What Authors Can and Can't Control

[deborahjross]

Cherie Priest offers an excellent essay, explaining what authors do and don't have a say over.

We do control: our words, how we communicate in person and online.

We sometimes have a say in: who gets review copies, how visible we are (i.e., convention appearances).

We have no power whatsoever over: cover art, cost, format, scheduling, distribution, foreign editions or whether the book gets made into a movie. (Although it has been known for an author to demand that her name be taken off a movie that was made from her book.)

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Thank you: very good link.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

Since HASTUR LORD came out, I've gotten a flurry of inquiries about Kindle editions, Italian translations, and why Borders isn't carrying it. Now I can refer them all to one source of answers.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

We do have control over whether it gets made into a movie. I don't understand this. We have no control over whether they want to make it, but if they do, we can say no. That's control. We have the right to refuse. We can't refuse cover art, or distribution or whatever, but we have the right to refuse a movie deal.

[deborahjross.livejournal.com]

You're right; the power to say no is indeed power.

I've known writers with cover art veto (and one who exercised it), but never one who said no to a movie option.

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I have. And I would again. Money's very nice, so far as it goes, but a film would make me unhappy forever. I'm not saying I always would, it would depend what director and what book, but the chances are I'd say no.