Should writers complain about commercialisation?
Alison Flood on her Guardian blog 5 November, 2008

Keep smiling ... JK Rowling launching the final Harry Potter book. Photograph: STR/EPA

What would Beatrix Potter have made of the Peter Rabbit ringtones available today? Not much, according to a 1936 letter from the author which sold at auction yesterday.
"There is nothing to be made of 'Peter' commercially," Potter wrote. "There have been dolls, china slippers, etc for years. They bring in royalties; but somehow I never care for any of them."

At the Peter Rabbit website today, merchandise ranges from sweets to teaspoons to gold bullion bars – Mr McGregor's nemesis is no longer just a line-drawing in a book, he's an industry.
Anyway, Beatrix Potter's comments reminded me of another Potter who's caused a glut of commercialisation, and helpfully, JK Rowling has given a rare interview to Melissa Anelli, author of Harry a History, which Anelli's posted on her blog. Rowling's grumbling about the consequences of Harry Potter's popularity, talking in particular about the ludicrous situation when a gun was pulled over a leaked early copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Have a read – she's not happy.

They also reminded me of Stephenie Meyer's recent hissy fit over her new manuscript, which fans were so desperate to get their hands on that a leaked draft ended up getting posted online, prompting Meyer to threaten never to finish the book. "I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely," she blogged.

Read Alison's full post here.