Comment by Dark Pixie on July 12, 2009 at 9:52am

'Twilight' fans out for blood after 'Midnight Sun' leak puts book on hold

Not everyone is backing author Stephenie Meyer in her decision to halt Edward's story 'indefinitely'

There’s a rat in the house of vampires and werewolves.

On Aug. 28, “Twilight” saga author Stephenie Meyer announced on her official Web site that her next project, “Midnight Sun," would be put on hold after an unfinished draft was posted on the Web without her permission.
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“Midnight Sun” was meant to be the retelling of “Twilight” from the perspective of teen vampire Edward, as opposed to his human love, Bella, who has the point of view now.

In her letter to fans (see below for full text), Meyer said she had “a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of ‘Midnight Sun’ that left (her) possession and each was unique.”

She doesn’t name the rat or throw him or her under a bus; instead, she said she believes there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution.

However, all fans are to suffer for it.

“In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on ‘Midnight Sun’ and so it is on hold indefinitely.”

One bad “Twilight” apple!

However, since that partial draft is now floating on the Internet and she knows fans will be drawn to it like Edward to Bella’s scent, she’s taking back the power by posting the draft – warts and all – on her Web site.

Take that, rat!

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FAN REACTION

The fans, predictably, are not taking the news lightly.

Say what you want about this four-part series, its fans are passionate to blood-thirsty levels. So far, they are not giving in or giving up. (See the reader comment section below for info on petitions to save "Midnight Sun.")

But they are giving some thought to Meyer’s decision. And not all of them are backing their girl.


On the LA Times blog site, one poster called Pholla had this to say:

“I am sad for her but angry at her at the same time. She stated that she KNEW who the person was who leaked the story. Why punish her ENTIRE fandom for one person's mistake? Okay, so maybe mistake wasn't the correct word for it since the person knew what s/he was doing but you get what I mean. I can't help but feel anger. I've been looking forward to Midnight Sun for a long time now. I wanted Midnight Sun way more than Breaking Dawn. I understand why she's angry and sad but I just don't see the justification in her action. If she thinks that because MS was leaked that we, the fans, won't buy her book, then she's wrong. I'd still buy the book. Actually, I would buy more than one copy since I have two copies of each of her books…”

Writes Amirah: “NOOOOOOOO! Can someone please call, email, stalk her and tell her she must write Midnight Sun. How can this happen? Why leave us this way, we can wait but why indefinately? Who the hell leaked it, they should be flogged! I think Im gonna cry, we just want to know what edward is thinking when he is in the Meadow with Bella and then when he stays at her house. I'm gonna cry!”

Martine takes a different approach: “I think that is a bunch of crap! I am a rabidly loyal fan and i think that this is a slap in the face to her fans. Movies, scripts, "affairs" ect... get leaked on line all the time but you dont see people throwing the arms in the air and refusing to finish somehting that was promised to the fans.”

Lenni has an interesting point about the leak as PR: “It's funny because when it first leaked everyone was really excited because so many of the fans who read it were really hyping it up and that it was really good. Well then chatter started that maybe it was a stunt to get the fans to stop talking about (the fourth book, “Breaking Dawn,” released Aug. 2). Looks like we were wrong.”


Over on MTV’s site, noone3 seems to still be convinced this is hype:

"…She'll put it on hold long enough to create buzz. When the buzz reaches fever pitch she'll release it and make bank. Can you PLEASE find a new BS pitch? The ‘buzz creation’ tactic is old.”

Ylime11381 takes a nice little zen approach with a note that sounds like something Esme would write: “Although I am very upset with this news, I can understand where Stephenie Meyer is coming from. Writing is an art. Whatever your mood is, it is reflected in your work. I am sorry that this has happened. I hope that after taking some time to calm down and get past this betrayal, she will feel differently. This has been a whirlwind for her, and everything has happened so fast. She NEEDS to take some time for herself and just enjoy herself. We will be patient and wait for as long as it takes. If Midnight Sun doesn't get released, we should be grateful for everything she has done and given us is such a short time.”

However, glenak takes the author directly to task for being the source of the leak:
“She gave the manuscript to someone, which means the leak started from her. And here I thought someone had robbed her house or car and stolen it. Meyer, it hurts, I know. I write and it would hurt me too if someone posted bits of my work on the internet without my permission, but you need to understand that you're a best selling author now, and best selling authors don't dish out copies of their manuscripts to friends and family "for a good purpose". It will definitely leak. Give your manuscript to your editor or publishers only. Simple. As much as I would like to blame someone else, I blame you, Stephenie. If you had kept the script to yourself (knowing it would be published someday) and just finished it, gave it to your publishers, got it published, then none of this would have happened. I say, relax for a few weeks, get over it (what's done is done), and get writing.”

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STEPHENIE’S LETTER

Aug. 28, 2008

From Stephenie Meyer’s official Web page:

As some of you may have heard, my partial draft of Midnight Sun was illegally posted on the Internet and has since been virally distributed without my knowledge or permission or the knowledge or permission of my publisher.

I have a good idea of how the leak happened as there were very few copies of Midnight Sun that left my possession and each was unique. Due to little changes I made to the manuscript at different times, I can tell when each left my possession and to whom it was given. The manuscript that was illegally distributed on the Internet was given to trusted individuals for a good purpose. I have no comment beyond that as I believe that there was no malicious intent with the initial distribution.

I did not want my readers to experience Midnight Sun before it was completed, edited and published. I think it is important for everybody to understand that what happened was a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being. As the author of the Twilight Saga, I control the copyright and it is up to the owner of the copyright to decide when the books should be made public; this is the same for musicians and filmmakers. Just because someone buys a book or movie or song, or gets a download off the Internet, doesn't mean that they own the right to reproduce and distribute it. Unfortunately, with the Internet, it is easy for people to obtain and share items that do not legally belong to them. No matter how this is done, it is still dishonest. This has been a very upsetting experience for me, but I hope it will at least leave my fans with a better understanding of copyright and the importance of artistic control.

So where does this leave Midnight Sun? My first feeling was that there was no way to continue. Writing isn't like math; in math, two plus two always equals four no matter what your mood is like. With writing, the way you feel changes everything. If I tried to write Midnight Sun now, in my current frame of mind, James would probably win and all the Cullens would die, which wouldn't dovetail too well with the original story. In any case, I feel too sad about what has happened to continue working on Midnight Sun, and so it is on hold indefinitely.

I'd rather my fans not read this version of Midnight Sun. It was only an incomplete draft; the writing is messy and flawed and full of mistakes. But how do I comment on this violation without driving more people to look for the illegal posting? It has taken me a while to decide how and if I could respond. But to end the confusion, I've decided to make the draft available here (at the end of this message on the Midnight Sun page). This way, my readers don't have to feel they have to make a sacrifice to stay honest. I hope this fragment gives you further insight into Edward's head and adds a new dimension to the Twilight story. That's what inspired me to write it in the first place.
I do want to take a moment and thank the wonderful fans who have been so supportive of me over the past three years. I cannot begin to tell you how much each of you means to me. I only hope this note will stop all the confusion and online speculation so that the Twilight universe can once again become the happy escape it used to be. After this incredibly busy year, I am now focusing on spending more time with my family and working on some other writing projects.

--Stephenie

Source: Sea Cost Online Site
Link: http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080829/E...
Gina Carbone
By Gina Carbone
gcarbone@seacoastonline.com
August 29, 2008 9:17 PM

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