Science Fiction writer’s estate caught in lawsuit: Editor's commentary Last updated: 15.07.2008
Maciej Zaleski, Editor		Throughout the 14 years in which I have been running this website (including it's predecessor - my erstwhile personal site Aetheling's Grove), I have refrained from publishing my personal opinions. Just like you, I'm merely a fan of Andre Norton (with the exception that I have had a chance to meet the lady in person) and I knew that the reason you wish to visit this site is Her, not me. This time, however, I would like to break this rule.
Since the matter is vital to us as Andre's fans, I would like to encourage you to express your opinions and discuss this issue. Please see the new thread at the Andre Norton Message Board.		I have decided not to cover the legal dispute on this site - partially because of pure logistics (I am currently living in Germany, the dispute takes place in Tennessee), partially because of the nature of some of the events that I have heard of and which took place in the last years of Andre's life and which may perhaps have been covered during the lawsuit. As an afterthought, I now regret this decision, since, in my opinion, the fate of her books is a matter of public domain and not a private affair between the parties involved in the lawsuit. To the extent that I will be able to obtain the information, I will always publish it on this website. As it is, I would like to add my own commentary to some of the statements of the CNN article: 1) The legal dispute should be resolved as soon as possible. Because of the proceedings, no new Norton books can be published and, of course, no publisher can reprint old titles without a clear understanding who actually owns the copyrights to them. As a result, Andre's books have all but disappeared from bookstores - especially in Europe - to the detriment of all the fans. 2) Since Andre never had any children herself, not did she legally adopt one, it is her present and future fans, who should be considered in the first place. Any person who states (s)he cared about Andre and her works should be morally obliged to ensure two things: availability of her books in the market and constant marketing to ensure that future generations learn about her and her works. 3) The dispute is centered over the meaninig of the term "posthumous publications". If this term is meant to also include the re-prints of existing works, it would by definition mean the control over all published and unpublished works. In this case the attribute "posthumous" would be irrelevant (no influence on narrowing the scope of rights) and should not have been used. Therefore, the logical interpretation of the very addition of this term to the will, is that it means the publication of new, previously unpublished works by the author. By fighting to take control over the whole catalogue of works Mr.Horadam risks being accused of acting from financial motives - especially that he has stated no other major reasons for his actions, nor has he made any moves to avert such accusations (e.g. by ceding the rights to a separate trust fund with clear aims and a credible management board). This issue becomes an even more relevant in the light of Sue Stewart's revelation of how much unpublished material Andre has left! (I, for once, am especially looking forward to reading Andre's diaries - if they will ever become published.) 4) Now for the response to the most absurd part of the article: "The judge said [that Mr.] Horadam had greater appreciation for the literary works than the caretaker." Since both the article and Sue Stewart quote this part, I assume that this statement has really been uttered. As a management consultant, I can only respond to this statement in one way: With all the respect, WHAT A LOAD OF NONSENSE! As I mentioned above, the main job of the Norton Estate manager should be to ensure the availability of Norton books and adequate marketing world-wide to make sure people buy these books. This has NOTHING to do with the appreciation of her books! The FANS are there to do the appreciation, not the copyright owner. Moreover, the copyright owner does not even have to posess a huge business acumen. That's what literary agents and business people are for. The only reason for the copyright owner to have business know-how is to ensure that (s)he receives most of the profits and not the agents. But, as I mentioned before, as a fan I don't really care about this. Yours, Matt Zaleski, editor, andre-norton.org P.S. The opinions expressed in this article are expressly and alone mine and have not been consulted with any other party. P.P.S. Any parties involved in the dispute are of course welcome to have their views and opinions posted on this website. So far I have only been approached by Sue Stewart. Commentary by Matt Zaleski, the editor of andre-norton.org

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