I was talking to someone recently and the topic turned to who is cattier: musicians or authors? We both gave examples of asshole tactics from people in our chosen fields, and you know what? I think artists are kind of universally catty, but for good reason.
You see, artists tend to do a lot of work alone (even when it's a musical group…the group is "alone.") So when we go out into the bigger world to essentially hang with our peeps, we want it to be a positive experience. We want the person who has the book fair table next to ours to be respectful of space and talk you up as you talk them up. We want the band who comes before or after to bring in people and help out if there's an equipment issue. We want the "lesser" known actors to not be shuffled to the background in every photo op in favor of the bigger names (okay, that's as a fan, but I'm sure the actors don't like it much either).
Essentially, we want people to not be assholes. I mean, these are supposed to be our people so there should be a type of kinship there.
But we all know that's not always the case. And no, I'm not talking about the people who bite their tongues or roll their eyes to not make waves.
I'm talking about the ones that those actions are in reference to. (Focusing on authors here because I just don't know enough about the music biz.)
- the author who jumps into a conversation you're having, not because they have something useful to say, but because they heard the random person ask about your book and if they like your book, the person will really love theirs.
- the one who sits next to you at the book fair or has a promo spot next to yours and decides that dividing line doesn't apply to them--and of course, you wouldn't mind, right?
- the one who takes over a panel that they aren't on at a convention.
- the one who publicly bitches about reviews/their genre/editors/etc and basically makes us all look like whiny douchenozzles.
- the drama queens
- the prima donnas…
The list goes on and on. It's bad enough when this happens with a new author who probably just doesn't know better (ie--they don't get that no matter how many books get published in any given day, publishing is not a big world and people talk--a lot). You see, for the most part, the newbies get the smile and nod and walk away. Or maybe some quiet advice giving. (The ones who have been around for a while but aren't a big deal? They get the eye rolls and the gossip. Sorry, speshul snowflakes, but we do talk about you, and it's not always nice--even if we personally like you--because your behavior is crap.)
When it's a big name author, though, that's when the real cat claws come out. There are some big name authors who talk shit about everything and treat people like crap. I don't know them all and I won't name names of the ones I thought of right off. The thing with these people is…we might not be standing around waiting for them to fall from grace, but when it happens, we sure as hell will watch. We might even bring drinks and popcorn.
Might not be a proud moment, but it's a true one. And if we were a fan and you suddenly reveal your douchebaggery? Oh boy…
The point is, and we've said it here a lot, don't be a douchebag author. People talk. People remember. Be nice. Be friendly. Be helpful. And for the sake of all that is evil and…evil…never ever act like you're more important than the others in the room. I don't care if you are JK Rowling and Stephen King's love child all grown up and selling a bajillion copies of Harry Potter and the Dark Tower. You are an author and reader…just like everyone else there. Be a fucking human being rather than a (real or only in your mind) superstar. Even paranormal readers like humans.
Showing posts with label Douchebag author. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Douchebag author. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Monday, May 27, 2013
Get Your Head Out of Your Ass (& Dip a Toe in the World)
A week ago a horrible tornado ripped through Oklahoma (and others through many other states as well), killing many--including children--and devastating every place it touched. On social media, there was the usual "Guys, it's time to turn off your promotional auto-tweets--it's not appropriate right now."
You know...maybe we shouldn't have promotional auto-tweets to begin with?
That's a rant for another day and not really what this post is about, though. Instead I'd like to point out this: as writers, we live in our head (duh, right?). If we're fortunate enough to be able to work from home, many of us don't interact with people outside of the ones in our heads. It tends to make us isolated and, I think, more likely to forget there IS a world outside of us.
Along comes some tragedy to remind people of that but I think the more isolated we are, the less likely we are to respond in a way that's, well, helpful at best and non-douchey at worst. But we are not isolated--my published writer friends, you have readers. Some might even be full blown fans. Even if they're not talking to you, they're out there. Further, you have colleagues and peers and other industry professionals you interact with.
When you say something tone-deaf or inappropriate, yes, there are actually people who hear you. When that "Short review quote from nobody' [link] #kindle #review #book #sale #bestseller #randomgenre #omgdoesSkylahavetotakeyourhashtagsaway #CUTITOUT" pops up in the middle of thousands of people calling for Red Cross donations and prayers for the families affected, it doesn't matter if you accidentally scheduled it--it makes you look like an insensitive douchecanoe. And, you know, maybe you ARE an insensitive douchecanoe, but maybe you shouldn't be broadcasting that publicly?
