Stephenie Meyer's Midnight Sun leaked

For those Stephenie Meyer fans out there, the first twelve chapters of Midnight Sun was leaked earlier this week all over the internet. Stephenie now has posted those 12 chapters on her site, and is no longer actively working on it.

Click to expand...

How were the chapters "leaked?"

From Stephenie Meyer's website:

"I have a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that left my possession and each was unique. Due to little changes I made to the manuscript at different times, I can tell when each left my possession and to whom it was given. The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no comment beyond that as I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution."

Reading it now... anyone finished it yet?

Assuming this was unintentional across the board, it illustrates, for me, the dangers inherent in allowing anyone other than your agent and editors to read a large chunk of your work prior to publication or ARCs.

For a published, successful author like Meyers to allow this to happen is astonishing to me.

Yes, they were leaked. This was a shame. Too bad she totally flounced on it. A few conspiracy-type theories are going around, because Smeyer claims she's not going to write Midnight Sun anymore. (I really doubt it.) If you want the FW link, here it is: http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/1176314.html

WARNING: Link is not safe for work. May contain spoilers for the various Smeyer books.

CheshireCat said:

Assuming this was unintentional across the board, it illustrates, for me, the dangers inherent in allowing anyone other than your agent and editors to read a large chunk of your work prior to publication or ARCs.

For a published, successful author like Meyers to allow this to happen is astonishing to me.

Click to expand...

How about a ms sent to another author to read for a cover quote? And that author unknowingly leaves it where someone else might see it?

Deciding not to finish it seems odd. She has all those people who've read the first twelve chapters and want the ending. It might not have been intentional, but she could turn the publicity to her advantage.

I'm rather cynical - it sounds like a PR stunt to drum up attention for the movie and cut away from the negative reviews (mostly reader-based) that got all the press about the recent release.

I'm just that way.

rugcat said:

How about a ms sent to another author to read for a cover quote? And that author unknowingly leaves it where someone else might see it?

Click to expand...

From the way this reads, we're talking about an electronic version of a (she says) rough draft.

Dunno about the rest of you, but I wince over the fact that first pass pages (1st stage of galleys) are bound as ARCs, rather than the second pass I've had the chance to correct.

A rough draft going to anybody? Nobody sees my rough drafts except me.

As for getting a quote, I don't believe it should be the author's responsibility -- but if he or she chooses to go that route, I would hope what they offered for a quote would be the finished manuscript, or at the very least a highly-polished draft.

From the little I read (Note to self: Never, ever visit fan or anti-fan sites again.) it looks like the suspicion is that she gave a draft version to some film person so he'd better understand the character he's to play in an upcoming film.

Looks ridiculously tangled to me, and I can't imagine why she would have done any such thing, but since all I know of the situation is the quote from her website and various online reactions to her statement, all I can do is go back to my original point.

It's up to an author to control his or her unpublished work, and to hand over a printed or electronic version to anyone outside his or her publisher or agency is just asking for trouble.

Cheshire, why not visit fan or anti-fan sites? I hope I don't come off snarky, I'm actually just curious. I always found sites like that interesting (a little rabid in some cases, but interesting).

Read previous FW posts about Ms. Meyer. There is quite a bit going on in her "fandom". Like JK Rowling, almost, except more terrifying at times.

(I can't believe I know all this stuff.)

Polenth said:

Deciding not to finish it seems odd. She has all those people who've read the first twelve chapters and want the ending. It might not have been intentional, but she could turn the publicity to her advantage.

Click to expand...

I agree, it seems like quite an overreaction. I think only a small number of people would actively seek out the leak and they're most likely big fans who would buy the book anyway. Of course she is entitled not to finish it if she doesn't want to, it just seems weird.

FYI - KTC, Ms. Meyer is truly becoming that annoying thing that most people ask authors all the time: "Are you the next JK Rowling?" Her latest book sold millions in its first weekend, and there were midnight parties to celebrate the launch worldwide. The movie of the first book, Twilight, is coming out this fall to huge hype. So she is a rather huge deal. While I would feel lousy for any author in this situation, hers is a bit more dramatic considering how hungry fans are for more of her work, how she doesn't really need the publicity from the leak etc.

Just so you kind of get the whole atmosphere surrounding the situation.

CaoPaux said:

FWIW, there's an interesting discussion on Dear Author: http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2008/08/29/stephenie-meyers-midnight-sun-12-chapters-available/

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. I sat down and read the entire discussion (yay, for procrastination!). Twilight was one of those books I meant to read, but have put off for a while. Now I think I'll avoid it altogether.

Sheryl Nantus said:

I'm rather cynical - it sounds like a PR stunt to drum up attention for the movie and cut away from the negative reviews (mostly reader-based) that got all the press about the recent release.

Click to expand...

Agreed.

Riley said:

Cheshire, why not visit fan or anti-fan sites? I hope I don't come off snarky, I'm actually just curious. I always found sites like that interesting (a little rabid in some cases, but interesting).

Click to expand...

