Interesting Concept or Shameless Cash-in?

So, the first I heard of an author re-writing the same book, I didn’t think much of it, because all the books that I had seen ‘re-imagined’ in this way were done by non-original authors of famous classics…where the original author was long dead.  For example, Pride and Prejudice…there’s a million re-imagined versions of it.  Some of which I’ve happily read and enjoyed.  However, I must make a distinct here…this is not the same as another author writing a sequel to the book in some attempt to mimic the real author and continue the series writing as them.  These are writers who re-imagine the story…if it were modern…or if it were written as a different genre.  Ex. There are erotic versions of the Count of Monte Cristo.  There’s Pride, Prejudice with Zombies.  I find the concept intriguing because, these are questions I’ve often pondered myself (well, not about the zombies, but you know what I mean).  Ex. What kind of books would Gaston Leroux be writing, if he were alive today or had lived in a different era.  “What-if” scenarios can be very interesting.  So, I have no qualms with a different author ‘re-imagining’ a book written by someone else…because they're taking a familiar story and making it their own…putting a new twist on it, so to speak.  I applaud it.


But now, there’s this newish thing I noticed…where the original author is re-writing his or her own book from a different character’s POV.  I wonder, is this what’s behind this new craze of writing in strict first person narrative?  So that if the book goes viral, the author can then turn around and re-write it from a different character’s POV.  Not sure about this.  While I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing some of my favor character’s previously unseen thoughts…I’m not sure I’m a fan of this concept.  It’s not a sequel or a prequel.  There is no new story to tell with this kinda writing.  Nothing new can happen…we just see what’s already happened through new eyes.  It just doesn’t seem like enough to justify writing another novel-length book or asking the reader to purchase another novel-length book.  Also, this makes me uncomfortable.  Smells like a cash-in.  Previously, I’ve only seen this kinda thing as short stories or free extras posted on the author’s website or blog. I, honestly, think that’s where it should stay.  It’s fun, it’s interesting, but it’s not really writing. I’s fan-fiction written by the original author.  That’s how I feel about it…that's how it comes off to me.