Professional? Not today!

[erastes]

When I first came out of the wank-infected pond that is fanfiction and decided to go professional, I had some kind of misguided idea that the world of professional fiction would be some kind of rarified temple, where writers wrote and all in the garden was lovely. I thought that it would be an entirely different world.  I was soon to find I was horribly wrong, and this past week seems to be the nadir of that belief, just about wiping away any faith I did have.

Firstly - the world doesn't owe anyone anything.  Reviews are nice, nice reviewers are even nicer, but if an author doesn't Google-wank (to Google yourself. E.g. "He was Google-wanking all through his lunch break, checking and comparing how many results came up for his name compared to his friends.")(and a lot of authors DON'T believe you me) and/or a friend/fan or the review site doesn't let them know that they've had a review, how the blinkity blink COULD they know?  I've often found reviews on my work ONLY through Googlewanking. A good few websites (particularly for unsolicited reviews, and in some cases even for solicited reviews) DON'T let the authors know when a review goes up.  Then, even if the author has seen a review there's no moral duty that said author should blog about it, even if it's a good review. Granted many authors do, including me-but I don't kid myself that my links to reviews make one gnat's fart of difference in future sales- but not everyone does.  No reason that they have to. Why should they?

Perhaps this obsession with squeeing about good reviews is only found in this stratum of writing, I couldn't see JKR linking to reviews could you?  Or the Telegraph or The Observer or The New York Times getting bitchy and huffy and saying "OMG That bitch, I'm always giving her reviews and you know, she NEVER mentions them?" No. Me either.  However, I can see JKR or Anne Rice bitching about bad reviews which shores up my belief that this kind of wank goes from fanfiction all the way to the top of the tree.

While I appreciate every single review I get, good or bad, I don't feel any obligation to mention them to anyone. The reviews are not for me, (unless there's something odd about the reviewer) the reviews are for the readers.

So when I see this sort of reported behaviour it really makes my skin crawl, especially when one person publicly starts name-calling on another in public. It just gives everyone who cheers this sort of thing on a bad name and smacks of the sort of thing I read time and again in the shallow end of the gene pool in fanfic. 

I've said similar before, but Kirsten Saell sums it up nicely in a longer form, in the comments to that post.

"...the best response to a good review? An email: "Thanks for taking the time to review my book, I hope you'll consider my next release."

And a critical one? An email: "Thanks for taking the time to review my book, I hope you'll consider my next release."

A vitriolic one? No response at all."

Hear bloody hear. And ditto for reviewers with a grievance. With knobs on.

On a mildly related note, I am disgusted with Kellie Lynch's behaviour regarding Iris Print. Three friends of mine are tangled up in this mess - not that you can even call it a mess as Ms Lynch is simply refusing to respond to anyone:  rwday and Tina Anderson and gehayi (and very probably more). Ignoring emails and letters from contracted authors is not funny, clever, and it's definitely NOT professional. It's the behaviour of a little girl who's dented daddy's car and is terrified to admit to it.  Ms Lynch, if you listening - you owe your writers AND your readers an explanation.  People have paid you good money in advance for Queer Magic and they either need their money back or assurances that they will get their books and when. Otherwise, it's fraud.  Writers need their royalties. NOW. Otherwise it's theft. And breach of contract. Speak up, will ya?

Comments

[suryaofvulcan.livejournal.com]

Hear, Hear.

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

Hear hear hear.

I think you've got it right in the 'little girl' thing. so much behaviour I've seen in the past few months among writers/publishers reminds me of teenage girls at their worst.

[megleigh.livejournal.com]

*le sigh*
Here we go again? I hid in my burrow for the duration the last time this kind of thing was going on. I think I ought to dig in again.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I just feel like knocking heads together at times.

[rbm00.livejournal.com]

"I am disgusted with Kellie Lynch's behaviour regarding Iris Print."

I really just wanted an update to the ebook situation. They're a lot more convenient for me and I don't order much print stuff online due to my whole issue of not having a physical post box and I don't really want to order stuff with my friend's addresses either.

I wonder if Iris Print is in trouble again. I'd be sorry to see them go.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

What ebook situation?

I don't think they've ever been out of trouble, to be honest, but it's all speculation with the silent treatment.

