Emile asked S.D. Perry:

Hi S.D., I'm a big fan of your Resident Evil novels, and I love having the opportunity to tell you so! My question is more for the aspiring authors out there (myself included): How did you get started writing series and tie-in novels? Do you have any advice for others trying to break into this weird, fan-fed, lucrative sub-field of writing? Thank you!

S.D. Perry Hi! Thanks for saying, that's very kind of you! As far as getting into the biz, it's mostly an invitation only kind of deal... companies hiring contract writers are looking for people who already have credits to their name. I lucked into this through pure nepotism; my father writes, and he invited me to collaborate on a couple of projects. When those turned out well, I started getting calls. Once you're "known", you might get an invite to work in a shared universe, but it's an iffy business. Contract writers have to be fast, write clean, and not mind a flat fee. I don't get regular work, and I've written a lot of books.
Your best bet, barring luck, is going it the hard way. Get published. Write, edit, submit, repeat. Write the stories you want to read, build your own universe. Practice 'til you have a book good enough to send to an agent, publish, and publish as often as you can... And if you write stuff that's got a similar feel to a particular franchise, AND that franchise has leased the publishing rights to an editor who knows your name, THEN you might get tapped.
I'm sorry, it's horrible news, I know. It's not impossible, but in my experience, publishing houses aren't likely to take a risk on an unknown when they're dealing with licensed materials.
I hope I didn't bum you out. Thank you again for taking the time to say hi, and happy Halloween!

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