Twilight Author Stephenie Meyer Delays Latest Book
When Patience Isn’t a Virtue, It Will Cost You
Hit writer Stephenie Meyer of the Twilight books has put off release of the upcoming fifth installment in the young adult series. The reason for the sudden halt? Someone close to her may have leaked a draft-version of the next book in the series: Midnight Sun.
Stephenie wrote on her website’s August 28th entry that her “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.” Stephanie adds that she thinks she knows how the leak happened, because very few trusted people had a copy of the drafts, and every draft contained subtle changes unique to each copy.
Reading that entry in her website really made me feel sorry for her. I fully know the trouble that can go into making something…the time and effort it takes, and the joy you get when it’s finished (and especially when others share that joy). When Stephanie said that:
“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 […] 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 […] 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 truly think that not only did they affect her, but her fans as well. Readers may not get to read the next book in the series which was slated to be the last. They will have to wait, hoping that the series does see a proper and final hurrah. She was nice enough though to provide a copy of the draft for her readers to enjoy, so they don’t have to suffer (but warns that it’s not the full direction she wanted nor the intended final state the book was intended to be in). I’ve provided the link to her website below where you can read the full August 28th entry, and the link she provides to Midnight Sun’s draft.
In just two years, Meyer, 34, has sold over 3 Million copies of her Twilight books…and that’s just in the U.S. Infact, the second book (Eclipse) dethroned fellow young adult hit Harry Potter for first-place on USA Today’s best-seller list.
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and what would be the fifth and final book: Midnight Sun, are about the dangerous relationship between a young girl Bella and vampire, Edward. Meyer also has another novel (The Host) aimed more for adults. The Film release of Twilight is slated for a December, 2008 release, you can see the trailer at the end of this post.
I haven’t had a chance to read any of her Twilight books yet, but they definitely have great connect-qualities that any reader, of any age, can get into…regardless of what genres you like. Although, not quite the type of book I read, I may just have to check this out. A couple of funny facts I found out about the author was that she got the main idea for Twilight from a dream she had, and although the genre is of the vampire and SCIFI/Horror genre, she’s never scene media-hits like Buffy or Angel…this should allow her to present a different point of view.
I’m curious, how would you guys feel after writing a book(s), someone takes that information and shares it with others without your permission or consent, and while it still is not finished?
Also, for those who have read *(or plane to read) any or all of the Twilight books, tell me how you think they are…I still have to read them myself.
DR Corner 
I was not expecting to enjoy the Twilight Series as much as I did, i must admit. Definitely not my normal fodder.
The reason I found them so engaging was because the author made Bella (the main character) very relatable, and not perfect, or able to do everything. She has been accused of being a Mary-Sue, but I did not find that the case.
The Vampires she creates certainly are a fresh take on an old genre. As well as other mythical creatures she introduces as the series goes on.
While the writing is not “great”, it’s certainly very engaging and great for some light reading.
Hey Portabella, thanks for chiming in,
I agree…one of the compelling things about her series seems to be the natural element they contain, as I noted somewhere else, Steph’ has created characters that are just like you me.
Yeah, her not being molded by prior media characteristics of this genre, has allowed her a unique POV for her books.
I’m intrigued as well to hear what others think on this.
I was inclined to dismiss these books as hype, but a good friend (one whose judgment in reading material I generally trust, because she’s well educated, a thinker) lent me her copy of Twilight last year and said I had to read it. Turns out Meyer is a fascinating storyteller. She’s created an engaging world and interesting characters. It’s so unfortunate that someone leaked her book. I can’t imagine what that would feel like.
she must be pissed. 😐
i’ve yet to read the twilight series, but i heard they’re gooood, save for the last one breaking dawn. some fans were reportedly so repulsed by the ending they wanted their money back, haha. but still. i wanna see (er, read) what it’s all about.
i think breaking dawn’s the final book in the series. midnight sun is pretty much a retelling of the the first book; it’s from the point of view of edward this time, not of ella’s as in twilight (the first book).
I can empathize with Meyer- I would be so embarrassed if a rough draft (full of errors and unreviewed content) hit the Internet for all to judge. Writing is personal, and final products take a LONG time to edit and revise- as a writer myself, my heart goes out to her.
What keeps Meyer’s fans so loyal and dedicated is the amazing vampire world she created- a love story is always going to be a popular, she made it UNIQUE (as we all know that love can be complicated). I think fans got so overwhelmed with Breaking Dawn because they are forgetting that time goes by and characters grow and evolve- things change! Twilight was all about a teenage crush. Breaking Dawn reached farther beyond that because it was already established that this was an unending love story- there was room for growth in other directions.
Sorry for the delayed responses, thanks to all who’ve commented and stopped in so far…I look forward to your future opinions, and take on things.
[re] Hey Trisha: thanks for chiming in. I felt the same way, and not only about this series of books, but Harry Potter too when it first came out. For one, I thought they were just some kids books and I wouldn’t be interested in them. After some friends and others kept referring to them, I though what-the-heck, let me give ’em a shot…what’s the worst that could happen.
I loved the Potter books after giving the first a chance, and that one of the main reasons I plan to give these a chance too. You’re right, from what I’ve read about Meyer (plus the little excerpt here and there), she’s good at getting the imagery across, and letting readers build the world in which the book takes place (much like Rowling did/does).
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[re] Hey jamfired: How’s it going? Thanks for stopping by. She sounds like a good person, who’s just your everyday family person. I agree it sucks that people would unintentionally screw her over like this. Didn’t know that about the rest of the series, thanks for the heads-up. A lot of good authors will always have readers/fans who are on either side of thee fence (remember, it’s the division that sells 😛 ).
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[re] Hey Kelly’: How are you? It’s probably akin to someone reading your email before you hit the send button, or for you ladies: a diary, either way a gross-violation of one’s thoughts had occurred.
You’re right, writing a book/story take a long time, and writing a series takes even longer as you build history, relationships, enemies, etc. within that world. When the next phase of that “universe” isn’t complete, and someone taps into it without you knowing it can alter your thought-process. Which is why I think Stephanie did the right thing for now, by shutting things down and letting her mind relax and ignore the current problem.
The uniqueness, I mentioned in my post about this, I think comes from her lack of media influence…she’s the one creating the folklore here, and not using stereotypes that prior outlets like Angel, Buffy, Bram Stoker, etc. may have generated…in a sense, a new face for an old cover. As for Breaking Dawn in particular, I can’t comment about that yet, since I haven’t gotten that far. 😛
I hear that that is a awesome book series but also very addictive! I have yet to go buy them but I guess I need to jump on the band wagon on this one! Aren’t they making it a movie or something I heard?
Hey justagirl’, thanks for stopping by and commenting. I look forward to future visits by you.
Yeah, I myself still have to put aside sometime to start reading them, but yeah it deals with the struggles that many people face (in this case it’s directed towards young-adults, but all types of people face these issues). It also focuses in my opinion on something very interesting: the conflict in a relationship brought on by prejudice.
And you’re right, there is a movie comming out based mostly on the book (that video I included at the end of the post is the Trailer for it).
I’m so sad that she isn’t going to finish Midnight Sun. I completely understand her frustration and disappointment though, I would still want to keep going. I read the 264 pages she allowed on her website, I wasn’t about to go digging. I just finished in fact. Now I’m really hating the person that ruined it for not only Stephanie but ALL of us. Even though I obviously know what happens in the end its even more intriguing to read Edwards version. Hmm. Really, really sucks.