Writing for hire in someone else's IP

PeteMC · Nov 28, 2016

Has anyone here done this before? I've been approached to do a write-for-hire game tie-in short story (no it's not Warhammer, but a similar sort of thing) that looks like it could be great fun and a fairly easy few hundred quid. Any advice / pitfalls anyone can share?

Richard White · Nov 28, 2016

Advice: Don't get too attached to your story - your editor may love it, but if the licensor does not, you rewrite. Get as much information as you can on the subject beyond what the average fan would know (preferably directly from the licensor). Be prepared to pitch a story, and then pitch it in more detail and then write the story only after getting approval at all steps.

Pitfalls: They can reject the story for any reason and then you're stuck with a story you may not be able to ever sell.

I've done media tie-in work since 1998. If you have specific questions, feel free to PM me.

PeteMC · Nov 28, 2016

Richard White said:
Advice: Don't get too attached to your story - your editor may love it, but if the licensor does not, you rewrite. Get as much information as you can on the subject beyond what the average fan would know (preferably directly from the licensor). Be prepared to pitch a story, and then pitch it in more detail and then write the story only after getting approval at all steps.

Pitfalls: They can reject the story for any reason and then you're stuck with a story you may not be able to ever sell.

I've done media tie-in work since 1998. If you have specific questions, feel free to PM me.

Perfect, thanks mate.

Aggy B. · Nov 28, 2016

You can always ask if they have "bible" or reference document for the IP.

The Grantville Gazette stuff is kind of like that, everything goes into the forum for fact-checking before it's accepted, and there's a resource page too. (They are, perhaps a less demanding market as far as other metrics of writing quality.)

It is a tad bit stressful writing something that might not be accepted and can't go anywhere else, but it's also excellent practice in writing on-spec and to a particular market.

PeteMC · Nov 29, 2016

Cheers Aggy - they've sent me a sort of "writers crib sheet" thing with some background fluff, but there's not a huge amount of detail so far.

badducky · Nov 29, 2016

For me it was an awful experience where three men with backgrounds in business and computer science, with a single seminar in storytelling at one convention once, bullied over everything I gently suggested and it got so bad I would record meetings with them. I was told to literally write something. Then, I got in trouble for writing it. Then, when I presented the recording as evidence that I was following direct instructions, I was in even more trouble and I was very pleased when the end of the position came.

I've heard people say it can be an amazing experience. My experience was bad enough to scare me off for life. No, thanks.

Aggy B. · Nov 29, 2016

PeteMC said:
Cheers Aggy - they've sent me a sort of "writers crib sheet" thing with some background fluff, but there's not a huge amount of detail so far.

Some projects may have more leeway than others. Star Wars, FREX, had lots of room for expansion and developing original characters and settings within the larger universe. The Ring of Fire stuff is a little more limited in certain aspects due in part to the size of the setting. (And there's a long list of Uptimers that cannot be added to, so if you want to write a story about folks from Grantville and not Germany you have to petition to be allowed to use one of the existing characters.)

So, some of the possibilities will be limited by whichever IP you would be connected too. (Like I said, the Grantville stuff is fun, but my coauthor handles the submissions to the forum. I'm not sure I'd be quite as keen if I were doing all that on my own.

)

Brightdreamer · Nov 29, 2016

Have you read Terry Brooks's writing book Sometimes the Magic Works? There are two chapters in particular you might want to read: the one where he was contracted to write the movie tie-in book for Hook (the Peter Pan sequel), and the one where he wrote a novelization for a Star Wars movie. One he described as the worst mistake of his life, one as one of the best experiences he had. His insights show how the people involved can make or break a project, and why it's worth knowing a bit about whom you'll be working for before signing on the dotted line.

