Wizards to Refocus Publishing Efforts

Here's a news release I picked thanks to a lead from SF Signal:

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Wizards of the Coast has announced the decision to refocus publishing efforts on the company's two core brands -- Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. As part of this strategy, the Discoveries imprint will be discontinued after the end of the 2008 catalog year.

"There is still so much more to discover in the rich fantasy worlds of Magic and D&D," said Casey Reeter, VP of Marketing for Wizards of the Coast. "Refocusing our publishing resources allows us to tell those untold stories and expand the reach of our core brands."

Beginning in 2009, any novel or series that does not support these core brands will be removed from the publishing schedule. The 2008 publishing schedule will remain unchanged.

The Mirrorstone imprint will continue to produce books for Dungeons & Dragons such as the Practical Guide and Dragon Codex series as well as the Stone of Tymora trilogy—a new Forgotten Realms series for young adult readers that kicks off this fall. Other series under the imprint that do not directly support Magic or D&D will not continue in 2009.

"We feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with such a talented group of new authors," said Liz Schuh, Director of Publishing at Wizards of the Coast. "We wish them success in their future endeavors."

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Back in February I was on a panel at ConDFW with J.M. McDermott, whose first novel, "Last Dragon", was the first trade paperback of the Discoveries imprint. He was also plumping the book at the con. He seemed really eager and pumped, I hope this isn't a severe setback for him.