Or I distinctly remember during the Boston Marathon--a day that had thousands of people, including one of our members, waiting by the phone for hours, hoping for news about loved ones at the race--people making chipper comments late in the day/evening about what a beautiful day it was and how things were looking up.
I get it. Sometimes we have good days when other people are having bad days.
And sometimes it's best to keep mum on celebrating for a day or two lest you sound like an insensitive twat. Because it's one thing to announce you just got a promotion to your friend who you don't realize just lost her job; it's another entirely to sing and dance and broadcast your good fortune outside of a funeral where there's a sign in full view that says "Dead Children Within". And if you go to that same funeral and shout once an hour about how your book is on Kindle? Someone should punch you in the face.
The internet has brought us that much closer to one another. Being connected to people across the world means it's that much more important to know what's going on in the world. And for published writers, no matter how obscure, it means someone is always listening.
We all have bills to pay and mouths to feed but when the FUCK did self-promo become more important than compassion? When was the last time you were focused on a tragedy, saw someone say "Buy my book on Kindle!", and thought "Wow, yeah, what an appropriate time to go shopping--I'll get that straight away!"?
"But Mama Bitchstress, there's always some tragedy somewhere!"
That is true, however, if you're someone who writes for English-speaking audiences, it's fair to say that you're probably alienating a lot of people who follow you if you act like a twat during tragedies hitting large groups of people in North America, parts of Europe, Australia, etc. So, you know, start there--when your timeline explodes with mention of mass casualties, either RT some links to support or maybe STFU? This isn't rocket science, even for a socially inept bunch like us writers.
Really, the title of this post is the tl;dr of it all:
You know...maybe we shouldn't have promotional auto-tweets to begin with?
That's a rant for another day and not really what this post is about, though. Instead I'd like to point out this: as writers, we live in our head (duh, right?). If we're fortunate enough to be able to work from home, many of us don't interact with people outside of the ones in our heads. It tends to make us isolated and, I think, more likely to forget there IS a world outside of us.
Along comes some tragedy to remind people of that but I think the more isolated we are, the less likely we are to respond in a way that's, well, helpful at best and non-douchey at worst. But we are not isolated--my published writer friends, you have readers. Some might even be full blown fans. Even if they're not talking to you, they're out there. Further, you have colleagues and peers and other industry professionals you interact with.
When you say something tone-deaf or inappropriate, yes, there are actually people who hear you. When that "Short review quote from nobody' [link] #kindle #review #book #sale #bestseller #randomgenre #omgdoesSkylahavetotakeyourhashtagsaway #CUTITOUT" pops up in the middle of thousands of people calling for Red Cross donations and prayers for the families affected, it doesn't matter if you accidentally scheduled it--it makes you look like an insensitive douchecanoe. And, you know, maybe you ARE an insensitive douchecanoe, but maybe you shouldn't be broadcasting that publicly?
I get it. Sometimes we have good days when other people are having bad days.
And sometimes it's best to keep mum on celebrating for a day or two lest you sound like an insensitive twat. Because it's one thing to announce you just got a promotion to your friend who you don't realize just lost her job; it's another entirely to sing and dance and broadcast your good fortune outside of a funeral where there's a sign in full view that says "Dead Children Within". And if you go to that same funeral and shout once an hour about how your book is on Kindle? Someone should punch you in the face.
The internet has brought us that much closer to one another. Being connected to people across the world means it's that much more important to know what's going on in the world. And for published writers, no matter how obscure, it means someone is always listening.
We all have bills to pay and mouths to feed but when the FUCK did self-promo become more important than compassion? When was the last time you were focused on a tragedy, saw someone say "Buy my book on Kindle!", and thought "Wow, yeah, what an appropriate time to go shopping--I'll get that straight away!"?
"But Mama Bitchstress, there's always some tragedy somewhere!"
That is true, however, if you're someone who writes for English-speaking audiences, it's fair to say that you're probably alienating a lot of people who follow you if you act like a twat during tragedies hitting large groups of people in North America, parts of Europe, Australia, etc. So, you know, start there--when your timeline explodes with mention of mass casualties, either RT some links to support or maybe STFU? This isn't rocket science, even for a socially inept bunch like us writers.
Really, the title of this post is the tl;dr of it all:
- Get your head out of your ass, and at least dip your toe in the vast world around you where your readers and colleagues are.
- Realize that you are connected, are involved, just by virtue of being a public person.
