Q&A with Josh Lanyon discussion
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What else are you reading? (June 2010 - May 2013) *closed*
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Why am I picturing that scene from Dumb and Dumber. "So...you're saying there's a chance?"
K.Z. wrote: "Hidden is getting increasingly painful to read. I can't imagine what possessed Kensington to publish it; I've read some extraordinary gay fiction issued by this house. But Hidden? A..."See, I kind of liked the narrator. And so I plowed through the rest of the mess to read him. And yeah, I gave it more time because the subject was unique and important. Maybe you can do it justice some day? (It did make me itch to pick up a pen and write a good YA version, which this is definitely not, except I don't need a new project that demands that much research.)
Dorothy L. Sayers' Clouds of Witness is only 99 cents on BN/Nook, and for you Amazon fans, I checked and a few of her other books are 99 cents there, too. Sayers' works were one of the first I read as a child that created my life-long love of mysteries.
Josh wrote: "There's a lot of panic over first books because you really do believe that everything and anything can make or break you. So books not shwoing up in time for a signing or a bad review or not being invited to be on a panel -- all these things feel like career-busters."Therein might lie the advantage to starting out small (at the self-pub or indie level): one has lower expectations. I don't think I've ever felt entitled to anything -- not even "fair" reviews, given the subjectivity of the reading experience.
Josh, have you ever gone through a fearing-for-your-career phase? Or have you always been resigned to clawing your way up the ladder?
mc wrote: "Dorothy L. Sayers' Clouds of Witness is only 99 cents on BN/Nook, and for you Amazon fans, I checked and a few of her other books are 99 cents there, too. Sayers' works were one of the first I rea..."Thanks for the heads up. I have them all in paperback but some are seriously old (with prices like 12 P on them from when my mother was in Scotland as a post-doc!) so back-ups might be good. They are best read in order but don't have to be for the first few. If it's on the cheap list and you haven't read any of them I might start with Murder Must Advertise .
Thanks, Kaje, I was going to go see what was the series order. I have the paperbacks at my parents' house, but I thought to get these as well.There's something rather touching about your having books that your mother bought as a young woman.
Yeah, I'm not going to part with them, regardless. She was a big reader. When we moved her from the house to the apartment, we had to go down from 14 bookcases to 4, and she gave me the things she had read enough to memorize. Unfortunately now, her memory loss is so bad she can no longer read. But I'm keeping all her favorites, even the ones that aren't also mine.Advertise isn't the first book but it's a good stand-alone and it's a fun look at the advertising copy-writing business in the 1920's.
Lauraadriana wrote: "Just read Stolen Summer last night
. Other than Cranberry Hush by Ben Monopoli this hands down the best debut novel in this genre I've read all year. Outstanding."I LOVED Stolen Summer. The story was so cute :D
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I popped over there to buy them, and then I realized that this is one series that I prefer to read in print and it's not necessary to duplicate on my ebook reader.
I'm hoping this promo will introduce new fans to Sayer. My all time single favorite is Gaudy Night.
Josh wrote: "I'm hoping this promo will introduce new fans to Sayer. My all time single favorite is Gaudy Night. ..."I agree, but absolutely do not start with that one if you haven't read any of the others. It is the culmination of the romance arc, that begins in Strong Poison .
Josh wrote: "I'm hoping this promo will introduce new fans to Sayer. My all time single favorite is Gaudy Night. ..."Ha, another fan! It's not only my favourite Dorothy Sayers but also the first ever book I read in English - probably not a wise choice for a beginner (understatement of the year) but by then I almost knew the translated version by heart.
Loved Gaudy Night, though it's been so long since I've read it that a re-read is in order. I should probably read the whole series again.
Mod
The industry is changing so much that we've all, across the board, been swept back to Start. We're all just making it up as we go.
Josh, have you ever gone through a fearing-for-your-career phase? Or have you always been resigned to clawing your way up the ladder?
