New books by dead authors

[dennis thompson]

I was looking for a book written by Robert B Parker who died in 2010.
There must be 4 or 5 authors writing books in his name, this is confusing to say the least and certainly misleading.

[Frank Pratt]

That's a dirty little trick that publishers and authors often play. I got sucked in, not once but twice, by an author that I used to like a lot. He started selling his name to some very untalented writers to put on their books. They were awful. If you look close, in small print on the cover was the "with so-and-so", identifying the real author. I never bought another of his books.

[Jim Becker]

This is all too common now for some time...there is a lot of ghost writing or "written by" publishing going on to leverage the franchise of an author's name, even when they are still alive, but also after they are no longer with us physically. A good percentage of the new works written by others is generally well done and very much in the vein of the original author's own writings. Some, however...is not. One thing I've chosen to do is to eek some good out of it...those "written by" authors often have their own works available, so I always take note and read their stuff, too. I have discovered quite a few authors that now grace my Kindle Unlimited "follow" list.

[Bill Dufour]

Mark Twains last book was published about 100 years after his death. I have a first edition. I believe it was published by UC Berkeley press. His papers are in a collection at UC Berkely. They used to have every newspaper he published when he was working in Nevada. They microfilmed them and tossed hundreds of tons of actual paper.
Bill D

[Gary Ragatz]

I think in Robert B. Parker's case, his estate has turned over each individual franchise (Spenser, Jesse Stone, etc.) to a different author. I've read a couple of the Spenser books by Ace Atkins, and I think they're pretty good, but not as good as Parker's own. I think all of these are billed as "Robert B. Parker's (insert title here)" by Ace Atkins. But Atkins's name is in much small type than Parker's.

James Patterson, who is still alive and writing solo works, has co-authored a ton of books with others. I gather this is a combination of money-making and helping newer writers develop a market for their work.

The last couple of books I've read in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series have been co-authored with Child's son, Andrew. I assume Andrew is expected to take over the franchise at some point.

I don't see anything wrong with it, but it does force me to look at the book covers a little more closely.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

He (Parker) is a favorite of my Brother in laws. This makes me want to revisit the TV show Spencer For Hire. Much of the filming was done in his neighborhood when he was a youngster.

[Jim Becker]

The last couple of books I've read in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series have been co-authored with Child's son, Andrew. I assume Andrew is expected to take over the franchise at some point.



I believe Andrew is Lee's younger brother and AFAIK, he's already doing the heavy lifting. But I haven't read any of them in quite some time as they are not participating in Kindle Unlimited. :)

[Jack Frederick]

:), I grew up in Elmira, NY, in a public housing development across the street from Woodlawn Cemetery, where Mark Twain is buried. I read Tom Sawyer and H Finn at his gravesite on summer days. I asked him questions. He did not respond.

[Ole Anderson]

Clive Cussler recently passed, but many of his books are "with" a co-author, including his son, Dirk. By writing style and story line they all have the Cussler style. Wondering how much input Cussler or Patterson or other best selling authors have in the books "with" others? Do they outline the storyline?

[roger wiegand]

Most books in these "best seller" genres are so formulaic that it's not surprising that any number of people can write passable versions, I'm surprised they don't just have a computer cranking them out. Note I don't think this is a bad thing, I have, and have read, thousands of volumes of science fiction that I'd say the same thing about. I've always assumed that the guys cranking out 4-6 books a year have a whole team of people who do most of the grunt work of putting words to page.

[Jim Becker]

Clive Cussler recently passed, but many of his books are "with" a co-author, including his son, Dirk. By writing style and story line they all have the Cussler style. Wondering how much input Cussler or Patterson or other best selling authors have in the books "with" others? Do they outline the storyline?
For authors that are still living and working with other writers, I do believe they have input across the board. Sometimes they take this on, not just for financial reasons, but also because it provides an opportunity to develop individual characters that originated in the base storyline in ways that are not possible otherwise. One person writing just cannot keep up with that kind of output in many cases, although there are a few that really do crank things out, such as Blake Banner and Mark Dawson.

[Jack Frederick]

I read history and biographies mostly. I’ve read all of Wm Manchester’s books. I really enjoyed “The Last Lion”, well, the first two of the three that were written by Manchester. He simply became to infirm to finish the third and his assistant finished the trilogy and it just wasn’t what I hoped for. Certainly not the mans fault, but that is the way it played for me. BTW, My FIL and Dad, between them, Guadalcanal, New Guinea, New Georgia, Luzon, Eniwetok, Pelilu and Okinowa as frontline troops said that Manchester’s “Goodbye Darkness” was perhaps the best of the WWII books for them.

[Stan Calow]

Some characters like Sherlock Holmes and Jason Bourne are too good and too popular to not keep them alive. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I'll put in a plug for the Holmes books authored by Anthony Horowitz, a clever mystery writer on his own.

[Bill Dufour]

I read that romance novels are written to order by a stable of writers. Intereseting thing is they must be so many pages due to the printing process. Books are printed four pages at a time. Add one extra page and the buyer will get three blank pages and feel cheated.
Just like most modern songs are three minutes long so they fit into the radio time slot commercial rotation. Any longer will not get played as it reduces the number of commercials. Any shorter the audience feels cheated.
Bill D

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Regarding Mark Twain, "Rumors of his death have been highly exaggerated" I am working on The Innocents Abroad (when I need a break from post WW II Southeast Asia)

[Lee DeRaud]

I think in Robert B. Parker's case, his estate has turned over each individual franchise (Spenser, Jesse Stone, etc.) to a different author. I've read a couple of the Spenser books by Ace Atkins, and I think they're pretty good, but not as good as Parker's own. I think all of these are billed as "Robert B. Parker's (insert title here)" by Ace Atkins. But Atkins's name is in much small type than Parker's.

