Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Special is in the eye of the beholder

*Sigh*

Have you been following the Amazon-Hachette soap opera...I mean, contract negotiation? Did you catch the (incredibly elitist, condescending and slightly xenophobic) letter from Authors United in support of Hachette? Their argument that books are special snowflakes is taken down pretty nicely by Janet at Dear Author today.

Books are special- but not every book is special to every reader, and some books are special to none at all. As a writer, it's my job to make my story compelling, thought-provoking, lingering and all of the other things that might constitute make for "special". As an author, it's my job to convince you beforehand through whatever marketing strategies I can come up with that my book is, indeed, something you want to pick up. That's all on me, and that's as it should be. If I'm lucky enough to get a reader, and if one of those readers decides to write a review, the only thing they "owe" me is to be accurate when describing it (and you know, maybe not verbally abusive).

But that's it. And any writer who thinks otherwise is pushing the bounds of narcissism and entitlement.


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