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Originally Posted by Darqref
I'll jump in here, but this might better be related to earlier posts in the thread...
A counter-example of the thread has occurred several times at Baen. One well-known author comes up with the basic idea, and does a detailed outline. Another less-well known author takes the outline and runs with it. The book has both names on it, and, yes, the more well known one gets bigger type (thats marketing, and both authors would rather sell more copies!).
In one specific case, I'll say that David Drake wrote the outline, and Eric Flint finished the books, but that work is truly a joint authorship. And more research was done after the collaboration started, and a trilogy turned into er, um, five? books. The starting book in the series is "An Oblique Approach" and is sorta alternate history, but has a continuing perturbation instead of a single event.
Roger
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These collaborations can turn out quite well. The original author still has a hand in the work, and we hope, is supervising the final product.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vivaldirules
There are several good examples mentioned here and I'm sure things are rarely clear cut. When does an editor cross the line to coauthor, for example? What if someone leaves detailed notes about a book before they die? What if an amateur writer gets help from a professional? But I'm still disturbed by marketing practices, which I generally equate with creative lying, particularly when they seem bent on deception though perhaps legal.
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Good insights! Things are not as simple as they seem. Or sometimes they are simpler than my railing at reality has made them. It is good to keep a clear head.
My favorite non-Fleming Bond writer was Kingsley Amis, who wrote Colonel Sun in 1968. Of course the Ian Fleming Novels kept me up all night many times. I see there are new ones by Raymond Benson that I haven't tasted. Bond is best served as a serious bad guy. I don't like him trivialized and comedified as in the Roger Moore movies.