[rbm00.livejournal.com]

"What ebook situation?"

Kellie ran a survey and according to the results, ebooks seemed popular so she was going to offer the novels as ebooks.

http://www.boyslovebooks.com/blog/random-survey-results (February)
http://www.boyslovebooks.com/blog/ebooks-update (March)

I was waiting to see if they would be available on the site anytime soon. I don't have a Kindle so that's out for me.

"I don't think they've ever been out of trouble, to be honest, but it's all speculation with the silent treatment."

Well, she tried updating a couple of months ago, so I thought things had started looking up. I'm hoping she updates again soon, but I guess I won't be too surprised if they don't come.

[zamaxfield.livejournal.com]

I concur. Hateful people scare me, and give everyone a bad name.

[rwday.livejournal.com]

I followed the links from Mrs. Giggles' site and what really strikes me is that few of these people really seem to understand that this is a BUSINESS. It's not fandom, it's not amateur hour. It's a business, and you behave as you would in your real life job.

As to reviews, I don't google myself ever, so the only way I know about reviews is if someone sends me an email informing me they've reviewed the book. If they do, then I'll thank them regardless of the content of the review, but I generally do it through email or at the review site, not in my LJ or blog. As you say, the reviews aren't for me, after all, and to bang on and on about reviews seems kind of tacky to me, like I'm sticking out my virtual chest and crowing about how wonderful everybody thinks I am. And I won't even say what bitching about bad reviews (or arguing with them, as though the reviewer isn't entitled to his or her opinions!) seems like.

Thanks for the support on this Iris thing. If Kellie or her husband, whom I've heard from in the past when things were rough, would just email me and let me know what's up, I'd be more than happy to work with them. I'm a reasonable person, after all, and I understand that they're having financial difficulties. But when there's no communication at all, what are authors supposed to do?

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

I haven't heard from Ms. Lynch or her husband either--though after waiting so long to hear from them, I rather doubt that I would want to work with them. And Queer Magic has had so many proposed publication dates that I don't believe that the book's ever going to be published, let alone that I'll ever see a penny of profit from the venture.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

I think wanking is a human reflex, like passing gas. And while professional behavior is desirable, the definition varies and I expect we've all been stuck in work environments with co-workers or bosses who were not properly house-trained as pups.

The links look interesting to read later.

I do occasionally bitch about reviews when a reviewer is inconsistent, obviously hasn't read the book, or is just as obviously out to trash m/m stories.

It would be nice if reviewers would tell an author or even a publisher when they review a book. They don't have to, of course, and maybe they feel it impairs their objectivity. I don't know anybody who has "Search for Reviews" as Priority #1 in the writer's to-do list.

[cheshyre]

Perhaps this obsession with squeeing about good reviews is only found in this stratum of writing, I couldn't see JKR linking to reviews could you?

I don't know. FWIW, matociquala does link to her reviews in her LJ, without generating drama about them.

[madrigalist.livejournal.com]

While I appreciate every single review I get, good or bad, I don't feel any obligation to mention them to anyone. The reviews are not for me, (unless there's something odd about the reviewer) the reviews are for the readers.

HEAR HEAR from me as well.

And I Google-wank all the time. Heck... I am part of a wanking community here on LJ that loves to find all thing silly about Phantom of the Opera. I post all the time. Someday I will be the butt of a joke or flaming review over there... and that is fine. Readers are allowed their opinions. I don't understand why authors go on the attack. Sigh.

In addition to whipping me if I go Diva... beat me if I ever do that.

Mav

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's sort of my point. She simply links to them without drama. She doesn't pour acid over people's opinions.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, I have my Diva-stick all ready.

[lareinenoire.livejournal.com]

It is truly sad how much I Googlewank myself. Usually when I'm bored and don't want to do work. Although I've realised how much random stuff there is about me on the Internet that I completely did not think about.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

It's hopelessly addictive.

[haydenthorne.livejournal.com]

Someone recently found my YA blog by doing a search for Eric Plath. That was bizarre. XD As far as reviews go, I've been lucky hearing from Alexis dos Santos and Andre Aciman over my critiques, and I don't really expect any of the writers or filmmakers to find my teeny little cyber corner unless they take the time to google themselves.

