Do Warcraft novels need to be expansion tie-ins?

Considering the sheer scope and breadth of the Warcraft universe, I’m often surprised by the selection of Warcraft novels. There are a lot of them — 23 in total — but almost all of them since Arthas: Rise of the Lich King back in 2009 (if not earlier) have been expansion tie-ins. They exist in a strange place where they don’t really stand on their own two feet, but the games don’t always make sense without them, either. When I buy these tie-in novels, I often feel like I’m reading them for research purposes more so than any joy or sense of wonder. Oh, the next expansion is coming out, I better do my homework.

Personally, I’d like to see more Warcraft novels able to stand on their own, independent from expansion releases or even the game’s current roster of main characters. For example, rather than a book about Illidan, why not a book about the Illidari? I’d love a novel about a group of Illidari and their flair for scantily-clad fatalism hunting down evils across Azeroth. There’s also the potential intrigues of SI:7, the eternal hints of vast piracy on Azeroth’s high seas, and so on. Heck, I’d even take a group of five mercenaries going on adventures in dark dungeons.

I can’t be the only one more interested in that sort of material than expansion tie-ins. Are you interested in the little stuff, too? What stories would you like Blizzard to tell in the Warcraft universe?