Every time I have a new release?
It probably helps that I've been scrabbling for a publishing career since I was 16. I'm used to scrabbling, I never feel secure, but at the same time, because scrabbling is all I know, I'm comfortable with feeling precariously balanced.
I can tell you -- not just from my personal experience, but from avidly watching the industry for many years -- that there is nothing that will break a writer's career other than stopping writing. Janet Dailey? Cassie Edwards? James Frey? There is no revelation -- plagiarism! he got a bad review! he's a girl! he's an academic! he writes romance! he writes ebooks! that can destroy a writer's career. The only thing nowdays that can destroy a writer is to stop writing. Period.
But there are ups and downs. Some books do better than others. That's the way it works.
Persistence and promotion count for everything nowdays. I hope that doesn't sound too cynical, because I do still believe that good writing trumps promo every time -- at least when it comes to the long distance runner.
So that continues to be my advice. If you can take the long view of your writing career and focus simply on crafting the best possible work and then promoting that as best you can...I think you will ultimately succeed. Meaning, people will still be reading you in ten years.
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Not as a henchman. I'm more in the evil boss category.
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You're really more of a sort of fairy godmother type. You kinda swoop in on your own, wave a wand, magic some stuff and then go onto the next needy soul at your own leisure. More of a free agent. :)
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Not as a henchman. I'm more in the evil boss category."
EVIL OVERLORD, Nicole. Don't sell yourself short.
Just watched a great bio of H. P. Lovecraft on the Chiller channel -- commentary by Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub, and others. Now I'm all stoked to read Lovecraft again. (Sheesh, talk about easily distracted. I have so many books stacked next to the bed, pretty soon I won't need a nightstand.)
K.Z. wrote: "Just watched a great bio of H. P. Lovecraft on the Chiller channel -- commentary by Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Peter Straub, and others. Now I'm all stoked to read Lovecraft again. (Sheesh, talk..."Lovecraft and Poe worked so powerfully on me as I was 17/18 years old that I'm quite sure I don't want to read them again even though they did write masterpieces.
MandyM wrote: "Candice wrote: "Also, it's rare for my reading because I can read it aloud to my mom. I know what you're thinking, but she has alzheimers..."That's made my day! I just had this vision of a rec ro..."
That image made me laugh, too. Actually, Mom still lives w/me. However, "old people's home" is still fairly apt.
Antonella wrote: "Lovecraft and Poe worked so powerfully on me as I was 17/18 years old that I'm quite sure I don't want to read them again even though they did write masterpieces."Do you mean they frightened you, Antonella?
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Well, aren't you sweet! Sadly it's not true, though. Oh, would that I had enough power to level up to Overlord status. I'm still merely an ambitious small time boss, alas!
K.Z. wrote: "Hidden is getting increasingly painful to read. I can't imagine what possessed Kensington to publish it; I've read some extraordinary gay fiction issued by this house. But Hidden? A..."For what it's worth, I started this some time ago -- could NOT finish for the reasons you mentioned. Like Kaje, I felt it was important, wanted to read it, so I put it aside and meant to come back and lurch my way through it, but it's been months now. It just wasn't strong enough to hold together for me. The writing felt anxious and neurotic, more than deeply dark and important. If that makes any sense at all.
Eve wrote: "The writing felt anxious and neurotic, more than deeply dark and important. If that makes any sense at all."Yes, it does make sense. The author is trying so hard to make the narrative edgy and immediate and powerful, to make his young folks hip and smart-assy and rebellious, that he ends up with an indigestible stew of disjointed grammar, unsympathetic characters, and emotions that are all over the place and ultimately feel false. Thoughts and dialogue often border on the ridiculous.
But . . . this is an important subject. I'd love to see a gifted YA writer tackle it.
Anxious and neurotic is the perfect way to put it. I guess I figured the narrator had the right to feel that way so it kind of fit. But I also would love to see the topic tackled better.
