Author Fail

[ht_murray]

Another good reason why I'm glad I stopped reading the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman, aka, robgoodfella. I stopped reading because I don't usually care for 1st person narrative in the first place, but I stomached it through the first book. By the second one, I had lost most of my sympathy for the narrator, so I gave up. (Yes, I'm still bitter that there has only been one Niko cover shot.)

Let me just say, though, that after reading this post I'm glad I never bought any of her books new, only used off Amazon.com.

I hate to break it to her, but she's never going to be number one on the NYT bestseller list, no matter how much she badgers and browbeats her fans into buying her books where and when she says so. Ugh, I wanna slap somebody after reading the way she talks to her fans.

The drama is in the comments. I'm not sure where I found this link, since I defriended her a long time ago. I'm pretty sure I was reading friends of friends, clicked on the link, and when I went back to the original page, the post was gone. So, whoever clued me in. Thank you.

ETA: Thanks to gatorgrrrl for pointing out that the post has already made it to fandom wank. That's probably why I couldn't find the place I originally found it. Probably locked down now. LOL.

On another note, do you think a comment fic meme with only one or two authors would fly if anyone was allowed to leave prompts? (Yes, I am thinking about fundraising again. LOL.) I don't want to do an auction type thingie, because deadlines suck, but maybe a comment fic type thing, where the stories are short and no payee if no writee. Haha. Suggestions?

Also, I stink. Just so you know.

Comments

[dawnfirenight.livejournal.com]

0.o

I only read a handful of comments, but OUCH. The first one is all excited about finding the books and compliments the author on them and everything, and all the author can say is, "No no no! Obviously you don't listen! TUESDAY FFS. Sheesh, why do I try."

Nice.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

I know, right? And the poor girl is all apologetic like she owes the author more than the price she already paid for the book. I get the inner quiver of rage reading it. Some people don't deserve to have a pubisher. I feel my inner Simon Cowell telling her to go work in a coal mine for awhile. LOL.

[gatorgrrrl.livejournal.com]

OMG! I just saw a post about this last night on the Fandom Wank main page (http://www.journalfen.net/community/fandom_wank/). It was Wednesday's post, actually, right at the top of the page. (Yes, I periodically visit FW looking for SPN wank. What can I say? Reading about some of my fandom's wankier fans makes me feel like a better fan.) I had never heard of Rob Thurman before, but DAMN. Browbeating your fans into buying your books from Tuesday through Saturday is not a way to keep the fanbase happy, imo.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL. I'm not surprised it made it to fandom wank. Though, I didn't know about that until just now. A lot of the fans are from SPN, because they're stories about two brothers, one who's not quite human, and the other who will do anything to save him. Blah, blah. Anyway, if it's on fandom wank, that's probably why the original post I saw disappeared when I went back to find it.

Just... ugh. No words for the entitlement.

[captcrashsc.livejournal.com]

I'd prompt the ever loving crap out of you...

*smooshes*

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Hehe! I would write anything you prompted.

P.S. I got your fic for beta, I just forgot how hard it is to edit without using Word. If I use the review panel to insert comments and whatnot in Word, can you still open it on your end?

[captcrashsc.livejournal.com]

Because the interwebs apparently ate my earlier comment...

I can open Word documents using Open Office, I just can't guarantee that all the editing extras will carry over into said program. I could try opening it on my computer at work, but then I'll have to wait til I'm back at work on Tuesday to do so. Then I'll be able to change stuff and save it over to my laptop.

[angels3.livejournal.com]

There are very, very few stories that I can read in first person. Right now I'm plowing through one in the Star Trek fandom that's 187 chapters long and it's going well so they did good.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Some people can do it. I think if it's going to be done, though, are should be taken to pick a narrator that isn't going to annoy the readers. Or that could just be my opinion. I also have a problem with boys who come out written like girls, when I know the author is a woman, because then I just consider it bad writing. I think in this instance, it's a combination of the two.

Not that I've never written girly-boys myself, just that I've made it clear when doing so, that it was my intent to do so. I do love me some cheese. LOL.

[angels3.livejournal.com]

I don't mind so much going in if I know they're going to be a little high strung but I prefer the guys to act like guys even if they're being written gay. I've not figured out why it means they have to lose they're masculinity.

