Reprints in Softcover

As many Ars Magica fans realize, several key titles in the 5th Edition product line have been out of print for a while. We've been wrestling with the cost of doing short reprint runs of hardcover books, and ultimately we've decided that the best solution is to start doing softcover rather than hardcover reprints. This allows us to use digital printing to produce much shorter runs, making it easier to keep books available when there is demand for them.

This month we will be releasing softcover editions of three Ars Magica 5th Edition sourcebooks. While the content is the same (albeit with an updated legal page and corrections in the text), they have new stock numbers (adding the -SC suffix) and ISBNs to distinguish them from the original hardcovers, and a slightly lower retail price. The three books are:

1. Houses of Hermes: Mystery Cults. The new stock number is AG0281SC, ISBN 1-58978-117-1, MSRP $27.95.
2. City & Guild. The new stock number is AG0283SC, ISBN 1-58978-118-X, MSRP $27.95.
3. Houses of Hermes: Societates. The new stock number is AG0285SC, ISBN 1-58978-119-8, MSRP $27.95.

Looking forward, the "hardcover first run, softcover reprint" strategy is likely to change things a little bit -- I probably will reduce initial print runs, in order to reduce the cash outlay on new books and improve our inventory turns and warehouse efficiency. If you're determined to own the hardcover edition of an Ars Magica sourcebook (whether one now available or a future release), I'd recommend not waiting too long.