Writing two books a year has got to be really tough–even for a full time writer.
But Robert Ludlum has published 12 books in the six years since he died.
Whoa. Seems like that would be even tougher. . . but then again, maybe not. He’s had a lot of help. As did V. C. Andrews, obviously. She has two new hardcovers published this year and another already scheduled for 2008. She died in 1986.
The New York Times published this interesting article today about writers whose estates continue to release new books after their deaths in order to take advantage of their name brand.
And then there’s James Patterson, who has invented a bestseller factory to capitalize on his name. And Tom Clancy, who does the same thing, but not as successfully. It seems only a matter of time before these “brands” take up half the bestseller list.
Remember when that happened with the Harry Potter books? They created a special children’s bestseller list to free up some spots for other titles.
I say it’s time to create another new bestseller list:
Books Supposedly By Famous Bestselling Authors But Really Not.
Then we could free up some spots on the real list for new good writers who haven’t had a chance to “build their brand.”
Any ideas for a catchier title for the list? Nominations received here.
