I just responded to a post to LM_NET in which a writer was asking if product placement is now finding its greedy way into novels as well as tv shows, movies, etc. The answer is YES and it seems a number of authors of current fiction are picking up a little extra on the side. I Googled for product placement and novels and got a number of hits including this article:
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7BC7B959C1-C8AC-4C0F-AAFA-F38FDD66CEE6%7D&siteid=google&dist=
I understand that an author may put some product details in a book for time/setting/authenticity but c'mon people, we know what is gratuitous.
Sheesh! It upset me so much I had to get a Kleenex to wipe away my tears and grab a few swigs of Diet Coke to get the strength to write this! I may need some Ambien to sleep tonight!
Seriously, the worst epithet my mother could hurl was: THAT'S JUST TACKY. And this, friends, is very, very tacky.
Wow! That makes me pretty angry as well, and I agree it's in VERY poor taste! Now I want to go look through my YA novels to see how much of this is happening. I haven't checked, but a couple of series books for girls come to mind...with brand names, anyway. It saddens me to think of authors selling their characters out...
ReplyDelete