If you stay in any business long enough, you eventually meet pretty much every type of person and you hear pretty much every type of thing. And a lot of those things and a lot of those people are great. Most of them, really. But what the naysayers lack in numbers, they make up for in volume. When readers dislike a book, generally they have no problem telling you why. The words, the story, the characters--a string of concrete opinions, or even just a raw emotional reaction. Still, though, are the ones who have trouble distinguishing the book from the person who wrote the book. The ones who meet authors with hostility and hatred, most of which is based on presumption about the author lifestyle. And for those, this needs to be said: There is nothing to be gained from resenting an author and bemoaning their success. The success of one does not take from another. When you see that a book has done well, and you do not like that book, the hard pill to swallow is that its doing well because someone somewhere disagrees with you. It is not because the author is a socialite. It is not because of the authors personal relationships or with whom they are sleeping. If a book is successful, it simply means that someone loved it enough to publish it, and that quite a few readers agreed. The success of one author does not mean there is less success for you. There is no giant cartoon barrel of brine and success pickles from which publishers dole out servings to choice strangers on the street. A publisher will always accept submissions, and they will never let talent rot on their desks or use it as kindling in favor of someone younger and prettier and better dressed than you. I can promise this, as someone with terrible taste in clothing, no idea how to match shoes, and a rolled up sock in her hair. When my agent called to tell me about my book deal, I was in pajamas eating rice a roni with a spoon. Though detractors may not want to accept this, it was the book and nothing but the book that was chosen for publication. This is true for me, and this is true for most. And if you think you can write a better story than whats on the market, good! Do that! There is always room for more talent. The publication of one book opens the door for readers to try more books, and its good for all of us. And if youre right, Ill see you on the shelves. And if youre wrong, I wont be to blame.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 01:31:05 +0000
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