The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
TASK HELP: Winter 2017
>
30.2 - Mazza1's Task: Prolific Pensmiths
date
newest »
newest »
You need to be very certain that there are 26 or more DIFFERENT books of over 100 pages I don't want to be responsible for having a task turned down so it is up to the individual to ensure that there are enough books to qualify
excluding translations / collection/ short stories etc
The link to Fantastic Fiction Ihttps://www.fantasticfiction.com is a really useful way of finding out if an author has 26 distinct works
It handily lists works under Novels. Series, Collections, Short stories and Non-Fiction
Then you only have to be sure that at least 26 of those works are over 100 pages in length and are not in the Collections / short stories section
So Using Harry Turtledove - one of my choices it lists over 70 books that are part of a series and 24 novels - standalone. It also lists one non-fiction book and several novellas which although you could not choose them for the task (each book must be at least 250 pages) could be counted towards the number of works if they have over 100 pages.
Agatha Christie Standalones Death Comes as the End
And Then There Were None
Harry Turtledove Standalones
Every Inch a King
Mod
hmmm...when in doubt....Nora Roberts fits the bill :)for clarification - I could use JD Robb for the first one (even though a pen name) -because more than 25 books have been published under that name - correct? (all in a series)
So the first book can be a series or a stand-alone, but the second book must be a stand-alone? Did I understand that correctly?
If anyone's going for Agatha Christie, subject to confirmation I think both Death Comes As the End and And Then There Were None count as standalones by a prolific author for Book 2.
Dee wrote: "hmmm...when in doubt....Nora Roberts fits the bill :)for clarification - I could use JD Robb for the first one (even though a pen name) -because more than 25 books have been published under that ..."
IF JD Robb has 26 distinct books of more than 100 pages under that name then it will work but you cannot amalgamate JD Robb and Nora Roberts to get to the 26 works
Ed wrote: "So...Tolstoy qualifies?https://www.goodreads.com/author/list..."GR distinct works list shows 30, However, the first page of that list, identifies several versions of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, as well as a number of short stories/essays.
You need to be very certain that there are 26 or more DIFFERENT books of over 100 pages
I don't want to be responsible for having a task turned down so it is up to the individual to ensure that there are enough books to qualify
excluding translations / collection/ short stories etc
Trish wrote: "If anyone's going for Agatha Christie, subject to confirmation I think both Death Comes As the End and And Then There Were None count as standalones by a prolific autho..."both of those fit for stand alone
Bea wrote: "So the first book can be a series or a stand-alone, but the second book must be a stand-alone? Did I understand that correctly?"yes thats right Bea
what about if their book count is achieved with collaboration novels? i.e. do the 26 have to be single author or not (obviously there must be at least one common author throughout the 26, that's a given)
Cat wrote: "what about if their book count is achieved with collaboration novels? i.e. do the 26 have to be single author or not (obviously there must be at least one common author throughout the 26, that's a ..."Cat I am not sure - Some collaborations with multiple authors end up being collections of short stories and so wouldn't count have you got something in mind?
Marie (UK) wrote: "both of those fit for stand alone "Perfect. Thanks.
Cat wrote: "Collaborations like Power Play.(sorry for brevity, am on the move...)"
thats Ok Cat my gut feeling is that both authors would have had control over the finished product and so it would probably count BUT i have asked mods so can i get back to you when i hear back
Cat - we are going to add wording to the task that allows a 2 author collaboration to be used within the 26 distinct works - on that basis the one you use should work but please read the wording once it is added to be absolutely certain.Both the Mods and myself feel that collaborations between more than 2 authors are likely to be short story collections and so would not work
Please confirm that Elizabeth Berg has 27 distinct books to her credit as per her webpage: http://www.elizabeth-berg.net/site/ep...Thank you
I'm trying for Seanan McGuire for both. I believe I'm counting correctly, while eliminating a bazillion short stories. Really sad I can't count in her pseudonym.For approval:
Once Broken Faith part of a series
Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day stand alone
Book Concierge wrote: "Please confirm that Elizabeth Berg has 27 distinct books to her credit as per her webpage: http://www.elizabeth-berg.net/site/ep...Thank you"
As i said to Ed I don't want to be responsible for having a task turned down so it is up to the individual to ensure that there are enough books of over 100 pages to qualify and that translations / collection/ short stories etc must be excluded
Using the link to Fantastic Fiction it looks like 27 books just be certain they are all long enough
Deborah wrote: "I'm trying for Seanan McGuire for both. I believe I'm counting correctly, while eliminating a bazillion short stories. Really sad I can't count in her pseudonym.For approval:
[bo..."
I can approve those books as being part of a series and standalone but again the numbering is up to the individual
using the link in the first post to" Fantastic Fiction " there seem to be enough distinct works just be sure they are all long enough i think it is much easier to see on there if someone has the 26 works
Ed wrote: "So...Tolstoy qualifies?https://www.goodreads.com/author/list..."Ed using the "Fantastic Fiction" link it looks like Tolstoy does work just make sure enough of the works are long enough
QUESTION: If an author publishes a collection of short stories or essays (i.e. just *one* author's work), does that count as a BOOK? (not as 12 published works, but as one single volume) ....
