A Personal Statement from Susan Matthews
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| Open Letter | |
|---|---|
| Title: | A Personal Statement from Susan Matthews |
| From: | Susan Matthews |
| Addressed To: | Star Wars fans |
| Date(s): | January 30, 1981 |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Star Wars |
| Topic: | Original Fiction, Filing Off The Serial Numbers |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
In January 1981, Susan Matthews announced that she was pulling her series of Star Wars fanzine stories, called Ragnarok, from publication in order to rework the stories into a science fiction format in an attempt to sell the collection as a professional sf novel. She finally sold the first book in The Jurisdiction universe in the late '90s, and now has a number of books published in the series.
Where Was the Letter Printed?
This open letter was printed in many zines, including:
- Interstat #41 (March 1981)
- Datazine #10 (February/April 1981)
- Hydrospanner Zero
- Universal Translator #8 (March/April 1981)
- Jundland Wastes (March or June 1981)
Text of the Open Letter
A PERSONAL STATEMENT FROM SUSAN MATTHEWS/ 30 January 1981 : For the past year I, Susan R. Matthews, have been trying to market the Ragnarok stories that originally appeared in a SW universe of fan fiction in a new and original universe of my own invention. With two novels finished and three in draft to date, my agent feels that I have a very good chance of selling the entire Cycle. This means that I am forced to immediately pull all fanfiction that treats of or refers to the Ragnarok and any character associated with the Ragnarok in order to protect my interests. The only exceptions I have made are with the zines that had already gone to press when I made this decision. Under no circumstances will any reprints of Ragnarok material be permitted. I ask everyone to please remember that Ragnarok, unlike ST and SW, is not yet "in the public domain," and that even the most innocent of infringements on the Ragnarok material and my copyrights may adversely affect my health and welfare. I ask that the editors I took manuscripts back from, the artists who had done illustrations for those manuscripts, and whoever might have been anticipating more Ragnarok-related material, to understand my motives and excuse the inconveniences I have put them to.