he says. “It’ll be like The Mystery of Edwin Drood” — referring to Charles Dickens’ unfinished final novel.

Of course what GRRM might not realize is that since it is his estate and NOT him that will decide what happens if he leaves his work unfinished, the estate may certainly decide "yeah, let's finish this work" contrary to any objections he may have.

>63 RickartAllen: Yes indeed, he even collaborated on a huge AAA video game (Elden Ring), because why even bother pretending at this point you're working on the next book --
https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2021/06/20/what-did-george-rr-martin-cont...

So far from what I've seen, it looks like a very nice LE. That price though, will be hard to fork-up $2000+ for a fantasy that ultimately goes the way of Edwin Drood...

>66 astropi: I don't know much about estate law in the US but I assume if he explicitly forbids it in his will, the estate can't overrule it, at least not easily? In any case this is speculation since we don't know the particulars.

Personally I'm not too invested in a conclusion as even though I really loved the start of the series it kind of lost me by books 4 and 5.

However, I'm curious to see how this LE will sell in any case. I don't think I can personally criticise the price too much. I did shell out more after all for the lettered edition of Tigana from Conversation Tree Press which unlike most of their publications was offset rather than letterpress printed. Despite the much lower limitation with lettered Tigana, I felt it comparable to an extent both books having quite special bindings done by Ludlow.

I think this edition will sell out and do so quickly. Despite the 1,000 copy limitation, the demand is surely there and Folio must have noted the prices for which the Lord of the Rings Alan Lee LE are selling for second hand.

>67 zorg2099: Fair points for sure. I guess I'm in the camp that definitely wants a conclusion and feels it's an author's duty to complete a work they started. But, I don't think we're going to get one. At any rate, it sure will be interesting to see how quickly this LE sells. As you said, could be insanely quick despite the high price. And congrats on the lettered Tigana -- it sure looks beautiful!

>65 zorg2099:

Well yes, and that's a great right-vs-wrong argument, and despite wanting a proper finish you'd like to see right prevail where, if he doesn't finish the story and says no one else can do it for him, that's his choice and it stands firm. But then there's the real world. Be it his wife or his estate, someone will present them a really big check. They won't be able to say no. At that point the best one could hope for is a good writer who's also a fan.

Just worked out that I will be four hours into a fourteen hour flight when this is released. Hope they have reliable and fast internet on the plane!

>70 wcarter: could you ask for help from a family member or a friend? In case this ends up a Curious King level of selling out speed

I can’t seem to find the post (I think it was on Reddit) but someone made the interesting point of this being comparable in price to a lettered edition from a smaller press which only sell 26 copies, but FS anticipates being able to sell 1000 of them. Almost 40x the volume which is pretty remarkable and speaks to FS being a giant in comparison (it’s all relative in this niche community).

Obviously FS has a far more robust marketing department than any of the smaller presses, but even so I wonder how often it breaks out to new consumers. But based on how quickly the popular series’ books sell out (FS LoTR, CK Assassins’s Apprentice and Red Rising) word must spread in those respective niche communities.

I can’t seem to find the post (I think it was on Reddit) but someone made the interesting point of this being comparable in price to a lettered edition from a smaller press which only sell 26 copies, but FS anticipates being able to sell 1000 of them. Almost 40x the volume which is pretty remarkable and speaks to FS being a giant in comparison (it’s all relative in this niche community).

Obviously FS has a far more robust marketing department than any of the smaller presses, but even so I wonder how often it breaks out to new consumers. But based on how quickly the popular series’ books sell out (FS LoTR, CK Assassins’s Apprentice and Red Rising) word must spread in those respective niche communities.

>72 PJ-Reads: Fine Press Forum!

https://www.librarything.com/topic/384216#9194037

>74 FitzJames: ah that was it, thank you!!

>73 PJ-Reads: Folio's customer base and reach is certainly much larger than say a Suntup, CTP or Curious King. And for good reason.

You only need to look at the back catalog of Folio to see they are not in the same class at all. FS has published more than 2,500 titles over seven decades, across a very wide range of topics in both fiction and non-fiction. I think this puts them solidly in a middle category that's not "small press". They sell high-quality standard editions in the thousands or maybe sometimes tens of thousands of units per title.

It also helps a lot that they don't take "pre-orders" for expensive books, making them more like a traditional bookshop where you walk in, hand over your money and get your book. I think this may be of understated value. It's much more compelling when you can order and get your book shipped immediately, versus waiting months or years to get your book with CTP, Curious King, Suntup etc.

