A couple weeks back, a copy of The Frodo Franchise by Kristin Thompson arrived in the mail. In it, Kristin describes how The Lord of the Rings went from literary classic to licensing powerhouse. For this, she interviewed 76 people, including me in my capacity as one of the developers of Decipher’s The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game.
If you’re interested in the big business behind turning books into blockbusters–using Tolkien’s especially winding road as the example–be sure to pick this up. My contribution only amounts to less than two pages in the 332 pages of actual text, so it’s not a personal plug. I haven’t had time to read much of it yet, but what I’ve seen so far intrigues me, and I’m looking forward to devouring the rest.
