My Farewell + Don't Shame Readers for What They Read (or Writers for What They Write)
MY FAREWELL TO THE BOOK CLUB:
(Sent to book club members on 7/26/2021)
Readers and Writers,
Chrys Fey here. The IWSG administrators contacted me recently to inform me about a new direction they’ve decided to take the book club. They also decided to replace me. Toi will be taking over as the new book club lead. Although, she’s not really new. She’s been with us since 2017 as a book club moderator!
I don’t have many details about the new direction, but from what I understand, the book club will be spotlighting IWSG members’ books from now on. Toi will share more about the new direction soon.
Fortunately, our upcoming discussion day on August 25th for They Called Us Enemy and Writing Magic will still be taking place. Toi will be posting for that discussion day. Please join us!
I’d like to take a moment to reflect and express my gratitude.
I created this book club in 2017 for writers to read/learn about the writing craft. I am sad to have to say goodbye after all these years. Many of you have personally messaged me to say how much the book club has helped you and what it has meant to you. Your words have meant a great deal to me. I also know many of you have read the books over the years but chose not to participate in the discussions (which were always optional), preferring to stay on the sidelines, instead. I saw you, and I thank you for being a member on your terms.
The book club’s upcoming changes will be different, but I know Toi and the moderators, Ronel and Juneta, will do great. I am incredibly grateful to them for being such a wonderful team. I didn’t make changes without their input and asked for all their ideas. Their enthusiasm for the book club boosted me, and their assistance helped me to maintain my stamina in running this book club.
Thank you for everything, Toi, Ronel, and Juneta!
And thank you, all four hundred and fifty-seven of you, for being a member of this book club!
Happy Reading (and writing),
Chrys
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The IWSG bok club selections for Sept/Oct/Nov would've been The Heroine's Journey: For Writers, Readers, and Fans of Pop Culture by Gail Carriger and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (as a good example of voice). I was really looking forward to reading and discussing these two books, so I am still going to read them for myself. If either of these books sound good to you, I encourage you to read them for yourself, too. I will talk about them on my blog later this year.
Happy Reading!
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NOTE: This next part of my post does not relate to the beginning of my post. I already had this post about books and reading planned for today.
DON'T SHAME READERS FOR WHAT THEY READ
(OR WRITERS FOR WHAT THEY WRITE)
Don't shame readers for what genres and formats they like to read.
Or writers for what genres and formats they like to write.
(This started as a post for readers until I realized it went for writers as well.)
FORMAT:
Print novels aren't the only correct format.
Audiobooks are real books.
Ebooks are real books.
Graphic novels are real books.
Comic books are real books.
Picture books are real books.
Poetry collections are real books.
Essay collections are real books.
Short story collections are real books.
As a matter of fact...
Short stories are real literature.
FUN FACT: Short stories are one of the oldest forms of literature.
Novelettes and novellas are real literature, too.
Short stories, novelettes, and novellas (usually published as eBooks) count toward reading goals/challenges (as do picture books, graphic novels, audiobooks, etc.). They are complete works of fiction. Writing them involves a special skillset, and reading them for pleasure or toward challenges is acceptable.
ALL reading is valid.
In terms of publishing, short stories, novelettes, and novellas are publishable and readers DO read them.
And writers who write short fiction (anything shorter than a novel) ARE REAL WRITERS.
GENRE:
Just because you may not like a genre doesn't make it any less than the genres you prefer.
The romance genre is the most criticized genre ever. And romance authors are heavily criticized and judged, even by fellow writers.
But romance is a $1.4 billion industry and makes up 1/3 of the fiction market. Romance is the best-selling book genre in the entire publishing industry, and the most profitable.
Not everyone can write romance. It involves a special skillset as well as certain qualities, such as a HEA (happily-ever-after) or HFN (happy-for-now) endings.
EX: Nicholas Sparks does NOT write romance. His books have bittersweet (or just plain sad) endings. His books are love stories.
Check out this article: What's the Difference Between a Romance Novel and a Love Story?
Romance is not all about sex. Romance books are NOT mommy porn. There's many romance sub-genres, age categories, and heat levels. In fact, romance has a vast heat range from zero sexual contact to erotica. Oh, and men read romance, too.
Romance stories are complex, because people and relationships are complex, and that's what romance stories delve into.
Don't shame readers for what genres they like to read, or writers for what genres they like to write, whether that's:
Romance
Erotica
MlM (men loving men)
WlW (woman loving women)
LGBTQIA+
Christian fiction (i.e. Amish romance)
Religious Fiction (ALL religions)
Monster Romance
Young Adult
New Adult
Children's
Memoirs
Non-fiction
Self-Help
Historical
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror
AND ALL THE OTHER GENRES/SUB-GENRES NOT LISTED HERE.
You read you. I'll read me. Everyone will read them.
No more shaming readers for what they read!
You write you. I’ll write me. Everyone will write them.
No more shaming writers for what they write!
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REBUILDING MY STREET TEAM:
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QUESTION: Have you ever been shamed (judged) for what you like to read? Or have you seen this happen? Writers, have you ever been shamed (judged) for what you like to write?
I've seen this happen for romance, audio books, and shorter works (eBooks).
