Tuckerization

File:Anorankh 1.jpg

The "anorankh" earrings that immortalised Colette Reap in the Discworld novels.

Tuckerization is the accepted name for the process, not only in Discworld novels, by which people buy a chance to be written into novels as minor characters in return for a suitable donation to charity.

Sometimes this involves no money changing hands – Hodgesaargh the Lancre castle falconer is based on Dave Hodges, the man Terry used for research on falconry, and the seamstress Colette who appears in Maskerade is a tribute to a fan who appealed to Terry because of her infeasibly large and different earrings. "Fascinatin'", you might say.

Beneficiaries in the Discworld canon include:

• Colette, after Colette Reap
• Dr Follett, after author Kenneth Follett
• Hodgesaargh, after falconer Dave Hodges
• Marco Soto, after games editor, artist and writer Marco Soto

External links

• TV Tropes, for a fuller definition, history of the practice, and lots of examples.
• Product Placement, article written by David Langford in 2006 for SFX magazine.