K.Z. wrote: "Do you mean they frightened you, Antonella?"''Frighten'' doesn't even begin to describe the effect on me: especially with Lovecraft, for a while I believed at times the world was as he described it with the evil forces waiting in the dark. But now that I remember, I was younger than I said, I think more around 16 years old. IMO Lovecraft should come with a warning! ;-)
Kaje wrote: "I guess I figured the narrator had the right to feel that way so it kind of fit."I actually agree with you, and even thought that at the time. It feels like a bit of a shame that I need for someone to survive crappy experiences well enough to write effectively about it. :\ It might fit, yeah, but it made me jumpy to read it, not thoughtful at all, but annoyed.
I'm thinking of the phrase that gets used to acknowledge that 'walk a mile in his/her shoes' sentiment: "Yeah, he's neurotic as hell, but he came by it honestly."
I'm reading Man, Oh Man! Writing M/M Fiction for Kinks & Cash. As a reader it's making me more aware both of why I like certain books and why I feel it's a guilty pleasure liking certain other books :-) I rarely reflect upon what strikes a chord in me, I usually acknowledge the effect and move on.
OM
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my DNF, and starting to dump on me for writing "pretend" gay fiction, blah-blah-blah. (I did not, by the way, rate his book; I don't believe it's fair to rate books I don't finish.)
Do you think I should delete my (non)review? I just want this guy off my back.
K.Z. wrote: "O
M
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my DNF, and sta..."
Poor you! It looks like he's reacting more to what you told Tom than your non-review. That response looks an awful lot like his blog entry where he definitely feels he is being slighted by everyone who doesn't grant him adequate recognition.
I'm not sure how you win this one. You could delete the book and the comments, you could leave it the way it is and hope he goes away, or you could block him from being able to see or comment on your reviews, including that one.
M
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my DNF, and sta..."
Poor you! It looks like he's reacting more to what you told Tom than your non-review. That response looks an awful lot like his blog entry where he definitely feels he is being slighted by everyone who doesn't grant him adequate recognition.
I'm not sure how you win this one. You could delete the book and the comments, you could leave it the way it is and hope he goes away, or you could block him from being able to see or comment on your reviews, including that one.
K.Z. wrote: "OM
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my DNF, and sta..."
Report him to Goodreads. Authors aren't supposed to be harassing readers over reviews, and they made that pretty clear earlier this year. If he's hassling you, he's probably hassling other people who didn't ohmygodlove his book, either.
K.Z. wrote: "OM
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my DNF, and sta..."
O.O
KZ, that's fucked up. >:-/
K.Z. wrote: "OM
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my DNF, and sta..."
So sorry you go through this. I second Becky, report this to Goodreads and block him.
Kate Mc. wrote: "It looks like he's reacting more to what you told Tom than your non-review. That response looks an awful lot like his blog entry where he definitely feels he is being slighted by everyone who doesn't grant him adequate recognition."He clearly started out reacting to that, Kate, even though I made a point of telling Tom not to base his book-buying decisions on any one person's reaction and pointed out that other readers thought highly of the novel. In very short order, however, the author's initial reaction began to spin out of control. Now his frustration is, by implication, pinging off every m/m romance writer -- especially the non-queer ones -- because we deal in "make believe."
Cleon wrote: "K.Z. wrote: "OM
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my..."
Wow, I'm disappointed in any author who acts this way, and especially if I was the one who brought the book to your attention. Block him for sure, and I would mention it to GR. I could see it being a hard book to finish - I would have DNF'd except that somehow the narrator's voice clicked with me. The author really needs to separate out the message from the work of fiction here, in terms of people's reactions.
Becky wrote: "Report him to Goodreads. Authors aren't supposed to be harassing readers over reviews, and they made that pretty clear earlier this year. If he's hassling you, he's probably hassling other people who didn't ohmygodlove his book, either."That occurred to me, Becky, but I'm afraid it would result in even more problems. This guy is a full bubble off plumb, maybe more.
