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View Full Version : Salem's Lot-Centipede Owner's signed and deluxe editions for sale!



Centipede
09-17-2009, 04:27 AM
Admin: Not sure if this is the right spot for this post. This particular posting is about my book, so I figure that I had better put it here.

Hey everyone,

I am selling my lone copy of Salem's Lot deluxe edition. This is the publisher's copy, and is signed by Stephen King and Jerry Uelsmann. The book is printed on the Saunders Waterford paper, bound in leather, and wrapped in the traycase. It has the special endpapers. The Uelsmann photographs are protected by a red translucent paper, which was not included in any other edition. The book comes with a separate set of Uelsmann prints, a book of interviews with Stephen King set in the same style as Salem's Lot, and in the same size; the prospectus for a Centipede edition of The Shining, one of only four copies created, which is also signed by JK Potter, and the originals of all correspondence with Stephen King (including a lengthy letter from King to me), and all letters from Arthur Greene, Stephen Rubin, Jerry Uelsmann, and others. If you are interested, please shoot me an email at jerad [at] centipedepress.com. I am working on a pdf file which will show all the different parts of the package.

Thank you!

biomieg
09-17-2009, 05:00 AM
Sounds like an amazing package, Jerad! Not that I can afford it (unless you want to trade it for a tattered UK 1st/1st of The Stand)...

... but it would be great if someone from this site got it!

Mr. Rabbit Trick
09-17-2009, 05:37 AM
I thought this one was it...

http://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1317584246&searchurl=an%3Dstephen%2Bking%26bi%3D0%26bx%3Doff% 26ds%3D30%26sortby%3D1%26sts%3Dt%26tn%3Dsalem%2Blo t%26x%3D79%26y%3D14

Centipede
09-17-2009, 02:33 PM
Hello Mr Rabbit Trick,


I thought this one was it...

Those are copies. I am selling the originals, plus the Shining prospectus. I have a pdf file detailing the book. Would you like me to send you it direct?

Jerad

Mr. Rabbit Trick
09-17-2009, 10:03 PM
Hello Mr Rabbit Trick,


I thought this one was it...
Those are copies. I am selling the originals, plus the Shining prospectus. I have a pdf file detailing the book. Would you like me to send you it direct?

Jerad

Thanks for clearing that up Jerad.

If you post the link on here that will be fine.

Centipede
09-18-2009, 03:10 AM
Hey there, specifically to Rabbit Trick,

I would rather not have the pdf file posted right now. Could you email me and I can send it to you directly, or would it be easier for you to have a link? I just don't want a whole lot of images being spread around.

Jerad

Centipede
09-19-2009, 04:01 PM
Hey everyone,

This was originally posted in the Artists Inspired by Stephen King thread, but Jerome thought it would be better to have it in its own topic. Here goes...

I am selling my lone copy of Salem's Lot deluxe edition. This is the publisher's copy, and is signed by Stephen King and Jerry Uelsmann. The book is printed on the Saunders Waterford paper, bound in leather, and wrapped in the traycase. It has the special endpapers. The Uelsmann photographs are protected by a red translucent paper, which was not included in any other edition. The book comes with a separate set of Uelsmann prints, a book of interviews with Stephen King set in the same style as Salem's Lot, and in the same size; the prospectus for a Centipede edition of The Shining, one of only four copies created, which is also signed by JK Potter, and the originals of all correspondence with Stephen King (including a lengthy letter from King to me), and all letters from Arthur Greene, Stephen Rubin, Jerry Uelsmann, and others -- these are the ORIGINALS, not copies. If you are interested, please shoot me an email at jerad [at] centipedepress.com. I have a handsome pdf file which will show all the different parts of the package.

Thank you!

Centipede
09-20-2009, 05:53 AM
Does anyone want to see any pictures of the book?

Jerad

frik
09-20-2009, 06:10 AM
You bet I do!!:)

sk

jhanic
09-20-2009, 07:57 AM
Does anyone want to see any pictures of the book?

Jerad

Please post them! I know I'll never be able to afford it, but I'd like to see it.

John

Patrick
09-20-2009, 09:36 AM
Hi everyone, I just moved the posts on this topic out from the KNOWING DARKNESS thread and into this one to keep the conversation in one place.

Patrick
09-20-2009, 09:39 AM
I'm sure this package is out of my reach, but still I would love to see the photos, Jerad.

Mr. Rabbit Trick
09-20-2009, 11:25 AM
This package is fantastic. Extra special items are the Shining Prospectus and personal letter from King.

I would have bought it, but my wife has just squandered our money on a house! :arg:

Patrick
09-20-2009, 11:39 AM
:lol:

jhanic
09-20-2009, 11:58 AM
Sometimes wives have no sense of priorities!

John

Centipede
09-20-2009, 01:56 PM
Here is a picture of the Salem's Lot deluxe in the traycase. I will be uploading a different picture every day. Please note that the traycase is of the black cloth. It only looks gray in the picture because it was photographed against a black background. Sorry to be so stupid, but does anyone know how to paste pictures right in here without having to to attachments?

Jerad

Centipede
09-20-2009, 02:14 PM
Here is a shot of the book so you can see the deckled edge and the top edge stain.

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe01.jpg

Centipede
09-20-2009, 02:15 PM
This is a picture of the book showing the printed endsheets. This was accomplished using two hits of silver ink on black paper.

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe02.jpg

Dolan
09-20-2009, 03:13 PM
I'm curious... there are photocopies of this "Personal King Letter" floating around out there and yet now the original is for sale?

I certainly hope this goes to someone who really wants it cause this is a beauty. But there is something that doesn't sit well with me about a letter that has been copied and several people have. Yeah, this one is the original... but so what? That letter is probably going to be the bulk of the raised price on this one... I just dont know.

I have some collectible letters and the novelty of the letter is that it's not like a limited edition. A letter is a letter. There is only one. But to see that this letter has been copied and distributed makes me wonder how really unique it is.

Sorry Jared - I love Centipede... I'm just thinking aloud.

Randall Flagg
09-20-2009, 05:38 PM
FYI, I have spoken with Jerad and said it would be ok to post a temporary thread for an item that really is unique to Stephen King collector's. Rarely do we have a chance here to directly interact with a publisher, artist, or author.
Dolan, your question is valid-I look forward to an answer from Jared, and any other publisher-seller of an item equivalent to this.

Centipede
09-21-2009, 03:03 AM
Here are a couple more pictures of the deluxe Salem's Lot. To answer the previous question, regarding the copy of the letter from King, there are exactly TWO such copies out there. They are printed in such a way that they cannot be copied with any degree of accuracy.

The following two pictures show the half title page with the unique red translucent tip-ins. Here you can see what the title page looks like with the red tip in turned one way and then another.

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe03.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe04.jpg

Matt
09-21-2009, 03:18 AM
Wow! That is a beautiful book. :clap:

frik
09-21-2009, 05:57 AM
It is gorgeous! :clap:
I was lucky to get/buy one of the signed/numbered editions when it came out, but I'd love to add this to my collection.
Well, it is my birthday next month....:innocent:

Dolan
09-21-2009, 09:53 AM
it really is a stunning book. very very well done Jared.

herbertwest
09-21-2009, 10:30 AM
i've never heard of something being printed in a way that it cannot be later copied with a correct quality...

may i ask how is it possible?

Patrick
09-21-2009, 11:14 AM
Cool translucent tip-ins, Jerad. It's a beautiful volume all-around!

Centipede
09-22-2009, 04:03 AM
Here are two more pictures with the red tip-ins

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe05.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe06.jpg

Centipede
09-22-2009, 04:05 AM
Here is the page with the Stephen King and Jerry Uelsmann signatures.

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe07.jpg

jhanic
09-22-2009, 08:51 AM
:dance:

John

Sir_Boomme
09-22-2009, 10:14 AM
Jerad, a query for you...
according to my books's limitation page:
http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/4076/asalemslot03.jpg (http://img219.imageshack.us/i/asalemslot03.jpg/)



this was an edition of 405 copies:
380 #'d slipcased copies
of which 300 were for sale to the public
80 were reserved for author, photographer and press

25 traycase copies:
15 black roman numeraled copies for sale to public
10 red numeraled copies if this edition for author, photographer, press

the copy you show does not have a number...
does this mean there are actually 26 traycase copies?

only 26?
or are there more than that?

and are there more than 380 #d slipcase copies? if so... how many?

Centipede
09-23-2009, 03:28 AM
Hey everyone,

Here are some more pages from the deluxe edition that I am selling.

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe08.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe09.jpg

Tomorrow I will post pictures of the prospectus for The Shining.

To answer the previous question, this copy is part of the original edition, but was not "counted" as one of the books in the colophon, as I never intended it for sale. It was the only book that I reserved for myself. But now I need to sell it.

Jerad

gsvec
09-23-2009, 05:36 PM
Jerad, can you disclose why The Shining was never done or is that confidential?

Dolan
09-23-2009, 06:34 PM
Jerad, can you disclose why The Shining was never done or is that confidential?

GREAT question

Patrick
09-23-2009, 09:06 PM
I was under the impression that it was because King never approved a limited edition of THE SHINING. Either I read that somewhere here or I made it up completely, I can't remember which.

