yes! a reason to use this icon!

[trinityvixen]

While I was on my trip to Disney World, I read to fluffy, cozy-mystery-type novels by Carrie Bebris. "Mr. and Mrs. Darcy" mysteries, to put a finer point on it. They're cute, easy reads, perfect for plane rides and frequent interruptions when traveling, and while the mysteries are about as interesting as your average Smallville episode (kidding, but they are predictable), the reparte between Elizabeth and Darcy is really fun and genuine and I liked it a lot.

I'm a little miffed that someone gets paid to write what is essentially fanfiction, but the gal has done her research. I mentioned this to moonlightalice, who loaned me one of Bebris' books--North by Northanger and came to the following, HORRIFIC REALIZATION:

me: I'm a bit jealous that someone gets paid to write fanfic and published. But hey, she did her research.
moonlightalice: dude, what do you think shakespeare did?
me: Good point.
moonlightalice: and he used CONTEMPORARIES (a big no no nowadays)
b>me: God help us when Star Wars and Harry Potter go into the public domain.
moonlightalice lol
b>me: GOD HELP US ALL
Tmoonlightalice: oh no...
b>me: I just...No.

Comments

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, they never will. Mickey Mouse will make sure of that.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

That's what I thought, too. But I dunno. If Disney's only interested in securing movie rights, they might not worry about books. This is damned if you do, damned if you don't territory.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

No, I don't mean that Disney is holding onto particular properties, they are changing the law so that things just don't come into the public domain. This is a bad idea.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yes, yes it is. For many, many reasons, not the least of which is that when I, inevitably, lose my current copy of Pride and Prejudice, I won't be able to buy a cheap copy of it with the Barnes and Noble branding on it.

I keeed, but yeah, I know. moonlightalice shared with me the sad tale of Monopoly, and why I can never play that game again because of what lengths companies are willing to go to make money off of stuff.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Also, there already are people who get paid to write Star Wars fanfic. They're called media tie-in authors.

I would also argue that Shakespeare wasn't writing "fanfic." He wasn't expanding on someone else's universe with the assumptions that the playgoers would be familiar with the original author's work. He just stealing ideas and plotlines, like so many, many others.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, media tie-in people make me crazy jealous too. Or angry, if their name is Kevin J Anderson.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

And guess who I know personally and is writing the first Supernatural tie-in novel. *hates his guts*

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

See, I don't even like the show, and my first reaction was, "Oh no. I'm so sorry," like your pet had just died or something. I really am very sorry to hear that. He needs to be fired out of a canon into the sun, I think.

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

No, sorry, that was vague. Not Kevin J. Andersen. I actually like this guy and have enjoyed his books before. It's just that -- he's getting paid to write about Supernatural! *pout*

[viridian.livejournal.com]

... dude. Is that an Angel reference on your Supernatural icon?

If so: ♥

[ivy03.livejournal.com]

Oh, hell yes. I figured this crowd would get it. Besides, it's one of the best lines Joss ever wrote.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Ah, so I see. Misread, my bad. Well, at least he isn't Anderson.

[moonlightalice.livejournal.com]

Fanfic! He'd take an actual story and then re-write it and maybe change the main theme or the ending... or take a tangent from a story and make it its own story... totally fanfic.

[viridian.livejournal.com]

For that matter? A lot of the people who get novel tie-in deals for tv shows and movies started off writing fanfic that was good enough to get noticed. Unfortunately, one generally has to have an "in", like an industry contact, to get those deals. Otherwise I'd have tried for something like that by now. I could totally do a better job with the Buffyverse novels than some of the crap I've read.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Having read all of two of those, I would say you could.

[saikogrrl.livejournal.com]

I hold out hope that because Harry Potter is so much more popular than Austen (and already has so many fanfic authors), that because of the plethora of manuscripts that will flood publishers when it goes into the public domain, the ones they do choose to publish will be good...

And how can Disney hold onto the rights indefinitely?

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

By re-writing the laws on copyrights. They're at risk to lose their copyright on Mickey Mouse soon because Steamboat Willy is so old, and they can't let that happen. So, when the law threatens, change the law!

Because of Disney, many films are basically being destroyed because no one can refurbish the reels while the copryright issues remain unsolved.

Re: NOT ALL COZY MYSTERIES ARE PREDICTABLE

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Hello.

I appreciate that you want to defend your intellectual property. You'll note, however, that in the sentence in which I describe the plot of Bebris' novel as being rather predictable, I was specific to mention that her novel was predictable. The sentence might have been ambiguous, but that was my intention, and most of my readers actually understood that. As I can see how this might have been misconstrued, I apologize if you felt this was some kind of personal slight on your own work.

I hope you understand that I have to delete your post. You are entitled to defend your work at the site of its supposed slander, but I am not running my journal give away free promotional space. I, and I alone determine what things I "sell" or otherwise promote on my journal. If you are going to be reading or commenting in the future, welcome, but please keep that in mind.