# What's Tom Clancy doing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887 "2008-10-14T15:59:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/1 "2008-10-14T15:59:35Z")
He used to write a new novel every couple of years. But he hasn’t released anything since _The Teeth of the Tiger_ in 2003. Did he decide to switch over to projects like his non-fiction and “apostrophe” series? Did he get upset over the complaints that his writing has declined? Did he just decide to cash out and retire? ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/2 "2008-10-14T16:10:43Z")
Yeah, I’ve been wondering about him too. So I’m subscribing to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/3 "2008-10-14T16:12:58Z")
Was Jack Ryan assumed bodily into heaven in his last novel (about the only thing Ryan didn’t accomplish in his career)? Clancy may have written himself into a corner there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/4 "2008-10-14T16:17:54Z")
-shooting guns -driving his Sherman tank -rolling in piles of cash But seriously: I didn’t really like Teeth of the Tiger, but the ending pretty much implied a sequel was coming, so I’ve wondered the same thing. One of the board members here was a writer for the Tom Clancy videogames, so maybe he knows something. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/5 "2008-10-14T16:34:50Z")
Wikipedia lists is “Writing period” as 1984-2003, but doesn’t explain why it’s over. Apparently, he’s part owner of the Orioles, though. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/6 "2008-10-14T16:56:47Z")
He’s #4 on Forbes’ top 10 biggest earning authors with $33 million last year. A portion of his income comes from all the Tom Clancy-branded games that come out every year. I’m assuming “standing in line at soup kitchens” isn’t taking up much of his time. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/7 "2008-10-14T18:21:23Z")
> [@riker1384](#): > > One of the board members here was a writer for the Tom Clancy videogames, so maybe he knows something. I left Red Storm back in 2002, so I have no idea what he’s up to these days. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/8 "2008-10-14T22:17:19Z")
In my opinion he really went down hill, I did not like anything after **Without Remorse**. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/9 "2008-10-14T22:28:09Z")
IIRC, in a divorce settlement, his ex- got (half?) of all Jack Ryan novels. As a result TC will almost certainly not write another such novel. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2008, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/10 "2008-10-14T23:01:25Z")
\*\* The bear and the Dragon \*\* is when I decided to leave Tom Clancey. Wow that was a steaming pile. I just think that he knew that he hit his peak long ago and it is time to move on. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/11 "2008-10-15T02:39:51Z")
> [@](#): > > IIRC, in a divorce settlement, his ex- got (half?) of all Jack Ryan novels. As a result TC will almost certainly not write another such novel. Checking into this, you may have it. Apparently it’s not just the Jack Ryan novels; his ex-wife gets half of all the work he does. And while they seperated in 1996 and divorced in 1998, the settlement was not made until 2005, which is right around the time Clancy stopped writing. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/12 "2008-10-15T03:14:14Z")
He’s cruising the ocean on his custom-built, harpoon missile equipped, catamaran cruiser, stopping only to rescue oil tankers from foreign pirates and to provide hand to hand combat training to impoverished local villages threatened by corrupt millitary dictatorships. What? This idea comforts me. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/13 "2008-10-15T11:26:10Z")
> [@DeadlyAccurate](#): > > He’s #4 on Forbes’ top 10 biggest earning authors with $33 million last year. A portion of his income comes from all the Tom Clancy-branded games that come out every year. Actually, Ubisoft paid him some ungodly sum for the rights to his name, so it’s not a steady paycheck anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/14 "2008-10-15T12:15:14Z")
Still, in the Great Scheme of Things, writers, even popular ones, don’t get paid jack. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/15 "2008-10-15T12:26:41Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Still, in the Great Scheme of Things, writers, even popular ones, don’t get paid jack. I’ve read the real money is when Film Rights and Video Game Licences kick in, FWIW. That might explain why many novels now almost read like they’re being pitched to a producer or at least someone who can say “Hey, wouldn’t this make an awesome movie/game?”… ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2008, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-tom-clancy-doing/467887/16 "2008-10-15T13:09:49Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Still, in the Great Scheme of Things, writers, even popular ones, don’t get paid jack. Tom Clancy made $30 million off the video game rights to his name alone. Jack left town a long time ago.