But, man, I would love to see Centipede produce a limited edition of that book!

Ben Mears
09-24-2009, 02:35 AM
I was under the impression that it was because King never approved a limited edition of THE SHINING. Either I read that somewhere here or I made it up completely, I can't remember which.

But, man, I would love to see Centipede produce a limited edition of that book!

Let SK know how you feel. Might be able to motivate him.

Centipede
09-24-2009, 02:50 AM
Hey everyone,

Here are some pictures from the prospectus for The Shining, which is also included with the Salem's Lot deluxe package. The prospectus is the same width and height as Salem's Lot.

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe10.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe11.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe12.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe14.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe13.jpg

Room 217 Caretaker
09-24-2009, 04:38 AM
:panic: I need an emoticon where he's pulling out empty pockets :panic:

I want The Shining prospectus

Mulleins
Cumberland VA

Solar
09-24-2009, 05:13 AM
Wow! That's really nice...

Brice
09-24-2009, 05:22 AM
*goes to sell a kidney...or two*

Rahfa
09-24-2009, 06:04 AM
If that prospectus didn't get SK to approve an s/l edition, probably nothing will....too bad...great creative work!

herbertwest
09-24-2009, 09:24 AM
lovely!
it's a shame it didnt get any approuval

Cutter
09-24-2009, 09:58 AM
Oh that Shining is making me salivate. I love the hedge lion!

Patrick
09-24-2009, 10:54 AM
I was under the impression that it was because King never approved a limited edition of THE SHINING. Either I read that somewhere here or I made it up completely, I can't remember which.

But, man, I would love to see Centipede produce a limited edition of that book!

Let SK know how you feel. Might be able to motivate him.
If someone is circulating a petition, I'll sign it!

Having now seen the prospectus, I want a limited edition even more than before.


Jerad, a question: On the page next to the hedge lion, there is a picture of a red item. If that's the proposed traycase, or book itself, I love it. Can we see that closer up?

Ben Mears
09-24-2009, 01:26 PM
What a classy prospectus. The Shining would have been a beautiful companion to 'Salem's Lot. No disrespect intended but with some of the questionble limited editions that SK has approved in the past it is hard to understand why he didn't allow this.

Centipede
09-25-2009, 04:09 AM
Hey everyone,

Here are some pictures of letters from various people involved with the Salem's Lot project. These are letters from Arthur Greene, King's business manager, and Stephen Rubin, then-president of Doubleday.

Jerad

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe16.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe17.jpg

frik
09-25-2009, 07:24 AM
Now how can we make SK change his mind??
I'd love to see what the final book would have looked like.

sk

Centipede
09-25-2009, 09:17 AM
Hey everyone,

Thanks for the comments on the prospectus for The Shining. It would have been a great book. However, for some reason King took a disliking to me and my press and even took (cheap?) shots at me in a public forum. I have kept my mouth shut for a long time but one day would like to give my side of the story.

Thanks again for the kind comments!

Jerad

Randall Flagg
09-25-2009, 09:19 AM
I recall what he said and it was very unfair.

mae
09-25-2009, 09:34 AM
Would it have included Before the Play? Maybe King didn't approve it because he'd like it to have included After the Play? Which is not extant.

mae
09-25-2009, 09:35 AM
I recall what he said and it was very unfair.

I must've missed this. What was said?

Randall Flagg
09-25-2009, 09:37 AM
Jerad said:
I have kept my mouth shut for a long time but one day would like to give my side of the story.

For now I'll wait to disclose what King said, but it is out there in the world wide web.

frik
09-25-2009, 10:25 AM
I remember King talking about this book during the Harry, Carrie and Carp stint.
If I remember correctly, it was mainly a money issue, meaning he was under the assumption the publisher was after the money and the casual fan wouldn't be able to buy the book.
Something like that.

sk

Ben Mears
09-25-2009, 10:33 AM
Jerad said:
I have kept my mouth shut for a long time but one day would like to give my side of the story.

For now I'll wait to disclose what King said, but it is out there in the world wide web.

King's comments about Centipede's deluxe version of 'Salem's Lot were tasteless and unprofessional.

e_taylor
09-25-2009, 10:38 AM
Can't find it online, but I can't imagine what complaints he could have.

Ben Mears
09-25-2009, 10:43 AM
I remember King talking about this book during the Harry, Carrie and Carp stint.
If I remember correctly, it was mainly a money issue, meaning he was under the assumption the publisher was after the money and the casual fan wouldn't be able to buy the book.
Something like that.

sk

If that were the case he could have insisted on a trade version as was done with 'Salem's Lot Illustrated Edition.

jhanic
09-25-2009, 10:56 AM
I remember those comments now. It doesn't seem that King likes collectors very much, although he does authorize a fair number of signed limiteds of his work. I think he's rather ambivalent about the whole collector thing.

John

Rahfa
09-25-2009, 01:36 PM
Yes, def. ambivalent about collectors...I really wonder why he bothers with them at all...he doesn't need the money, it probably has only a tiny effect on overall sales...so why even put the effort in?

I guess helping out small publishers? But, then he goes and snarkily makes comments about the Salem's Lot edition - he didn't like the design, if I remember - so why do it in the first place? He saw the prospectus, I would think...

Randall Flagg
09-25-2009, 02:08 PM
King was quite mean directly about Jared, and in a roundabout way insulted people who collect fine books and Signed limited editions.

Ari_Racing
09-25-2009, 03:52 PM
Maybe someone can post the link to the sayings.

Fsmdr
09-25-2009, 05:28 PM
We are all as disappointed as you are, Jerad. In the negativity and the refusal of the book by King. Your Deluxe Lovecraft artbook is still my most exquisitely produced book that I own to date.

Rahfa
09-25-2009, 06:53 PM
King was quite mean directly about Jared, and in a roundabout way insulted people who collect fine books and Signed limited editions.

Yeah...it was a real snide comment...I know we discussed it before, maybe on TDT.net.

Screw it, it's King's loss...he can sign another deal for a money-grab like TGWLTG if it makes him feel better...

Centipede
09-26-2009, 06:12 AM
Hey everyone,

Here are a couple more pictures. These are letters from Jerry Uelsmann. Tomorrow I will post the letter from Stephen King. When you see the nice things he had to say about me, the book, and the design, and "bliss" at receiving the package, what he said in two interviews later will seem even more disturbing and uncalled for.

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe19.jpg

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe20.jpg

Rahfa
09-26-2009, 07:22 AM
Well...I re-read one of the interviews...I should just post the link but there seems to be some resistance to that...

What I could say about it is - yes, definitley snarky - although maybe it does come down to the context of reading the words on the page, as opposed to hearing them actually said out loud? It can be interpreted that he was making some jokes in an informal setting...

But that was one interview, and I haven't read the other one...

I do think that the interview comments came very soon after SL's release, and so it was on King's mind when he was looking for an example to use...so I'm not sure I'd put much stock in it - except I'd sure be pissed off if it was my name being thrown around in interviews like that.

Since Jerad has very complimentary letters - those are the sources I would give more credibility to (the printed word) then what somebody said out loud when he was ranting a little bit...but again, doesn't change the fact that the critical stuff is what showed up in public, not the praise.

Randall Flagg
09-26-2009, 08:30 AM
The interview can be found here. (http://www.liljas-library.com/showinterview.php?id=36)

Patrick
09-26-2009, 09:03 AM
Well...I re-read one of the interviews...

What I could say about it is - yes, definitely snarky - although maybe it does come down to the context of reading the words on the page, as opposed to hearing them actually said out loud? It can be interpreted that he was making some jokes in an informal setting...

But that was one interview, and I haven't read the other one...

I do think that the interview comments came very soon after SL's release, and so it was on King's mind when he was looking for an example to use...so I'm not sure I'd put much stock in it - except I'd sure be pissed off if it was my name being thrown around in interviews like that.

Since Jerad has very complimentary letters - those are the sources I would give more credibility to (the printed word) then what somebody said out loud when he was ranting a little bit...but again, doesn't change the fact that the critical stuff is what showed up in public, not the praise.
I just read the interview. I agree with Rahfa's assessment.

Sir_Boomme
09-26-2009, 09:23 AM
i so enjoyed this take by king on limited editions:

"I don’t like them, I don’t like them. I think they are books for rich people and they’re elitist and the whole idea of limiteds… there’s something wrong with it, you know. The idea that people want a book that they can kind of drool over or masturbate on, I don’t know what it is they want with these things"


what he doesn't realize... we're not rich (well carlos aka. bob might be) .... but just people with a warped sense of our priority's.... limited edition's first.... food for the baby second.
and even if we were rich.... we're not anymore after buying limiteds of his books.
a classic example of the poor rich calling the poor.... rich

though i have been known to masturbate at least twice a week on my lettered salem's lot... and three times a week on my lettered gunslinger.

but then.... i've also been known to beat off on my beat to shit paperback copy of "The Stand" - actually, I sexually abuse it more , because I don't have to worry so much about the stains.

just like a senator on capital hill...
nothing turns me on like a bent over page.

e_taylor
09-26-2009, 09:49 AM
Not to hijack the thread, but reading comments like that make me loose a lot of respect for the man. If he really dislikes limited editions that much then he should shut up and stop authorizing them, and sign every limited he does an introduction for. Not authorize them and then antagonize his fans that buy them. Why doesn't he write an article about how Joe Hill hates his fans for releasing limited editions? If book collecting is only for rich assholes that want to masturbate on their books, then why did he himself recently trade his signature in books to Tim Miller for an expensive book?

