Alan Dean Foster Says Star Wars and Alien Movie Novelization Royalties Not Being Paid by Disney

~ Todd Russell

Whenever I read stories about big corporations not paying royalties, I’m reminded that these days self-publishing is an option to protect against this situation. Of course, Amazon or whatever bookseller could also choose to withold royalty payments leading to the same situation.

Anyway, who doesn’t despise reading stories about creative people being screwed? Or at least saying they’re being screwed and not getting paid outstanding royalties.

Alan Dean Foster, a science-fiction author of note, has written the likes of the novelisation of the Star Wars movie as well as a sequel, Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye before Empire Strikes Back was even on the blocks. He also wrote the novelisations of the Alien, Aliens and Alien 3 movies. The only thing is – that the royalties on all these books, which still continue to sell, have stopped. And he is directly blaming Disney.

Demands For Disney To Pay Alan Dean Foster Over Star Wars Increase

I don’t read many movie novels, but have actually read Alan Dean Foster’s take on Alien and also read Star Wars: Splinter Of The Mind’s Eye. Both were done well. I’m not a big fan of movie tie-in novels. I’d rather a movie be adapted from a novel like Doctor Sleep from Stephen King, but I see the value in these novelizations. Regardless, the authors should always be paid royalties.

Let’s hope this is just some accounting mistake at Disney. Pay the man his royalties.

Published by Todd Russell

I love reading, writing and watching scary, atmospheric horror and thrillers.

7 thoughts on “Alan Dean Foster Says Star Wars and Alien Movie Novelization Royalties Not Being Paid by Disney”

    1. DIsney definitely has cash flow problems right now, But I doubt the tiny slice of royalties due Mr. Foster, all due respect to him, should matter. I didn’t mention in the post but the guy has major health problems too. That just makes the situation worse. Disney needs to pay the man, post haste.

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      2. Alan Dean Foster is one of the best SF writers in the business, and I have his novelizations of Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek (2009), and – somewhere in a box – the one for Alien.

        He also wrote the story treatment for the proposed pilot to the 1970s’ Star Trek – Phase II series that Paramount was developing for its unsuccessful bid to launch a “fourth network” in 1977. Foster’s “In Thy Image” story treatment then became the basis for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

        (There’s a rumor that Foster ghost-wrote the novelization to that film, even though it bears Gene Roddenberry’s byline. That’s exactly what he did in 1976 when he adapted George Lucas’s fourth draft script for Star Wars. Knowing how egocentric Gene Roddenberry was, and considering that Star Trek’s creator was a prolific writer, I tend to believe that there’s no way the “Great Bird of the Galaxy” would have allowed anyone to ghostwrite a Star Trek book with his name on the cover.)

        Anyway, great post, Todd, and I hope that Disney pays Foster the royalties he is owed.

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      3. Foster also wrote the novelization of all the Star Trek The Animated Series episodes (that are being reviewed here every Saturday), some of which were turned into full novels. The guy is prolific, professional and whomever is responsible for the accounts payables needs to get the man’s royalties caught up ASAP.

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  2. Pingback: Alan Dean Foster Isn’t The Only Author Not Receiving Royalties from Disney says The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America – Movies, Movies, Movies

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