Elizabeth Kerner
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Now *that* I find astounding. I expect to get that sort of nonsense, I have three books out and folk think that I must be desperate for ideas (really not, thanks) - but you must have a reinforced mantlepiece to hold all the Hugos! Or do you keep them in your office? Sorry to be so obvious with the initial question. My publisher is wanting 'more of the same' and I'm finding it a bit of a trial. Cheers, Elizabeth
Lois McMaster Bujold
(This refers back to this OP: https://www.goodreads.com/questions/1... If follow-ups aren't in the comments section, they risk getting separated from their context when the Q&A column gets presented in some other order than chronological.)
I think the fan pleas are more in the nature of a wish-list.
Re: publishers, you have to learn to read publisher-speak. What they are really saying is that they want something that will sell as well or better than whatever came before. Strict series work is an economic security blanket for them. To be sure, they presumably bought the earlier work because they liked it and it seemed what they were looking for.
Tor editor Theresa Nielsen Hayden had a classic rant from the editor's side about "writers as otters" on the subject. Short version: when you try to train an otter to do a trick, and reward it hoping for a repeat, the otter doesn't think, "Great! She liked it! I'll do it again!", but rather, "Great! She liked it! Now I'll do something else that's even cooler!"
(Turning in something that sells better, or copping a few major awards, mutes this sort of thing to muffled editorial whimpers, but one can't count on that.)
My award-storage has moved around over the years. For a while I kept my first Nebula on a shelf over my kitchen sink, so I could enjoy it while washing dishes. (No dishwasher in that old kitchen.) My old house had a fireplace with three little stone shelves that stuck out, which held three Hugos very nicely for a while. My current place has some built-in cabinet-shelves in the back of the living room that houses everything now.
Ta, L.
I think the fan pleas are more in the nature of a wish-list.
Re: publishers, you have to learn to read publisher-speak. What they are really saying is that they want something that will sell as well or better than whatever came before. Strict series work is an economic security blanket for them. To be sure, they presumably bought the earlier work because they liked it and it seemed what they were looking for.
Tor editor Theresa Nielsen Hayden had a classic rant from the editor's side about "writers as otters" on the subject. Short version: when you try to train an otter to do a trick, and reward it hoping for a repeat, the otter doesn't think, "Great! She liked it! I'll do it again!", but rather, "Great! She liked it! Now I'll do something else that's even cooler!"
(Turning in something that sells better, or copping a few major awards, mutes this sort of thing to muffled editorial whimpers, but one can't count on that.)
My award-storage has moved around over the years. For a while I kept my first Nebula on a shelf over my kitchen sink, so I could enjoy it while washing dishes. (No dishwasher in that old kitchen.) My old house had a fireplace with three little stone shelves that stuck out, which held three Hugos very nicely for a while. My current place has some built-in cabinet-shelves in the back of the living room that houses everything now.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
Shane Castle
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
When you were flogging your first ms around, did anyone advise you to use a non-feminine pen name? (e.g., like C. J. Cherryh, or perhaps even James Tiptree.) Nowadays, of course, nobody would dare suggest it. Or maybe so; there's J. K. Rowling as a recent example.
Brzk
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
When you have first started writing about Miles, did you have a clear idea of how his character would turn out? To what extent have you based him on the traits of real person/s - or is Miles entirely a product of your imagination? Was it your intention that he starts as a complete outsider and thus his physical appearance? I guess it says a lot about your optimism that he survived and never turned against Barrayar...
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