“Phasma” Author Delilah S. Dawson Talks Writing for “Star Wars” and Other Major Franchises: “Some work does not come with royalties”

Star Wars is a massive franchise with many spin-off works, some of which are canon and others are not. Regardless of their status, all of these works must follow certain rules when it comes to publishing, especially the books.

Authors working on Star Wars projects sometimes have a lot of creative freedom, but other times, they’re just hired to write within strict guidelines. Recently, author Delilah S. Dawson shared a detailed post about her experience writing for large franchises.

While many might think that working on a big franchise offers the best conditions, her story reveals that it’s not always the case.

Star Wars fans will recognize Delilah S. Dawson as the author of several Star Wars tie-in books, such as Star Wars: Phasma, Galaxy’s Edge: Black Spire, and the short story “Star Wars: The Perfect Weapon.”

However, she has also worked on other major franchises, gaining extensive experience in the industry. So when someone asked her whether it’s worth working for big franchises, she shared her thoughts on her BlueSky profile:

Okay, a thread on writing IP! That means intellectual property, and it’s writing in someone else’s world. First of all, here’s a thread I wrote on how to go about getting IP jobs: www.whimsydark.com/blog/2020/8/… But to answer the questions posted here…

1. The amount of freedom in writing for a particular IP depends on the franchise holder. An active IP with tight lore will generally have less freedom, while something older often has more. There’s plenty of freedom in the storytelling, but the characters + worldbuilding can’t deviate from the lore.

2. In my experience, Star Wars, Firefly, D&D, and Disney are very particular with their lore, as they should be! I had more freedom with Minecraft, The X-Files, Adventure Time, Rick & Morty, and starting a new era of Spider-Man with Miles and Gwen.

3. The pay depends on the IP + how vicious your agent is, plus how established you are. Writing IP is a very specific niche. Not all writers will enjoy it/are cut out for it. You have to be able to write 120k words in about 45 days and then be cool about major edits–and turn them around in a week.

4. That’s why writing IP isn’t based on who loves the franchise more– it’s who loves it, understands it, and can fit its voice and style while working extremely quickly. And then you have to have a tough skin, because it’s gonna big a big edit letter and 7 people in the comments, correcting you.

5. The biggest intangible benefit is getting to contribute to a world you truly love. The first time I named a planet in Star Wars, I got very emotional. You get to contribute to lore, connect with other fans, and maybe even impress your kids/family, always a rare treat. It’s a dream job!

6. One thing to be aware of in IP is that some IP work does not come with royalties. Meaning, if you sell 1,000,000 copies, you won’t see a dollar more than your original fee. You’re a contract worker. They could make a shot-for-shot movie of Phasma, and I would get $0. Read your contracts!

7. But! You get a lot of exposure to new readers. If you’re writing for a bigger franchise, you might hit the NYT list, which is a title you can keep forever. There may be more chances to travel– to comicons, book festivals, or franchise-related sites. I was at the Galaxy’s Edge openings at Disney!

While Dawson hasn’t been overly critical of the working conditions, they are often less than ideal. From tight deadlines and demanding editors to less-than-great financial rewards, the situation isn’t terrible, but it’s far from perfect. The biggest benefits are exposure and some income, but regular authors not working with major franchises often earn more than those involved in big franchises.

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