I always have to step back and read the emotional scenes I write so they don't come out too emotional, because I like them to still have their testosterone.

[unplugged32.livejournal.com]

I read the first three books in that series, liked them well enough but I didn't LOVE them, didn't even know there were more until one of my lovely flisties told me. I can't be bothered to read the new ones.

xoxoxoxoxo

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I never finished the 3rd one. I think there are two more since then. :/ Which is sad, because I really liked the first one.

[cradle-song.livejournal.com]

...holy crap, I wanna reach through my screen and punch that author in the face. o.O

I was actually thinking about trying to find a way to set up a comment meme so that people would be encouraged to actually write the prompts. I don't think it would be able to be done on LJ, but I did come up with a theory: There's a limit to how many unfilled prompts can be floating around at a time, and when one is filled a slot opens up. This would encourage people to write, because once they filled the prompt they could submit their own prompt (like I said, obviously this couldn't happen on LJ; there would have to be some kind of nice program thing for it...). It could be further broken down into specifics within a fandom as well; for instance, with SPN the limit could apply to certain pairings and not all the prompts equally. That way writers/readers into the same thing could, idk, try to work together to get interesting prompts and good fills.

...that's the theory, anyway. *G*

EDIT: also that totally didn't answer your question *useless* but yes, I do think people would be cool with that. Most prompters just want their stuff filled; if they knew it would happen, they wouldn't care if just one or two people were doing the writing.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

I haven't done that many comment memes. Is it really a problem that some of the prompts don't get answered? If so, I think that sounds like a good idea, but the logistics are making my head swim. LOL.

I'd like to think people would submit prompts to a comment meme no matter how many writers were involved, because like you said, if it's something they wanna see, they just wanna see it. But the question is, would they prompt me or Tracer? We're not exactly on the tips of anyone's tongues around here. They'd probably be like, who? LOL.

[almightyspaz.livejournal.com]

I love when authors do silly thing. I then add it to my list of things not to do if I were ever to get published. This woman is a bit out there. But after reading everything, it doesn't sound too bad until she tells the overseas people to buy two books.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

I dunno about everything, but that first reply to the poor girl who was so happy to get the book really irked me. When I wrote for the VS, there were always a few people who figured out if they just changed the part number in the nav bar, they could see the next part of the story before the link was posted, and they'd read and come back and spoil the rest of the readers. :/ But we still never told them, shame on you! That's not how it works! Just. :S

[heather03nmg.livejournal.com]

Oh good, that's you I smell. I was worried for a minute it was me.

Personally I love the Cal and Niko books with a passion and have reread them a million times. As far as Rob Thurman, well she is a special snowflake and is on my list of people who should not be allowed to Twitter. Ever.

And last but not least, please do the writing for charity. I donated a small fortune to the Help Haiti charity comm and I would love to help out again. Plus I get fic so it's win win for
me.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL. I tried following her journal once after I read the first book, but everything was about how we could help her out, like we should all just be so blessed that she's writing for us that we should bend right over and kiss her... feet. LOL. Probably tainted me against the rest of the books. I made it through the second one, but never finished the third. Cal just grates on my nerves to the point I can't even tolerate him. That's sad, I know. Not his fault. Blah, blah. LOL. I guess if a character is that emo, we should tell the story in another person's point of view so the reader gets a break from the dramarama and doesn't risk their eyeballs rolling right out of their heads.

Erm, you'd pay money for comment fic? They're short, ya know?

I will totally ask Tracer if she'd be willing and able.

[heather03nmg.livejournal.com]

My wish is this and it worked well for the Haiti fic charity. You would write so many words depending on the amount of money offered with a minimum and maximum per fic.
What do you think?

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Well, see, here's the thing, the maximum would have to be small, because if there's just me and maybe Tracer to fill the prompts, there'd be a lot of unanswered prompts if we happened to get long-winded on one or two. Then people wouldn't want to prompt anymore. Does that make sense?

[heather03nmg.livejournal.com]

True but you'd be likely to raise more money if you write more than 500 words. I've seen people pay $100 and up to get a 10,000 word fic. Maybe you should try a poll. We love ticky boxes.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Haha, the problem is people HAVE paid around 100 dollars for fic from me, and they're still not finished... :/ More money, for more words, means more pressure for little old me. I mean, for a charity there's supposed to be a little bit of self-sacrifice, but stressing out over getting people their fics isn't going to get me across the finish line in one piece.

