Ed’s Comments (group member since May 31, 2011)

Ed’s comments from the Ask Bestselling Author Lawrence Block a Question group.

Lawrence wrote: "The heirs do indeed have to agree, and almost always do. Money's a great motivator. There's also the argument that only a stream of new titles keeps the backlist selling well. I'm going to be writing about this soon, probably as a column for Mystery Scene. ..."

I've noticed some re-issues that have done quite well like the John D. McDonald and Ross Thomas books to say nothing of Raymond Chandler. That would be more lucrative because there's no new author. Or what about publishing an author's backlist chronologically a book or two a year?

Mr. Block,

No questions, really. Just wanted to let you know that I and a close friend, veterans of the educational and reference publishing business and devotees of the so-called crime, thriller, hard boiled, or whatever genre consider Matt Scudder to be perhaps the most memorable character to be found. Although Dave Roubicheaux is a close second. They share some of the same demons.

I also resonated with a comment you made earlier about someone taking over Robert Parker's Spenser Series. I am a devoted fan of Robert Parker and have read almost everything he's written and am saddened at the thought. That in spite of Parker, himself imitating, Raymond Chandler. I was a Ludlum fan until they started farming out his Bourne character to other authors.

I just thought of a question. How can a publisher do that? Don't the heirs of the estate have to agree? You own your characters, do you not? It seems a great disrespect, if an author wishes to have his or her characters pass on when he or she does, to go against the author's wishes.