tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post7990980433170418888..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: An Author By Any Other Name…?L.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-29170822442063511292014-02-25T13:03:26.456-08:002014-02-25T13:03:26.456-08:00The Patterson model may be new, but I liken it to ...The Patterson model may be new, but I liken it to the old syndicates. The same hold true for series from Tom Clancy (R.I.P.) and Clive Cussler.Michael W. Shererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01359437241079384725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-66071284575865906212014-02-25T13:02:14.640-08:002014-02-25T13:02:14.640-08:00Linda,
Don's was one of the series I read and ...Linda,<br />Don's was one of the series I read and loved as a young adult. Sure, Bond was suave, and Helm cool, but Mack Bolan got the job done. I'm glad the series still has a life of its own now that Don's gone. <br />All best.Michael W. Shererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01359437241079384725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-20664465757870296292013-12-08T19:58:25.239-08:002013-12-08T19:58:25.239-08:00I think collaborations are an excellent idea for w...I think collaborations are an excellent idea for writers both new and seasoned. For the newer writer, it can mean valuable exposure and increased visibility, which are rarely bad things. For the more seasoned author, perhaps its a chance to develop a new idea that has been forced onto the back burner due to the demands of an ongoing series, but has been nagging them for sometime. Ian Grahamhttp://www.iangrahamthrillers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-68179879762456919972013-12-07T20:44:42.461-08:002013-12-07T20:44:42.461-08:00I think we have to separate four different types o...I think we have to separate four different types of collaboration/ghost-writing:<br />1) Serials, where the character is more important than the author. The Hardy Boys, etc., as mentioned. The pulp writers, in the heyday, would use several pseudonyms because they were so prolific the magazines couldn't publish all their stories under one name. Plus, many of them wrote in different genres - western, horror, SF, etc. This was true in comic books as well. Gardner Fox, one of the first comic writers I remember seeing credited (Green Lantern, I think), wrote lots of stuff for the pulps under different names.<br /><br />2) True collaboration: In mystery, Ellery Queen. In SF, Pohl & Kornbluth, or Niven & Pournelle (probably like Evanovitch and Goldberg, in its day).<br /><br />3) Ghost-writing: Nowadays, most celebrities do credit the "ghost-writer" using "with Writer" as a way of giving credit. But ghost-writing can also be great editing - the line can get thin. I haven't done any research, but I'd suspect most ghost-writing is for non-fiction. The "author" of such works - the one who has the name recognition, has developed the product or brand, etc. - approves the manuscript. The ghost-writer can be seen as a specialized editor - taking the person's ideas and making them readable. <br /><br />4) Name franchises: This is the one that's annoying and probably dishonest. A "Patterson" book not written by Patterson. Patterson is not Star Wars (see #1). Now there are ways to be honest about this: Title, by Author, from an idea by Famous Writer. <br /><br />The issue comes down to character vs writer. Characters can have multiple writers over the years (as Linda Pendleton so kindly and cogently explained). Public figures who are sharing information and who aren't writers can make whatever arrangements they want, though now some acknowledgment is expected. Writers who are franchises should be honest and give credit (imho).<br /><br />Then there's the possible sui generis case of Castle, which is so meta it makes my head spin. Delightfully.<br /><br />(btw, I will be going backwards and trying to catch up on the last couple weeks. Now that my revisions for Assault in Forgotten Alley are essentially done, and the semester is almost over, I have time to breathe. So I ran over here!)David Y.B. Kaufmannhttp://www.davidybkaufmann.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-82730597841804717722013-12-07T12:39:23.664-08:002013-12-07T12:39:23.664-08:00It's a fascinating world, Jodie. Publishers lo...It's a fascinating world, Jodie. Publishers love formulaic franchises, and they like them to continue perpetually. But this is hardly a new development. There is also another famous writer in history whose authorship has always been open for discussion. Even suggesting that his work was a collective for many other authors who for a variety of reasons could not publish under their own names. That writer was William Shakespeare from Stratford-upon-Avon.