It's the extreme reactions I find disturbing, Riley. And, frankly, I don't believe a writer needs to have that sort of junk -- whether overly positive or overly negative -- in his or her head while trying to turn out a book.

Writers are only human, and it's easy to get caught up in the notion that you should try to "please" as many people as possible with your work, especially if you depend on writing income to live.

But you can't please everybody, you never will, and exposing your own insecurities to sites where people are violently for or against your work (or another writer's work, actually), and discuss it in great detail, is simply not a good idea, IMO.

I've known writers' careers to be derailed, in a few cases permanently, by an overload of reader feedback.

So I choose to stay away from those sites, no matter which author or whose work is being discussed. I know there's rabid fandom out there for some authors or series -- or TV shows and movies. I just don't find most of the arguments and debates on fan sites to be entertaining or informative.

Well if she doesn't publish Midnight Sun I'll be very sad. I only started reading the Twilight series two weeks ago and have enjoyed it so much I'm half through the last one. I even got my Mum hooked on them and she's fifty three. lol. I still hope it comes out.

I don't think I will read it. Not even the one she posted on her website. I feel more for her, then her just letting us not feel guilty by posting on her website. How could someone do that to her, or any other writer.

Midnight Sun leaked

One of her beta readers betrayed her. She admitted the draft was flawed and messy. For it to be still flawed and messy, it could not have moved past beta reading stage.

Toothpaste said:

FYI - KTC, Ms. Meyer is truly becoming that annoying thing that most people ask authors all the time: "Are you the next JK Rowling?" Her latest book sold millions in its first weekend, and there were midnight parties to celebrate the launch worldwide. The movie of the first book, Twilight, is coming out this fall to huge hype. So she is a rather huge deal. While I would feel lousy for any author in this situation, hers is a bit more dramatic considering how hungry fans are for more of her work, how she doesn't really need the publicity from the leak etc.

Just so you kind of get the whole atmosphere surrounding the situation.

Click to expand...

Well, I think she's a huge deal in her market, but her books don't have the mass appeal as Rowlings'. She may have sold millions, but so have many authors, whom I've also never heard of. The movie, however, may really put her name out there with the best of them. Still, so far, I don't think she's that well known outside her market. Before ComicCon, I had no idea who she was. And judging from the fans in the audience, it seems like it really is mostly young women and some moms and boys, hardly mainstream.

I never said she is as huge as Rowling, but yes, in her market she is a huge deal. Kids wait eagerly for her next book (as they did with Rowling), her latest earned similar figures to the fourth Harry Potter, and there were midnight launch parties internationally celebrating its release (something I don't know that has been done for many other books other than Harry Potter). The whole selling millions thing, sure it happens to lots of authors, but the publicity with it, plus the whole selling millions in ONE NIGHT thing. Pretty similar to JK Rowling.

No she doesn't have the same cross over appeal. The books tend to be appreciated by women more than men, and mostly by teen girls (though adults like them too). JK Rowling is loved by men, women, boys, girls . . .truly her situation is amazing. But still. She is by far the closest author in my estimation, as I already said, to have come close to what JK Rowling did. Never said she was on par, simply that she is a phenomenum in her own right.

I never said she is as huge as Rowling, but yes, in her market she is a huge deal. Kids wait eagerly for her next book (as they did with Rowling), her latest earned similar figures to the fourth Harry Potter, and there were midnight launch parties internationally celebrating its release (something I don't know that has been done for many other books other than Harry Potter). The whole selling millions thing, sure it happens to lots of authors, but the publicity with it, plus the whole selling millions in ONE NIGHT thing. Pretty similar to JK Rowling.

Click to expand...

While I agree with you about Meyer being a phenomenon, part of me wonders if she would be without Rowling's previous success. What I mean is ... quite a few people compare her to Rowling, using the same examples like you did--high sales figures, midnight release parties, etc. But the whole reason Meyer's books even have midnight parties is for the inevitable Rowling comparisons. It worked for Rowling, so they tested it out for another teen book. And it worked, so they're getting high figures.

I don't think I'm being as clear as a I want to ... basically, Meyer's marketing and publicity deliberately took their lead from the Potter marketing. As such, the comparisons are inevitable because they were intentional. The "next JKR" label is like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But yes, the main point being Meyer is very, very successful--dead on.

HeidiHole said:

One of her beta readers betrayed her. She admitted the draft was flawed and messy. For it to be still flawed and messy, it could not have moved past beta reading stage.

Click to expand...

You're seriously projecting your own experiences with beta readers onto the situation when so very little is known about it. Take a deep breath before you do yourself a mischief.

Katie - You are quite right, I think there is definitely an element of self fulfilling prophecy. But there has to be something about the books themselves to make that work. Many authors have been touted as the next JK Rowling, getting full page articles in newspapers etc, tons of buzz, and then nothing has come from it. I know, I've been jealous of each one of those authors. There is only so much publicity can do (and yes, that is a fair bit), but in the end, you can host all the parties you want, if you don't have squeely girls debating Edward vs Jacob, dressing up in costume - even as cars from the books (and I know, I interviewed a bunch of them at such a midnight madness party), there is not much you can do to force the issue.