We have actual writers here...
- Thread starter stonester1
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Never read the novelization. Sorry.
Solomon Kane. Interesting choice. Isn't Van Helsing essentially Solomon Kane with the serial numbers filed off?
Vatican instead of Puritan, but essentially the rest seems to match close enough, even visually.
Solomon Kane +1
He's a character I've been aware of for probably a decade but only in the last few years tried. The last few Dark Horse mini series were a nice primer for me personally.
Thank you for everyone who has answered thus far. I only asked the question in this forum because there are people here who don't go to the TrekLit forum.
Lonemagpie...not sure which writer you are, I'm embarrassed to say. Who are you and what have you written?
Lonemagpie...not sure which writer you are, I'm embarrassed to say. Who are you and what have you written?
Ah, I'd be David A McIntee, the bloke who wrote On The Spot in The Sky's The Limit, Reservoir Ferengi in Seven Deadly Sins, and the TNG novel Indistinguishable From Magic - as well as a dozen Dr Who novels, and various other stuff...
Mr. Cox, have you considered exploring Kull of Atlantis instead?
As REH's pre-Conan much is transferable with less problems linking X to Y in the bibliograpichal sense as little is known about the character.
Dark Horse comics is publishing an ongoing loose-chronological Kull adaptation and is currently on issue #11 with one more issue to finish the adaptation of The Cat and the Skull before presumably moving on to The Skull of Silence.
I believe Del Rey has publication rights for Kull. Since I'm unaware of any Kull novel pastiches, it might be an interesting niche to develop as an author with far less fan scrutiny and criticism.
DHC might be of some assistance in determining if a market is there based on sales of their Kull adaptation.
Maybe something to consider?
Has the time for new Kull stories finally come around?
With your history of Khan: in many ways a "modern day" Kull or Conan, it might be especially appropriate for you.
"Valka and Hotath!"
I think that some new Kull stories would be awesome!
I remember picking up some of the old Marvel comics as a kid. Conan was more action and adventure while Kull was more of the introspective, brooding king. Kull's cast reminded me a lot of Star Trek's cast. Kull was Kirk. Brule was the more logical sounding board like Spock. Ridondo was more whimsical like McCoy. Tu was always obsessing over matters of government protocol kind of like Scotty obsessing over his engines. The sword-and-sorcery backdrop was what made the whole thing a grand adventure different from Trek. I'll have to check the new Dark Horses out but it would still be fun to read some new novels set in Kull's realm, too.
Ah, haven't gotten to the other stuff yet...but DID recently read Indistinguishable From Magic. Great stuff. You would be a good Who writer.
I was wondering if you were James Swallow for a second there. I forgot who you were too. Alas I can't read anymore. My patience has run out.
Not because of you guys, but time is money. I'm like Montag from Farenheit 451. I like watching tv. When is the two way 3D talking wall coming?
I'd be interested in reading a "Doctor Who" novel from Christopher. I think it'd be great.
Me too. So Christopher, if you got the chance which Doctor would want to write?
I just thought of a couple of franchises that I would love to see move into novels, NCIS and White Collar. Both just seem like series that could lead to some really fun novels.
Oh, yeah. I completely forgot about those.
I just thought of a couple of franchises that I would love to see move into novels, NCIS and White Collar. Both just seem like series that could lead to some really fun novels.
I was curious about this myself.
Generally the same way you break into any other field of writing, only with a narrower range of markets to submit to. The best way is to get published writing original fiction, get an agent, then make contact with the tie-in publishers through your agent. Sometimes there are other ways, like the way I got in; I was lucky to come along at a time when the Pocket Star Trek editors were active online and interested in recruiting new talent, so once I made myself known to them through this very BBS (the Trek Literature forum) as a published writer who was very familiar with Star Trek, that got me an invitation to pitch, and my pitch got accepted, and the rest is history. (Although that presumably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't already sold some original fiction.) A number of others, most notably Dayton Ward, got their start through the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds anthology contest for new writers that Pocket ran for a decade; but it was very expensive to manage that contest, so Pocket lost money on it and had to stop doing it.
Still, SNW was kind of a variation on the theme: first you have to get yourself published in order to get their attention. But assuming you have what it takes in the first place, it's easier to break in with original fiction than with tie-in fiction. If an original story gets rejected by one market, you can shop it to others, but for media tie-in fiction there's usually only one publisher that can legally sell it, so you only have one shot at it.
I suspect there are as many answers as there are tie-in writers, although most of us were already working as writers or editors in some capacity when we got involved with tie-ins. I was working full-time as an editor at Tor, had already written a non-fiction book on vampires, a young-adult time-travel novel, and a handful of short stories for Amazing Stories, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, and other magazines when John Betancourt asked me to collaborate on some Batman stories with him. And I had shared a cubicle with John Ordover, and worked with him on the New York Review of Science Fiction, before he became the new Star Trek editor and enlisted me to do a DS9 book for him . . . .
As with all careers, the trick is getting your foot in the door. Then, in theory, one job leads to another. Being a published author, then getting the word out that you're interested in doing tie-ins can't hurt.
If you're interested, you can also check out the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers for articles on the subject at: iamtw.org.
