This past month has not been nice to Stephenie Meyers.
First, there was some backlash following the release of Breaking Dawn, the final book of her YA vampire series. And now it seems that her manuscript Midnight Son--a re-telling of the first book from another character's point of view--has leaked to the Internet.
Ouch.
That must have been a really bad day when she found out her half-finished work had been leaked--possibly made worse by the knowledge that her books’ popularity almost guaranteed that people were going to scramble to read it.
I highly doubt it was a publicity stunt, as I’ve heard suggested. The Guardian records her series as selling over 5.3 million copies. I’m not exactly up to speed on what NYT best-sellers earn, but I suspect the monetary gain alone would have prompted her to sell the book rather than use it for publicity.
I was, however, surprised by her decision both to abandon the book and to post her rough draft on her site. You can read her statement on her site, [here.]
What are your thoughts? Was Stephenie Meyers taking a higher risk in sharing her manuscript because of her success? Or should all of us be more protective of our manuscripts?
For this week’s poll, I’m asking:
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Friday, September 05, 2008
Do You Trust Others with Your Manuscript?
I've had no problems, but I would approach it much differently if I was selling millions of copies.
ReplyDeleteFYI, some of the books hitting the NY Times list, say at spot 14 or 15, may only sell 10-15,000 in that week. Roughly, books sell about 1/10th of CDs. An author selling 100,000 copies of a title is the equivalent of a musician who's gone platinum.
The good news: the ceiling isn't as high as some think.
The bad news: there's not a lot of money going into the pockets of published authors, save the few at the top.
Eric, wow I had no idea that the ceiling was that low. It is sort of comforting in an odd way, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteI imagine her sense of betrayal runs deep. Maybe too deep to finish a story from her heart.
ReplyDeleteI, too , have a hard time believing that this is a publicity stunt, and agree with your statement. Why? Any author would love her sales figures.
Many have asked about the legal ramifications with her publishing house. Does anyone have thoughts on this aspect?
Jessica, I guess it's comforting. I made more twelve years ago than I've ever made at writing, but at least I'm getting to do something I love and feel called to.
ReplyDeleteI sold the Dutch rights for one of my books for $300. There's a cash cow for you!
As for Stephenie Meyer, I do feel bad for her. She obviously puts her heart into her writing and cares about her fans. It's hard not to feel betrayed when you realize your "friends" are really just "fans" who can turn on you in the space of one book.
BTW, I only share figures because this industry seems like such a mystery--even while you're in it. I wish I'd known some of these realities beforehand, for my own sanity if nothing else.
ReplyDeleteHope it's some encouragement (or a reality check) to others aiming for publication.
I am really careful about who I give may manuscript to and the whole time it's out there I'm nervous about it. I've been safe, so far, but I'll always be really careful.
ReplyDelete