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17818121320817907764noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-70415665964550980292013-12-06T21:08:29.151-08:002013-12-06T21:08:29.151-08:00When my late husband, Don Pendleton franchised his...When my late husband, Don Pendleton franchised his Executioner: Mack Bolan series to Harlequin in 1980, for their still ongoing publishing program, he insisted that the name of the author be on the copyright page: “A special thanks and acknowledgment to .... for his contribution to this work.” <br /><br />The book covers of the Executioner and spin-offs, all have Don Pendleton’s The Executioner; Don Pendleton’s Mack Bolan; Don Pendleton’s Stony Man; and the earlier two spin-offs, Phoenix Force and Able Team each had Don Pendleton and a house name listed on the cover. When Harlequin began the publishing program there was a team of about 10 writers. Today I believe only one of those writers remain, with others coming and going over the years. Many do stay with the program for a few years. <br /><br />So nearly 1,000 books later and forty-four years after the first Executioner was published, most readers realize that Don has not written them for many years. Would Don even recognize the books today if he were here? I doubt it. :-) It is really difficult for someone to write in the same style, same voice, and bring the original essence of the character to the written page. <br />Linda Pendletonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04333787752335329007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-2374602405231841282013-12-06T11:51:10.626-08:002013-12-06T11:51:10.626-08:00There are some authors whose voice seems impossibl...There are some authors whose voice seems impossible to reproduce. The examples that come to mind are the books produced after the death of Robert B. Parker by various writers. I've read each of them, and find that the new authors miss the mark, some by a little, some by a lot.<br />I think it's as much dependent on the talent and voice of the deceased author as the writing ability of the person stepping into his/her shoes.<br />Thanks for posting this.Richard Mabryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15993592219849830777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-30595393475818588922013-12-06T10:24:00.114-08:002013-12-06T10:24:00.114-08:00I think it's great that someone's carrying...I think it's great that someone's carrying on the Ludlum tradition. He wrote some awesome stories!<br /><br />And I'm sure authors like Andrew Gross are happy about the recognition they received under James Patterson's name, but Gross is an excellent storyteller in his own right, and I wonder if he really received the credit he was due for his no doubt substantial part in the Patterson stories he worked on? Or if Patterson just thinks of them as kind of "lackeys" to help him churn out more books, then sits back and basks in the glory of these authors' hard work, dedication, and creative abilities? Or maybe I'm being too hard on Patterson.... At least he does display their name (smaller) on the cover.Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-58453628196150107282013-12-06T10:20:20.955-08:002013-12-06T10:20:20.955-08:00I have mixed feelings. Collaborations, where two a...I have mixed feelings. Collaborations, where two authors work together and both names are on the jacket, seem like a good way for each author to expand their readership. And readers know where they're getting. But franchises are a different thing. If readers buy a book because they're enamored of the bestselling author whose name is on the cover, and the book is actually written by someone else, that feels deceptive. Carrying on a series/character after an author is dead is yet another issue. As long as readers know what they're buying...L.J. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-14474635739500070782013-12-06T10:15:18.284-08:002013-12-06T10:15:18.284-08:00Your last comment had me chuckling, Peg. ;-) I wi...Your last comment had me chuckling, Peg. ;-) I wish I had some "my people" that some famous author's people could contact! LOLJodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-2465117727846799102013-12-06T09:11:32.933-08:002013-12-06T09:11:32.933-08:00I see it being like a TV show where there can be q...I see it being like a TV show where there can be quite a few writers on the same project. <br />John McFetridgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09442198820998606682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-34475308928707406332013-12-06T08:31:01.666-08:002013-12-06T08:31:01.666-08:00Some collaborations have turned out a good story, ...Some collaborations have turned out a good story, others not so much. <br /><br />Ghost-written stories bug me because they are a dishonest presentation to readers. Patterson usually gives credit, Celebrity XX does not. That's the definition of ghostwriting to me.<br /><br />I would have to think long and hard about co-authoring a book. Of course, if Dean Koontz's people contacted my people, the thought process would be shortened significantly.<br /><br />Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-89328258460633416622013-12-06T07:57:39.350-08:002013-12-06T07:57:39.350-08:00I can honestly say I don't care. Give me a goo...I can honestly say I don't care. Give me a good story with compelling characters and it doesn't matter who wrote it. Well... almost. There are people out there I won't support with my disposable income, like serial killers or Dick Cheney (ha ha, just joking, almost). But I can handle a double-author book, or even Patterson's team of writers. <br /><br />What I am is completely impressed that two authors can write one book. I can barely deal with myself while writing a story - all the fussiness and self-doubt and feeling of being completely lost in the middle of the thing. How do I work with someone else? I'm agog that other writers can do it.Gayle Carlinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15783449240138097315noreply@blogger.com