Publishing derivative works

Hapi,

No, I wasn't saying they can "take his work" and publish it as their own.

But, like you said, the only way it will be published is with their permission. They have all the cards, depending on how badly he wants to get it published.

My media tie-in experience has been different than Rainwing's because it was always designed to be work-for-hire. (Looks at his latest contract from Pocket Books which just arrived tonight.) It's understood that when you work for a company like that, that you're playing by their rules with their toys with their permission. I'm cool with that.

Now, I have original fiction that I'm trying to sell, but I'm also enjoying working on Star Trek, Doctor Who and doing stories for gaming companies and so on. I actually find it more liberating to write my own stuff than playing in someone else's sandbox.

Same as if I got a job with Marvel Comics or D.C. Comics. Unless you're a BIG name (and I mean, 48 point BIG), the work you do in their worlds, with their characters belongs to them and if you introduce a new character (whether secondary or a major character), it belongs to them. It's understood going in that this is "the way it is".

Richard, you're talking about what happens to Neat Original Character X if the book is published by the license-holder.

Hapi, you're talking about what happens to Neat Original Character X if the book is not published by the license-holder.

There is no contradiction, because these are two mutually-exclusive cases.