This Is Utterly Ridiculous…I Can’t Even.

Before you read this post: I wrote this post based entirely on ethics--so NO, these are not hard facts. I am a teenage blogger with little to no knowledge of what is legal and what is not and have recently learned what "For Hire" is. You'll find many opinions here because this is not a formal article.

I do not appreciate the numerous articles/comments I've read (outside of this site) that have attacked me for using big font, being a fan of L.J's work, and for being a female just to name a few. Not to mention the ugly name calling. I don't see anything written in my post that would deserve any of that. I am mostly giving information--please don't bash me for it. I consider that bullying.

 ~ ~ ~

I’m probably really late with learning about this but I’m extremely outraged because this happened to one of my all time favorite authors. If it wasn’t for her and her incredibly amazing books I probably would never have loved reading YA novels nearly as much as I do today.



Hit TV series The Vampire Diaries


So to put it simply L.J Smith (author of Vampire Diaries, the Night World, and the Secret Circle) got fired by HarperCollins from writing her own books. Everything she’s written now belongs entirely to them and they can do whatever they want with it; while she has no say at all. Instead, from now on a ghostwriter will be continuing the Vampire Diaries series under her name. I mean, how messed up is that? She isn’t allowed to write another word of a series that belongs to her, a series that she has spent years writing and creating and putting her heart into because Harper suddenly decided they don’t want her to write anymore. And now a random ghostwriter (who’s skills and voice could never even remotely live up to L.J’s) is taking over.

Now, let’s consider a few things here:

a) L.J Smith has been working on this series for years (the V.D series was created in the 1990s)

b) She has all the outlines, and knows all the major plot details

c) She knows all the characters inside and out

d) And of course the biggest part in all this—her voice. A writer's voice is unique. It CAN NOT be copied by another person. I don’t know where Harper gets off saying another writer can better do L.J Smith’s voice when he/she is NOT L.J Smith.

I had no idea that these type of things can happen to a published author. So to those of you who are going to be published or hope to be published one day—read everything in the contract and be extra alert. Even if the publisher has a good name/reputation don’t let them fool you into thinking everything’s fine and dandy where legal terms are involved. Stay on top of things and make sure you are informed on everything that's going on. That means keeping close tabs and getting constant updates from your agent.

To get a better idea of what exactly is going on here are parts of a letter from L.J Smith about this issue:

The Secret Circle, also a TV series

 

“To put it briefly, I’ve been fired from writing the Vampire Diaries. And I’ve been fighting and fighting this since last fall, but there is absolutely no recourse. Midnight is the last L. J. Smith book in the Vampire Diaries series….

….It probably sounds completely impossible to say that I am fired from writing my own books. But the truth is that they’re not mine, even though I write every word…

…A book packager sells books, already made with covers and all, to publishers, like HarperCollins—my publisher for The Vampire Diaries and The Secret Circle. And both these series were written “for hire” which means that the book packager owns the books the author produces. Although I didn’t even understand what “for hire” meant back in 1990, when I agreed to write books for them, I found out eventually, to my horror and dismay. It means that even though I have written the entire series, I don’t own anything about The Vampire Diaries. And from now on, the books will be written by an anonymous ghostwriter, just as Stefan’s Diaries are. It will say “Created by L. J. Smith” on the cover, but I am not allowed even to change a word in the ghostwriter’s book….

…So last fall when I gave them the book Phantom, they didn’t bother to give me edits. Instead, I was given a letter addressed to the ghostwriter by name, telling her to completely rewrite my book. They wouldn’t even listen when I pleaded and promised to do Phantom as they required. The simply took the series and gave it to the ghostwriter . . . to write not only The Hunters trilogy, but whatever comes after that….

…They have always tried to minimize my participation in The Vampire Diaries. On the very first original books in 1990 my name was almost invisible on the cover. And now they have my manuscript of Phantom, and the book the ghostwriter writes from it may even sound like I wrote it in places, because they have the right to use my work as they see fit. But the book after that … that will be pure ghostwriter. I would guess that they think you readers won’t see or care about the difference in writing styles and skills….

….I don’t know how Phantom will turn out, with a blend of my manuscript and the complete rewriting of it by the ghostwriter. But I dread it, and even more do I dread what the next books will be like. I’ve worked so hard to make Vampire Diaries a good series, only to have the unthinkable happen to me…."

>> To read the full letter from L.J Smith or learn more about this go here, google it, or visit her website.

>>To read more about For Hire and contracts scroll down to read the information many of the commentors posted about below.


What are your thoughts on this dillema? Would you be okay if a ghostwriter took your place (without your consent) and continued a series that you wrote? Leave a comment, discussions are welcome.  

This Is Utterly Ridiculous…I Can’t Even.

Publishing Terms

A List of Publishing Terms

I made this list (yeah, another list) of all the publishing terms I know. Most of them are pretty basic. If you have anything to add to this list please feel free to comment.

A picture by deviantart artist m0thyyku

Advance- An advance payment that an author gets when a publisher decides to publish their work.


Agent - A person who will represent your book and helps you get it published. An author never pays an agent—they get a percentage of your book earnings.


Book Proposal- A proposal that an author sends to a publisher about their book. It usually includes the first few chapters and an outline.


Contract- A contract that basically says that the publisher has permission to publish the sell your book.


Copy Editing- Editing that focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)


Copyright - Legal rights that an author’s work can not be reproduced without their consent.


Critique- A critique is an evaluation of your manuscript on plot, character, and overall structure.


Development Editor- The development author works with the author on revisions. They pay attention to pacing, plot, and structure.


Draft- An manuscript that is in the process of being edited until it becomes a final draft.


Editorial Board- A group of people who decide that they will publish your book. People from the sales and marketing department are a part of the editorial board.


Manuscript- Another word for your book. It’s also called MS, and MSS.


Proofreading - The final copy of your manuscript, that cleans up any noticeable errors before it get printed.


Query Letter- A letter that is sent to an agent asking for representation.


Revisions- Changes made to the manuscript, usually they are big changes.


Slush Pile- Manuscript that a publishing house receives that are unsolicited and not represented by an agent. Those books get put in a big pile of manuscripts called the slush pile.


Submissions- A manuscript sent by an agent to a publisher.

 
If one of these are wrong, or if you have anything to add please feel free to comment. :)


Happy writing,


Ezmirelda

Publishing Terms