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George RR Martin never had full creative control over ‘Game of Thrones’. Other authors have learned their lesson

April 18, 2026 by usatoday24

“This is no longer my story” is probably the worst phrase a writer can say, and it is supposed that came not long ago from the mouth of George R.R. Martinmore or less coinciding with the avalanche of audiovisual adaptations of its ‘Game of Thrones’ universe. There is the eternal question of whether the author himself is the best director or showrunner in the screen adaptation of his work, and it will depend a lot on what “author” and what “work”. What is clear is that the shining stars of the publishing market do not want to make the “Martin mistake”: seeing how your world is transformed by others without control or your own voice. Feeling that the story you saw being born no longer belongs to you must be one of the worst experiences for a creator. And given the continuous boom in news of adaptations that have been working deadline at a frenetic pace, names like Brandon Sanderson or Sarah J. Maas are clear that they are not interested in following the path of the eternal debtor of ‘Winds of Winter’. The Martin case As long as you are interested in content, interviews and news about the adaptations of ‘Game of Thrones’, it is easy to come across statements by George RR Martin about his discontentand even something more painful, assuming distance with its own adaptations. At the beginning of the ‘Game of Thrones’ project, his involvement was greater and his role was much more decisive. Although the showrunners main ones were always Benioff and Weissand creative control fell to them, Martin participated as executive producer, occasional screenwriter and advisor. However, starting in season five his role was diluted, and with it his closeness to the direction of the series. Benioff and Weiss, despite having some clues about the outcome, it is true that they had a difficult task to say the least: finish a story that not even its creator had already finished at that time. It is not surprising that given the path that the controversial closureMartin got off the wagon and acknowledged in numerous interviews that his ending was not going to have anything to do with that of the series. Arrive when you arrive. It came out so-so. With this experience, let’s call it bittersweet, one would expect Martin to be more cautious with future adaptations… But not. In ‘The House of the Dragon’ he appears again as co-creator and executive producer and, once again, at first everything seemed to flow normally in the first season. At least until again different points of view with the showrunner of the series, Ryan Condal, once again create creative tensions. The friction already exists, to the point that HBO asked Martin to take a step back from the project. Months later the author would return to production. “George and Ryan had a disagreement about the direction season three should take. At that point, it became clear that the process and communication with them had broken down and we needed to start from scratch. So, naturally, there was a period where we all took a step back for a while until we could find a new way to move forward.” HBO insider And now we have ‘The Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’again with George RR Martin as producer and with active involvement. Everything seems to be going well with this new adaptation, but the first season has just finished and experience teaches us that problems begin to appear after the second, so we still don’t know what direction it may take. Others will not make concessions Even so, one cannot put all the responsibility on him or treat this fact as an isolated case. Without focusing on other disciplines where rights and authorship are also a minefield, in the publishing world the relationship between authors and adaptation rights is always they have been complicated. Just look what happened to Tolkien’s work; a real legal tangle with rights fragmented for decades, limitations of creative control of Tolkien and heirs, while different companies managed books, merchandising or characters. What ultimately resonates is that even having the rights doesn’t guarantee real creative control either. The impact that certain decisions or a controversial ending can generate directly affect your work, fandomto your reputation and, why not say it, also to your ego. Therefore, the emphasis that a few months ago is not so crazy Taylor Swift having recovered the rights to all his music; We’re not just talking about the albums, but about the visuals, creative direction, music videos… and in literature it’s a bit the same, it’s fighting to have control over everything that your creation entails. It’s normal that Sanderson doesn’t want to get his fingers caught. When an author signs with a studio to adapt their work, a sale of rights occurs to transfer the production of the series or film, temporarily or permanently. Here comes an important point: these rights can be exploitative (including books, possible spin-offs, merchandisingvideo games) or they can be separate rights where the production company or studio does not have full ownership. Now, taking into account the stumbles of other writers with this type of agreement, the essential thing for this new generation, even if the transfer of rights occurs, is to negotiate creative control clauses. This is where Sanderson He led the way a few months ago. After years of trying that did not bear fruit, the author of Cosmere is now taking advantage of his editorial power and his legion of followers to take the reins of the adaptation of his work on Apple TV. He will be the architect of the universe; He will be in charge of writing, producing, advising and will also have decision-making power. That is a level of involvement that not even JK Rowling or Martin enjoy. “I flew to Hollywood and pitched my projects to all the major streaming platforms and studios. Basically, everyone tried to bid on ‘Mistborn’ and ‘The Stormlight’. In the end, … Read more