Kari wrote: "KZ, that's fucked up. >:-/"That's it in a nutshell, hon. But I guess there are wankers everywhere. *shrugs*
K.Z. wrote: "Kate Mc. wrote: "It looks like he's reacting more to what you told Tom than your non-review. That response looks an awful lot like his blog entry where he definitely feels he is being slighted by e..."
I saw that. He apparently carries a bag full of resentments around about everything and will harp on them ad nauseum. One of those people for whom the world is disappointingly wrong-thinking and he's going to make sure we know it.
You can't succeed by engaging these people. They aren't listening.
I saw that. He apparently carries a bag full of resentments around about everything and will harp on them ad nauseum. One of those people for whom the world is disappointingly wrong-thinking and he's going to make sure we know it.
You can't succeed by engaging these people. They aren't listening.
Kaje wrote: "Wow, I'm disappointed in any author who acts this way, and especially if I was the one who brought the book to your attention."Not your fault at all, Kaje. :)
Kaje wrote: "The author really needs to separate out the message from the work of fiction here, in terms of people's reactions."
That's it exactly. He's passionate about his message (I think it's safe to say we all are), and he can't seem to disengage criticism of his writing from reaction to the book's theme.
It was the theme that attracted me to this novel; it was the author's craftsmanship (or lack thereof) that put me off. He doesn't seem to be grasping that distinction.
K.Z. wrote: "Kate Mc. wrote: "It looks like he's reacting more to what you told Tom than your non-review. That response looks an awful lot like his blog entry where he definitely feels he is being slighted by e..."Er. Unless his book is non-fiction, he's dealing in make believe, too. Even non-fiction is no guarantee against make believe these days.
If he was reacting to straight women writing books about gay men, I'd have a certain amount of sympathy. (I don't accept the "hey straighties, get outta my genre!" attitude, but I can understand the frustration.) But based on his earlier blog rant, it sounds like he has a problem with anyone getting more attention than he does. Not attractive.
If I read his blog post correctly (and I admit, I found it tiresome after a while and started to skim, and then quit reading), he's been applying to be on the panel at the West Hollywood book fair for years, even though his first book was just published this year. I don't see any evidence of other published work. So why would the book fair give two hoots about having him as a panelist? The entitlement is strong with this one.
K.Z. wrote: "OM
G
"
And in case you felt alone, I'll chime in with yeah, so wrong. I agree that you should probably alert GR. It doesn't look as if he's haranguing others... maybe he picked on you as an author?
Even so, that sort of behavior from authors can really stifle readers, and GR is supposed to be for readers, not authors. Pretty much goes against what GR is for, IMO.
Can't say I blame you for just wanting it to go away, tho...
Mod
M
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due to my DNF, and sta..."
What. The. Hell.
This is advice for any and all new writers. The fuss you put up over a perceived bad review is far more lasting and damaging than the review.
If you really want it to go away and be forgotten, SHUT UP ABOUT IT.
Josh wrote: "K.Z. wrote: "O
M
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due t..."
I seriously don't understand why authors need to hover on people's reviews. I have gotten so many friend requests from writers and messages from authors about books I read, my reviews...Seriously it's very off putting. If I haven't read someone's book and liked it. I won't friend them, and won't be their fan either. Why would I? If I don't like a book, I will say so. I'm not mean or rude, but I won't lie either.
I don't understand how authors, don't see that doing that sort of stuff does more damage than good.
M
G
Remember this book Hidden, which I mentioned somewhere above and discussed a bit with Kaje? Well, the author is now hounding me with messages and emails due t..."
I seriously don't understand why authors need to hover on people's reviews. I have gotten so many friend requests from writers and messages from authors about books I read, my reviews...Seriously it's very off putting. If I haven't read someone's book and liked it. I won't friend them, and won't be their fan either. Why would I? If I don't like a book, I will say so. I'm not mean or rude, but I won't lie either.
