Author Stephenie Meyer drops new book after Web leak

Author Stephenie Meyer, writer of the best-selling young adult “Twilight” books, has put the fifth and final installment in the series on hold in protest after a partial draft was posted on the Internet. Meyer, the U.S. author of “Twilight” and its sequels “New Moon,” “Eclipse” and “Breaking Dawn,” said she had a good idea of how the leak of “Midnight Sun” had happened as so few copies had left her hands and each was unique.

September 3, 2008 by Blake Uncategorized 7

Chuck says:

September 3, 2008 at 1:39 pm

re-headlining
“Teens, middle-aged losers reel in horror, contemplate ‘Red Dwarf’ marathon”

Reply
Anonymous says:

September 3, 2008 at 5:07 pm

sigh
She needs to get over herself. She is protesting because so many fans hated Breaking Dawn and she knows that this new books will fizzle because of that.

Reply
Anonymous says:

September 4, 2008 at 1:16 am

This makes me so mad! I was
This makes me so mad! I was looking forward to reading it!

Reply
Anonymous says:

September 4, 2008 at 1:27 am

You’ve got to be kidding
Wow. The last bit of respect I had for her as a writer is gone. I don’t care who you think you are, you do not send out an imperfect piece of work into the world (especially when you say it’s not ready). You either drop it or finish it. I know she must have been disapointment about how people preceived Breaking Dawn, and this looks like a temper tantrum because of that. It’s either that or it looks like she just quit.

Reply
StephenK says:

September 4, 2008 at 1:38 am

Author’s moral rights
The story is datelined Canberra. I am presuming that refers to Australia. Australian copyright is different from what inheres in the US. Author’s moral rights are less ephemeral there in terms of status than they would be here in the US.

Is the matter important? Yes. In any sort of creative enterprise you really do not want leaks. Peer review is certainly not unheard of and is often quite valuable. Sometimes you cannot see the corners you write yourself into and need someone to point such out.

When does a work leave the artist’s control and become something different? That is a major worry. With the disruptive use of technology in these ways leaks take on a new meaning. While it might have been intended as a prank, it could well screw up story lines an author is considering. Artists, authors, and musicians are sometimes quite cranky when they get burned like this author has. When a major disincentive like this arises, it is a bit of sheer madness to think that artists, authors, and musicians can just soldier on like nothing has changed. They cannot do so and preserve much of any sanity.

It is interesting that the author already had a canary trap in play. I would not be surprised if this whole incident did not heighten levels of suspicion, fear, and paranoia on the author’s part. As for the release of her draft, such is likely the clean, unaltered version that was not leaked.
________________________
Stephen Michael Kellat, Host, LISTen
PGP KeyID: 899C131F

Reply
Anonymous says:

September 10, 2008 at 10:44 pm

GIVE HER A BREAK! I’D BE MAD
GIVE HER A BREAK! I’D BE MAD 2 PLEASE STOP SAYING MEAN HARSH CRUEL NASTY THINGS ABOUT HER! GOSH!!!

Reply
Anonymous says:

September 11, 2008 at 11:04 pm

Give it a rest
Seriously, guys. You just put it a ton of work planning a book and then someone you trust completely betrays you and posts it on the internet. I don’t know about you, but I’d probably never finish the book. I really want her to finish it; yes; but she needs time. This isn’t an ego tantrum or because people didn’t like Breaking Dawn. Some people may be a smidge sensitive, but trust me, getting over the problem and continuing to write it is easier said than done. Not everyone can be as amazing as you and forgive someone who betrayed you entirely and continue to finish a book that everyone knows half the story to. Maybe you should end YOUR ego trip, and put yourself in someone else’s shoes for once in your life.

Reply