I've heard others antagonize collectors before too - and the thing no one seems to realize is that our libraries are preserving history. What happens in 100 years when everything has gone digital and theres a power outage and all the world's literature is lost? No Homer, no Shakespeare, no classics, no King, no nothing. If its not for our libraries surviving, then they are gone. Now tell me, are our descendants going to be more interested in keeping a beat up paperback on the Stand as an heirloom or the ornate, S/L coffin edition? Which by the way is printed on archival paper that will actually last 100 years! :shoot:

Gunkslinger
09-26-2009, 11:20 AM
just like a senator on capital hill...
[B] nothing turns me on like a bent over page.[/B

I haven't posted in some time, but you just hit it on the head!

Nice play!

Mike

Rahfa
09-26-2009, 12:00 PM
Haha....hey, I don't care what he says about we collectors - I mean, it's not like I've got a voodoo shrine in my foyer where I conduct ritual sacrifices in honor of the guy and if wants to make fun of my expensive habit, more power to him. I suppose it is a little extreme.

But, there's really no need to mention somebody specifically by name, like he did in that interview, about somebody who obviously cared a lot about his work...was he maybe being funny? Maybe...but still...

Like E. Taylor said, if he apparently TRADED SIGNATURES WITH TIM MILLER FOR A BOOK MILLER HAD then I guess he collects books too, signed or otherwise...so a wee bit hypocritical.

But, whatever...the fact that King is partly an hornery SOB is obviously where a lot of his talent derives from, so if he was all kitties and frooffy sunshine, his books wouldn't be very interesting.

mae
09-26-2009, 12:07 PM
Well, not that King couldn't have picked his words a little differently, but, and feel free to berate me, I agree with him. I own several limited editions, nothing too extravagant though, but I read them. All my Dark Tower novels are first edition Grant books and I've read them, and I enjoyed reading them because they're beautiful books. I'll be getting the limited Under the Dome and reading that one too. On this I agree with King. Books are meant to be read. But I also understand the collector mentality, because I am one, though not as hardcore as some are here, who have multiple copies of the same book, still in its shrinkwrap. There's nothing wrong with that objectification of a book. But I see King's point. He just probably shouldn't have talked about mastrubation or singled Jared out.

Ari_Racing
09-26-2009, 12:18 PM
I think it all ends in if you don't like S/L editions, don't allow them.

I really don't care what he thinks of those editions, or the paperback ones, or any other editions. The fact is that I LIKE them and even when they're fancy books that will remain unread (probably), that doesn't mean they're nice to see (I always open one of the few I have and see them, even when I don't read a single page).

King can have his opinion about those editions, but if he allows them (he said no to Jerad, but allowed a lot more in the last years) he contradicts everything. Let's forget about Under the Dome S/L, which might be part of the tasty contract he has with Scribner. In the last years you have S/L editions published by Cemetary Dance (I never heard him complaining about the huge delays in the publications of their books, and if you check the thread in King's official website, Marsha says it's CD's bussines...), Subterranean Press, PS Publishing, Grant Books, Gauntlet Press, etc. (I don't know if I'm forgetting one or two).

Ben Mears
09-26-2009, 12:28 PM
Let's put together an organized petition/request for The Shining limted edition. It is a seminal novel in horror history and one that deserves the caliber and quality that Centipede will deliver.

Cloysterpete
09-27-2009, 12:33 AM
The only point I agree with is that all books should be read, no point having them sitting on a shelf. I know if I ever spend so much on a book that I don't dare read it then I know i've tipped over into obsession and it's time to get a grip.

All the rest is rubbish though if he doesn't like them then stop signing so many!, that crap about being wore down by Jerad calling all the time is such rubbish, I mean I bet Jerad didn't have a direct number for King but had to go through Marsha or another agent. So all King had to do was tell the relevant person that he doesn't want to go ahead with the edition and thats his final decision and they let Jerad know, thats it, if Jerad calls again in six months the same person just gives the same answer, how is that gonna wear King down lol.

As for the rich man comment then he again he should only authorize S/L when sold alongside an affordable trade/gift edition.

frik
09-27-2009, 03:36 AM
I also read my limiteds.
And not only read, but feel...and smell......:drool:

sk

Sir_Boomme
09-27-2009, 07:20 AM
I also read my limiteds.
And not only read, but feel...and smell......:drool:
sk

BEWARE! .... feeling and smelling are the first two steps toward full-fledged molestation....
next thing you know, you'll be a regular limited linguistic lecher or a she-bopping saty of verbage - just like I.
Feeling... Touching... Smelling...
taking pornographic pictures of your limited editions- spread wide open for all the world to see - posting the perverted pics on the internet in collector's threads....
Imprisoning the novels in locked glass bookcases,only to be taken out on rare occassion by you - to caress - to call your own.

could bibliophillic masturbation be far behind?....

....yarn porn at it worst

gsvec
09-27-2009, 07:56 AM
:wtf: Terry :rofl:

Patrick
09-27-2009, 08:06 AM
:doh:

Dolan
09-27-2009, 09:29 AM
I've said a few times over on DT.net that King is one of those grumpy old men who yell at kids who are playing too loud down the block. Grumpy old man - go back to the typewriter where you belong.

I'm a fan of King the author. King the person is a dick.

What is this deluxe limited going for?

Mr. Rabbit Trick
09-27-2009, 11:40 AM
He bought the campsite on the other side of Kezar Lake where he spends his summers, and then closed it down, dissapointing hundreds of people who had been going there for years.

He did not like the noise across the lake. Check out the hate mail about it on Google.

Ari_Racing
09-27-2009, 12:14 PM
Can you post a link to that mail? I couldn't find it.

Rahfa
09-27-2009, 12:15 PM
I've said a few times over on DT.net that King is one of those grumpy old men who yell at kids who are playing too loud down the block. Grumpy old man - go back to the typewriter where you belong.

I'm a fan of King the author. King the person is a dick.

What is this deluxe limited going for?

Well, anytime conventional wisdom starts going one way, I go the other way...haha...

If anyone was in King's position, you're surrounded by people trying to make money off of you, or expecting handouts and favors because he is famous, and they aren't...so I think it's easy to expect the worst of people.

I'm sure if Jerad had two choices - Choice One: Publish a s/l of Salem's Lot, and basically put your company on the map, but be insulted by King a few times; Choice Two: don't publish it, and don't have any reputation to build further success from - then I assume he still takes Choice One.

So, grumpy? Sure, but screw it...people suck...haha...

gsvec
09-27-2009, 03:24 PM
So back to this GORGEOUS book . . .

:D

Centipede
09-28-2009, 03:21 AM
Hey everyone,
Here is a shot of the Stephen King letter to me after he saw the prototype of Salem's Lot. (Two views of the letter here.) Thanks for looking, and enjoy!

http://centipedepress.com/salemslotdeluxe15.jpg

jhanic
09-28-2009, 04:47 AM
He certainly seems enthusiastic in that letter! I wonder what happened to sour him on the Shining project.

John

Rahfa
09-28-2009, 06:42 AM
Not only is he enthusiastic - he specifically says the prototype should be turned into a one-of-a-kind product, exactly something that would interest a collector!

Weird...Like I said before, I think whatever's on the printed page always trumps what somebody says out loud, so I think this is closer to what SK really felt about it....

In the interviews he was probably just looking to be ornery...yes, he meant what he said, but when you're talking off the cuff trying to be funny, it can come out more strident than the actual intention. Who knows. It's too bad the spoken comments are more well-known in the public record, but if you want to swim with the big fish, they're going to smack you with the tail now and then...

Ari_Racing
09-28-2009, 06:44 AM
Jerad,
one question:

How much time passed since you contacted him about the Salem's Lot limited edition and the idea of making The Shining one? If it wasn't much, maybe that might be the point.

Ben Mears
09-28-2009, 07:11 AM
So who's going to buy this incredible package?!!

frik
09-28-2009, 08:08 AM
Jerad, would you still do this book if SK would change his mind??

Siep

Randall Flagg
09-28-2009, 08:43 AM
I agree with Rahfa about the spoken word, versus written. The interview by Lilja was (I presume) transcribed from a recording of the interview King gave. It would be interesting to actually hear the audio. Even then, King's body language, etc. would be missing.

Patrick
09-28-2009, 09:49 AM
I agree as well. That handwritten letter is quite complimentary.

I think SK was just in a pissy, ornery mood the day Lilja spoke with him for whatever reason and came across harsher than he probably would have on a different day.

I'm still very interested in a Centipede production of THE SHINING - and I want the matching number to my 'SALEM'S LOT. :D

Centipede
09-28-2009, 05:37 PM
There was another interview with King, before the Lilja interview -- this was two English guys that were visiting King in his office. That one, if you can find it, you can read the transcription and listen to the audio. He's disdainful of me and the Salem's Lot book, and there's no doubt that he means it when you hear the audio.

