One thing I get asked about a fair bit is the process of writing for IP, specifically writing my Arcane novel, Ambessa: Chosen of the Wolf. People often speculate on the validity of my IP work, where it fits in canon, etc., so I thought I would demystify some of that.
This is my experience and while there are similarities among other authors writing IP (Delilah S. Dawson, Chuck Wendig), experiences vary based on the IP company, the medium, and even the publishing house (Ambessa came out with Orbit, which is also the publisher of my Magic of the Lost trilogy). I’ve also written for other IP that’s less well-known, things for stories that may never come out—I simply have no idea. It’s a lot like working on video games or tv shows these days: you put your work into the project, but someone else is in charge of the bigger picture, and they may even decide to scrap the whole thing. (Which sucks, so all of my artists and animators, you have my deepest empathy.)
There are plenty of people who will tell you how to get this sort of gig, so I won’t rehash all of that—see Delilah’s post, or even literary agent Eric Smith’s advice.
No, I lied—I’ll reiterate one thing: do good work and be enthusiastic about the things you love in public.
Okay, the actual process for me.