Welcome to this week’s news post and oh what a week it has been – I think this issue is going to have some major comments and discussion over the news and updates I will post such as the fact that 50 Shades trilogy has been picked up by a major publisher, authors behaving badly again and again, and Paypal has decided to backdown from its stance on explicit books.

The first big news is the fact that E.L James’, Fifty Shades trilogy has been picked up by a major publisher in a seven figure deal.  Vintage books will be releasing new editions of the books in ebook formats and paperback (in a few more weeks). The Commonwealth rights have also been sold and there is now more talk of the movie deal, which seems to hint that it might be very close to coming to fruitition.  It is interesting to note that Vintage books have stated that the 50 Shades trilogy is an original work and is different from its fanfiction origins, called Master of the Universe. However, Jane from Dear Author has challenged this by posting a comparison of the two texts which belies this. 50 Shades is 89 percent the same as original fanfiction shows its not a different or distinct. Dear Author will be posting a series of posts examining this new trend especially since the repercussions will not  be a good thing for fandom in the long run.  And on a fun note there has already been cases of parodies based on Fifty Shades now and I can see fanfiction being based on this series and that will raise the interesting question, whether fanfic writers will decide to pull to publish those in the future – it is just like inception!

I am not going to go into great detail about the next examples of authors behaving badly but  this week had more incidents of  more writer joining the dramallama train this year.  Wicked Lil Pixie who posted a fun post about a romance book which featured the term ‘dick attack’ received the wrath of the author who threatened to sue for libel  because she stated that she didn’t  use that phrase in the book linked to it. This has become an internet meme and the author should have contacted WLP via email instead of  threatening her publicly and I find this incident really sad because it would have been a perfect opportunity for the author to actually gain publicity and to clear this matter for everyone who has seen this meme on the internet. If you google the term its linked to the book widely.

Paypal has backed down from their crackdown on erotic books which features darker subjects like incest, rape  and beastiality. They will now focus on a book by book case and those with illustrations than stories. This is due to the big backlash by anti0censor groups who felt that Paypal was censoring books because so many publishers use paypal as a form of processing payment.

News in Brief:

GRR Martin has stated that he’s a few years to finishing his epic fantasy saga, Game of Thrones series. I really hope this is the case, because I am holding off the last few books because I hate long waits.

Movie adaptation news for Immortal Instruments and Beautiful Darkness – there is more developments and plus Cassandra Clare has signed up for a major deal for another spinnoff series.

Julie Kagawa has announced that there will be an omnibus edition that will compile her Iron Fey novellas, which will also include a brand new one called, Iron’s Prophecy and will join Summer’s Crossing and Winter’s Passage. The book will be called The Iron Legends and will be slated for release this August!

And now for upcoming books to watch out for!

I reported about the new Kresley Cole’s new YA series – well here’s the cover and blurb. Poison Princess!

 

Poison Princess centers on 16-year-old Evangeline “Evie” Greene, a privileged teenager from Louisiana. When an apocalyptic event decimates her hometown, killing everyone she loves, Evie realizes the hallucinations she’d been having for the past year were actually visions of the future — and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux. As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophecy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of teens have been chosen to re-enact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side…

Meljean Brook’s has posted the cover for her 3rd book in The Iron Seas series, Riveted!

A century after a devastating volcanic eruption forced Iceland’s inhabitants to abandon its shores, the island has become enshrouded in legend. But the truth behind the legends is mechanical, not magical—and the mystery of the island a matter of life and death for a community of women who once spilled noble blood to secure their freedom.

Five years ago, Annika unwittingly endangered that secret, but her sister Källa took the blame and was exiled. Now Annika serves on an airship, searching for her sister and longing to return home. But that home is threatened when scientific expedition leader David Kentewess comes aboard, looking to expose Annika’s secrets. Then disaster strikes, leaving David and Annika stranded on a glacier and pursued by a madman, with their very survival depending on keeping the heat rising between them—and generating lots of steam

A Night Like This – the latest upcoming book from Julia Quinn is slated for release this June.

 

Anne Wynter’s job as governess to three highborn young ladies can be a challenge – in a single week she finds herself hiding in a closet full of tubas, playing an evil queen in a play and tending to the wounds of the oh-so-dashing Earl of Winstead. After years of dodging unwanted advances, he’s the first man who has truly tempted her, and it’s getting harder and harder to remind herself that a governess has no business flirting with a nobleman.

Daniel Smythe-Smith might be in mortal danger, but that’s not going to stop the young earl from falling in love. And when he spies a mysterious woman at his family’s annual musicale, he vows to pursue her. But Daniel has an enemy, one who has vowed to see him dead. And when Anne is thrown into peril, he will stop at nothing to ensure their happy ending . . .

So what do you think of any of the news items I’ve raised today? What do you think of the huge success E.L James is generating right now and her fanfiction roots? Do you think there will be a danger for fandoms and fanfiction as more and more people could use this as a springboard to publish? Or do you think it will be a good thing?

About Has

Has is a bookaholic and feeds her addiction whenever she can. She usually can be found lost in a Romance or an Urban Fantasy novel. Her favourite sub genres are Paranormal, Fantasy and some Scifi. Her most treasured authors are, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Ann Aguirre, Lisa Kleypas and Tamora Pierce. She loves that discovery of finding a brand new author and falling in love with their books. Has also blogs a The Book Pushers - Book chatter and reviews

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