Several months ago, we reported on a bizarre situation in the Disneyverse. Prolific science fiction author Alan Dean Foster was not getting paid royalties for his early Star Wars novels. Foster’s fight goes on and now more authors are getting involved.

Some of these books might not be canon anymore, but Foster filled in the gaps in our imaginations from the very start. Many of us remember digging through novelizations of the movies or the true first sequel to A New Hope, Splinter of the Mind’s Eye. For many years, we noble nerds read his novelizations of movies, ensuring they would get reprinted again and again.

Last year, Foster revealed that when Disney bought Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox, the media giant refused to honor the royalties agreements he made in the past. Foster fought back, as we reported, and the fight seems to be close to a conclusion.

For the past couple months, Foster posted on his personal website that the royalty issues were nearly at an end. On May 1st, he reported that all issues were resolved. We can expect some sort of statement from Disney in the coming weeks, it seems. Interesting that as Foster ramped up his public campaign for fair pay, Disney resolved the talks in a very private manner.

But not all is quiet! After the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) represented Foster, they figured other writers might have the same issue. They started a joint task force with multiple author associations and recruited some big names. Neil Gaiman, Tess Gerritsen, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Disney Star Wars writer Chuck Wendig head up the effort to push Disney and its subsidiaries to pay not only Alan Dean Foster, but other authors who now fall under the Disney umbrella.

According to the press release from the #DisneyMustPay Joint Task Force, they can best represent authors as they maintain current contact information and licensing information for all of the affected authors. The task force even created a simple application form, offering to seek resolution to issues outside the need for an agent or attorney. 

It is very interesting to see that Foster’s claim, while resolved, is building up steam to allow others the same opportunity. Legal claims around royalty rights are often messy, but it only seems right that Disney honors the agreements of the past. These authors helped to expand the universes of their properties! LucasFilm properties like Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Marvel properties, and creations like Buffy the Vampire Slayer are all in line. Some of your favorite stories were created by people who have not received a dime from Disney. 

Here’s hoping these authors get the same kind of response Alan Dean Foster has. Keep up with further updates at www.writersmustbepaid.org.

Picture from SFWA Website