- Arik B.
- Tuesday, March 10, 2020
As you may have heard, famed novelist Clive Cussler recently died at the venerable age of 88. Cussler is, of course, the author of many exotic adventure titles, including Pacific Vortex! and Sahara, and his recurring protagonist, Dirk Pitt, is somewhere in line not too far behind the likes of Indiana Jones and Allan Quatermain.
As sad as Cussler’s earthly departure is for many of his fans, we shouldn’t be surprised to see new titles penned by Clive Cussler emerge in the coming years. Fans may not be aware that Cussler’s son, Dirk, is the coauthor of several of his father’s titles, including the famous Raise the Titanic! And a quick glance at Cussler’s Amazon page shows that quite a few coauthors have graced the cover of Cussler titles over time, including Graham Brown, Boyd Morrison, Robin Burcell, and Jack Du Brul—albeit in significantly tinier font. All to say, there are plenty of “other Clives” waiting in the branding wings.
“Wait! How could this be?” you might be thinking. “How could a publisher put out new works in a dead author’s name?”
Five years ago, The Wall Street Journal sounded the “Dead is the new Alive” clarion with an article “New Books, Dead Authors”:
Tom Clancy is back with a new thriller, officially titled Tom Clancy Under Fire. This is a remarkable achievement, given that he died almost two years ago. Actually, as the cover of the book indicates, in print about one-quarter the size of the words “TOM CLANCY,” Tom Clancy’s Tom Clancy Under Fire was written by Grant Blackwood.
Fast-forward five years later, whereupon the deceased creator of Jack Ryan finds himself not only publishing bestsellers, but now even book blurbs. Yes, I was more than shocked to read the back of Stephen Coonts latest title, The Russia Account:
“Extraordinary! Once you start reading, you won’t stop!” —Tom Clancy
It is comforting to learn that there is access to the latest bestsellers in the afterlife.
Lest you think this is a recent trend in publishing, let us examine the case of V.C. Andrews, she of Flowers in the Attic fame. Let’s take a quick trip to her Wikipedia page: I count no fewer than 50—yes, 5-0!—titles published by Andrews since her death in 1986. In case you’re wondering, former high school teacher Andrew Neiderman has “been” Andrews for the past three-plus decades.
I recently posted about this “resurrecting” phenomenon on a library social media community, and a number of librarians were quick to comment. Here’s one account:
Way back in my early days in reference, a patron once asked when Robert Ludlum was releasing another Bourne book. I told him that Ludlum had passed away, but gave him the info on an upcoming installment by a different author. He blew his gasket!
As you’re now wondering: yes, Robert Ludlum died in 2001. Since that time, nearly 30 titles have been published “under the Ludlum brand.”
Need another example? How about Robert Parker. Died: 2010. Yet he’s still churning out Jesse Stone, Sunny Randall and Philip Marlowe books like there’s no tomorrow—pardon the pun.
Another publishing trend is attaching bestselling author names, or “brands,” to books they clearly haven’t been written independently. You may not have noticed this, however, as the secondary author’s name tends to appear in much smaller font. Perhaps the most glaring incident of this is James Patterson’s The Inn. The thriller is cowritten by Candice Fox, which itself is nearly a mystery, as Fox’s name is almost the same color as the black footer at the bottom of the dust jacket.
Keep in mind: our job as librarians is not to judge. But we do find it important to keep customers informed. That said, here is one critic willing to weigh in on the subject, in a review of Michael Crichton’s 2017 posthumous novel, Dragon Teeth, which was only partially completed at the time of Crichton’s death:
The publishing of Dragon Teeth also raises a familiar ethical question: should a deceased author’s unfinished stories see the light of day? After his death in 2008, Crichton left behind a huge collection of papers, and Dragon Teeth is the third such posthumous novel released since 2008. Micro which was completed by The Hot Zone author Richard Preston came out in 2011, while Pirate Latitudes came out in 2009. It’s easy to see why these books made it to market: Crichton is a reliable success in bookstores, and adaptations of his work have performed exceptionally in the past. But Dragon Teeth and the other posthumous books feel like a rushed attempt to capitalize on the Crichton Brand, and none have really captured the glory of the author at his best.
For many of us—and to paraphrase Gertrude Stein—a good page turner is a good page turner is a good page turner. But I suspect quite a few library customers would at least like to know when their favorite authors have been laid to rest, and when series that are continued in their names are de facto publishing monetary enterprises. After all, it might be the difference between a customer trading an established brand for a new author who actually dares to publish in their own name.