Incidentally, Star Wars is the only book I’ve ever written that doesn’t have my name on the cover. One is that a surprising number of people have good ideas, but no knowledge of how to expand them into a story, much less a full-length novel.Īnd when you’re ghost writing and don’t receive a writing credit, is that dispiriting in any way? George Lucas gets a pass…Īs to why other people use ghostwriters, there are many reasons. To the point where he was content to delegate certain related projects in order to preserve his sanity. As to why he sought out a ghostwriter, I think he was kinda busy at the time with this film he was making. It was his creation, his baby, and I had no problem with the credits. Why is that? Why do people choose to use a ghostwriter? As you know, it was credited solely to George Lucas. When I was young, I had what I suspect was the world’s most-thumbed, dogeared, beaten up copy of the Star Wars novelisation. Subsequent to which, I found myself in demand for such work by other publishers. Judy-Lynn del Rey, the editor at then Ballantine Books SF line, asked me to do a number of such projects. So how did you get to where you are? How did you come to be playing in other people’s sandboxes? That’s a useful analogy I’ve not heard it better used.

After all, I’m playing in somebody else’s sandbox. At the same time, I strive to be as true as possible to the screenwriters’ vision. I hope to provide more of what the reader wanted from the film. I get to expand on the story, the action, and – particularly – what the characters are thinking. What I do with novelisations is get to make my own director’s cut.

Prolific author Alan Dean Foster discusses cinematic IP, ghostwriting and his latest work.Īlan Dean Foster, welcome! You don’t always get the credit you deserve, but you – to my mind at least – are king of the novelisation! In your own words, though, how do you describe what you do?įunny… That’s what Tarantino said on Colbert’s show when Colbert mentioned my work.

Alien by alan dean foster