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Things you need to know, in case you don't.
Over the past 12-18 months, I've seen several blog posts by various authors, responding to fan mail, explaining that, as Neil Gaiman recently put it, "[AUTHOR] is not your bitch."
Over and over, I see writers addressing the demands of fans who ask, bitch, moan, whine and otherwise complain that said author, or another author, isn't putting out the story they want to read at the speed or direction they wanted it to be available.
Um.
Maybe I'm dumb. Maybe I just don't get humanity - gods know, that's been a pretty common theme in my whole life.
It's a book. You paid for a book. Not their life. Not the future. You enjoyed the book. GRAND - I'm sure the author, their agent & publisher are all delighted.
What the hell convinces someone that means they are entitled to anything else???
You don't like subsequent novels because you think the author started phoning it in? Don't buy them.
You don't like the speed the novels are coming out? Really, either put on your big kid pants and wait or stop buying books by that author.
Simple market economics here, folks. If you don't like the way a producer provides their product, don't give that producer your business any more.
Now one of the things that has been pointed out to me as a possible explaination (at least for the ones where the fans address the author in question directly) is a "hey - I want to keep giving you my money, but you're making it hard, as you don't have more product out". Which is reasonable, to a point. There's a world of difference between "I'm waiting for your next book and I'm very eager for it to come out." and "Why haven't you given me my next book yet? You owe me, because I'm a fan." Those fans who address other authors looking for that other author to back them up on their sense of entitlement to the works of [AUTHOR_THEY'RE_COMPLAINING_ABOUT] fall in the "oh grow the hell up" bucket.
Authors don't owe you jack, [FAN]. They work for the publisher, not you, regardless of how it might seem otherwise. Trust me, if the publisher thinks the author isn't profitable, they won't publish them any more.
I cannot comprehend the thought process that would allow an adult to demand a book from an author based solely on the fact that the reader liked the book.
Anyone care to explain this to me in a rational manner? I'd love to know, beyond the apparent whiny, grabby, small child mentality that lets a grown adult act like a producer of art they like (be it a book, TV, movie, paint, dance, theatre, pick your art here) somehow belongs to them.
- I have no patience at the best of times.
- I'm a bibliophile.
- I read roughly 1.5 books per week - down in recent years from 3 due to real life
- Many of the books I read are series
Over the past 12-18 months, I've seen several blog posts by various authors, responding to fan mail, explaining that, as Neil Gaiman recently put it, "[AUTHOR] is not your bitch."
Over and over, I see writers addressing the demands of fans who ask, bitch, moan, whine and otherwise complain that said author, or another author, isn't putting out the story they want to read at the speed or direction they wanted it to be available.
Um.
Maybe I'm dumb. Maybe I just don't get humanity - gods know, that's been a pretty common theme in my whole life.
It's a book. You paid for a book. Not their life. Not the future. You enjoyed the book. GRAND - I'm sure the author, their agent & publisher are all delighted.
What the hell convinces someone that means they are entitled to anything else???
You don't like subsequent novels because you think the author started phoning it in? Don't buy them.
You don't like the speed the novels are coming out? Really, either put on your big kid pants and wait or stop buying books by that author.
Simple market economics here, folks. If you don't like the way a producer provides their product, don't give that producer your business any more.
Now one of the things that has been pointed out to me as a possible explaination (at least for the ones where the fans address the author in question directly) is a "hey - I want to keep giving you my money, but you're making it hard, as you don't have more product out". Which is reasonable, to a point. There's a world of difference between "I'm waiting for your next book and I'm very eager for it to come out." and "Why haven't you given me my next book yet? You owe me, because I'm a fan." Those fans who address other authors looking for that other author to back them up on their sense of entitlement to the works of [AUTHOR_THEY'RE_COMPLAINING_ABOUT] fall in the "oh grow the hell up" bucket.
Authors don't owe you jack, [FAN]. They work for the publisher, not you, regardless of how it might seem otherwise. Trust me, if the publisher thinks the author isn't profitable, they won't publish them any more.
I cannot comprehend the thought process that would allow an adult to demand a book from an author based solely on the fact that the reader liked the book.
Anyone care to explain this to me in a rational manner? I'd love to know, beyond the apparent whiny, grabby, small child mentality that lets a grown adult act like a producer of art they like (be it a book, TV, movie, paint, dance, theatre, pick your art here) somehow belongs to them.
