another fanfiction writer offered publishing deal

shadowwalker · Oct 8, 2012

heza said:
If she was, indeed, commissioned to write Razorbill's story, then wouldn't that make this a case of a fanfic author being noticed because of fanfic, but not necessarily a pull-2-publish situation?

Maybe it's a case of the fanfic response getting her noticed, and the publisher realizing that with the cleanup, she'd already written the story they wanted written, but they still wanted to retain control over the final product than if they just acquired her book.

Cybernaught · Oct 8, 2012

Phaeal said:
I'd imagine that Penguin is buying this ficcer's platform. It may also be buying her passion for the subject and her authority as a real fan of the band. These things will have weight with the targeted readers, that is, other fans of the band.

I think both of these are true, especially in regards to the fan fiction platform. Perhaps Penguin wants to create their own E.L. James. I doubt this will be the last story we hear about a fan fic writer being offered a publishing contract. People like these sort of human interest stories where the diamond in the rough gets a shot.

And I just found something interesting in Google search. Apparently, Penguin hit a pretty bad slump on account of Fifty Shades.

shadowwalker · Oct 8, 2012

Alitriona said:
At 16, is she even old enough to sign a publishing contract, or would it have been a guardian signing on her behalf? Either way, I hope the contract was looked over by someone who is familiar with publishing contracts.

No, she isn't of legal age to sign a binding contract, so her parents or guardian would have had to sign for her.

BenPanced · Oct 8, 2012

Phaeal said:
Maybe Penguin has bought the boyz' identities, too. Or, at least, their carefully groomed public personas?

At a glance at their photo in the article, I saw the Smart/Snarky One, the Bad Boy, the Good Boy, the Poet and the Jock.

As opposed to the Osmonds, who had the Guy Who Wore Blue, the Guy Who Wore Yellow, the Guy Who Wore Green, the Guy Who Wore Red, and Donny.

Mr Flibble · Oct 8, 2012

shadowwalker said:
No, she isn't of legal age to sign a binding contract, so her parents or guardian would have had to sign for her.

She's in the UK though isn't she? The rules are different (but I suspect that she would still have her parents act as co signatories, as a fail safe because someone under 18 can't be made to adhere to a contract, or some contracts anyway. I think...)

shadowwalker · Oct 8, 2012

Mr Flibble said:
She's in the UK though isn't she?

Oh, I didn't realize that. Yeah, I was going by US laws.

Filigree · Oct 8, 2012

Interesting post about Penguin suffering financially because of FSoG. There's your answer. Expect the major publishers - and many of the indies - to be out sniffing around for their own wunderkind.

Mr Flibble · Oct 8, 2012

Filigree said:
Interesting post about Penguin suffering financially because of FSoG. There's your answer. Expect the major publishers - and many of the indies - to be out sniffing around for their own wunderkind.

They always have been. Maybe this has just opened them up to the possibilities of getting someone with an already established fan base in fan fic?

jjdebenedictis · Oct 8, 2012

Cybernaught said:
I just found something interesting in Google search. Apparently, Penguin hit a pretty bad slump on account of Fifty Shades.

Yeah... I don't know if I believe that. As this article says:

Record sales of Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James have inflicted spectacular pain at rival book publisher Penguin.

At least, that was one of the excuses Penguin used yesterday to explain a near-50 per cent slump in half-year profits.

(snip)

But Ms Scardino also conceded that Penguin had fewer titles and a "less favourable product mix, particularly in North America" in the first six months of this year.

If a company is putting out good books, I don't think their sales are going to drop 50% in six months just because the competition has one hit book. 50Shades wouldn't eat up all the customers who normally buy multiple books over the course of half a year.

Plus, are any other publishers making this claim?

Also, I think a lot of the people who made 50Shades such a hit were people who usually don't buy books. That makes them found sales, rather than stolen customers.

fredXgeorge · Oct 8, 2012

Phaeal said:
Maybe Penguin has bought the boyz' identities, too. Or, at least, their carefully groomed public personas?

At a glance at their photo in the article, I saw the Smart/Snarky One, the Bad Boy, the Good Boy, the Poet and the Jock.

Looks can be deceiving

Satsya · Oct 8, 2012

jjdebenedictis said:
Also, I think a lot of the people who made 50Shades such a hit were people who usually don't buy books. That makes them found sales, rather than stolen customers.

Fully agree. And that for those that are regular book buyers, buying 50 Shades probably would not have made much of a dent in their book buying habits.

It's a flimsy excuse by Penguin.

Cybernaught · Oct 8, 2012

jjdebenedictis said:
Yeah... I don't know if I believe that. As this article says:If a company is putting out good books, I don't think their sales are going to drop 50% in six months just because the competition has one hit book. 50Shades wouldn't eat up all the customers who normally buy multiple books over the course of half a year.

Plus, are any other publishers making this claim?

Also, I think a lot of the people who made 50Shades such a hit were people who usually don't buy books. That makes them found sales, rather than stolen customers.

Yeah, I agree that Penguin is extremely over-exaggerating here. But I don't think the idea of finding the next E.L. James hadn't crossed their minds. The idea of writing a book based on boy band crazes just screams mass-market appeal in itself, and the fact that they were specifically scouting out fan fiction forums for it doesn't seem like a coincidence. They may want to pretend like they've discovered gold, but their intention was to give this book to a fan fiction writer all along.

Phaeal · Oct 9, 2012

Satsya said:
Fully agree. And that for those that are regular book buyers, buying 50 Shades probably would not have made much of a dent in their book buying habits.

It's a flimsy excuse by Penguin.

And ungrateful, since Penguin (Berkley) has a bestseller in its blatant 50 Shades copycat, Bared to You* (now hovering just below 50 Shades at #4 on the NYT Trade Paperbacks list.)

And if you don't believe Bared has been designed to mimic 50 Shades, just hunt up the original cover of Bared (two nekkid people) and compare it to the revamped Berkley cover (a couple of cufflinks photographed in that artsy 50 Shades style.)

C'mon, Penguin. Don't shoot the wearer of the coat-tails you're riding.

* Originally self-published by the versatile Sylvia Day, who'd already had a number of trade published books.

Rhoda Nightingale · Oct 9, 2012

^That was my thought too.

Is it bad that this annoys me not because it's more fanfic, but because it's One Direction? I mean....freaking One Direction??

gothicangel · Oct 9, 2012

I couldn 't help but smirk when I read that.

I remember a fan-fic that was published in a teen mag when I was a teenager, about Stephen Gately . . . the week he admitted he was gay.

Ooop!

Phaeal · Oct 9, 2012

The guy is nekkid, too, just shy.

another fanfiction writer offered publishing deal

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

Cybernaught

Decker

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

BenPanced

THE BLUEBERRY QUEEN OF HADES (he/him)

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

shadowwalker

empty-nester!

Filigree

Mildly Disturbing

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

jjdebenedictis

is watching you via her avatar

fredXgeorge

I heart sexy elves and wizards.

Satsya

slow and steady

Cybernaught

Decker

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.

Rhoda Nightingale

Vampire Junkie

gothicangel

Toughen up.

Phaeal

Whatever I did, I didn't do it.