James Patterson, who is still alive and writing solo works, has co-authored a ton of books with others. I gather this is a combination of money-making and helping newer writers develop a market for their work.

The last couple of books I've read in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series have been co-authored with Child's son, Andrew. I assume Andrew is expected to take over the franchise at some point.
The Parker thing is also true of Ian Fleming. I think they're on at least the third generation of replacement authors.

The Jack Reacher series is indeed being handed off to Child's younger brother Andrew. We'll see how that goes, at least they're working together for awhile before the changeover.

I've read one of Patterson's "ampersand" books...never again. And forum rules prevent me from expressing my opinion of the various Dune prequel/sequel series by Frank Herbert's son.

[Terry Wawro]

Clive Cussler recently passed, but many of his books are "with" a co-author, including his son, Dirk. By writing style and story line they all have the Cussler style. Wondering how much input Cussler or Patterson or other best selling authors have in the books "with" others? Do they outline the storyline?


I've been a long time fan of all the Clive Cussler series and I've been reading the newer co-authored books as they came out. On a lark I went back and read one
originally written by Clive and published in 1988. Wow, what a difference. The new stuff is a pale thin shadow of the original great writing he used to do.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I tried an Arthur Cannon Doyle inspired Sherlock Holmes story, The Red Demon, By Larry Millett. It is OK, an enjoyable read, but not the real Sherlock Holmes.

[Lee DeRaud]

Most books in these "best seller" genres are so formulaic that it's not surprising that any number of people can write passable versions, I'm surprised they don't just have a computer cranking them out.
I once speculated that most romance novels were computer-generated...this was in the early 1980's. (My ex-wife consumed them by the bushel, maybe 6-8 a week.)

Googling "ai writing romance novels" makes for some interesting reading all by itself.

[Lee DeRaud]

I tried an Arthur Cannon Doyle inspired Sherlock Holmes story, The Red Demon, By Larry Millett. It is OK, an enjoyable read, but not the real Sherlock Holmes.
Is Arthur Cannon Doyle any relation to Calamity Jane Austin?
(https://richardhartersworld.com/austin/)

[Frederick Skelly]

Most books in these "best seller" genres are so formulaic that it's not surprising that any number of people can write passable versions.

I agree. That's a big reason I stopped reading Tom Clancy. Loved his first 2 books, but by the third one he was just too "cookie cutter" to hold my interest.

[Frederick Skelly]

I once speculated that most romance novels were computer-generated...this was in the early 1980's.

Shouldnt be hard to do. From what I can tell, they seem to all go about like this:
"She saw him. They locked eyes. He tore off her bodice, etc. He beat the bad guy. He tore off her clothes (again). She was happy ever after." :) :) :)

[Ronald Blue]

Mark Twains last book was published about 100 years after his death. I have a first edition. I believe it was published by UC Berkeley press. His papers are in a collection at UC Berkely. They used to have every newspaper he published when he was working in Nevada. They microfilmed them and tossed hundreds of tons of actual paper.
Bill D

Bill have you ever visited Hannibal? Lot's of Mark Twain related stuff. Also the birth place of the "Unsinkable Molly Brown".

[Bill Dufour]

Bill have you ever visited Hannibal? Lot's of Mark Twain related stuff. Also the birth place of the "Unsinkable Molly Brown".
I have been to his cabin on jackass hill. Very unimpressive. Looks like a stud garage with wood siding with a stone firepalce on one end. I think it burned and was totally rebuilt twice.
Bill D

http://cali49.com/hwy49/2013/10/25/jackass-hill

[Maurice Mcmurry]

The Mark Twain Birth place museum in Florida MO looks neat. Our family's annual summer regatta is at Mark Twain lake. A swimming beach we frequent is just below the museum. I keep wanting to go in but forget to dress for it. I am always shirtless and shoeless in honor of Tom and Huck. It is a nice lake and not too far from Hannibal.

Arrow Rock MO is neat too. The town is more or less as it was when it was rehabbed to be the set for the 1973 film Tom Sawyer. My best friends dad was the "Historical and Literary Content Advisor". We visited the production several times. The sisters were extras and appear in a few scenes. It was a very fun summer!

[Ronald Blue]

I have been to his cabin on jackass hill. Very unimpressive. Looks like a stud garage with wood siding with a stone firepalce on one end. I think it burned and was totally rebuilt twice.
Bill D

http://cali49.com/hwy49/2013/10/25/jackass-hill

I think you would find the different memorabilia around Hannibal more pleasing. Including the cave and also a neat little river boat excursion/dinner cruise.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Hannibal is indeed charming. There is Lovers Leap to see as well. Some of the family go every year To torture themselves by running up the big hill.

[Ronald Blue]

Hannibal is indeed charming. There is Lovers Leap to see as well. Some of the family go every year To torture themselves by running up the big hill.

If I'm caught running up that hill you better look to see what's chasing me. On the other hand I spent countless hours working below Lovers Leap on equipment on the tracks. Many years ago the road at the base of the cliff was the old highway 79. I believe that it was taken the current route in the 60's.