Quite reasonable to see how they can move 1000 units of an extremely popular $2,200 Limited Edition book that ships immediately. There's bound to be at least that number of already existing willing customers that are aware of Folio Society.

>70 wcarter:
I don't have any family members or friends who would be willing to get up at 2am (release time in Australia) just to buy me "another damned book".

>76 Ibkay: your point about all items being in stock when you buy them is a good one. One must be an exceedingly patient collector to be willing to put down the money and wait such a long time with other presses. It is always refreshing when my yearly FS order ships immediately after paying!

I’m sure you’re right about being able to move 1000 copies of GoT due to sheer popularity, though to me it is an amazing amount of money to spend on a book.

>76 Ibkay: Folio's customer base and reach is certainly much larger than say a Suntup, CTP or Curious King. And for good reason.

Yep, by a wide margin -- here's the Instagram numbers:

Folio Society (352,000 followers)
Easton Press (67,300 followers)
Curious King (12,300 followers)
Suntup (7,480 followers)
Conversation Tree Press (2,760 followers)

EDIT: Added Easton Press per request below!

>79 HonorWulf:

Very interesting information, thank you. I had no idea Folio was so dominant in the market. Good!

>76 Ibkay: That's an interesting point, and I agree. I don't think the Folio Society is a small press. While I don't think there's necessarily an exact definition as to what constitutes a "small press", I think we can agree that Suntup, CTP, CK, are all small press. A press like the FS can publish much more than a small press, although I think most would argue the quality you get from a small press is typically unmatched -- although they tend to be substantially more expensive.

>79 HonorWulf: Do you know what the numbers happen to be for Easton Press? I would put EP in the same league as FS, it's not small press either.

>81 astropi: Easton Press is at 67300 followers, so roughly 20% of Folio's.

>82 HonorWulf: The EP LibraryThing group has about 1/3 the number of FS people, so that tracks. Thanks.

>79 HonorWulf: Very surprising to see CK over Suntup and CTP already at half of Suntup. To be fair some of them seem to do a lot more over at Facebook (like Suntup's live events), while FS seems really active on their instagram (lots of teaser posting and speculation bait).
I'm not debating that FS is a behemoth by comparison to be clear, just wondering what numbers would add to the picture.

>84 A.Godhelm: CK’s succes is quite remarkable. I wonder if it comes down to an amazing job of picking more modern, genre books with a fanbase that sell out almost immediately while CTP and Suntup have some more popular title picks but also some older or less popular/accessible ones. I am not on social media except for YouTube so I miss out on most of the marketing, I imagine.

>84 A.Godhelm: Here's the Facebook numbers:

Folio Society (133,000 followers)
Easton Press (113,000 followers)
Suntup (5,900 followers)
Curious King (2,500 followers)
Conversation Tree Press (1,400 followers)

Folio have released this short YouTube clip showing the production process of the leather cover: https://youtube.com/shorts/DZasl-3w9hM?is=AETYZe1JK501oHDf

>87 MisterTrister: Thanks for sharing! I think the cover could be very stunning, depending on how it's completed of course (tooling, etc). In my opinion the real elephant in the room is GRRM himself -- it's legit to ask "what's the point?" if he never plans to finish the books and purposely doesn't want anyone else to complete it either, which apparently is what he's stated.

https://www.ign.com/articles/game-of-thrones-writer-george-rr-martin-says-theres...
Game of Thrones Writer George R.R. Martin Says There's No Plan if He Dies Before Completing Winds of Winter, and the Series Simply 'Won't Be Finished'
"It'll be like The Mystery of Edwin Drood."

>88 astropi: Im not sure that the lack of completion of the series matters especially if this LE is a one off which it may well be. I personally know people who are huge fans of the series—albeit not in the market for a £1500 LE—but are relatively sanguine about the fact its not complete and just enjoy the books that they've gotten. I know a lot of people are frustrated but his fanbase is big enough I have no doubt there are more than enough people who will snap this up (scalpers aside) regardless.

I think I mentioned earlier that my personal interest tailed off in the series after book 3 so I don't have very strong feelings either about the LE or the Winds of Winter. But I don't really find it inexplicably odd that someone might buy an LE if they really like it even if its one book of an incomplete series.

>89 zorg2099: While there are no official statistics, it sounds like the majority of GoT fans are quite upset that he has made no progress and shows no interest in finishing the series. That said, as you pointed out there are many fans of the franchise, so it may ultimately not make a difference for this LE.

>90 astropi: Those are probably the noisiest ones - the unhappy ones. The rest probably don’t care to keep repeating how indifferent they are at every single opportunity.