I don't understand how authors, don't see that doing that sort of stuff does more damage than good.
Mod
Anyway, there's no guarantee that removing your comment would stop him from harassing you. If he's really this unclear on how it works, he probably needs a reality check from Goodreads. But I'd probably warn him first and give him the chance to correct.
Mod
..."
Sort of. But Goodreads solicits authors and encourages author participation with loads of tools and advertising and so on and so forth. It's a sometimes uneasy mix of author promotion and reader interaction -- and wherever those two overlap there are inevitable clashes.
Hey, all. Saw this post and just thought I'd chime in with my two cents, as a new author. First, it sucks that the author (never read the book btw) felt the need to contact the way he did. I'll admit to doing a fair amount of hovering when BOATK came out, but even only after a couple of days I realized how pointless it was. I've gotten great reviews and bad reviews and all those in between. I've learned in my short time as a published writer that some people won't like it, no matter what. But that's the beauty of it, because it's their opinion. I would never respond to a negative review because it's not fair to the reviewer. They are entitled to their opinion, and usually because they purchased the work they are writing a review for. Plus, arguing over such a thing is so completely pointless. Seriously, there's a billion other things to do in the world aside from stalking reviews. But, that's just me. OoOo and this is my first post in this group, so hey! I'm halfway through Mexican Heat and having a blast with it!
ETA: Oops. In reply to Josh, above:I agree with that, and think I spoke too sloppily.
I think my point was that if readers write reviews thinking that the authors might respond, that will begin to impact how they write their review (IMO, works both for negative and positive reviews, with authors either griping or praising/thanking -- but especially with bullying reviews).
Maybe that's okay (there's no black and white here), but to me, I'd rather believe that the reviews are honest opinions by readers that are written to inform other readers. That's been a topic of lots of discussion in forums here and there, and lots of people would disagree with me.
I do worry that if authors like that go unchecked, then readers who are more timid will be less likely to leave honest reviews. Hell. *I'm* that timid.
T.j. wrote: "OoOo and this is my first post in this group, so hey! I'm halfway through Mexican Heat and having a blast with it! ..."Hey, Tj. Welcome. I'll admit to lurking over reviews but I only commented a couple of times on positive reviews from people whom I'd already had friend me and bantered with on other threads. I agree - life's too short to try to please everybody, since you are doomed to fail. (Some of the negatives were good feedback, though.) Congrats on BOATK, by the way - you're getting on a lot of favorites lists.
Yeah, I basically made a policy with myself of never commenting on reviews. I've broken that rule twice, I think. Once to someone I already knew (Kate Mc) and that was to beg more input because she had smart things to say. And the second time to an author I respect who had a couple of criticisms that I wanted to THANK her for (they were good). I did that in private, and apologized first for stalking. :)Lauraadriana: do you mean you also don't want authors to respond to your positive reviews either (no 'thank yous')? As a reader, I'd agree with that (if that's what you meant). As an author, I get a little worried that readers might think I'm arrogant about some VERY nice words, but overall, I think the 'handsoff' policy is a good one.
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Q&A with Josh Lanyon
Books mentioned in this topic
Chained Melody (other topics)The Far Pavilions (other topics)
Death in Kashmir (other topics)
The Flame Trees of Thika: Memories of an African Childhood (other topics)
Mistress of the Art of Death (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
M.M. Kaye (other topics)Elspeth Huxley (other topics)
Lauren Willig (other topics)
Charlie Cochet (other topics)
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There's a lot of panic over first books because you really do believe that everything and anything can make or break you. So books not shwoing up in time for a signing or a bad review or not being invited to be on a panel -- all these things feel like career-busters.
Of course you want to hide that panic if at all possible. Not post it on the world wide web where it can live a a forever reminder of a dark and desperate moment.