Would anyone mind tomorrow if I posted my side of the story, with no sugar and no salt (as my wife likes to say)?

Thanks all!

Jerad

Ari_Racing
09-28-2009, 06:00 PM
Of course!

jhanic
09-28-2009, 06:02 PM
Please post it, Jerad!

John

gsvec
09-28-2009, 06:03 PM
Would love to hear your perspective, Jared.

Ari_Racing
09-28-2009, 06:08 PM
Jerad, can you post the link to the interview and the audio file?

gsvec
09-28-2009, 06:11 PM
Frank Darabont seems to love Jared's Limiteds. :D

From a 2007 interview with Lilja:

Lilja: In an interview that I did with Stephen King he said you wanted to do a limited edition of The Mist (as a book). Can you tell me what you want to do?

Frank Darabont: Well, I'd love to reprint Steve's story in a gorgeous but unpretentious small edition. Even though he's not fond of limiteds, he's thinking it over right now. The last time I heard from him, he said to me, "Frank, I might agree to this, but only if you agree to also include your screenplay adaptation, plus some of the pre-production monster art you've been doing." My reply was, "Gee, Steve, twist my arm." My name on the spine of a book alongside Stephen King's? Are you kidding me? Hell, yes! I'm there!

Lilja: In the same interview Stephen King says he isn’t that found of limited editions. What is your comment on that?

Frank Darabont: When I read your interview with Stephen King (wonderful interview, congratulations), I had to laugh when I read his comments about limited edition books. I laughed because he and I have had this debate many times. It is a loving debate, as only friends can have. After I read the interview, I sent him an email that said: "Steve, contary to your notion that people who buy limiteds never read them, I've read every single one of mine, some of them more than once. I had the gigantic 'Salem’s Lot limited from Centipede Press, all twenty pounds of it, resting on my stomach for three nights in a row as I lay in bed. Not only did I enjoy every word of it, but it also strengthened my stomach muscles. And last year I re-read that gorgeous The Stand limited edition published some 15 years ago that looked like the Bible and came in a wooden box." (That The Stand limited was actually a gift to me from Steve, which was incredibly generous of him!)

I went on to tell him: "I agree it's absurd to put a book on a shelf and never touch it, as if it were some holy relic instead of a book. That's like being afraid to open a bottle of wine because it's too expensive and rare, or afraid to drive a classic car for the same reason. Wine is meant to be drunk, books are meant to be read, classic cars are meant to be driven -- and I do all three!" (He responded by suggesting that I refrain from doing all three at the same time.)

As I've told Steve in the past, I really feel that presenting a beloved book as a limited edition is a way to honor that literary work and the author responsible for it. The people who create these limiteds do so because they love the book; it shows in the care and quality and effort they put into creating them. I feel it's a huge compliment to the book and its author. I became email friends with Jared Walters (who runs Centipede Press) because I was so knocked out by that awesome huge 'Salem’s Lot he published. So I got in touch to compliment him on it; I sent him a fan letter. And it was very clear to me as we emailed back and forth that he published that limited for one very compelling reason: Jared read 'Salem’s Lot when he was younger, and it changed his life. He loves that book so much that he wanted to honor it, make something special of it, like putting a painting in a perfect frame and hanging it on a wall with just the right lighting. (Jared still hopes to do The Shining some day as a limited, and I hope that Steve will eventually allow him. The Shining is the very first Stephen King book I ever read, so it's very special to me; it's the book that turned me on to King and led me to be a lifelong fan. It stands as one of Steve's all-time best works, and my personal favorite.)

As for people who buy these books, like me, they do so for the same reason: we love the book. I certainly wouldn't buy a limited of a book I didn't care for just as an investment, or some other silly reason -- but for a book I love, how wonderful to have a special edition of it! I've told Steve that as long as the books are also available in low-cost trade editions ("books for the people," as Steve admirably calls them), then what harm is there in doing a small number of special editions for loony, hardcore book lovers like me? It is the difference between buying a gorgeous custom-made chair lovingly handmade by an artisan who withholds no effort in crafting it, and buying a cheap mass-produced chair at Ikea. You can sit on both, they serve the same function, but the aesthetic of the hand-crafted chair makes it a piece of art in itself.

Here's another analogy I've given Steve. You can go see a flawless 65mm print of Lawrence of Arabia in a beautiful theater with great projection and sound, or you can watch it on a crappy videotape at home. You're seeing the same movie, all the words are there, but the experience is vastly different. The same thing holds true for a book. You can read something on acid-free paper with a hand-sewn binding that your great-grandchildren can read because the book will last for centuries, or you can pick up a paperback that'll turn yellow and fall apart after a few readings.

When I have reverence for a literary work (as I obviously do for King's oeuvre), I love the sense of event and ritual involved in reading a special edition. Opening the box or pulling it from the slipcase...the smell of the binding, the quality of the paper...it's an experience that says: "this book is special to me." It's like seeing that flawless print of Lawrence of Arabia in a theater: by indulging ourselves in the best presentation of that experience, we not only heighten our enjoyment of it, but we also honor the artist who spent years developing his talent and has put so much effort into creating this piece of art that we love. To put it another way, there's just simply a big difference between seeing Monet's Waterlillies reproduced in a book, and seeing the actual canvasses hanging on the wall at the Monet Museum.

Anyway, that's my side of the debate. I love Steve and respect his opinions enormously, but I'm sure our debate will continue and we'll never see totally eye-to-eye on this. Steve always responds to my impassioned perspective by making gagging sounds and yelling: "Books for the people!" I respond to him: "Thank you, Karl Marx, but I want my fucking limiteds. As long as the people aren't starving, I occasionally want filet mignon and a bottle of Mouton Rothschild." It's a pretty funny debate, because Steve and I are politically identical. We're both liberal democrats who believe in compassion and fairness, that everybody in our society should be cared for. But when it comes to limiteds, I'm more like Marie Antoinette: "Let them read paperbacks."

Patrick
09-28-2009, 06:37 PM
I think I just fell in love with Frank Darabont.

Sir_Boomme
09-28-2009, 06:55 PM
"It's a pretty funny debate, because Steve and I are politically identical. We're both liberal democrats who believe in compassion and fairness, that everybody in our society should be cared for. "

ah that explains it... damn those rich conservative republican book collectors!:angry:

oh wait... ><

i resemble that remark...:cowboy: ....(except for the rich part)

Rahfa
09-28-2009, 07:27 PM
There was another interview with King, before the Lilja interview -- this was two English guys that were visiting King in his office. That one, if you can find it, you can read the transcription and listen to the audio. He's disdainful of me and the Salem's Lot book, and there's no doubt that he means it when you hear the audio.

Would anyone mind tomorrow if I posted my side of the story, with no sugar and no salt (as my wife likes to say)?

Thanks all!

Jerad

That's the other one I was thinking of...I knew there were two...but I've never heard the audio.

Why are you asking permission to post your side? Haha...I've been hoping you would since the comments were first made...

Dolan
09-28-2009, 07:51 PM
Well this is a Stephen King fan forum... I would step lightly as well - but I think we are all adults and welcome whatever Jared would like to add to the back story.

Patrick
09-28-2009, 11:42 PM
Jerad, your perspective on the discussion at hand is most certainly welcome.

Ben Mears
09-29-2009, 04:12 AM
Frank Darabont's perspective is spot on.
The relationship that Jerad has developed with Frank is the key to any chance of publishing The Shining. Whatever issues have occurred between Centipede and SK could possibly be mediated by Mr. Daramont as he clearly has a desire to see a Centipede limited of The Shining. If there is a sliver of hope it might be wise for Jerad to hold back his side at this time. Knowing Darkness is going to be well received and once he sees it SK might reconsider his position.

Matt
09-29-2009, 06:52 AM
What an amazing and long answer Frank gave to that question. Great perspective.

carlosdetweiller
09-29-2009, 07:19 AM
Well this is a Stephen King fan forum... I would step lightly as well

I'm not sure what you are saying here, Kenny. Are you saying our remarks should be tempered so as not to offend (or somehow upset) other members?

Matt
09-29-2009, 07:33 AM
Not as far as the site admin is concerned. If you guys feel like SK gave a bad answer or has a wrong opinion on this topic, feel free to share it.

Obviously we do it with respect just like any other time we're discussing a touchy topic.

e_taylor
09-29-2009, 07:41 AM
I think Kenny meant more so not to piss SK himself off. But I'm sure being a public figure he's used to criticism, both warranted and un-.

Randall Flagg
09-29-2009, 08:29 AM
Jerad, I look forward to hearing your account of the events. I see no problem with harsh criticism of Stephen King, whether it be his writing, his politics, his religion, and especially his views on collectible books.
As long as people who have diverse opinions don't bash one another I look forward to the palaver.

Dolan
09-29-2009, 09:17 AM
Well this is a Stephen King fan forum... I would step lightly as well

I'm not sure what you are saying here, Kenny. Are you saying our remarks should be tempered so as not to offend (or somehow upset) other members?

No no, not at all. Those of us who have known me from DT.net know that I have no problem with each person speaking their mind and that any type of sanctions are unacceptable.