I thought, as a comment meme type prompt system, people wouldn't have to pay anything until their prompt was answered, and then they could donate based on how much they liked the result. I realize some people would stiff us, but hey, it's the charity they're stiffing, not me. Karma's a bitch. LOL.

[heather03nmg.livejournal.com]

Well all you can do is try it out and see how it goes. I love you and your fic. Good luck :)

[a-carnal-mink.livejournal.com]

Just lemme see if I've got this right... They're a series of books about these two brothers, one of whom isn't entirely human, who drive around America in a classic car, fighting evil sonsofbitches?

*blink*

Sure the author's name isn't Carver Edlund? Chuck Shurley? :D

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

LOL, well, in the two and a half volumes I read, they weren't exactly driving around, mostly running and crawling through sewer tunnels, occasionally teleporting, but otherwise, yes, I actually thought this might be Supernatural fanfiction. But I think the first was published in 2006, and she said she'd shopped it around for a year or more before that, so *shrugs*

[oc-pixie.livejournal.com]

Yeah...I still read the books...mainly because I'm not bothered by the 1st person narrative...one of those folks that actually kinda enjoys it...anyhoo..yeah...she got a little batty about the buy now not then kinda talk...but I guess I can KINDA see where she's coming from...the only way she can make money is if she can publish more books, the only way she can do that is for her books to be at a certain number in the "best sellers list" and with bookstores releasing hers and others' books days, sometimes weeks, before their official release date, that kinda kills it. I mean if I were a struggling author, I'd probably badger what few fans I could to wait and buy on the release date and not before.....BUT I wouldn't handle it the way she did and kinda tear into a fan who excitedly bought it early...good god..it's ONE FAN...lay off.

So to summarize...I may like the books, but I don't have to like what the author does. *nods to self and goes to hide back under her rock as she reads*

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Haha, I know you like them. A lot of people on my list do. I tried. I tried hard. I still love Niko. LOL. And Robin. And that Angel dude. hahahaha. Okay, nuff of that.

But, first, I think she's sadly mistaken about how to get a book on the NYT list, and second, she should spend more time on writing better books to get there, not try to manipulate numbers to get there. If she spent half as much time working at writing well as she does trying to figure out how a book gets on the NYT list, she'd be a bestseller by merit, and she'd have a lot more fans-- fans who weren't afraid to comment and get their heads bitten off.

I agree, though, you can like stories and not care for the author. It's easier to take that stance, though, if you don't happen to know the author behaves that way. :S

[oc-pixie.livejournal.com]

As of late I've witnessed her behavior, not a fan, but I'm not going to let it ruin the story for me. I've rather liked where the story is going.

[tru-faith-lost.livejournal.com]

Haha, I have no idea who that is in your userpic, but he's adorkable. :P

[oc-pixie.livejournal.com]

That would be Andrew-Lee Potts. The reason you should watch the British show Primeval and the SyFy channel's Alice because he is gorgeous, a brilliant actor and like you said, adorkable!

[sexytexanjra.livejournal.com]

Man now that is desperation and arrogance all rolled into one. Just prove how ugly those emotion/motivations are!

On another note, do you think a comment fic meme with only one or two authors would fly if anyone was allowed to leave prompts? (Yes, I am thinking about fundraising again. LOL.) I don't want to do an auction type thingie, because deadlines suck, but maybe a comment fic type thing, where the stories are short and no payee if no writee. Haha. Suggestions?

Totally! I'm a totally junkie for these things of late, though my prompts often suck so not sure I'd be any use raising money wise, but I'd give prompting a go to help you raise funds and get the huge bonus of a comment fic from you!

Good idea, not as much pressure but still lots of fun!

:D

[chocca2.livejournal.com]

RE: Rob Thurman, I've read all the books apart from this latest one she 'promoting'. For me Niko is by far my favourite character and I think the fact she switched up the POV in the last two books helped greatly with my persistence. That and the brotherly moments, I'm a sucker for those. lol

I'm glad I never did follow her LJ and I don't do twitter. From what I've seen on fandom wank, she has demonstrated what NOT to do as an author. *shakes head*

RE: comment fic meme. I'd definitely get involved in something like that. Charity + your awesome writing = WIN!