I didn't like R.A. Salvatore's take on Drow; or his writing style. I wrote an entire book on Drow from the perspective solely of the Drow. I changed a few things because I wasn't sure how Wizards of the Coast would receive "fan fiction" and I thought I'd want to publish it sometime. It's fully edited but I haven't pursued traditional publishing and don't really have the energy for it - (Too busy stock trading).
Is there a way to present it; maybe here, or a blog? Suggestions?
I think my Drow story is very innovative and I'm not just saying that because I wrote it; I think it really flushes out the Drow race for roleplaying purposes.
For instance I hated the "clocktower" so I got rid of it. My version of Drow keep time by a certain type of spider that always weaves a certain type of web that has a certain number of sections.
When the sections are filled that is a "day" called a tyl.
The Drow wipes away the spider's web each day and lets it rebuild it; and this is how the Drow more or less keep track of time in their underworld far away from any son. They have no access to the outside world at the beginning of the story and haven't for quite some time.
Because the story is told through a Drow's perspective many concepts are alien to them, describing a "leaf" pendant was quite difficult, but I managed, since a Drow would have no memory of a leaf and no word for it. They don't know what a tree is, and etc.
It was an amazing experience to write it, I plan a sequel but I'm letting my mind figure that out on its own.
I also spent a lot of time avoiding "Mary Sue" for my female leads, since the society is Matriarchal but my two main characters are a Drow and Drowess, I really spent a lot of time working the female character into the story rather than giving her position, power and title. I was really proud of that work.
Feel free to ask more questions; I really don't know what to do with the novel now it's finished. It's about as long as the book "A Wizard of Earth Sea" or a little longer.
Yes, you can present your book on various platforms. You can create a blog, publish your writings on a website, or share them through social media. Additionally, you might consider publishing your book as an e-book or using one of the self-publishing platforms available.
But my biggest suggestion would be to open your own blog page or social media page and share the first part there, then move on to novel sites.
Is this story set in an identifiable D&D world and/or does it feature any named NPCs from a setting? If the answer to either is "yes", it would be a copyright violation to publish it as anything but a fanfic. And you don't want to get Hasbro's legal team coming after you.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Is this story set in an identifiable D&D world and/or does it feature any named NPCs from a setting? If the answer to either is "yes", it would be a copyright violation to publish it as anything but a fanfic. And you don't want to get Hasbro's legal team coming after you.
I hope you have created your own universe using only open SRD concepts. Otherwise, the above comment should scare you.
Is this story set in an identifiable D&D world and/or does it feature any named NPCs from a setting? If the answer to either is "yes", it would be a copyright violation to publish it as anything but a fanfic. And you don't want to get Hasbro's legal team coming after you.
I hope you have created your own universe using only open SRD concepts. Otherwise, the above comment should scare you.
It doesn't scare me at all; they just make a claim and you just go and arbitrate it. To the prior point though it's entirely set in its own world with just the generic "fantasy tropes" more or less, that includes Drow.
The worst outcome would be Hasbro sues and gets awarded roytalties, which means I have to actually have made money off it. Another outcome might be a cease and desist. None of it is a real concern. People often make big deals out of little things like law suits.
YouTubers making money on actual D&D content are more exposed to such problems than I would be for a book that is loosely based on it. And I wouldn't mind paying Hasbros or whoever still owns the book rights (Penguin publishers I imagine) for some D&D materials, it'd mean they adopt my story and it could even be marketed and etc. As "MeatCanyon" proved in a lawsuit by Warner Bros over Bugs Bunny.
It's a famous and hilarious lawsuit that Warner Bros blew off both their own feet; now it is Canonical fact that Bugs Bunny is a serial child rapist. Look up MeatCanyon's Bugs Bunny; the whole danged thing is a hilarious farce to show just how bad publicity is still good publicity. Anyway, just being chatty.
I like the idea of the blog route but haven't bothered yet; I actually have a blog on plasma physics, nuclear fusion and general mathematics. The Drow book hasn't been high on my priorities; sadly.
Is this story set in an identifiable D&D world and/or does it feature any named NPCs from a setting? If the answer to either is "yes", it would be a copyright violation to publish it as anything but a fanfic. And you don't want to get Hasbro's legal team coming after you.
I hope you have created your own universe using only open SRD concepts. Otherwise, the above comment should scare you.
It doesn't scare me at all; they just make a claim and you just go and arbitrate it. To the prior point though it's entirely set in its own world with just the generic "fantasy tropes" more or less, that includes Drow.
If that's the case, you're fine. There are dozens of fantasy novels already available on Smashwords and Amazon just like that.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Is this story set in an identifiable D&D world and/or does it feature any named NPCs from a setting? If the answer to either is "yes", it would be a copyright violation to publish it as anything but a fanfic. And you don't want to get Hasbro's legal team coming after you.
