(no subject)

[jdemorae.livejournal.com]

Hello! I'm a newbie--found the comm through the Amazon discussion threads and Google.

Speaking of Amazon... I've been going through my recommendations and something hit me: there are an awful lot of vampire, shapeshifter, fae, whatever books out right now. I don't just mean the paranormal romances, but adventure stories, too.

"How does she stay published/how can they publish this crap?" (especially in light of the recent Harlequin spoiler) is a frequent lament here. It occured to me, just looking over the recommendations here, LKH going bad was perhaps a gift to publishers. People drawn in to 'vintage' Anita Blake and unhappy with the current books have gone looking for something better, but in the same genre. There is demand... and there are sales. Lots of sales.

So it's kind of a 'no press is bad press' thing, but it's in favor of the publishers, not LKH. They let her churn out her sexploitation dreck, and the number of disappointed readers grow, they look for other authors, other titles, other series-length stories. Then the publishers smile and produce several books with, "If you liked the early Anita Blake..."

Her sales drop, but they make up for it by selling other books, books that become more popular as more disgruntled fans say, "Hey, I know you liked the Anita Blake stuff when it was good. Try this!"

The savvy marketing isn't LKH's doing. It's the publishers. She didn't create the genre, but the decay of her storytelling ability created a market.

Comments

[shriekitty.livejournal.com]

I swear I read something about her once saying how there really wasn't a paranormal romance / alternate reality sci fi section until the Anita books got big. I thought really rude thoughts about her, and your totally right. She's creating a market. So many people say exactly what you said "If you liked old Anita Blake you'll LOVE this."

I'm interested in new Harlequin Spoilers. Since I refuse to buy it - but was happy it had Edward/Olaf (obsidian butterfly was kick ass). Where do I read spoilers? *L*

[summersdream.livejournal.com]

I just got pointed to this thread (http://forum.laurellkhamilton.org/showthread.php?t=18601) at the boards which is a huge chapter-by-chapter spoiler for the Harlequin because someone got the audiobook early. It's frightening.

[cactus-wren.livejournal.com]

Ya know, I told myself and told myself I was *not* going to click on that link. Was not. And I did. *weeps* Just spent the last hour looking through it (an hour of my life I will never get back) and found this in chapter 17 on page freakin 45 (61 pages in that thread!):

Graham: (voice horse) You're blushing. Graham touches Anita's face and says, "After all the things that I've seen you do with all the other men, you're blushing because I'm looking too hard at you.

Anita: (Stepping back) You think I can't be embarrassed because I'm a whore?

Graham: Not true.

Anita: Isn't it?

Yes, Anita, yes it is. At least you can admit it out loud.

[summersdream.livejournal.com]

I really just thought Anita's actual brain had finally caught up with her for a moment. Subconsciously, she knows she's a whore. And not even a really hot, highly-paid escort. She's the bargain basement freebie that JC's thrown in with Nathaniel as a two-for-one.

Ack. Wow. I'm bitter. I knew I shouldn't be reading those recaps. sigh.

[jeannette.livejournal.com]

What the hell? They block anyone who is not in love with Laurell, but that's allowed to exist?

[summersdream.livejournal.com]

And actively encouraged apparently. Probably because the release date is close anyway? Plus the thread is so looong and active.

[nimnix.livejournal.com]

I got as far as "She is also wondering why would Nathaniel buy her something like this as she doesn't care for masks or bondage & submission." It was a simple white mask, that's it. (She assumed it was from Nate, but it apparently wasn't.)

Who ties plain white masks to bondage and submission? Wouldn't the first thought be something like "theater" or "masquerade"? She's JC's girlfriend and she doesn't assume this would be some kind of costume party thing?

My eyes are already melting, and that was like the second or third summary post.

Granted, this is a summary by someone listening to the book, not actually reading it. In theory, this person could be missing a few key sentences or words...

Or, I could be delusional.

[summersdream.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah, the "We're here and we're queer" gift from the Harlequin? I know my first thoughts were "Why is the Phanton of the Opera in Anita's place... ohmygod SHE CAN'T HAVE ERIK."

I've read all the ones posted up through Chapter 20 and... The recaps are probably way easier to read than the book will be. If only because the recapper is leaving out the urple prose and repetitive descriptions. But I have to laugh because the dialgue as per the recap shows how badly put-together the conversations are.

I'm all for delusion where this book is concerned. Delirum might be the only safe place to be while dealing with it.

[jeannette.livejournal.com]

Yeah, an interview she did. Actually, what she said was that no one had done horror-mysteries before her, I believe specifically vampire-detectives, until she came along.

Joss Whedon and Tanya Huff are rolling in their... ok, well, neither is dead, but you know what I mean

[saadiira.livejournal.com]

Mercedes Lackey did.

So did a couple others.

And I guaran-fricken-tee you can find a few shorts and others going back to the greats of the pulp market of the fifties crossing the genres.

-Dira-

[pandaemonaeum.livejournal.com]

Robert Morgan did hard-boiled horror mysteries before LKH, too.

[xtricks.livejournal.com]

LKH helped to popularize the genre - and move it out of the 'supernatural romance' genre (which ahd been going on for some time). However, her sales are not dropping. If anything, they're increasing.

[vmisery.livejournal.com]

Yeah, for every disgruntled fan of the old style of the books that drops away, she picks up three readers who cut their teeth on supernatural romance and the vast amount of paranormal erotica that's out there from publishers like Ellora's Cave.

