The Trend Becomes More Disturbing!?

Yes, I do find this trend both frightening and disturbing.

There are many points in the article which I could address but the one that really jumped out at me is that S&S is kicking off this initiative with someone who is known as a filmmaker and screenwriter, rather than with even the most paltry of YA Literature authors. If you combine that with the pre-publication assurance for a property Hollywood deems marketable, I hear a bell tolling, for sure.

It's almost as if they have bailed completely on the concept of books as anything but a promotional device. After all, plenty of fine YA fiction has moved to the screen, even in recent years. Look at the success of Kate DiCamillo, with both Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tale of Despereaux. I don't know whether Winn-Dixie was a good movie, and I really doubt that Despereaux will be, but I can say that the books were good, and also that they were written as books, not as Hollywood vehicles. (In the interest of full disclosure, Kate was once a good friend of mine and I feel qualified to vouch for her literary motivations, as I trust them completely.)

If S&S were simply trying to increase their share of the money to be made with any given property they would have a fair amount of my sympathy. One thing that many people do not know is that publishing is a truly expensive and low margin business. All of us who are prone to sneering at the huge sellers should take an occasional moment to offer some gratitude for them. The monsters are what subsidize the production of the admirable. Every megaseller makes it possible for some gems to emerge. Because of that I am all for publishers finding ways to make money, but not if it is at the expense of younger readers. Without the habit of quality and art in literature those readers will cease to value the gems and then any gain that publishing has made with this move will simply serve the bottom line, which is a spine chilling thought indeed, and is what I am visualizing while reading this article.

In many ways society has only itself to blame for the fact that authors such as DiTerlizzi say things like:

' “It was almost like a tool to get the book launched and off the ground,” he said of the movie. “I knew also that financially this is where I would see my benefit: in having the film made.” '

After all, Hollywood is where we place our value. We are a nation of celebrity chasers and we will pay for that in the loss of our finer arts if we are not careful. We really can't blame authors for wanting to reap a reward from their labor and we are far more willing to hand our money to Hollywood than we are to Publisher's Row. We buy into all the hype they offer. We don't seem to see any reason why our children shouldn't have a sparkling vampire figure in their Happy Meal future. We get what we pay for and we receive what we value.

There's an old song that goes something along the lines of " You don't miss your water 'til your well runs dry". I've already been feeling a little parched, but I don't honestly believe that the well will run dry any time soon. As distressing as this sort of development is, I think that there are enough people who truly do value writing as an art that when things reach a certain point a backlash will occur. I'm not sure exactly what form it will take, and I doubt it will result in general stardom for great authors, but I do believe that quality work will continue to be produced outside of the purview of Hollywood.

Literature does have a future and it is up to us and to our children to usher it in.

This seems to confirm my suspicion: the world's gone mad.

The possibility of the publishing industry substituting marketability for quality, is truly outrageous, horrendous, abominable, deplorable (enough adjectives for you?...I could add more).

Do they know what this will do to the quality of writing? Do they even care? I knew Hollywood had become something of a spoiler, but I never imagined anything like this.

I really don't have anything to add that hasn't already been said. I answered merely to go on record that I, too, find this a very disturbing idea which I hope dies on the vine. If it doesn't, the future of literature is bleak indeed.

(Note: Beware the following run-on sentence! Grrr...when I think what Hollywood has done to some of the classics, arrogantly believing they could make the story better than the author and then consider that this appealing to the lowest common denominator could be a new trend, I feel like spitting in their general direction. If I weren't a lady, I might, too!)

This is seriously insane. S&S are not encouraging authors to create a thought provoking plot, 3D characters or anything else that is essential to good literature. If this becomes a trend among publishing companies (God forbid) than I think literature won't really have a future since all authors will be caring about is getting their book filled with mindless action to make publishing companies sell it. I, for the most part, stick to just reading classics since I have long given up on today's books. Granted, there are some great pieces of literature that come out occasionally, but those are getting harder and harder to find. Movies are entertainment, books are mental food, by mixing both one has got to go. I'm pretty sure we know which one it is.

I guess more towards a website a website cannot prove that it is a trend I like all metal even Nu Metal MQ Disagree there might be a lot of bad modern rock but underground it pretty good but you have to look really well to find a good band BQ Limp Bizkit based on many people's opinions but many bands are called to be sellouts so I could say all the bands I like are to be called sellouts BTW I don't think Nirvana,RATM and Children of Bodom is mainstream just there songs there songs and the better ones were usually the ones you wouldn't hear on the radio

This is truly awful.

Not only are they making movies out of every book that has newly come to the market, but now they're going after the classics yet again. What seriously worries me is that the movies that are being made now don't even to stick to the original plot of the books. Take for instance, The Golden Compass. Great movie, but now I've read the book and the movie seems horribly shameful. I loved the book Twilight, but even in the previews of the movie they're making now I don't recognize a single scene. And one of the characters doesn't even have the right hair color in the movie! In the book Edward is a redhead, in the movie his hair is black. That itself is kind of insulting.

I think it's going to be up the parents these days to create a true love of reading in their children. My parents did, so it's not impossible.

But it seems as though people who usually write original scripts for movies have lost all creativity and are now looking to novelists to do their work for them.

I really hate this trend. Books are so important for me and the rest of the world. To lose them would be a disaster.

I worry, too, for future novelists and the pressure they will come under.

We just have to pray/hope for the best.

Great question.

This. Is shameful.

I was just pondering the future of literature the other day; now I fear I was along the right path.

Most of me thinks this will crash and burn, because it's America and that's what happens. The other part of me thinks this will get big, because...well, it's America. And that's what happens...

This just solidifies my belief that Americans are becoming more and more lazy. Literature is the only refuge we have left; what will happen to the writers who need to publish BOOKS, not MOVIES?

I am thoroughly appalled, and yes, Yahoo Answers, I do wish to be percieved as shouting. Appalling.

Rab

If S&S do this and it works out for them, then YA books, which have been of questionable quality at best for years, will go down the tubes completely. If parents would encourage their kids to read more and watch movies less, the book companies wouldn't have to resort to deals like this in the first place though. It's not all the companies fault.

I don't think the trend will prevail. The Literature World won't sell out to Hollywood; most accomplished authors refuse to allow their works to become adapted.

But just look at how Hollywood has affected literature. Books focuses more and more on instant gratification and less and less on 3D plotlines.

This is revolting but will hopefully pass. I agree with K-Fed-Up. It's horrible that S&S should shame literature so, exposing her to all sorts of crappy authors. I mean, honestly! What do THEY stand to gain? A bunch of hopeful writers with half-baked plots.

LuthienT

I honestly thinks it's appalling. S&S is one of the largest, most successful publishers ever...do they need more money at the price of ruining the publishing market?