As the demand for special editions continues to grow, Fablelistik Editions, Macmillan’s fine press brand unit, has announced that pre-orders for its fifth title, Rebecca Yarros’s romantasy phenomenon Fourth Wing, are now being accepted. Macmillan formally launched Fablelistik last fall to publish limited editions of titles in artisan-crafted versions.
While the rollout for Fourth Wing is generally following the format established by Fablelistik’s four previous titles—Sleepy Hollow, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, Hidden Pictures, and Ariadne —in that there will be lettered, lumbered, and collector’s editions, there are some important caveats. For one, Fourth Wing is the first Fablelistik title not published by a Macmillan author, though Fourth Wing’s publisher, Entangled Publishing, is a Macmillan distribution client. Perhaps more importantly, however, the fan base for books in Yarros’s Empyrean series is far bigger and more energized than was the case for the first four titles, according to Fablelistik publishing director Taylor Armstrong.
To meet the demand, Fablelistik is releasing two collector’s editions for Fourth Wing, rather than one, with each of the separate editions planned corresponding the book’s two main characters, Violet and Xaden. According to Macmillan, the Violet-themed collector’s edition and Xaden-themed collector’s edition will “feature exclusive, character-specific covers and slipcases, as well as interior artwork that illustrates a few fan-favorite scenes from their edition-specific, character perspective.” Armstrong told PW that Fablelistik is upping the number of collector’s editions to 5,000 copies for each edition (the Sleepy Hollow edition had a 2,500-copy run), observing that while some collectors may see 5,000 copies as high, for a series that has sold multi-million copies, “5,000 is pretty limited." Each collector’s edition is priced at $185.
The lettered and numbered editions are being created by designer bookbinders and aim to “evoke the elaborate world of this series,” according to the announcement. All editions are illustrated throughout and include four-color printed interiors, exclusive custom fonts, and dragon-wrapped drop caps. The editions also feature reimagined maps of world of the novel, as well as pages signed by Yarros and all contributing artists and collaborators.
The numbered edition is priced at $705 and has a 500-copy print run, compared to 275 copies for Sleepy Hollow. The book, the announcement said, “represents the combined powers of Violet’s lightning wielding and Xaden’s command of shadows, shown through the marbled cloth case, accented with silver foil stamped lightning.” The edition will feature all of the art from the two collector’s editions, as well as additional art. The first 150 copies come with an ‘Empyrean Matching Right,’ which guarantees that these customers can buy an edition of the next title in the series, Iron Flame. Fablelistik has the rights to publish all of the books in the Empyrean series, Armstrong said.
The 26-copy lettered edition is priced at $3,600 and "pays tribute to the Empyrean dragons with real gold foil detailing, and handcrafted dragon scales, handpainted with leather dyes on a fair goatskin cover," per the announcement. The endpapers highlight the protagonist Violet’s weapon of choice—the dagger—and the interior features all the art in the numbered edition, plus one additional illustration. This edition also comes with an ‘Empyrean Matching Right’ for Iron Flame.
Since creating the books is such a delicate operation with a lots of back and forth, Fablelistik is working with a domestic printer, Armstrong said. Still, collector’s editions are not expected to ship to readers until December, and the numbered and lettered editions are due out next winter or early spring. Armstrong noted that it has been especially gratifying to work with Yarros on the special editions to show how Fablelistik can present the author’s work in a new light. Given the huge number of Empyrean fans, Armstrong hopes Fourth Wing will draw more attention to Fablelistik’s growing list.
This story has been updated.