[missamii.livejournal.com]

Well that explains were her readership is coming from. As for myself, I once bought two e-books from Ellora's Cave and I don't think I'll ever buy another e-book again because of it. The scary thing is that after a recent blog-o-sphere bruhaha between blogger Karen Scott and crazy Romantic Times magazine owner Kathryn Falks who has been dumping money into that smutty little press the general concensus between erotic e-book readers is that quality has gotten even worse.

[vmisery.livejournal.com]

My writer's group had a run-in with a writer published by Ellora's Cave, which is what led me to check them out. The only thing I could have said was, well at least they're not wasting paper, but they actually are now, some of their books actually make it to print and to bookstore shelves. I don't have anything against erotica, just...hello, quality control where r u?

Erotic paranormal romance is rampant, it's got its own section at the bookstore now, there's quite a few companies that do it, and I think that is where a lot of LKH's new readership is coming from.

[brightlyiburn.livejournal.com]

It's true that the genre existed before AB.

But publishers were going after similiar books before AB started sliding downhill. You could go so far as to say that the genre was thrown into the spotlight by AB's popularity, but that's not really the same as what LKH is trying to claim.

Basically, one publisher looked and saw what was going on and said "Hey, urban fantasy is coming back, let's jump on the bandwagon and see if we can make some money" and then a bunch of others started doing it, too.

After Christine Feehan got popular, a rash (and I DO mean rash) of paranormal romances involving vampires descended upon the unsuspecting public.

After Harry Potter got really popular, publishers began scooping up every "kids with magic" series under the sun.

Doesn't mean they weren't there before, that they weren't good before, or that they had not had popularity before. Just that as the market grows bigger, the exploitation of it does too.

[jdemorae.livejournal.com]

I didn't mean to imply that I bought that she'd created the genre, or that there weren't good books in the genre before AB. :) I know paranormal romances have been popular for years now.

This was just something that occurred to me, as I went through all those book listings. (Some of which I've read and wondered if it wasn't really LKH writing under a new pen name, edited, medicated, and with refresher courses in Composition under her belt. Then someone posts a blogflog and I realize the hollowness of my fantasy. ;) )

I try to make logical connections where there aren't any sometimes.

::re-reads that:: I hope that made sense. (I plead guilty to PUI [posting under the influence] of Benadryl!)

[brightlyiburn.livejournal.com]

I know.

I was just can't seem to hold myself back when it comes to this topic. The rampant exploitation by the publishing industry these days is upsetting.

I'd like to be happy that the fantasy genre is taking in readers at a younger age now. I mean, I write fantasy (not of the urban persuasion, though) and I won't argue with a larger audience.

But on the otherhand, my sense of decency makes me disappointed that this sort of thing is happening anyway.

I certainly wouldn't be a better person if I sold my integrity off to the highest bidder, but I'd be a whole lot less confused.

[charmed1ofdoom.livejournal.com]

I didn't think of AB in the beginning as paranormal romance. Matter of fact my town's library had Guilty Pleasures in the young adult section of the library ( I think because it was more on the adventure side then).

However, I like theory. It is what capitalism is all about-Creating new markets to get money. I just wish it didn't require so many brain cells dying to get to that point.

[dwg.livejournal.com]

I just object to LKH claiming that she started out with "hard boiled detective fiction". No, sorry LKH, but my film noir just shot you in the head and ran down a dark alley to dump the gun and then framed the gumshoe hero.

I also object to LKH getting big and popular (really, I liked it when she was sorta on the fringe, but that was back when she was writing stuff with plot) because of all the clones that have flooded the genre -- and I cannot express how entirely fed up I am with the clones, and first person narrative of said clones. Seriously, I cannot even begin to care about whatever romantic problems said girl with superpowers may or may not have. I want corpses. I want gore. I want madness. GIVE ME BACK MY HORROR GENRE, BITCH! *cries* Goddamned chick lit.

NEW book coming out

[mardelwanda.livejournal.com]

On the subject of looking for new writers... I've been watching (or lurking) on this website of Rachel Vincent for quite awhile now. She has been writing a book, I think this is her first one, called Stray. Well, it is out in bookstores now (though the due date isn't til June). I scraped some money together to buy it and have begun reading the first chapter. So far, it's pretty good. The main character is a female (feline) shapeshifter. Anyway, the book looks promising. No excessive angst, there is 618 pages that look edited, interesting plot, and all for the reasonable paperback price of $6.99. This looks refreshing.

So, though I don't think that lkh has invented this genre, I'm glad that there are so many new writers out there to take a look at. In fact I look for the blurbs on the books that say "if you like early lkh, you'll love..." You do have to wade through a lot of crap to get to the good writers, but thank goodness there is quite a variety out there. Some have been around for awhile and just get better (Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong), there are some promising new talent (Rachel Vincent, Ilona Andrews, Vicki Pettersson) -- and sadly there is lkh. Just as sadly there is me, who continues to buy her books, waiting in vain so far for her to stop proving that she'll write whatever she wants, as badly as she wants, as long as she proves that we (the fans, or former fans) DO NOT GET TO QUESTION HER HIGHNESS! HER HIGHNESS MUST TAKE MANY BOOKS (and a lot of your money) TO WORK OUT AND BEAT TO DEATH THE ARDEUR/ARDER/ARDEUUUUER whatever. IT IS SO VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!

Okay then....