The genre Superventas, analyzed by its best Spanish authors

September 29, 2025 by usatoday24

The talk about Romantas and Comic-with He did not put the crowds early at six in the morning (although, like all, he filled in his room), but he did bring several tens of readers and readers who came to listen to the interesting reflections of a trio of outstanding authors of the genre. A good symbol of what the genre of the Romantasy: It does not occupy holders, it is not the convention center of conventions like this, but Sell thousands and thousands of copies outside the media radar, captivating along the way more and more followers. In the Comic-with Malaga We had the opportunity to attend a talk with three of the most important authors of the genre in Spain: the very young Lucia Cerezo, author of the saga ‘Phoenix and Dragon’, and the most experienced parente and Selene Pascual, authors of about twenty works such as ‘paper petals’ or the series ‘Time Keeper’, almost all of fantasy but not all strictly all strictly. Together they raised a somewhat demystifying approach to the genre. Iria makes it clear when he appears: “We have been writing fantasy, fiction and romance and sometimes, why not? Mixing all those subgenres.” And he adds: “When we started publishing, we already wrote fantasy with his romance touches. When we were more girls and we were fans of ‘Memories of Idhun’, nobody described him as Romantasy, but clearly If ‘Idhun memories’ was published today, what would it be called? Romantasy. “ With this, they make it clear that the mixture in “more or less balanced” parts of fantasy and romance, as it was agreed to define Romantasy in the start of the talk, is a label that defines a style, but that has always existed. “The themes have not changed, but the way the themes are being appointed,” says Selene. But he also recognizes that tastes are transforming: “Yes, it is true that there has been a boom of a type of fantasy that puts romance in the center of the plot, now today it looks more than the romance carries the plot and that the romance eats the fantasy a bit.” I would be parente It tracks the origin of the term and awarded a completely industrial origin: “It is a label that is born from the publishers, from Bloomsbury, which is the one who published Sarah J. Maas.” Commercial maneuver or not, all agree that this new genre has managed to vibrate at a frequency that many readers were looking for. Iria and Selene summarize it with their own experience: “Our book that fits the most in the Romantas and is ‘Papelos de Papel’, a story in which the romance prevails about the rest, of a girl and a boy who live in different worlds and that communicate through a book. It was a bit of the allegory of what we have ever dreamed of when we take a book and think that we would like to be part of him.” They are also aware of the importance that networks have had in the dissemination of the term. Selene says that “following the pandemic, people were at home without knowing what to do, and decided to talk about books with people who liked the same genres. The ‘Romantasy’ began to be used, and it grew until they acquired their own category.” However, the networks have a darker side, and it puts the Spanish authors in the background. According to parente, “the books in English Many times they come with marketing already done. Because when you see a new book in stores, you say, ‘Buah, I have seen it and have recommended it 7000 times in Tiktok and I have left 7000 videos, I’m going to buy it.’ “ The problem of labels, they recognize, is that “fashions change from time to time”, and the categories can also be a trap: Selene states that it has noticed a certain tendency to “Tropification, that is, I have to add three certain tropes to my book or if it will not be sold. “The genres have always used clichés, but there are many who” seem now to be mandatory. If the girl does not put the dagger on the boy’s neck, it’s wrong. If it is not a enemy to loverswe are not interested “, and that can be more a restriction than a welcome novelty. But all are very clear about what the attractiveness of this genre is supervent. Lucia states that “many readers seek evasion, and Romantas and gives you this, a fantasy world, a love story that, if you want, allows you to read and evade. But also, if you prefer, you can make a deeper reading, you will usually have a political background, something that speaks to you of the real world and everything that is happening and that somehow gives you hope.” And there they give in the nail: “I think that Romantas and also has this basis of hope, that you can have a better world, and somehow people want that.” And Romantas and gives it, beyond labels. In Xataka | Brandon Sanderson’s fantastic emporium works thanks to 70 people who help him put order in his books

Some substack authors already invoice more than complete writings. The company has found its moment