What I mean is that Jared is coming to a Stephen King fan forum and he is hesitant to tell his side of the story incase he might get SK fans angry... thus asking us if he could tell his side of the story.

I think if I were in his position, I would "step lightly" as you never know who you may offend. My comments were aimed to assure him that whatever he has to say is welcomed.

jhanic
09-29-2009, 12:36 PM
I like to think we're all intelligent civilized adults here and we can conduct ourselves in a like manner, no matter what the topic.

John

Patrick
09-29-2009, 12:38 PM
... Knowing Darkness is going to be well received and once he sees it, SK might reconsider his position.
I was thinking (hoping) the same thing.

Centipede
10-01-2009, 04:48 AM
Hey everyone,

I know that I have another thread for the Salem's Lot deluxe. However, my wife and I have been hard up for money lately and a friend of mine, to whom I gave a copy of the trade edition of Salem's Lot, has offered me his copy, and I will sell my own copy.

This is the cloth-bound, slipcased edition of Salem's Lot. It is #284, numbered in black, and is signed by Stephen King and Jerry Uelsmann. It comes with an extra suite of Jerry Uelsmann prints, approximately 9 x 13 in size and trimmed to full-bleed. As an added bonus, I am also including three cloth samples that my bindery did for the book, early tests of type (the word Salem's Lot) stamped into cloth, and of a skeleton image stamped into red cloth, and an interesting alternative design to the blind stamping that I finally did on the book.

As an added bonus, you also receive a free copy of Stigmata, the book that I sent King which convinced him to do a special edition of Salem's Lot with me. Please respond to this board or email me at jerad [at] centipedepress.com if you might be interested. Thank you!

Rahfa
10-01-2009, 01:46 PM
So did Jerad's story get scared away? Oh well....

Randall Flagg
10-01-2009, 02:31 PM
Jerad indicated to me via e-mail that he would post his side tomorrow (10/02/2009).
I am looking forward to reading it here.

Randall Flagg
10-01-2009, 03:51 PM
Jerad, I.m going to re title your other thread to include this sale, then merge the two with a brief redirect.
Best of luck on the sales.

RF

Centipede
10-02-2009, 04:08 AM
I will get my response on the whole King/Salem's Lot issue posted probably on Monday -- sorry for the delay. I just want to condense it down a little so it isn't so long. Also, if anyone is interested in my clothbound signed Salem's Lot, let me know. I am offering sweet deals on Knowing Darkness with it, and free books as well.

If anyone is going to be in Atlanta around November 13, King is doing a book signing at the Barnes & Noble there. I would consider it a personal triumph if someone were to approach him and ask for KNOWING DARKNESS to be signed.

Jerad

Ben Mears
10-02-2009, 05:39 AM
I will get my response on the whole King/Salem's Lot issue posted probably on Monday -- sorry for the delay. I just want to condense it down a little so it isn't so long. Also, if anyone is interested in my clothbound signed Salem's Lot, let me know. I am offering sweet deals on Knowing Darkness with it, and free books as well.

If anyone is going to be in Atlanta around November 13, King is doing a book signing at the Barnes & Noble there. I would consider it a personal triumph if someone were to approach him and ask for KNOWING DARKNESS to be signed.

Jerad

After SK's jaw drops due his absolute shock as to how amazing
Knowing Darkness looks be sure to ask him if he will reconsider approving The Shining limited!

mikeC
10-02-2009, 06:13 AM
He's disdainful of me and the Salem's Lot book, and there's no doubt that he means it when you hear the audio. Jerad


Jared, are you the guy that King snidely remarked that someone wanted bind one of his books in sheep skin and imported goat entrails, or something to that affect?
I beleive this is a quote from about 15 years ago. I always think of it when i buy a limited edition.

Centipede
10-04-2009, 09:44 AM
Yeah, that was me he was referring to in an interview about two years ago, when he said I was going to bind the book in the skin of an unborn dick-dick bird. Jesus, what am imbecilic thing to say.

Regarding that cloth Salem's Lot I am selling, I also just found my press proofs for the endsheets, showing the differences between 1, 2, 3 and 4 hits of silver ink. That goes with the cloth edition, which is $2,100, includes the signed book, a suite of extra Uelsmann prints, the endsheet print test, and tests of the dies for the spine, plus a free copy of Stigmata, and huge discounts on any edition of Knowing Darkness, if anyone is interested.

Thank you everyone.

Jerad

Randall Flagg
10-04-2009, 10:44 AM
Yeah, that was me he was referring to in an interview about two years ago, when he said I was going to bind the book in the skin of an unborn dick-dick bird. Jesus, what am imbecilic thing to say.

That was an incredibly harsh statement-at least in print. Perhaps verbally ot was meant as a joke, but I could understand you taking great offense to it.

Ben Mears
10-04-2009, 11:13 AM
Frank Darabont seems to love Jared's Limiteds. :D

From a 2007 interview with Lilja:

Lilja: In an interview that I did with Stephen King he said you wanted to do a limited edition of The Mist (as a book). Can you tell me what you want to do?

Frank Darabont: Well, I'd love to reprint Steve's story in a gorgeous but unpretentious small edition. Even though he's not fond of limiteds, he's thinking it over right now. The last time I heard from him, he said to me, "Frank, I might agree to this, but only if you agree to also include your screenplay adaptation, plus some of the pre-production monster art you've been doing." My reply was, "Gee, Steve, twist my arm." My name on the spine of a book alongside Stephen King's? Are you kidding me? Hell, yes! I'm there!

Lilja: In the same interview Stephen King says he isn’t that found of limited editions. What is your comment on that?

Frank Darabont: When I read your interview with Stephen King (wonderful interview, congratulations), I had to laugh when I read his comments about limited edition books. I laughed because he and I have had this debate many times. It is a loving debate, as only friends can have. After I read the interview, I sent him an email that said: "Steve, contary to your notion that people who buy limiteds never read them, I've read every single one of mine, some of them more than once. I had the gigantic 'Salem’s Lot limited from Centipede Press, all twenty pounds of it, resting on my stomach for three nights in a row as I lay in bed. Not only did I enjoy every word of it, but it also strengthened my stomach muscles. And last year I re-read that gorgeous The Stand limited edition published some 15 years ago that looked like the Bible and came in a wooden box." (That The Stand limited was actually a gift to me from Steve, which was incredibly generous of him!)

I went on to tell him: "I agree it's absurd to put a book on a shelf and never touch it, as if it were some holy relic instead of a book. That's like being afraid to open a bottle of wine because it's too expensive and rare, or afraid to drive a classic car for the same reason. Wine is meant to be drunk, books are meant to be read, classic cars are meant to be driven -- and I do all three!" (He responded by suggesting that I refrain from doing all three at the same time.)

As I've told Steve in the past, I really feel that presenting a beloved book as a limited edition is a way to honor that literary work and the author responsible for it. The people who create these limiteds do so because they love the book; it shows in the care and quality and effort they put into creating them. I feel it's a huge compliment to the book and its author. I became email friends with Jared Walters (who runs Centipede Press) because I was so knocked out by that awesome huge 'Salem’s Lot he published. So I got in touch to compliment him on it; I sent him a fan letter. And it was very clear to me as we emailed back and forth that he published that limited for one very compelling reason: Jared read 'Salem’s Lot when he was younger, and it changed his life. He loves that book so much that he wanted to honor it, make something special of it, like putting a painting in a perfect frame and hanging it on a wall with just the right lighting. (Jared still hopes to do The Shining some day as a limited, and I hope that Steve will eventually allow him. The Shining is the very first Stephen King book I ever read, so it's very special to me; it's the book that turned me on to King and led me to be a lifelong fan. It stands as one of Steve's all-time best works, and my personal favorite.)

As for people who buy these books, like me, they do so for the same reason: we love the book. I certainly wouldn't buy a limited of a book I didn't care for just as an investment, or some other silly reason -- but for a book I love, how wonderful to have a special edition of it! I've told Steve that as long as the books are also available in low-cost trade editions ("books for the people," as Steve admirably calls them), then what harm is there in doing a small number of special editions for loony, hardcore book lovers like me? It is the difference between buying a gorgeous custom-made chair lovingly handmade by an artisan who withholds no effort in crafting it, and buying a cheap mass-produced chair at Ikea. You can sit on both, they serve the same function, but the aesthetic of the hand-crafted chair makes it a piece of art in itself.

Here's another analogy I've given Steve. You can go see a flawless 65mm print of Lawrence of Arabia in a beautiful theater with great projection and sound, or you can watch it on a crappy videotape at home. You're seeing the same movie, all the words are there, but the experience is vastly different. The same thing holds true for a book. You can read something on acid-free paper with a hand-sewn binding that your great-grandchildren can read because the book will last for centuries, or you can pick up a paperback that'll turn yellow and fall apart after a few readings.

When I have reverence for a literary work (as I obviously do for King's oeuvre), I love the sense of event and ritual involved in reading a special edition. Opening the box or pulling it from the slipcase...the smell of the binding, the quality of the paper...it's an experience that says: "this book is special to me." It's like seeing that flawless print of Lawrence of Arabia in a theater: by indulging ourselves in the best presentation of that experience, we not only heighten our enjoyment of it, but we also honor the artist who spent years developing his talent and has put so much effort into creating this piece of art that we love. To put it another way, there's just simply a big difference between seeing Monet's Waterlillies reproduced in a book, and seeing the actual canvasses hanging on the wall at the Monet Museum.

