With Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows just a mere 12 days away, a Save Harry petition has begun, asking (or is that demanding?) that JK Rowling continue writing Harry Potter books.
Rowling herself has said that while she may “never say never”, the series comes to a decisive conclusion with the Deathly Hallows.
Personally, I think she should stick to her guns. While long-running franchises are what is currently keeping the entertainment industry afloat (in both TV and cinemas), this becomes an albatross around some authors.
Anne Rice is a prime example. After her Vampire series really took off, all her fans wanted more. She obliged, but on occasion, she would do something different. Her Witches series, while selling well, did not have the same following as her Vampire Chronicles. And, when she would attempt to do something different, and I’ve heard the words from the people themselves, that they think all she should do is the vampire books. Piers Anthony is another, that I can think of, stuck doing formulaic Xanth books until he dies. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, which was once only a 7 volume series has ballooned to the soon-to-be-released volume 12 (with 2 more prequels to come after that final volume). And Stephen King was wise, finishing his Dark Tower series long before he cashed in his chips, and long before it became vogue to end a “franchise.”
Beloved they may be, but while these series are money makers, it also forces the author into a corner: how do you do something different? Now, of course, Rice has given up that whole genre, as she has found God and is writing a multi-volume, fictional take on Jesus between the ages 3 and 33 (but, unlike Christopher Moore’s hysterical take on the same theme, Rice’s novels will be very serious).
Then there are the dead authors, who keep publishing from beyond the grave: V.C. Andrews, Robert Ludlum, and even J.R.R. Tolkien. Mack Bolan writer Don Pendelton has been dead for years, but there still publishing books. And what about the ubiquitous James Patterson, who gets his name in huge letters on the cover, even though he really does not write them (there is usually a co-author on the cover, but in much smaller letters. These are the ones who actually write the books)
Anywho, Rowling has mentioned she will probably write a book that catalogs all the characters and situations of the Potter series (and would donate the money that such a book make to charity), but has no plans at this time to continue on -no matter how the series ends with the July 21st release of the final book. And she reportable making sure that after she shuttles off this mortal coil, no author can write another Harry Potter novel.
All good things must come to an end, as the saying goes. And, after all, she is the richest person in the UK, so one hopes that no matter what money is thrown at her, she resists. Still, the fans need to move on and when she releases another novel, one hopes everyone will support it as much as Harry Potter.
I understand that the series has been a financial boom to the sagging book industry, but I believe most of that can be traced to both publishers and, more importantly, major book chains resistence to take risks on unknown authors.
A petition to keep Rowling writing Harry Potter books is just plain silly.
Rowling herself has said that while she may “never say never”, the series comes to a decisive conclusion with the Deathly Hallows.
Personally, I think she should stick to her guns. While long-running franchises are what is currently keeping the entertainment industry afloat (in both TV and cinemas), this becomes an albatross around some authors.
Anne Rice is a prime example. After her Vampire series really took off, all her fans wanted more. She obliged, but on occasion, she would do something different. Her Witches series, while selling well, did not have the same following as her Vampire Chronicles. And, when she would attempt to do something different, and I’ve heard the words from the people themselves, that they think all she should do is the vampire books. Piers Anthony is another, that I can think of, stuck doing formulaic Xanth books until he dies. Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, which was once only a 7 volume series has ballooned to the soon-to-be-released volume 12 (with 2 more prequels to come after that final volume). And Stephen King was wise, finishing his Dark Tower series long before he cashed in his chips, and long before it became vogue to end a “franchise.”
Beloved they may be, but while these series are money makers, it also forces the author into a corner: how do you do something different? Now, of course, Rice has given up that whole genre, as she has found God and is writing a multi-volume, fictional take on Jesus between the ages 3 and 33 (but, unlike Christopher Moore’s hysterical take on the same theme, Rice’s novels will be very serious).
Then there are the dead authors, who keep publishing from beyond the grave: V.C. Andrews, Robert Ludlum, and even J.R.R. Tolkien. Mack Bolan writer Don Pendelton has been dead for years, but there still publishing books. And what about the ubiquitous James Patterson, who gets his name in huge letters on the cover, even though he really does not write them (there is usually a co-author on the cover, but in much smaller letters. These are the ones who actually write the books)
Anywho, Rowling has mentioned she will probably write a book that catalogs all the characters and situations of the Potter series (and would donate the money that such a book make to charity), but has no plans at this time to continue on -no matter how the series ends with the July 21st release of the final book. And she reportable making sure that after she shuttles off this mortal coil, no author can write another Harry Potter novel.
All good things must come to an end, as the saying goes. And, after all, she is the richest person in the UK, so one hopes that no matter what money is thrown at her, she resists. Still, the fans need to move on and when she releases another novel, one hopes everyone will support it as much as Harry Potter.
I understand that the series has been a financial boom to the sagging book industry, but I believe most of that can be traced to both publishers and, more importantly, major book chains resistence to take risks on unknown authors.
A petition to keep Rowling writing Harry Potter books is just plain silly.
Waterstones
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