June 19, 2025 by usatoday24

Substock is in conversations to lift between 50 and 100 million dollars in a new financing round, with an assessment greater than the 700 million it reached in its last round, according to Eric Newcomerwho quotes his own sources the silence of replacement in this regard. Why is it important. The company has found the perfect moment: Trump’s return has triggered interest in Newsletters policies. Its mobile application is promoting payment subscriptions. With 500,000 creators on the platform, some already generate more income than entire traditional media. Two years ago There were already two doctors generating at least half a million a year. “At least”. It is the symbol of a trend of this decade: the permanent crisis of the media against author’s journalism, focused on a name and not on the brand of a large group. In figures. Substack stays with 10% of payments to writers. The total volume of subscriptions moves around 450 million dollars. 45 million, therefore, are the income of the platform. The context. We are seeing the rise of a new wave of independent journalists who have found an escape route to traditional media. In Spain the phenomenon is being several magnitudes lower than that of the United States, but there are prominent creators: Most are authors who seek independence to tell their stories or parallel projects rather than a replacement for their job. The panoramic. What started as a modern tool for Newsletters It has become a network of independent creators that competes with traditional media. Substack does two things: It offers journalists (and not journalists) with their own audience the opportunity to directly monetize their work leaving their media. Then paquetizes all that network of creators as a network with shared infrastructure. First fragment, then package. Yes, but. The model has its risks. The Newsletter Subtack average loses 50% of payment subscribers each year. To earn 50,000 dollars annually-an American average-moderate salary-charging $ 8 per month, a writer needs 900 payment subscribers. And also, add 31 a month to compensate for those who will leave. That constant pressure to create quality content (the one expected of someone in substitution who charges a subscription), often without more tools than the creator’s own mind, is also a risk to the Burnout. The model. And associated with these risks, there is the long -tailed model that prevails in substack. As in Onlyfansbut for different reasons, the economy of attention is reproduced: A few creators accumulate most income. A few live reasonably well. A huge mass gains symbolic amounts that need to complement to reach the end of the month. The Mehdi Hasan and Bari Weiss of the ecosystem generate hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Or millions. Niche creators with very faithful audiences can get between $ 50,000 and $ 200,000 a year. The vast majority stay with residual income, insufficient to dedicate full time. The backdrop. The migration to substock is no coincidence. Traditional media have cut templates for a decade while advertising income migrated to Google and Facebook. Between 2008 and 2020, United States lost more than 1,800 local newspapers In addition to usual cuts, rounds of layoffs, frozen hiring, etc. At the same time, star journalists discovered that their names had more value than headers. Matt Taibbi left Rolling StoneGlenn Greenwald left The interceptCasey Newton left The Verge. Everyone found in substitute not only more money, but total editorial independence. At stake. Substack is not alone in this race. Beehiiv, Kit and Ghost They compete for the same market, but with SAAS models that charge fixed monthly payments instead of 10% of substitution commission. Substack’s advantage is their discovery network: readers find new authors through recommendations. But if the big names migrate looking for better economic conditions, that network weakens. It is the paradox of all platforms: you need stars to attract talent, but the stars are the first to leave when alternatives appear. In Xataka | On an internet of social networks and fast content, an old forum resists against wind and tide: hacker news Outstanding image | Replaceck

For 15 years a strange circle under an island in Japan was an enigma. The author’s identity was a surprise

February 23, 2025 by usatoday24

If we go to the dictionary to be exact with the term, the verb “courtej” accompanies the following definition: try to get the love or favors of someone flattering him and looking for his company. Therefore, the finding that took place several decades ago was so surprising. Normally, when we talk about courting WE THINK HUMAN KEY. However, in the animal kingdom they exceed everything seen in our species when it comes to claim the attention of the other. The enigma of the circles. In 1995, a group of divers who were exploring the waters near Amami ōshima, Japan, Japan, They discovered strange circular formations In the seabed. It was surprising, since those structures were symmetric, with radial spikes and valleys, and with such a prominent geometric perfection that it aroused all kinds of speculation about their origin: were they facing a human creation, or was it due to some kind of unknown natural phenomenon , or maybe an unusual organism? The years passed, and it was not until 2011 that A team of scientists managed to solve the mystery. Not just that. They managed to “catch” the suspect repeating the lavish scene. To the surprise of the researchers, the protagonist was A tiny torquigener albomaculosusa small kind of balloon fish that, with a size of just 12 centimeters, seemed to be able to sculpt structures 16 times larger than their own body with a very specific purpose: seduce a couple for reproduction. The art of courtship under the sea. The year of the finding, the scientists recorded the process of creating these circles in the seabed, observing up to 10 reproductive events in two study areas. Each structure took between seven and nine days to complete and required extreme precision. The male balloon fish used its pectoral, anal and flows fins to dig and model the sand in a perfect radial pattern, alternating between rapid and strategic pauses movements To give texture to the formations. In addition, he decorated the peaks of his work with decorative elements such as shells and coral fragments, while the center of the circle was completely clear as we see in the images. Only when these final details were ready, The females began to approach to evaluate the design of the “artist”. The mating ritual. At this point, when a female was interested in the structure, The male stirred the fine sand of the center to attract his attention. If she decided to enter the circle, the male withdrew momentarily before swimming quickly towards her in a repetitive courtship dance. If the female was impressed, she put her eggs in the center of the circlemaking it a temporary nest. If that was already fascinating, shortly after it was revealed that the impressive structures were never reused, they were of only one use. After reproduction, males leave their creation and begin a new one from scratch, since the process of sculpting the circle consumes most of the finest and most adequate sand for reproduction. This apotheosic nest construction ritual, documented years later In the Big Pacific series of BBC Earth/PBS and narrated by Sir David AttenboroughHe has amazed biologists and spectators since then. Ephemeral art. No doubt, the complex work of the balloon fish is One of the most fascinating exhibitions of the animal kingdomcomparable to the elaborate dances of mating of birds or the constructions of some mammals. However, what makes these structures unique is that these are true underwater works of art, carefully designed and molded with geometric precision. In addition, its discovery also offered a new perspective on the evolution of courtship in vertebrates. Although humans tend to think about art and architecture as exclusively ours capacities, these seabl , all that, and surely something else, in the extraordinary work of a tiny creature. Image | H KAWASE et al (2017) FISHES, CC by 4.0 In Xataka | What science tells us about when a romantic relationship will be a success or complete failure In Xataka | We have lost track of one of the few mammals that put eggs. Now we have rediscovered it

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