So, setting contract issues aside, are these people you think you can work with? (And do they pay their bills?)

themindstream · Nov 30, 2016

One of my current favorite authors, Diane Duane, has written in multiple other universes including Star Trek so what I'm saying is based on her accounts. You may not run into this as much with just a tie-in short story but one of the big rules is that there be no surprises for your publisher. In the case of license tie-in novels, once they approve an outline, you need to stick to what they approved or get clearance from them if you have to change something. In more general terms, ask all the questions you need to to be very clear on what's expected of you, what sort of approval process there is, what parts of canon you can and can't touch.

PeteMC · Nov 30, 2016

Brightdreamer said:
Have you read Terry Brooks's writing book Sometimes the Magic Works? There are two chapters in particular you might want to read: the one where he was contracted to write the movie tie-in book for Hook (the Peter Pan sequel), and the one where he wrote a novelization for a Star Wars movie. One he described as the worst mistake of his life, one as one of the best experiences he had. His insights show how the people involved can make or break a project, and why it's worth knowing a bit about whom you'll be working for before signing on the dotted line.

So, setting contract issues aside, are these people you think you can work with? (And do they pay their bills?)

No I haven't, I'll have to hunt down a copy - thank you.

I know the company is fine, my publisher actually put them on to me as the lead game designer is a former colleague of his. This is only a short story and they've already accepted my synopsis/proposal so hopefully there won't be too many arguments!

PeteMC · Jan 17, 2017

Just an update if anyone's interested - my submission was accepted with only one minor edit request before that, and I've been cleared to invoice them.

It was good fun, and the editor's a nice guy. 10/10, would do again.

deafblindmute · Jan 18, 2017

Oh, I wish I could do that.

Honestly, it seems like a ton of fun to do tie-in material. How did you get approached to do this? I suppose you'd have to publish stuff that draws their attention first.

PeteMC · Jan 19, 2017

I got approached directly by the editor at the games company, who got my name from my publisher who used to work with said editor and recommended me. I suspect this sort of thing often works on a “who you know” basis, but this was my first rodeo so I’m not really sure.

And yes, it was a lot of fun!

PeteMC · Jun 15, 2018

Oh, if anyone remembers this - I never did anything else for that company, but one thing lead to another and I've just received my fourth short story commission from Black Library / Warhammer 40K.

The experience has been really good so far. I'm not sure I could stay within the IP long enough to write a whole novel, but the shorts are great fun to do and make good beer money

Richard White · Jun 15, 2018

Congrats, Pete. I never was able to break in with the Black Library, even with a couple of recommendations from other Trek writers who also do stuff for the Library.

However, I am doing some new tie-in work for Green Ronin (Freeport), and may pitch them some Mutant and Masterminds stuff in a bit. Also, another small publisher has the rights to do some stuff with Heroic Publishing and AC Comics, so I'm doing some super-hero tie-in stuff too. It's good to keep a foot in the tie-in world, but I wouldn't be averse to doing more Trek or Who again someday in the future.

PeteMC · Jun 15, 2018

Nice one, good luck with it!

FJCavallo · Jun 29, 2018

I did some Black Library stuff a few years ago. Not 40k, original fantasy universe, Gotrek & Felix etc. Overall they were a great bunch to work with, and they paid decent money.

My only caveat, with Warhammer or any work for hire: on my last piece I disagreed with the editors about the direction of the story. It’s their world, so except for a few minor concessions, they got what they wanted. When it came out a lot of fans felt the same way I did and said so in their reviews. The thing is, they naturally assumed it was all my doing, when nothing could have been further from the truth.

My long-winded way of saying, the knock on any work for hire can be that at the end of the day, it’s not really yours, but it does have your name on it. Most of the time that’s fine, but when it’s not, it stings a bit.

On balance though, it was a great company to write for and I enjoyed the work a lot.

Writing for hire in someone else's IP

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

Richard White

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

badducky

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think

Brightdreamer

Just Another Lazy Perfectionist

themindstream

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

deafblindmute

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

Richard White

Stealthy Plot Bunny Peddler

PeteMC

@PeteMC666

FJCavallo