Friday, August 29, 2008

Midnight Sun now available legally on the internet

This was posted by Stephenie Meyer on her website yesterday....

"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

5 comments:

Tara D. said...

Whoa! I guess there's no more Midnight Sun, then. I'm so sad. I wonder who it was that leaked it?? I do have to admit though, I understand her feelings on it. I feel bad that this had to happen, to her and all of us who looked forward to reading it.

Patty said...

Gosh, I sure hope she changes her mind. I read what she has written and it is really good. Maybe time will make things better. I will have my fingers crossed!

Anonymous said...

I really, really hope that time will heal some of her wounds and know how much her fans really want her to do this. I did read some of what was posted and it is so good!

Cindy said...

I definitely feel for her and completely understand why she is so upset, but I, too, hope that time will heal her wounds.

Hopefully she'll take this time off to spend with her family and then, after the initial sting and hurt is diminished, she'll finish writing Midnight Sun.

I realize that she is the creator/writer of Twilight, but it has become such a part of my life that I would be overhelmingly disappointed if she did not eventually finish it, as was promised. If she doesn't want to give us anything more after that, I totally understand.

I thank Stephenie for bringing her dream to life and for all the sacrifices she's had to make to be able to do that, but I truly hope that she will remember her MANY, MANY DEVOTED FANS and will allow us to continue to share with her Edward's point of view throughout the remainder of Midnight Sun!!

ACDC2005 said...

I feel so bad for Stephanie for having this stolen, but I read it the day she posted it up there and I have to say, it's wonderful. I hope after the initial shock she will change her mind and start to finish, even if she does it secretly...I hope she does all 4 like this though! Great stuff!!