John Scalzi on LKH's Blogsplosion:
Jan. 2nd, 2007 06:57 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
theotherbaldwin.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
lkh_lashouts"It makes you look like an asstard."
Best-selling sci-fi author John Scalzi weighs in on the recent El Kay Haich blogsplosion, and says, in part:
"Here's the thing. Some people won't like your books. If these people also have access to the Internet, the chances are good that they might tell other people how they don't like your books. Sometimes, they'll tell people they don't like your books, even if they haven't read your books, because some people are crazy screechy monkeys.
[...]
Eventually you'll have to retreat; declare moral victory if you like, but the fact is, the colony of monkeys is still screeching crazily at you, people are pointing and laughing at your asstardery, and you're covered in monkey shit."
As they say in blogtopia (y! sctp!), you really should read the whole thing.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden who is one of my most favorite writers, online or off, has some real zingers, pretty much saying exactly what I felt, only more eloquently. Here, check out her first comment:
The Notorious T.N.H. pegs exactly why, though my wife may still buy the Anita series, as Danse Macbre, she has the next book (which promised Edward) to keep me as a fan or that's it, I'm through. I'm already staying far, far away from the Merry Gentry series because of my annoyance, but eternal optimist that I am, I keep hoping that, hey, Edward will help make the book readable again (because the character is all that, a bag of chips, and a tub of organic Awesomesauce).
Best-selling sci-fi author John Scalzi weighs in on the recent El Kay Haich blogsplosion, and says, in part:
"Here's the thing. Some people won't like your books. If these people also have access to the Internet, the chances are good that they might tell other people how they don't like your books. Sometimes, they'll tell people they don't like your books, even if they haven't read your books, because some people are crazy screechy monkeys.
[...]
Eventually you'll have to retreat; declare moral victory if you like, but the fact is, the colony of monkeys is still screeching crazily at you, people are pointing and laughing at your asstardery, and you're covered in monkey shit."
As they say in blogtopia (y! sctp!), you really should read the whole thing.
Teresa Nielsen Hayden who is one of my most favorite writers, online or off, has some real zingers, pretty much saying exactly what I felt, only more eloquently. Here, check out her first comment:
"Oh lord. Hamilton's screed is worse than I'd imagined. For instance:
...someone stood in line for hours at a signing, smiled at me, and had me sign the book, then said to my face, "I hated this book. I hate what you've done with the series." I blinked at them, and said something like, "Sorry to hear that." When I ask, "Why do you read the books then?" Answer, "I keep hoping they'll get good again." ... I don't get it guys. I'm not going to get it. I finally realized that I'm not going to understand this noisy, unpleasant minority of my fans. Because you are fans. Only fans would spend this much time and energy on anything. ... And if you don't think you are the minority, well, sorry, guys but you are. I have the sales figures to prove it. Each book’s sales are more than the last.
If fans really loved the earlier books in a series, they'll often stick with it for exactly the reasons she quotes. It's an act of faith. But when their patience finally snaps, not only is it going to be damned hard to get them back -- your starting position is not neutral -- but they may stop reading all books by that author, whether they're part of the series or not. Sometimes they'll stop reading all books of that sort, no matter who wrote them.
Laurel Hamilton is dissing the fans who've stuck with her Anita Blake series. The specific people she's singling out were willing to buy her books, stand in line for two hours to get them signed, and publicly identify themselves as her fans, even though the later series hasn't been paying off for them. I don't think "affronted incomprehension" is her ideal response to this situation.
Worse, she's telling people they're wrong when they say they haven't enjoyed the later books. That's always an error. You can't argue with someone's experience of a book. If they enjoyed it, they enjoyed it. If they didn't, they didn't.
And to cap it all off, how does she prove she's right about the series, and they're wrong? Because her sales figures keep going up. Way to go, lady. Get right out there and tell your fans that the reason you don't have to listen to them is that they keep buying your books. They'll have that paradox sorted out for you in nothing flat."
The Notorious T.N.H. pegs exactly why, though my wife may still buy the Anita series, as Danse Macbre, she has the next book (which promised Edward) to keep me as a fan or that's it, I'm through. I'm already staying far, far away from the Merry Gentry series because of my annoyance, but eternal optimist that I am, I keep hoping that, hey, Edward will help make the book readable again (because the character is all that, a bag of chips, and a tub of organic Awesomesauce).
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Date: 2007-01-02 07:18 pm (UTC)Well, not exactly. But a lot of people have been talking about this craziness in blogs, especially blogs with an interest in genre writing, and in one I spied this comment:
I've still never read a Hamilton novel. Some of my friends recommended her books as entertaining popcorn reads back when there were only three or four of them, but nothing about the plots interested me, so I steered clear. Then I went to a convention where the book guests of honor were her and Terry Pratchett; at one point, they shared a panel on "Making Characters Real," or some such. Pratchett dryly talked about observing the world around him and drawing characterizations from real life; Hamilton got up and strode around gesturing wildly and explaining how when she was writing, her characters were always doing things she didn't want them to do, irrational things or self-destructive things or just plain stupid things. And she said she'd argue with them, she'd yell at the page, but they just wouldn't cooperate with her. She had a lengthy example from her latest book, in which her signature character, Anita Blake, needs to get into a bathtub with someone to help warm him up because he's freezing, and the warm water isn't enough. So Blake gets into the tub, but without taking the time to strip or remove her weapons, and she sits there looking mad as a wet cat, and Hamilton is saying "That doesn't make any sense! Don't do that!" but Blake won't listen, because she's stubborn and has to have her own way.
At the end of this story, Hamilton turned to Pratchett and said "Has that ever happened to you, Terry?" And he gave her this baffled, mildly disgusted look and said "No. Never." Then he proceeded to explain, very gently and non-confrontationally, as if to a lunatic, that one's characters are fictional, and under one's absolute control.
Heh. Heh heh heh.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 07:40 pm (UTC)Now, on one hand, I'm all for presenters that are 'active'- The ones that wander around and interact with the audience and are just very animated. They help draw you in and all that.
But what in the flying fuck, Laurell?
She had a lengthy example from her latest book, in which her signature character, Anita Blake, needs to get into a bathtub with someone to help warm him up because he's freezing, and the warm water isn't enough.
...What?
Hamilton is saying "That doesn't make any sense! Don't do that!" but Blake won't listen, because she's stubborn and has to have her own way.
........What??
Now Mr Pratchett seems to be a kinda mean and offish dude, so I love how she's calling him Terry like they're BFF's. I wish I could see Laurell's reaction to having someone telling her her precious characters weren't real, especially when said person is a very popular author.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 09:24 pm (UTC)However, I can imagine that in any profession, meeting another person who does the same job, yet does it in the most unprofessional manner possible, can get one's back up.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 10:07 pm (UTC)I wouldn't even call him dry. Maybe in comparison to somebody bouncing around like a retarded meth monkey, but he was very animated when he did the booksigning in Virginia and that's when he was jet-lagged.
*end gush*
Bwa hah hah!
Date: 2007-01-02 07:41 pm (UTC)Re: Bwa hah hah!
Date: 2007-01-03 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 09:25 pm (UTC);)
no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 09:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-03 03:39 am (UTC)Vampire kitty!
Date: 2007-01-03 05:30 am (UTC)Maybe you do not feel for the loneliness of the vampire kitties,
Re: Vampire kitty!
Date: 2007-01-03 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-02 10:26 pm (UTC)