Book Concierge wrote: "QUESTION: If an author publishes a collection of short stories or essays (i.e. just *one* author's work), does that count as a BOOK? (not as 12 published works, but as one single volume) ...."no short story collections cannot be used
Do all the books have to have English translations? Case in point, Arnaldur Indriðason.According to good reads this author has 30 books though not all of have been translated into English. Three are anthologies but that leaves 27 which is within your parameters though not all available in English. Unfortunately my Icelandic language skills are nonexistant. I would like to read his latest that has been translated into English,
The Shadow District: A Thriller.
Thanks,
Andy
Please disregard, I just reread the task, and this book appears to be the first in a series so it won't work for that reason alone
I just checked the approved Agatha Christie books and both are less than 250 pages in the editions I own. Just a heads up for everyone that although Christie was insanely productive many of her book are quite short (around 200 pages).
Paula wrote: "I just checked the approved Agatha Christie books and both are less than 250 pages in the editions I own. Just a heads up for everyone that although Christie was insanely productive many of her boo..."Thanks Paula it is true that editions vary widely but both the editions in the approved post exceed 250 pages. I suggest, as you say, that people are very careful to fulfil all parts of the task
Andy wrote: "Do all the books have to have English translations? Case in point, Arnaldur Indriðason.According to good reads this author has 30 books though not all of have been translated into..."
If this book had fit other criteria e.g. page length stand alone. distinct works etc I would have approved it the language you read in is not important
Can I clarify if we are allowed to use Short story collections. I want to read Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood who has 303 distinct works
Heather(Gibby) wrote: "Can I clarify if we are allowed to use Short story collections. I want to read Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood who has 303 distinct works"
you can read a short story collection (as long as page count is 250 or more ) but you cannot use a short story collection as one of the 25
you have to be certain these are all distinct works of over 100 pages as The site i have linked gives a lot less than 303 distinct works
It looks like you are OK with Margaret attwood - look at this page
https://www.fantasticfiction.com/a/ma...
I see
3 books in a series
16 novels
2 in Myths
and some non fiction
OK thanks you, I think I was getting confused with the word "books" when you actually mean novels.
This is perfect because I have been meaning to read more Agatha Christie. It is okay to read a short story collection correct? I wanted to read Murder at the Vicarage and The Thirteen Problemsnever mind...just saw the second one has to stand alone...I will go check her works again.
Nicole wrote: "This is perfect because I have been meaning to read more Agatha Christie. It is okay to read a short story collection correct? I wanted to read Murder at the Vicarage and The Thi..."</i>you can read a short story collection
I can recommend [book:And Then There Were None which is standalone and fits page count
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
Murder at the Vicarage (other topics)And Then There Were None (other topics)
Murder at the Vicarage (other topics)
The Thirteen Problems (other topics)
Stone Mattress: Nine Tales (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Margaret Atwood (other topics)Margaret Atwood (other topics)
Arnaldur Indriðason (other topics)
Arnaldur Indriðason (other topics)
Seanan McGuire (other topics)
More...
I have authors that I regularly use for the SRC. I know I can get hold of their books from the library and there are plenty to choose from. This got me to thinking about how prolific some authors were.
This is a two book task
Minimum required page count of 250 pages per book
No books with a main page genre of childrens or kids may be used for this task.
If a book is written by 2 authors, either author's publishing record can be used to establish the 26+ distinct works. A book with more than 2 authors will not work for this task. The two authors must be considered separately - their publishing record cannot be aggregated to reach 26+.
Book one
Read a book by any author who has published MORE than 25 books (i.e., at least 26 books). The author must have published at least 26 book-length books, at least 100 pages (not short stories, essays, etc.). This book may be standalone or part of a series.
Book two
Read a book by either the same author OR by a different author who has published MORE than 25 books (at least 26). The author must have published at least 26 book-length books, at least 100 pages (not short stories, essays, etc.).
This book must be a standalone book, not part of a series
Examples of prolific authors include - Agatha Christie, Barbara Cartland, Harry Turtledove and Charles Dickens.
NOTE: When counting up the number of works by an author, they must all be written under the same name - you cannot aggregate works by an author under different pen names.
You could use the following sites to help you choose but you are not limited to them:
List of Prolific Writers
11 Most Prolific Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors
6 of the Most Prolific Authors.
When you post you must provide a link showing that the author has published more than 25 distinct works - this information can often be found on the Author page on Goodreads or on Wikipaedia. For fiction writers, the Fantastic Fiction website is a useful resource for a list of the author's works.
On the author page on Goodreads, you can scroll past the biographical information to where the book list starts-right under the author’s name is a line with average ratings, reviews and DISTINCT WORKS.
CAUTION: The Goodreads "distinct works" field contains separate listings for short stories, forwards to other books, etc., and those cannot be counted in the 26. It also contains many separate listings, such as translations, that should not be listed separately. Be aware that this number may change, if a librarian combines the editions that should not be separately listed. You will need to double check those listed "distinct works" for yourself, to make sure that there are really 26 separate works.