(It has been long whispered in the writing world that almost all best selling authors use ghosts.
It is not a new practice, going back at least to Alexandre Dumas pere, though it is stated that he at least wrote the final drafts himself in his own handwriting. When you get to the point where the author's name is bigger than the title the author is selling the books. This means it is a business thang. --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "ravenadal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > While surfing one night I came across one of those publishing > phenomena that both amaze and confound me. It concerns the author, > V.C. Andrews, author of the 1979 best seller "Flowers in the Attic." > Cleo Virginia Andrews died in 1986, yet she has been more prolific in > death than she was in life. Her estate hired a ghost writer, Andrew > Neiderman (which is noteworthy because Cleo Virginia wrote as a man > and now Mr. Neiderman is writing as a woman - the first time, > allegedly, a man has written as a woman), to write more stories to be > published under her name. I don't know what Mr. Neiderman's deal with > the estate is but he has been so prolific, he must be getting paid by > the word. Since V.C. Andrews death, fifty-eight novels have been > produced under her name with two more due this year. > > ~rave! > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Hayden" <Frofidemus@> > wrote: > > > > I just ran across a proposal to write a novel on a work for hire > > basis. The money offered would be nice--nicer than any other money > > I've made writing-- > > > > But visions of Siegel and Shuster and Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, who > > missed out on a fortune because they signed those work for hire > > agreements, keep flashing through my head. > > > > As you know, you surrender all rights in return for the money. So > > they can reprint your work as often as they like. And you don't get > > paid. And use any characters you create for them. And you don't > get > > paid. > > > > We ain't even talking about movies, DVD's, toys, tv programs, > > clothes, ancillary stuff-- > > > > While I have not created a Superman, Spider-Man, Harry Potter-- why > > take a chance? > > > > This would lead to me not creating anything and not doing my best > > work--so they probably wouldn't accept it anyway. > > > > Who if anybody should ever sign a work for hire agreement? > > >
