# V. C. Andrews, What's up with her books? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 1999, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-c-andrews-whats-up-with-her-books/5562 "1999-12-24T05:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-c-andrews-whats-up-with-her-books/5562/1 "1999-12-24T05:01:00Z")
She died in 1986 yet I see new books every month coming out in her name… Do they have a sweatshop somewhere turning out books she “wrote”? Why would they do this? Not a fan of hers…just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-c-andrews-whats-up-with-her-books/5562/2 "1999-12-24T05:09:00Z")
I was told by a friend who managed a WaldenBook that when VCA died they used a writer willing to work from notes and outlines. There is a distinct difference in the writing when the original VCA died. PS I was also told that VCA was a man, not a woman - hence the use of initials. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-c-andrews-whats-up-with-her-books/5562/3 "1999-12-24T15:50:00Z")
I think the “ghost” writer is Andrew Niederman. ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 1999, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-c-andrews-whats-up-with-her-books/5562/4 "1999-12-24T20:44:00Z")
In England, she was published as “Virginia Andrews,” and, from all accounts I know of, was indeed a woman. I’m not certain whether that was the author’s given name or a pseudonym; I blieve it was her real name. The books written since her death were indeed (obviously) by another hand, and I understand that it’s an open secret in publishing that their author is the chap listed above (although I can’t vouch for the spelling, which is one reason why I don’t repeat it). AFAIK, the post-mortem books have a by-line of V.C. Andrews ® [hey, is there any registry-symbol UBB code?], but even the earlier works may now have the registry symbol on the cover. Similarly, in the UK there was a bit of a legal kerfuffle (I believe someone sued the publisher on grounds of false advertising), and the books now appear under the by-line of “The New Virginia Andrews ®.” As to what’s up with her books, well, you see, there’s this nice teenage girl, our heroine, and _all sorts_ of nasty things happen to her… * * * …but when you get blue, and you’ve lost all your dreams, there’s nothing like a campfire and a can of beans! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 1999, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-c-andrews-whats-up-with-her-books/5562/5 "1999-12-25T01:45:00Z")
Yes. V.C. Andrews (I’ve never seen her name as anything other than Virginia) wrote the early books in the series. After her death, a writer was hired to continue from her outlines. By now, the ghostwriter (or writers) are on their own. The books don’t make a secret of this – some of the later ones talk about how they hired someone (unnamed) to continue Virginia’s work. They also trademarked V.C. Andrews, and reprints of the earlier works carry the trademark sign. * * * “East is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.” – Marx Read “Sundials” in the new issue of Aboriginal Science Fiction. [www.sff.net/people/rothman](http://www.sff.net/people/rothman) ---
**Author:** ![Narile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@Narile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Narile)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 1999, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/v-c-andrews-whats-up-with-her-books/5562/6 "1999-12-25T03:58:00Z")
Let me guess, V.C.Andrews was a pseudonym for L.R.Hubbard? 😛 * * * \>\>Being Chaotic Evil means never having to say your sorry…unless the other guy is bigger than you.\<\< —The dragon observes