Writing Blog Number 2

20240625 Answering Questions

More WdC Questions

So, some more questions that don’t need a full blog post to answer, all asked by the erstwhile members of the WdC community…


Ethics of derivative work... how different does a story need to be say it's never been published before?
Okay, this is really a question for lawyers, and it comes down to the original author and the courts.
         Sorry.
         Okay, there are some where we can look at the legalities. Parody is perfectly valid, and is protected by law in the US, UK and Australia. Fan fiction is only allowed in private places, and I have covered that elsewhere "20240303 Writing Fan Fiction" ,"20240302 Some Fan Fiction Negatives" 
         As for derivatives, it depends on how close to the original it is. Battlestar Galactica (the original film) was sued by Star Wars’ makers because they felt it was too derivative. And BG paid up before they could lose because they knew they were going to lose.
         Like I said, that’s legalese. Above my pay-grade, I’m afraid.
         As for ethics, this is harder, as everyone has different ethical boundaries. To me, fan-fiction is skirting an ethical boundary; shipping fan-fic crosses that boundary. Some, though, feel that shipping is valid.
         Now, as to when it can be said to never have been published before, a traditional publisher will be reluctant to publish something that even comes close to an original. They feel that there needs to be a huge number of changes. So Riordan’s magic school was based around Greek mythology, and had nothing to do with Rowling’s Potterverse, therefore it was far enough away; the amount of self-published magic school for kids books on Amazon shows that trad publishers weren’t willing to take a risk (and Rowling has had a few pulped for being too close, calling them glorified fan fiction).
         So, sorry, but this question does not really have an answer. Legally, people should be safe rather than sorry. Ethically, that’s personal, but trad publishers will always play it safe.


Info about cover art
Not sure I am the best person to ask about this. See, I work with traditional publishers only, and they do the cover designs for me. Only once have I rejected a cover picture; the woman was naked and it didn’t fit the story. So what did he do? Paint a white dress over her and it is the best cover I have been given.
         When hiring an artist to do a cover, from what I can gather, have a look at examples of their work before even approaching them. Give them an idea, and, because you are the client, they are supposed to work with you the whole way through. Supposed to. Read the contract before you sign it.
         Now, an interesting issue has come up lately – AI cover art. While it is cheaper for the company, there is one huge issue: the cover cannot then be copyrighted. AI images are not subject to copyright law (neither are AI writings). This means an AI cover can grace numerous books. Another issue is that it is robbing a genuine artist. I have problems with that.
         What should go into a cover is next. Well, it is simple, really – an image that is identifiable from the story. So, looking at mine, Sins of the Fathers has a woman walking through a forest inside a skull, Invasive Species has a whopping huge snake head, Under Ground has an eye surrounded by lizard scales, Patch of Green has a woman being eaten by plants (though, honestly, only men are eaten), and Relick has a large treasure chest, with the ‘L’ in the title a lump of poo. All suit the stories perfectly.
         That’s about all I can offer. Sorry.


Pen names (this can be 2 posts -- a list of famous people and their pen names with some history about some of them and then whether to use one or not with how to choose one if you decide to use it)
All right, I am not going to list famous pen names. Where do we stop? Mark Twain, George Orwell, George Eliot, Lewis Carroll… these were all pen-names.
         So, why use them?
         Historically, it was for two reasons. One was so women could hide they were women. Yes, really; the Brontë sisters used non-gendered names with the surname Bell to hide themselves. Second was so that respectable people could write without their neighbours finding out. Writing was not looked upon fondly, especially in the Georgian and Victorian eras.
         Nowadays, again, there are two reasons. One is if your place of employment frowns upon it. In Australia, teachers were not allowed to publish under their own names (I found out after my first book was published!), and neither are nurses or doctors, as it could be seen as “demeaning” their profession. I believe lawyers have the same thing. This is not just writers, by the way, but any art. When I did stand-up comedy, a few medical professionals were on the circuit, and they had to use noms de plume. Two is if you write in more than one genre consistently, and the genres are radically different. A great example is a person who writes hard-core erotica using a different name for their epic fantasy (I won’t name the person; she knows who she is!).
         As to how to choose one, it should be a name you can remember, and one you can find easy to sign if asked to autograph a book. And – and this is something I did when I chose mine – look up the name on Amazon to see if there are any other authors who share it with you! Try to avoid this.


What to do if your characters are trying to take over and how to know if you should let them
I let them.
         Seriously – it’s their story, I am merely the scribe.
         Of course, this is generally only an issue for pantsers, as plotters have constraints placed upon their characters by their plan, and what it does mean is that you have lost mental control of the plot and are now just writing things about the characters. If this does worry you, then go back to where it started and re-write. Better still, set it aside for a few days, then tackle it again.
         But, personally, I let them take over.
         This is one of those things that is personal, and there are no hard and fast rules or even suggestions.


Publishing in overseas markets (including foreign language markets, if you can cover that)
I have no idea about foreign language markets, and being traditionally published, I leave that to the publishers to organise (knowing I will have to share royalties with the translator).
         Publishing in overseas markets is pretty much all I do. This is the best thing about the Internet. I can look for markets anywhere in the world and, so long as I follow their submission guidelines, I can submit to them. Some are geo-blocked (most Canadian publishers and many Scottish, for example), but you’ll see that on their website. The publisher collects money from all markets, and I get a cheque.
         Self-published works selling overseas can be awkward because of currency conversion, so I would recommend leave the overseas markets to your distributor. Amazon, B&N, etc. can make sure you get paid (minus commission) no matter where in the world the book is sold. Running from your own website, I would personally employ an accountant.


Whether to self-publish or traditionally publish (if you think you can do a fair job as I do believe there are times it's okay to self-publish)
I will not answer this as every time I put forth my views on self-publishing, I cop more abuse than it is worth (in 2012, I received quite the spray here at WdC, and that person is still active here; on Twitter, when I used that toxic platform, it resulted in me being abused by literally 1000s of people). And, for what it’s worth, yes, I do think there are some pieces that do require self-publishing.


When to stop editing and submit... kind of covered in Heinlein's rules but I already forgot what I read there lol. Maybe a more in depth post for each of the rules. Or just please email me the link again and I'll re-read your original article.
Here’s the link to the Heinlein rules. I don’t think they need much more expanding on, to be honest, otherwise things become too prescriptive. Writing should not be prescriptive; it is an art-form… says the man who looks at punctuation as though it is sacrosanct.
"20240423 Heinlein’s Rules for Publication" 


So, that leaves just one question from those given, which I am still trying to find a good answer for. We’ll get there. And if you have anything else you’d like my opinion on or a question answered, please feel free to email me or leave a comment somewhere I am going to see it.