- There are more important things than your self-promotion--like being a fucking decent human being, for starters.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Recycled Post: Speshul Snoflakedom
We interrupt our regularly scheduled "Ask Dr. Dina" series to bring you a recycled post from 2011, as Dr. Dina is busy for the rest of the month. Enjoy!
Hello, evil readers!
Today we're going to talk about Speshul Snoflakedom. If you're not aware of what a Speshul Snoflake is, well, I'll enlighten you.
There are several definitions, so you can head on over to Urban Dictionary if you're curious about all of them, but today we're going to focus on the syndrome.
A malady affecting a significant portion of the world's population wherein the afflicted will demand special treatment, conduct themselves with a ludicrous, unfounded sense of entitlement, and generally make the lives of everyone around them that much more miserable. (via Urban Dictionary)
How does this apply to your writing?
*evil grin*
IN EVERY WAY.
Let's start with "demand special treatment," shall we? Slushpile Hell. #queryfail. Jessica Faust says it beautifully here in her post on Bookends, LLC's blog, titled Thought for The Day:
I love it when people start their query with something along the lines of "I know a query should get to the point, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way," or "I know you don't accept unrequested manuscripts, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way," or "I know a mystery should really have a mystery in it, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way."
Isn't that a little like me saying, "I know I shouldn't get fall-down drunk at writers' conferences, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way"?
Jessica
Are you seeing a pattern here? People who do these things – who think, for whatever reason, that they should be an exception to the established guidelines or rules or procedure - fall into the category of Speshul Snoflakes.
A perfect example of this is a writer (and I use the term very loosely and only
because they spend considerable time at their keyboard poking keys and forming something that looks like words, despite the fact that they have been told – both gently and not-so by both professionals and betas alike – that they have no ability to do this whatsoever) who uses their medical diagnosis to get people to read their work.
I'll pause here to let that sink in.
Listen up, writers. You do NOT use ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING, to garner sympathy readers. Asking (or demanding, in this person's case) that you buy anything because of < insert medical condition or other pitiful situation here > is what I call "pity soliciting." You're selling something to people/wanting them to buy stuff by playing on their sympathy.
Also known as a GUILT TRIP.
Now, there are exceptions to this, HOWEVER – they can only be made by someone other than the writer themselves without making it a pity solicitation. If someone else says, "hey, buy Writer X's work please – their house just burned down and they could use the help," that's fine. Perfectly okay. BUT! If the WRITER says, "buy my books because my house burned down, my dog ran away, I have irritable bowel syndrome and my kid needs therapy," that's something else entirely.
Fundraising is one thing. It's fine to write something with the intent to sell it to have the proceeds go to something specific. It's a whole different thing to ask people constantly to buy your work BECAUSE of something out of your control/you want them to feel sorry for you.
You don't want people to buy your work because they feel sorry for you. You want them to buy your work because it's what they want to read.
Using your medical diagnosis or life tragedy to sell your work (ANY work, not just writing) is a cheap shot, in my opinion. Why would you put in your author bio that you're a breast cancer survivor? Who needs to know that? What's the aim there? Why is that important to tell people? Do you want people to buy your book because you had cancer? (If you do, then more power to you. I'm just saying it's a lame reason to get people to buy your stuff.)
Now if your book was ABOUT living with cancer or coping with it or whatever, THEN it's relevant to say. THEN it's a credibility thing. But if you're writing a mystery story that has nothing at all to do with anything remotely related, there's no point to putting that kind of information in your author bio other than to garner sympathy.
Your writing is about telling a story. It's about escapism, not reality. If you want people to buy your stuff, then write something they're interested in reading. Don't go for the cheap shot/pity buy.
This behavior has the complete and total opposite effect on some people. Like me. Even if I'm interested in buying your story, if you've thrown in a "poor me, buy this book" thing in your bio or on your back cover or even on your blog, I'm not going to bother with you ever.
"Buy my book! I have six kids to feed!" Um, well, that sounds like a personal problem to me. It's not a reason for me to buy your book.
"Buy my book! I have < insert medical condition here >!" Again, not a reason for me to buy your book, and NOT – I REPEAT, NOT – a justification of your lack of writing skills. It's like saying, "Here, I did something that sucks, now pay me for it because it was really hard for me to do because I _____."
Um, how about "no?" Does "no" work for you? Because it does for me. That might work for charities, but you're a writer, not a charity. Making yourself into a charity case doesn't earn you points here.
