FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
01.
Addressing the confusion that arose from the production and publication 'order' of the Óðinn Trilogy (within 'The Northern Otherworld Series') by Shani Oates:
Why We Initially Published The Hanged God as a Paperback in 2019
In 2019, when we received the manuscript for the first Volume in the Óðinn Trilogy, The Hanged God: Óðinn Grímnir, it wasn't initially made clear to us whether the book was intended to be part of a series of books, or of a specific trilogy.
The project also came as somewhat of a last-minute surprise; as such it wasn't initially scheduled for publication that year. However, the cancellation of another project created a vacuum, of sorts, in our schedule.
Naturally, it made sense that we try to publish The Hanged God as soon as we could. At the time, our budget was quite meager (which wasn't at all ideal), and due to the more academic (and less praxical) approach of this particular work (compared to some of Shani's previous titles), we did not know what the reaction of the readership would be.
All of these factors led to the decision to go for a refined (slightly elevated) Paperback edition, rather than our usual three distinct Hardcover edition treatments, upon release... Which, in retrospect, wasn't the best of ideas. That much we will admit.
Explaining the Chronology of the Óðinn Trilogy
Because The Hanged God ended up being one of our bestselling titles, this created a desire from our readers to eventually publish a Hardcover version.
However, circling back to this project took a few years. In the meantime, Volume 2 of the trilogy, Wolfs-Head, was published (which did get the Hardcover treatment in 2020).
2020
Volume 2: Wolfs-Head: Óðinn, the Ecstatic God of Tethers & Skin-Turning
In 2020, with the interest generated by The Hanged God (and Shani's having properly established that this would indeed be a whole trilogy), the second Volume for the trilogy, Wolfs-Head: Óðinn, the Ecstatic God of Tethers & Skin-Turning, was published in 2020, in three Hardcover editions format (Standard, Collector's, and Artisanal). These sold out quickly, before we had the chance to circle back to the first Volume in the trilogy.
2022
Things tend to move quite slowly in the publishing business, and we always have to make the hard choice of either focusing on new book projects or revisiting past titles for potential reissues.
Usually, our modus operandi dictates that we do not republish our titles in the Hardcover format once the initial print run is sold-out, but since The Hanged God had technically never been published in hardcover (and many readers wanted to secure each Volume in the series in Hardcover), we felt obligated to finally publish a Hardcover edition. This version is currently available for purchase in the Hardcover and Paperback format in our webstore.
Also, Volume 2: Wolfs-Head (now Sold-Out in the Hardcover format) has now been reissued as a Paperback and is available for purchase in our webstore.
Volume 3: The Search for Óðinn: From Pontic Steppe to Sutton Hoo
The third and final entry in the trilogy, The Search for Óðinn: From Pontic Steppe to Sutton Hoo, is now available for purchase and is now shipping as well!
As stated above (and for the rest of the series now that we've corrected the aim concerning Vol.1), we've reverted to offering these in the three Hardcover formats first. When these are eventually sold-out, we'll look into the possibility of a paperback reissue for Volume 3, for sure.
2023 and Beyond
The Óðinn Trilogy has, over time, morphed into much the larger body of work: The Northern Otherworld Series. Shani Oates, pouring incredible time and effort into researching, compiling, and commenting on the Nordic Mysteries, writes quite extensively, and the scope of her inquiry into these subject matters has necessitated the need to look beyond three volumes.
Left unchanged, the third Volume of the Óðinn trilogy would've been 4 to 5 times larger than the first and second Volumes combined. Which, from a production standpoint, this simply wouldn’t have been possible.
So, we came up with the idea of truncating Shani’s work into smaller, more easily digestible parts: her manuscript in an ongoing series.
This is an idea Shani addresses in full at the tail end of the third Volume (The Search for Óðinn) announcing the themes explored in the forthcoming six volumes in the series (yes, 6 more books are in the works: Volume 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9).
The Óðinn Trilogy Publication Timeline (thus far):
- Vol.1: The Hanged God [Paperback, 2018] = Available.
- Vol.2: Wolf-Head [Hardcovers, 2020] = Sold-Out.
- Vol.1: The Hanged God [Hardcovers, 2018] = Available.
- Vol.3: The Search for Óðinn [Hardcovers, 2022] = Available.
- Vol.2: Wolf-Head [Paperback, 2020] = Available.
- Vol.3: The Search for Óðinn [Paperback] = Forthcoming (probably not before 2025).
02.
PILLARS Periodicals (Reprints?):
PILLARS dates back to the very inception of Anathema Publishing Ltd. (circa 2011) and is our ongoing series of periodicals, which we usually release annually.
Anathema produced the first three issues of PILLARS (as softcovers, limited to approx. 300 copies each) between 2012 and 2014 (the three issues constituting Volume 1 in the series), and only took a brief hiatus in 2015, to eventually republish (in 2016) a Hardcover Anthology of the entire Volume 1 of PILLARS titled: Perichoresis. The Anthology was a massive success and since only 393 copies were ever produced, it sold out relatively quickly.
In 2018, we published a stand-alone 'hors-series' edition of PILLARS as a Hardcover (and not part of a specific 'Volume' in and of itself), titled The Scalding of Sapientia. This edition has also since sold out.
In 2019, Anathema launched what was then the beginning of essentially Volume 2 of PILLARS (also containing three distinct issues). This time, however, all in the hardcover format.
Volume 2 consists of Issue.1: Circling the Compass [2019, Sold Out], Issue.2: Seeds of Ares [2020, Sold Out], Issue.3: A Wayfarer's Hearth [2021, Still Available for Purchase on our webshop!].
Will the Existing PILLARS Collections Ever Be Reissued?
For the foreseeable future, Anathema will NOT be reprinting the Anthology of Volume 1 of PILLARS: Perichoresis.
Simply put, we no longer hold the copyrights to republish most of the materials presented in this anthology. Since PILLARS is a voluntary submission-based periodical, Authors and Artists ultimately are the ones who retain all the publication and dissemination rights for their work.
Since most of the material could not be part of a reprint, the end result would be a sub-par version of the 2016 edition. And so we’ve decided not to revisit the book at all.
N.B. We know this can be a source of constant frustration and irritation for the Collectors out there, but please keep in mind that: A) The 2016 Perichoresis edition technically was already the reissued Deluxe edition of the first 3 PILLARS that each previously, and independently, had their own print run... And that B) We would not infringe any copyright laws or hurt and author/artist's volition in republishing something they would not agree to be reprinted.
Aside from copyright issues, the transient nature of the PILLARS books as 'offerings,' in general, makes it so that we can never promise any such things ahead of time in a definite manner. And so, whilst we are still technically selling copies of our latest PILLARS, no reprints for Volume 2 are currently in the plans. Since Volume 2 is/was already presented in Hardcover format, we doubt we'll revisit this decision anytime soon.
To sum up:
- PILLARS Volume One Anthology: Perichoresis = No Reprint (Ever).
- PILLARS 'hors-series': The Scalding of Sapientia = No Reprint (Ever).
- PILLARS Volume Two [potential] Anthology = No Such Plans in Sight, Yet.
Right now, and whilst PILLARS: A Wayfarer's Hearth is still available for purchase, the whole of the PILLARS Periodicals project has been placed on hold, as we are busy making plans and thinking of ways to upgrade and enhance its overall quality and presentation in the future.