Very interesting article on Suvudu that discusses the power of Hollywood over book sales: Read it here.
As most of us would have expected, Ender’s Game rocketed up to the #1 position in the American box office taking over $30million in its opening weekend (we should probably point out that Thor:2 is expected to reach $90million or perhaps even break the $1000million benchmark)!
The article explains that Card will make NO money from this movie after having received a lump sum for the rights about a decade ago. But, being a fan of the books (Card not so much), the bit of the article that really interested me was how the release of a movie can effect book sales. Ender’s Game is already one of the best selling Science-Fiction novels of all time, but you would presume the fact that it was written in 1985, before many of the current generation of SFF fans were born (me included!), that book sales weren’t up to too much a few months back.
Well, adverts, posters, radio, online discussions, actors appearing on talk shows and the book being given a shiny new cover AND being placed as number 1 on bookstore, supermarket and even DVD/Gameshop shelves has meant that interest in the Ender’s Game novels has never been so high. But, just how high is demand for the book? Checking Amazon, book sales shot up to the extent that Ender’s Game hit number 11 in overall book sales on Amazon, even overtaking A Dance of Dragons (at number 16). In addition, Orson Scott Card novels placed 1, 2 and 3 on Amazon’s Science Fiction & Fantasy list (another 3 were in the top 20 too). And, that’s just Amazon, any bookstore, supermarket, HMV, etc you walk into the book is there, in prime position, staring at you, telling you to buy it.
The result? Orson Scott Card has had a heck of a lot of book sales, and made enough money that he could retire. BUT, just this week, Card has posted up a video confirming further sequels to the Ender books. This is a worrying premise for readers who know about Card’s views on homosexuality and, therefore, can see the problem with having such a man being allowed to write books for anticipating teenagers, but still, here’s what Card had to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=311O4s_cFbs
“It’s about what happens to Battle School after the International Fleet loses its purpose of war. A ‘fleet school’ will form and prepare kids to be “commanders [and] explorers in the colonies that are going to be forming.”
Thanks to Suvudu for the original article this News piece is based upon
Jennie Ivins
I’ve only read Ender’s Game and Speaker for the Dead. The latter was so depressing as well as mind-numbing that I didn’t continue reading the next or any other Card. Now that I know his political views are not exactly the same as mine, I really don’t feel like reading any more. However…
The success of the film and of his books seems to upset people who have a strange idea of criticism. It boils down to, “How dare other people support something I told them not to support?” He’ll still write books. He’ll still make money. He’ll still blather on. I won’t pay attention but there’s not a heck of a lot I can do about him raking it all in.
I highly doubt that, given the serious critical backlash he’s been experiencing lately that he’s going to spend time writing a load of anti-homosexuality messages into his YA novels. Which is good, though on the other hand it might be interesting to see if doing so would make his career flop or whether his books would just reach new audiences. Hypotheticals aside, though, I won’t be buying any new books he writes. Which is a shame, because he’s a damn good author and he knows how to tell a good story, but I cringe at the idea of my money going to support someone like that, and I’m choosing to not support him. That means I may miss out on some good books, which sucks, but them’s the breaks.
Well said.