Anyway, that's my side of the debate. I love Steve and respect his opinions enormously, but I'm sure our debate will continue and we'll never see totally eye-to-eye on this. Steve always responds to my impassioned perspective by making gagging sounds and yelling: "Books for the people!" I respond to him: "Thank you, Karl Marx, but I want my fucking limiteds. As long as the people aren't starving, I occasionally want filet mignon and a bottle of Mouton Rothschild." It's a pretty funny debate, because Steve and I are politically identical. We're both liberal democrats who believe in compassion and fairness, that everybody in our society should be cared for. But when it comes to limiteds, I'm more like Marie Antoinette: "Let them read paperbacks."


It is unfortunate that SK has approved limited editions for lesser works such as The Colorado Kid, The Regulators, and Buick 8 but is hesitant/refuses to allow limiteds for seminal works that he will be remembered for such as The Shining, The Dead Zone, & It. There is no rhyme or reason to his logic.

Rahfa
10-04-2009, 03:16 PM
Maybe he really doesn't like limiteds, and is simply happy to make a money grab off of lesser works, as opposed to his really legendary books...

Obviously, he's done the s/l for The Stand, and Salem's...but maybe he's protective about those first few books, or a book like It? Just figures the first edition is the one that matters?

biomieg
10-05-2009, 12:21 AM
I seem to recall reading somewhere that King started out giving permission for S/L editions in order to support and show his appreciation for the small presses. I think he referred to Lord John Press and Dolan's Cadillac in that specific statement. Don't remember where I read it, though.

I agree that the choices for specific titles to be published as an S/L seem a bit haphazard, but I'm guessing that it's the presses themselves who ask his permission to publish a limited of a certain novel. Maybe there has never been a request for an S/L of major books in the King Canon, such as IT? We know that Jerad wanted to do The Shining, but does anyone have any info about requests for limiteds of other titles that were denied by King?

Ben Mears
10-05-2009, 04:39 AM
I seem to recall reading somewhere that King started out giving permission for S/L editions in order to support and show his appreciation for the small presses. I think he referred to Lord John Press and Dolan's Cadillac in that specific statement. Don't remember where I read it, though.

I agree that the choices for specific titles to be published as an S/L seem a bit haphazard, but I'm guessing that it's the presses themselves who ask his permission to publish a limited of a certain novel. Maybe there has never been a request for an S/L of major books in the King Canon, such as IT? We know that Jerad wanted to do The Shining, but does anyone have any info about requests for limiteds of other titles that were denied by King?

I'm not aware of proposals for It or The Dead Zone but it stands to reason that SK could counter small press requests for his lesser titles with books he would prefer to see in a limited edition format. Of course in the end he can do as he chooses but with the proliferation of second tier books that have received limited edition treatment I find it perplexing.

Centipede
10-07-2009, 03:43 AM
Hey everyone,

Without being too long-winded about it, and going back to
my memory and journal entries from the period, here is what
happened with Salem's Lot.

In 2001, I published the book Stigmata. In 2002, I
discussed with my wife the idea of publishing a limited
edition of Salem's Lot. My wife is from Mongolia and she
had no idea about any of this collecting business, and even
today it strikes her as ludicrous. But she sensibly
recommended that I send Stigmata to King and see what he
said. I did so, and included a letter about how much
Salem's Lot meant to me as a kid, and how I had always
wanted to do a limited edition of it, blah blah. Hoping for
the best, but expecting nothing, I sent off the letter.
Imagine my surprise when about three weeks later when I
received a call from Marsha, King's secretary. This was May
2002. She told me that King was agreeable to the idea, but
from here on out my communication would be solely with
Arthur Greene.

I wrote to Mr Greene and discussed the project with him.
Things moved very quickly from here. By August 2002, I
received letters from Greene detailing that Doubleday had
given their permission, and we also secured permission to
reprint King's introduction from the Pocket Books edition
of Salem's Lot. By late August 2002, we had secured
permission to publish the deleted scenes from the original
manuscript as well as the two Salem's Lot related stories,
"Jerusalem's Lot" and "One for the Road."

That was the end of my communication with Green for about
seven months. My wife and I moved in October 2002, and
things were pretty busy for a while. At this point, I was
simply scanning in text and starting the proofreading. I
was also corresponding a lot with the wood engraver Barry
Moser about doing a suite of illustrations for the book,
but it turned out that at the time he was too expensive for
me to work with. My journal entries from 2002 and 2003
indicate "no word from the King people on Salem's Lot" even
though I had printed letters from August 2002 granting me
permission to do the book. Then a journal entry from July
2003 indicates that I have been given the go-ahead and that
I could work with the University of Maine in having them
photocopy King's original manuscript.

Here is a summary of all the correspondence after August
2002:

April 8, 2003: letter to Greene, also cc'd to King at
Greene's request, regarding pricing of the book and a query
regarding the status of permissions, as I had not heard from
anyone for seven months after the initial flurry of letters
from Greene and Doubleday.

June 26, 2003: email from Greene confirming the pricing of
the book and King's availability to sign the book.

July 2003: emails from Marsha indicating that I had been
given the go-ahead to photocopy the original manuscript,
and instructions on who to contact at the University of
Maine.

Oct 15, 2003: letter to Greene asking for permission to
increase the price of the book to $425 and $950

June 14, 2004: letter to Greene with a copy of the dummy
book.

July 14, 2004: Signature sheets mailed to King for signing.

That is it. How this qualifies as bugging the shit out of
someone is beyond me. It seems like a lot of routine
correspondence when one is publishing a book.

Regarding The Shining, I contacted King about this project
in February 2005. Greene said it was too early and to ask
him (Greene) later. When I asked again on this project in
October 2005, Mr Greene told me over the phone that "I
think Steve is leaning in that direction [meaning he would
do the project with me]. He likes you, he likes your press.
However, he doesn't want to commit right now. Ask again in
about six months." In 2006, after two more inquiries, I was
told "No" for sure and the idea was killed. That, perhaps,
might qualify as bugging the shit out of someone.

Okay, you all have my side of the story. Look, I am not
complaining at all. Salem's Lot was a great opportunity and
the people that I dealt with on the King side -- Marsha and
Mr Greene -- were courteous, generous, professional, and
easy to work with. If King didn't like the book, fine. But
what bothered me was that he singled me out for his wrath
in two separate interviews. Even that I could live with,
but here was the part that really irritated me. I took a
loss on the leather edition. I made so little money on the
cloth signed edition that you would not believe the amount
were I to post it. My goal all along was to really upset
the world of King limiteds: to make a book so great, and
for comparatively so little money, that the collector would
forever re-think what was possible in terms of a King limited.
We all know that if any other small press had Salem's Lot,
the editions would have been priced three times what I
charged. King knew how much I charged for the books -- he
approved the pricing. Furthermore, I modeled the book on
the greatest of all King limiteds -- The Eyes of the Dragon,
a book which King himself commissioned. Although I made my
book slightly wider and taller, and went away from the
interior design of Eyes for a design that I thought worked
better for Salem's Lot, I still wanted to pay homage to
that 1984 classic.

So here in a nutshell was what Salem's Lot offered over
nearly every other King limited ever published (every King
limited except Eyes, in my opinion):

* better binding
* more size
* better printing of text
* better printing of art
* gorgeous endsheets (two hits of silver ink on black paper)
* way better paper for the trade edition
* inifinitely superior paper for the leather edition
* full goatskin leather binding, as opposed to quarterbound
bonded leather
* deleted scenes from the original manuscript
* bonus stories
* way better design and understanding of type
* far more value for the money

But what do you all think? Did I bother him too much? I'd like to hear some other opinions, and always open to criticism.

Thanks again!

Jerad

Randall Flagg
10-07-2009, 05:26 AM
Based upon that, you hardly communicated at all with King, let alone bugged the shit out him. Having seen some of the reams of correspondence SirBoome has shown between King and others regarding the Uncut The Stand, this seems minuscule.

Ari_Racing
10-07-2009, 05:38 AM
Well...I don't think you bothered him at all. You didn't even contacted him directly...he has two secretaries who filter everything for him.

What really intrigates me is that why King acted this way with you particulary, and not with other publishers that release a King from him or related to him someway every six months.

Or actually...they only announce them and charge the books...

biomieg
10-07-2009, 05:45 AM
I agree Jerad, I think everything was handled in a way that seems decent and professional. Of course, we don't know what King's personnel told him when they were in contact with you. Maybe they felt bothered somehow (although I really can't see why they would) and relayed that feeling to him, leading him to make some harsh statements which were based on hearsay rather than any personal feelings. But that's probably very far-fetched.

Dolan
10-07-2009, 06:15 AM
Jared -

Sounds all good to me. You did what you had to do to get the book published and that was it. I am wondering if his suggestion of "bothering him" had something to do with The Shining... Though Green told you when to contact him again, he (Greene) might not have relayed to King that he told you to wait a few more months. Maybe Greene kept reporting back that "He's asking again...!'