Also, it's maybe because half of the writers and filmmakers I review are dead.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

That's where we are going wrong. I wondered why THAT BASTARD Isherwood never acknowledged my reviews....

[haydenthorne.livejournal.com]

Or Mary Renault and Agustin Gomez-Arcos. Oscar Wilde never bothered, either. Damn those ingrates.

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

Decomposition does tend to cut down on a person's social interaction

[erastes.livejournal.com]

As Reg Shoe no doubt said, It shows a distinct lack of drive! Some might call it lazy!

[m-barnette.livejournal.com]

I always write a thank you note to the review site for my reviews, even ones that don't always tell me they've gone up, if I can find a working email address. Sometimes I can't find one because the link is broken.

I also regularly google myself. Why? Not to find reviews--though if I find one I do send a thank you, however belated--but to make sure I haven't had another foreign publisher snag one of my stories and print it without my permission. This happened with Zoner, and I would never have known about it if I hadn't searched for my name. I advise all published authors to run a search for their name just in case.

As to the situation with vanishing publishers, it's happened to me more times than I can count in both print and electronic venues. This is why authors should insist on 'kill dates' in their contracts. If a book hasn't been published within a certain time of acceptance there should be an automatic clause in the contract that releases the book from the publisher's use. EPIC's model contract includes a clause like this and I'm putting one in the Shadowfire Press contracts. Why do this? Because as an author I know all too well what it's like to sell a book to a publisher then have them sit on it for all of eternity with promises of release dates that never materialize.

And on the 'professional behavior' issue, you don't even get that face to face in the workplace these days, so it's hard to expect it from 'names on the computer screen'. This isn't just in the publishing industry either, it happens at big fortune 500 companies too.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Nod nod. Trouble is these authors are already contracted and the books are published - all they want is their rights back and they are getting no response. Going to court is expensive.

And I know that about your last point, after all, I've just left a nightmare of a firm which ranks itself one of the best law firms in the country. I know that professionalism is a dying art, but I still expect it - and treasure it when I find it.

[kathleenbradean.livejournal.com]

If those writer/publishers have to be told six times to empty the dishwasher, then they're acting like teenage girls. Otherwise, they're acting like adults at their worst. At least teenagers have an excuse. Well- my teenagers always have an excuse....

[kathleenbradean.livejournal.com]

My god you make me laugh. Isherwood. I love smart people jokes.

[mylodon.livejournal.com]

So do mine. I'm starting to write them down for personal use.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Aw thanks hun.

:D

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

It's a pity Torchwood finished as it did -- I was hoping Owen would open a charter branch of Dead Rights.

[erastes.livejournal.com]

He really should have!

:)

[mzcalypso.livejournal.com]

If the contract has any kind of performance requirements, kill dates, whatever - if the book is not in print within X months/years, and the publisher is obviously in breach -- couldn't the authors just send a certified letter remind the publisher that there is a deadline for payment or publication, then, when the deadline passes, retracting their rights and sell the downloads to readers individually? It wouldn't necessarily be fancy--reader X sends writer Y a paypal order for $n and writer sends reader a copy of the file. It's honor system for the writer and readers and the publisher would no doubt own the cover art, but at least it would break the logjam.

I'm sure that depends on the contract, though. Gah. Why not just say, look, the business isn't working, here are your rights back. It's like keeping someone else's DVD when you don't have a DVD player.

Google-wanking

[markprobst.livejournal.com]

I would be so embarassed if anyone found out about my "Google-wanking" addiction!

[clarelondon.livejournal.com]

It wears me out, to be honest.
IMHO - and I don't usually like to get out of my pram on these things - the whole bitching thing takes on a life of its own. The antagonism becomes the news, not the fiction, nor the review work.
I *know* that any publicity is meant to be good publicity, but I can't see that this gives any kind of a win/win situation at all, for authors or readers or reviewers.
It scares a lot of us off dipping our toes in the 'industry' at all, for that very reason - that it feels less professional than we'd hoped.

*crawls back under my rock*

[erastes.livejournal.com]

If they could get SOME response, that would be good, but they are getting nothing. I'll have to get becky to look at her contract again regarding rights of termination.

Re: Google-wanking

[erastes.livejournal.com]

Now they have!!

:)