I hope you have created your own universe using only open SRD concepts. Otherwise, the above comment should scare you.
It doesn't scare me at all; they just make a claim and you just go and arbitrate it. To the prior point though it's entirely set in its own world with just the generic "fantasy tropes" more or less, that includes Drow.
If that's the case, you're fine. There are dozens of fantasy novels already available on Smashwords and Amazon just like that.
Nice; I'm just encouraged by the posts here so far. I already reached out to Penguin Books back in the day but didn't get a real solid answer. Like most "royalty" issues these things get muddy over the years. I'll see if I can ever find the energy to do something about it. A dedicated blog to my writings makes the most sense. At least that way I can put up some chapters and see if there's any reception.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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I didn't like R.A. Salvatore's take on Drow; or his writing style. I wrote an entire book on Drow from the perspective solely of the Drow. I changed a few things because I wasn't sure how Wizards of the Coast would receive "fan fiction" and I thought I'd want to publish it sometime. It's fully edited but I haven't pursued traditional publishing and don't really have the energy for it - (Too busy stock trading).
Is there a way to present it; maybe here, or a blog? Suggestions?
I think my Drow story is very innovative and I'm not just saying that because I wrote it; I think it really flushes out the Drow race for roleplaying purposes.
For instance I hated the "clocktower" so I got rid of it. My version of Drow keep time by a certain type of spider that always weaves a certain type of web that has a certain number of sections.
When the sections are filled that is a "day" called a tyl.
The Drow wipes away the spider's web each day and lets it rebuild it; and this is how the Drow more or less keep track of time in their underworld far away from any son. They have no access to the outside world at the beginning of the story and haven't for quite some time.
Because the story is told through a Drow's perspective many concepts are alien to them, describing a "leaf" pendant was quite difficult, but I managed, since a Drow would have no memory of a leaf and no word for it. They don't know what a tree is, and etc.
It was an amazing experience to write it, I plan a sequel but I'm letting my mind figure that out on its own.
I also spent a lot of time avoiding "Mary Sue" for my female leads, since the society is Matriarchal but my two main characters are a Drow and Drowess, I really spent a lot of time working the female character into the story rather than giving her position, power and title. I was really proud of that work.
Feel free to ask more questions; I really don't know what to do with the novel now it's finished. It's about as long as the book "A Wizard of Earth Sea" or a little longer.
Yes, you can present your book on various platforms. You can create a blog, publish your writings on a website, or share them through social media. Additionally, you might consider publishing your book as an e-book or using one of the self-publishing platforms available.
But my biggest suggestion would be to open your own blog page or social media page and share the first part there, then move on to novel sites.
Is this story set in an identifiable D&D world and/or does it feature any named NPCs from a setting? If the answer to either is "yes", it would be a copyright violation to publish it as anything but a fanfic. And you don't want to get Hasbro's legal team coming after you.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
I hope you have created your own universe using only open SRD concepts. Otherwise, the above comment should scare you.
It doesn't scare me at all; they just make a claim and you just go and arbitrate it. To the prior point though it's entirely set in its own world with just the generic "fantasy tropes" more or less, that includes Drow.
The worst outcome would be Hasbro sues and gets awarded roytalties, which means I have to actually have made money off it. Another outcome might be a cease and desist. None of it is a real concern. People often make big deals out of little things like law suits.
YouTubers making money on actual D&D content are more exposed to such problems than I would be for a book that is loosely based on it. And I wouldn't mind paying Hasbros or whoever still owns the book rights (Penguin publishers I imagine) for some D&D materials, it'd mean they adopt my story and it could even be marketed and etc. As "MeatCanyon" proved in a lawsuit by Warner Bros over Bugs Bunny.
It's a famous and hilarious lawsuit that Warner Bros blew off both their own feet; now it is Canonical fact that Bugs Bunny is a serial child rapist. Look up MeatCanyon's Bugs Bunny; the whole danged thing is a hilarious farce to show just how bad publicity is still good publicity. Anyway, just being chatty.
I like the idea of the blog route but haven't bothered yet; I actually have a blog on plasma physics, nuclear fusion and general mathematics. The Drow book hasn't been high on my priorities; sadly.
If that's the case, you're fine. There are dozens of fantasy novels already available on Smashwords and Amazon just like that.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
Nice; I'm just encouraged by the posts here so far. I already reached out to Penguin Books back in the day but didn't get a real solid answer. Like most "royalty" issues these things get muddy over the years. I'll see if I can ever find the energy to do something about it. A dedicated blog to my writings makes the most sense. At least that way I can put up some chapters and see if there's any reception.