Either way Jared, you have given to us a really beautiful book that you should be very proud of... I know that we are proud of it.

Mr. Rabbit Trick
10-07-2009, 07:29 AM
Jerad,

You have nothing to worry about regarding "bugging" Steve King. I cannot see any evidence of unproffessionalism either.

I think you just caught him (King) at a bad time. We will never really know for sure. I think it will be water-under-the-bridge as far as he is concerned.

I speak as a collector who loved your work on 'Salem's Lot. It is a marvelous publication.

"The Shining"... now that would have topped 'Salem's Lot.

Rahfa
10-07-2009, 07:31 AM
I agree Jerad, I think everything was handled in a way that seems decent and professional. Of course, we don't know what King's personnel told him when they were in contact with you. Maybe they felt bothered somehow (although I really can't see why they would) and relayed that feeling to him, leading him to make some harsh statements which were based on hearsay rather than any personal feelings. But that's probably very far-fetched.


No, I think the root of it comes from this...

Somewhere, somehow, something happened where there was miscommunication or misunderstanding...and I bet it was something Greene communicated to SK that made him think (somehow) you were taking advantage of the situation - or something equally inaccurate.

It doesn't make sense for him to send a thoughtful letter about the book - but then be snarky in interviews - without something having happened on his end that you aren't privy to.

frik
10-07-2009, 09:51 AM
Hey everyone,

But what do you all think? Did I bother him too much? I'd like to hear some other opinions, and always open to criticism.

Thanks again!

Jerad

No, no and NO!! :)
As far as I can see, you handled things very professionally.

Let's all bug King about this edition.
Maybe it'll still happen!

sk

Ben Mears
10-07-2009, 12:10 PM
Obviously something went off the rails if SK's positon went from one of satisfaction and appreciation to that of scorn and disdain. Jared feels strongly that there is no chance of The Shining seeing the light of day but there is no telling what a measured, professional "petition" from this message board might yield. Who knows maybe Frank Darabont might be willing and able to approach SK on Centipede's behalf. If I had contact info for Mr. Darabont I would be comfortable approaching him to gauge his interest.

Ari_Racing
10-07-2009, 12:12 PM
I might be able to contact Frank Darabont's office. ;)

Centipede
10-08-2009, 03:14 AM
I would encourage you all NOT to try and contact Frank Darabont. Frank did an awesome job on the introduction to my art book and I would really prefer that he not be involved with this. He's a good friend of King's and would not want to be dragged into this.

Jerad

Ben Mears
10-08-2009, 05:03 AM
I would encourage you all NOT to try and contact Frank Darabont. Frank did an awesome job on the introduction to my art book and I would really prefer that he not be involved with this. He's a good friend of King's and would not want to be dragged into this.

Jerad

No problem Jerad.

swintek
10-08-2009, 12:46 PM
A few things:

First, I was going to jump in here and say that I don't think trying to rope in Darabont on Jerad's behalf would be prudent at all, for a whole number of reasons. But, Jerad just said as much himself.

Second, I seriously doubt that King ever makes decisions on limited editions, either way, with a "money grab" in mind. I'd be very surprised if his cut wasn't one of the least factors in green-lighting a limited edition book. TV and movies may be a different story- as they should be.

When I first read King's comments about Jerad & Salem's Lot, even I was stung and dismayed. I thought they were misplaced and unfortunate- and I still feel that way- but I also believe they were extremely off the cuff, and spur of the moment conversational, rather than anything he would officially stand behind today. I'll bet if someone asked him to reclairify his opinion on the book and Jerad today, he would probably take a mellower tact. Sure, it doesn't make it okay that he said those demeaning things even off the cuff, but I'll bet he regrets it, and probably doesn't even truly feel that way deep down. He just made an exaggerated negative comment- like we all sometimes do and later regret.

I think Jerad's book is indeed the finest King limited ever produced. By far. It's absolutely gorgeous top to bottom, and a true testament to Fine Bookarts. How many of the other limiteds actaully pay any attention whatsover to typography and field of space?

Having said that, I do have one major problem with the book, and I'll bet my crackers that it's probably King's too, and the reason that he said what he said (although he should have put it nicer!)- the book is just too large. I know some people would say the bigger the better, but those people are probably "collectors" of the sort that King seems to have disdain for.

I am a "collector", but I'm a reader first, and someone who wants to READ the most beautifully crafted edition second. Collector comes third. I'm sorry to come on here and say that I kinda share King's opinion that people who pay ungodly sums of money for books that they don't actually read are... well- "we" just don't understand that. Doesn't make them wrong and us right, but we don't really understand, or agree with it.

The Centipede Salem's Lot is absolutely gorgeous and I'm proud to own it (hell, I own every edition- I'm still a collector), but it REALLY bums me out that it's so big it's nearly impossible to hold, fondle- and READ. It's just my opinion, but I think Jerad just got a little carried away in his enthusiasm, and made a beautful book- that one can't reasonably actually read, and I think this is possibly what put King out of sorts with it. Of course, I'm sure Jerad had indicated his sizing intentions well in advance, and King ok'd everything, but it's one thing to see numbers and another to hold that sucker!

Just my opinion, Jerad. I still love the book- all your books- but would love them more if they were easier to enjoy.

Ron

wahlers
10-08-2009, 01:10 PM
For artbooks on the other hand, the bigger the better! I have the Lovecraft book Jared did and it's GORGEOUS! You get so much more detail in the art at that size.

Ben Mears
10-08-2009, 01:40 PM
A few things:

First, I was going to jump in here and say that I don't think trying to rope in Darabont on Jerad's behalf would be prudent at all, for a whole number of reasons. But, Jerad just said as much himself.

Second, I seriously doubt that King ever makes decisions on limited editions, either way, with a "money grab" in mind. I'd be very surprised if his cut wasn't one of the least factors in green-lighting a limited edition book. TV and movies may be a different story- as they should be.

When I first read King's comments about Jerad & Salem's Lot, even I was stung and dismayed. I thought they were misplaced and unfortunate- and I still feel that way- but I also believe they were extremely off the cuff, and spur of the moment conversational, rather than anything he would officially stand behind today. I'll bet if someone asked him to reclairify his opinion on the book and Jerad today, he would probably take a mellower tact. Sure, it doesn't make it okay that he said those demeaning things even off the cuff, but I'll bet he regrets it, and probably doesn't even truly feel that way deep down. He just made an exaggerated negative comment- like we all sometimes do and later regret.

I think Jerad's book is indeed the finest King limited ever produced. By far. It's absolutely gorgeous top to bottom, and a true testament to Fine Bookarts. How many of the other limiteds actaully pay any attention whatsover to typography and field of space?

Having said that, I do have one major problem with the book, and I'll bet my crackers that it's probably King's too, and the reason that he said what he said (although he should have put it nicer!)- the book is just too large. I know some people would say the bigger the better, but those people are probably "collectors" of the sort that King seems to have disdain for.

I am a "collector", but I'm a reader first, and someone who wants to READ the most beautifully crafted edition second. Collector comes third. I'm sorry to come on here and say that I kinda share King's opinion that people who pay ungodly sums of money for books that they don't actually read are... well- "we" just don't understand that. Doesn't make them wrong and us right, but we don't really understand, or agree with it.

The Centipede Salem's Lot is absolutely gorgeous and I'm proud to own it (hell, I own every edition- I'm still a collector), but it REALLY bums me out that it's so big it's nearly impossible to hold, fondle- and READ. It's just my opinion, but I think Jerad just got a little carried away in his enthusiasm, and made a beautful book- that one can't reasonably actually read, and I think this is possibly what put King out of sorts with it. Of course, I'm sure Jerad had indicated his sizing intentions well in advance, and King ok'd everything, but it's one thing to see numbers and another to hold that sucker!

Just my opinion, Jerad. I still love the book- all your books- but would love them more if they were easier to enjoy.

Ron


Well said regarding SK.

Dolan
10-08-2009, 02:45 PM
Having said that, I do have one major problem with the book, and I'll bet my crackers that it's probably King's too, and the reason that he said what he said (although he should have put it nicer!)- the book is just too large. I know some people would say the bigger the better, but those people are probably "collectors" of the sort that King seems to have disdain for.


See... that is the thing about this book that really stands out to me. At first I was shocked at the size... but it's beautiful. Sure, a problem if you want to read the limited. But I can appriciate the size, the craft, etc.

Centipede
10-08-2009, 06:15 PM
Ron,

I would have to agree with you that the book is probably too large. Ah well. My deal was the artwork. My first size for the book was a much more modest size, around 8 x 11 I believe. Then the Uelsmann photos came in, and Uelsmann sent me the originals to work from. If you could see them, you wouldn't believe it, how large and beautiful and clear they were. No print can ever do those originals justice. The detail would have been partially lost at a smaller size. My thought when I received the originals from Uelsmann: "everybody's gotta see what I'm seeing, this is too good to hold back." Hence the large size. They were printed duotone. We even looked at printing them via rotogravure but it was just not feasible. Now if I had had 10 more photos like those in the book, mysterious and allusive and haunting and beautiful, the size would have been more than justified. Ah well, live and learn!

