Wilbur Smith fans might not be happy that his new novels will be co-authored but other art forms have always been collaborative.
Wilbur Smith Photo: Andrew
Crowley
The announcement that the bestselling author
Wilbur Smith has signed a six-book deal with HarperCollins for a reported £15m
will delight his fans. But the accompanying announcement that the books will be
written with the help of “carefully selected co-authors” has dampened the
original fanfare.
I can see why the news would cause some consternation. In this day and age,
the idea of someone getting paid a lot of money to do relatively little is
rarely palatable, and taking credit for work that you haven’t fully produced
yourself is frowned on. The idea that somewhere, some underpaid bright spark is
feverishly producing works of genius yet getting little recognition for them,
and far less money, makes us uncomfortable.
But it happens all the time in other industries: music, television and art
all make use of such collaborations, so why not books? You only have to think
back to Peggy Olson and her boss Don Draper’s altercation in Mad Men over
who got the credit for an ad campaign to realise how it works. “I give you
money, you give me ideas”, barks a ferocious Draper.
Probably the most famous novels claimed to have been co-authored were those
of the French writer Alexandre Dumas. But what began as a fruitful, lucrative
relationship between him and his co-author Auguste Maquet turned acrimonious;
Maquet took Dumas to court three times for financial compensation and
recognition. Alain Decaux, a French historian and writer downplays Maquet’s
role: "Just like the Renaissance painters, someone had to prepare your frescoes
– and it is right that Auguste Maquet be named – but in the end, the quill is
yours."
Many would argue that when the outlook for most writers is bleak, the chance
to write fiction that they can actually live off, and that gets propelled into
the bestseller list, is not something to be looked down on.
James Patterson is perhaps the most famous modern-day author who regularly uses co-authors. It’s the reason why he can publish an incredible amount of new titles per year (14 between 2011-2012) and why he has become the highest-earning author of the past year.
One of Patterson’s co-authors, Michael Ledwidge, spoke to the New York Times in 2010 and revealed that not only had Patterson hired him to write the first Michael Bennett novel, which went straight to No 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, he also helped him get his own work published. Ledwidge was able to leave his day job as a cable-splicer and become a full-time author.
Full article at The Telegraph
James Patterson is perhaps the most famous modern-day author who regularly uses co-authors. It’s the reason why he can publish an incredible amount of new titles per year (14 between 2011-2012) and why he has become the highest-earning author of the past year.
One of Patterson’s co-authors, Michael Ledwidge, spoke to the New York Times in 2010 and revealed that not only had Patterson hired him to write the first Michael Bennett novel, which went straight to No 1 on the New York Times bestseller list, he also helped him get his own work published. Ledwidge was able to leave his day job as a cable-splicer and become a full-time author.
Full article at The Telegraph
