Mark Charan Newton and Dan Abnett discuss tie-in fiction
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There's an interesting discussion going on over at Jeff VanderMeer’s site. Editor and author Mark Charan Newton has been guest blogging and he's started a discussion about writing in a shared universe - does tie-in fiction get the respect it deserves? If you're looking forward to meeting up with Newton and author Dan Abnett at the SFX Weekender, we recommend you take a read of this online conversation. Newton, also a fiction editor, is guest blogging at Jeff VanderMeer’s site and this week he's posted a conversation between himself and Abnett here.   "In a previous life, I worked as an editor of tie-in fiction for properties of 2000AD and New Line Cinema," explains Newton. "I’m now a writer of original fantasy fiction and I’ve been hugely lucky in the reception to my work - this difference in attitude between original and tie-in fiction has interested me, and even shocked me." Dan Abnett meanwhile has sold over 1.2 million books and one of his Warhammer 40,000 novels was the 8th bestselling SF title in 2008. His reasoning begins: "If you write as a hired gun, you must be in it for the dosh. You don’t really care what you’re writing. In other words, tie-in fiction MUST by the very nature of its manufacture be poor, disposable and second-rate. It’s possible that an awful lot of people think this." Take a look at the blog and then let us know what you think. Today we announced the news about Michael Moorcock writing a Doctor Who novel - what do you think about that in the light of this discussion? All thoughts welcome. |
The Gaunt's Ghosts and Eisenhorn series are great stuff. They may not be high literature...but sometimes you just want to kick back, relax and read a good old fashioned adventure or war story Something that doesn't require you to think too hard about it...and if that's what you want then Abnett is most definitely your man.
Posted by Almighty Fishtank (127.0.0.1) on November 13, 2009 at 09:29 PM GMT #
Posted by Ger Brannan (127.0.0.1) on November 14, 2009 at 08:30 AM GMT #
On the flip side of that coin there is also no pre-requisite for tie-in novels, publishers, license holders and authors to be anything more than hacks interested in pumping out anything to cash in on the 'brand'.
I have read widely in many shared worlds, universes, licensed worlds over my life and have would say that some of those novels stand up on their own merits as great novels/series. However I have also read more utter bilge than I care to remember, many novels that I doubt would have been published had it not been for the 'brand' they were cashing in on.
Posted by Andy (127.0.0.1) on November 14, 2009 at 11:20 AM GMT #
I've read many a Star Trek and Star Wars Tie in and whilst i have enjoyed them, there's a lot of below par stuff. A lot of it (especially trek) tries very hard to get the relationships of the characters just right, but fails. Star Wars needs to move away from the Jedi and grow up a little. (Although as a Star Wars collector, i will always get the books.)
Posted by Rodney Payne (127.0.0.1) on November 14, 2009 at 12:59 PM GMT #
(Boy, that doesn't sound too defensive, does it?)
Posted by Greg Cox (127.0.0.1) on November 14, 2009 at 03:02 PM GMT
Website: http://www.gregcox-author.com #
I've known of Doctor Who tie-in novels that are of extraordinarily high quality, and a lot of miticulous care and attention go into them. While some "proper" genre fiction is cobbled together by hacks.
I think the boundaries can be very blurred. The continuation of the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galexy is, effectively a tie-in, albeit a thoroughbred one, and it's author calls it "authorised fan fiction".
Posted by David Agnew's Windowcleaner (127.0.0.1) on November 14, 2009 at 04:26 PM GMT #