Jerad

jhanic
10-08-2009, 06:26 PM
Jared, I'd like to put my two cents in here. Yes, the book IS too large to comfortably read. WHO CARES?? If I want to read the story, that's what they make paperbacks for.

It's a work of art, and that's the way most of us, I'm sure, view it. I ordered both the signed numbered edition and the 600-copy trade edition. I've never read either volume, but I did and do admire everything about them--the entire production values. A job VERY well done.

John

Randall Flagg
10-08-2009, 07:01 PM
Although the word count is substantially higher, the book is still far smaller in outside dimensions than the 'Rainy Season' print Tabitha King lent a photo to, and signed (King also signed).:P
It's also larger than the SK self published Philtrum Press 'The Eyes of the Dragon".
Perhaps King had "Publishers envy".

Ari_Racing
10-08-2009, 07:26 PM
Actually...there are books that are not available in smaller sizes.

For example: Secretary of Dreams.

Patrick
10-08-2009, 09:13 PM
Jared, I'd like to put my two cents in here. Yes, the book IS too large to comfortably read. WHO CARES?? If I want to read the story, that's what they make paperbacks for.

It's a work of art, and that's the way most of us, I'm sure, view it. I ordered both the signed numbered edition and the 600-copy trade edition. I've never read either volume, but I did and do admire everything about them--the entire production values. A job VERY well done.

John
That's also why they produce unabridged audiobooks. :D

biomieg
10-09-2009, 03:44 AM
Books this big can also be read (IMO) when sitting at a table with the book laying in front of you. Sure, it's less comfy then the lazy reading chair or your bed, but that's the way I do it.

Ben Mears
10-09-2009, 05:16 AM
Ron,

I would have to agree with you that the book is probably too large. Ah well. My deal was the artwork. My first size for the book was a much more modest size, around 8 x 11 I believe. Then the Uelsmann photos came in, and Uelsmann sent me the originals to work from. If you could see them, you wouldn't believe it, how large and beautiful and clear they were. No print can ever do those originals justice. The detail would have been partially lost at a smaller size. My thought when I received the originals from Uelsmann: "everybody's gotta see what I'm seeing, this is too good to hold back." Hence the large size. They were printed duotone. We even looked at printing them via rotogravure but it was just not feasible. Now if I had had 10 more photos like those in the book, mysterious and allusive and haunting and beautiful, the size would have been more than justified. Ah well, live and learn!

Jerad

'Salem's Lot is my personal favorite book by any author and I have read it annually since 1976. That reading event changed drastically in 2004 when Centipede published the SL limited. As much as I enjoyed re-reading the book each year the Centipede limted has enhanced my experience with its beautiful design and engineering. I don't find it cumbersome; just the opposite. The Mohawk Superfine paper and the way it feels with each turn of the page; the wide margins that allow for comfortable hand placement without text obstruction; the moody images and the heft of the book itself all combine to create, for me anyway, the ultimate SL reading experience. An incredible feat of publishing and one that I leaves me looking forward to my annual date with SL.

swintek
10-09-2009, 07:59 AM
'Salem's Lot is my personal favorite book by any author and I have read it annually since 1976. That reading event changed drastically in 2004 when Centipede published the SL limited. As much as I enjoyed re-reading the book each year the Centipede limted has enhanced my experience with its beautiful design and engineering. I don't find it cumbersome; just the opposite. The Mohawk Superfine paper and the way it feels with each turn of the page; the wide margins that allow for comfortable hand placement without text obstruction; the moody images and the heft of the book itself all combine to create, for me anyway, the ultimate SL reading experience. An incredible feat of publishing and one that I leaves me looking forward to my annual date with SL.

Wow. That was beautifully stated, Ben. I take it back- I'm all wrong about the size. I'm obviously just not trying hard enough! Your post makes me want to try tackling it again.

Ron

Patrick
10-09-2009, 07:02 PM
I must be a little too much into this collecting thing because Ben's post made me all tingly.

Centipede
10-10-2009, 06:20 AM
Thanks for all the comments on the size, BenMears! Personally, I've taken it down once to read it and did not find it as cumbersome as I thought it would be. If the book was an inch narrower, it would have been somewhat easier to hold. I appreciate all the comments!

Jerad

Sir_Boomme
10-10-2009, 12:23 PM
Ron,

I would have to agree with you that the book is probably too large. Ah well. My deal was the artwork. My first size for the book was a much more modest size, around 8 x 11 I believe. Then the Uelsmann photos came in, and Uelsmann sent me the originals to work from. If you could see them, you wouldn't believe it, how large and beautiful and clear they were. No print can ever do those originals justice. The detail would have been partially lost at a smaller size. My thought when I received the originals from Uelsmann: "everybody's gotta see what I'm seeing, this is too good to hold back." Hence the large size. They were printed duotone. We even looked at printing them via rotogravure but it was just not feasible. Now if I had had 10 more photos like those in the book, mysterious and allusive and haunting and beautiful, the size would have been more than justified. Ah well, live and learn!

Jerad

'Salem's Lot is my personal favorite book by any author and I have read it annually since 1976. That reading event changed drastically in 2004 when Centipede published the SL limited. As much as I enjoyed re-reading the book each year the Centipede limted has enhanced my experience with its beautiful design and engineering. I don't find it cumbersome; just the opposite. The Mohawk Superfine paper and the way it feels with each turn of the page; the wide margins that allow for comfortable hand placement without text obstruction; the moody images and the heft of the book itself all combine to create, for me anyway, the ultimate SL reading experience. An incredible feat of publishing and one that I leaves me looking forward to my annual date with SL.

yeah... i understand that... but....
i'm one of those scoundrels -that king hates - who likes to put his art on the wall (or shelf) and appeciatively look at it rather than fondle it.
i don't go to the Louvre and run my fingers over the mona lisa either... even if it would be cool to feel the texture of the paint.
to me... i view the limited as a work of art.... and why take a chance on tainting the art when a cheap paper back is at hand.

so stone me if you want and flog me with a bookmark... cause i'm the one that gives collectors a bad name (in king's eyes anyways) .... but i chose to keep my high dollar books as prestine as possible... under glass... away from finger grease, coffee stains, dust, and even the slightest possibility of creasing a page.

Ben Mears
10-10-2009, 01:44 PM
Ron,

I would have to agree with you that the book is probably too large. Ah well. My deal was the artwork. My first size for the book was a much more modest size, around 8 x 11 I believe. Then the Uelsmann photos came in, and Uelsmann sent me the originals to work from. If you could see them, you wouldn't believe it, how large and beautiful and clear they were. No print can ever do those originals justice. The detail would have been partially lost at a smaller size. My thought when I received the originals from Uelsmann: "everybody's gotta see what I'm seeing, this is too good to hold back." Hence the large size. They were printed duotone. We even looked at printing them via rotogravure but it was just not feasible. Now if I had had 10 more photos like those in the book, mysterious and allusive and haunting and beautiful, the size would have been more than justified. Ah well, live and learn!

Jerad

'Salem's Lot is my personal favorite book by any author and I have read it annually since 1976. That reading event changed drastically in 2004 when Centipede published the SL limited. As much as I enjoyed re-reading the book each year the Centipede limted has enhanced my experience with its beautiful design and engineering. I don't find it cumbersome; just the opposite. The Mohawk Superfine paper and the way it feels with each turn of the page; the wide margins that allow for comfortable hand placement without text obstruction; the moody images and the heft of the book itself all combine to create, for me anyway, the ultimate SL reading experience. An incredible feat of publishing and one that I leaves me looking forward to my annual date with SL.

yeah... i understand that... but....
i'm one of those scoundrels -that king hates - who likes to put his art on the wall (or shelf) and appeciatively look at it rather than fondle it.
i don't go to the Louvre and run my fingers over the mona lisa either... even if it would be cool to feel the texture of the paint.
to me... i view the limited as a work of art.... and why take a chance on tainting the art when a cheap paper back is at hand.

so stone me if you want and flog me with a bookmark... cause i'm the one that gives collectors a bad name (in king's eyes anyways) .... but i chose to keep my high dollar books as prestine as possible... under glass... away from finger grease, coffee stains, dust, and even the slightest possibility of creasing a page.

Nothing wrong with that. It would appear you are a collector first and foremost and I sense you derive satisfaction from owning books and art by authors and artists you like. I'm not necessarily a collector unless I'm passionate about a story, painting, or whatnot. In the case of 'Salem's Lot it was a no brainer but if Centipede had done the same thing with a King book like The Tommyknockers I wouldn't have been interested in buying it let alone be willing to sit with it on my lap for hours at a time! That said I encourage you to pull down your SL deluxe, enjoy the sensation of the leather in your hands, and luxuriate with each and every turn of the Saunders Waterford paper that feels just like the rich vellum paper Barlow used in the letter he left for Ben, Jimmy, Callahan, and Mark when they went to the Marsten House in hopes of extinguishing him. You'll never want to read SL any other way again!

Centipede
10-12-2009, 04:36 PM
Hey everyone,

The Salem's Lot deluxe sold. The cloth signed with the extra goodies won't be around much longer. If you are interested, drop me a line.

Jerad