Also, this isn't something you should put in your query letter. I don't know a single agent who will want to represent you based on the fact that you're a < insert medical condition or personal problem here >. You never see in submission guidelines "special priority granted to persons with < insert condition or situation here >." Submitting your writing is about YOUR WRITING, not YOU as a person. Now, again, if your medical diagnosis or life situation has something to do with your story (i.e. you've written a cancer survivor coping book and have survived cancer yourself), you can put a line in the query about "what qualifies me to write this." Then it's relevant. But don't just say "I'm a cancer patient with six kids to feed and looking for someone to buy my book." (First of all, agents don't "buy" your book - they represent you and present your work to those who would potentially buy it. Just sayin'.) Trying to evoke sympathy will not get you an agent. It will most likely end up getting you rejected. This isn't because agents are heartless. It's because you obviously don't know how to write a query letter and are trying to guilt them into representing you. Emotional blackmail is STILL blackmail, and it's abusive. Don't be that kind of writer.
Now, if you've crafted a brilliant story/followed the submission guidelines/done everything well, it may or may not get representation. If it does, you can tell the agent LATER, personally, that "oh, by the way, this might interfere with things...." It's all about relevance here, people.
Sympathy isn't a way to get anything. See the part in the Speshul Snoflake Syndrome definition about "entitlement."
YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANYTHING, EVER. You are not entitled to an agent, a book contract, a six-figure deal, publication, or anything at all, for any reason. Those things are earned, not given. (Unless, of course, you're a celebrity – then they'll just give you a book deal. Well, not YOU…a ghost writer because you're too busy being a celebrity to write anything, let alone write something coherent. Exception to Anthony Bourdain, who can write like a motherfucker.)
Well, that's not entirely accurate. I shouldn't say that Speshul Snoflakes aren't entitled to anything, because they are. They're entitled to mockery, derision and an award. A Speshul Snoflake Award (hereafter referred to as an "SSA").
It's been decided that Speshul Snoflakes are SO SPESHUL that we will occasionally feature one on this blog. I can't promise that there will be no names or links (this will depend on the infraction and obviousness of the Speshulness). Mostly it will just be drawing attention to How Not To Be A Douchebag Author. Our resident Photoshop guru may be making up this virtual award, and we will present it to the "lucky" recipient with our mockery. There is no shortage of "winners" here.
Why would we do such a thing? Because not only should stupid hurt, douchebags should be beaten. Then stabbed. With double-pointed knitting needles. (Wait, those are mine….)
Also...evil. Hi, evil writers here!
Hello, evil readers!
Today we're going to talk about Speshul Snoflakedom. If you're not aware of what a Speshul Snoflake is, well, I'll enlighten you.
There are several definitions, so you can head on over to Urban Dictionary if you're curious about all of them, but today we're going to focus on the syndrome.
A malady affecting a significant portion of the world's population wherein the afflicted will demand special treatment, conduct themselves with a ludicrous, unfounded sense of entitlement, and generally make the lives of everyone around them that much more miserable. (via Urban Dictionary)
How does this apply to your writing?
*evil grin*
IN EVERY WAY.
Let's start with "demand special treatment," shall we? Slushpile Hell. #queryfail. Jessica Faust says it beautifully here in her post on Bookends, LLC's blog, titled Thought for The Day:
I love it when people start their query with something along the lines of "I know a query should get to the point, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way," or "I know you don't accept unrequested manuscripts, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way," or "I know a mystery should really have a mystery in it, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way."
Isn't that a little like me saying, "I know I shouldn't get fall-down drunk at writers' conferences, but that's not my style and I like to do things my own way"?
Jessica
Are you seeing a pattern here? People who do these things – who think, for whatever reason, that they should be an exception to the established guidelines or rules or procedure - fall into the category of Speshul Snoflakes.
A perfect example of this is a writer (and I use the term very loosely and only
because they spend considerable time at their keyboard poking keys and forming something that looks like words, despite the fact that they have been told – both gently and not-so by both professionals and betas alike – that they have no ability to do this whatsoever) who uses their medical diagnosis to get people to read their work.
I'll pause here to let that sink in.
Listen up, writers. You do NOT use ANYTHING, and I mean ANYTHING, to garner sympathy readers. Asking (or demanding, in this person's case) that you buy anything because of < insert medical condition or other pitiful situation here > is what I call "pity soliciting." You're selling something to people/wanting them to buy stuff by playing on their sympathy.
Also known as a GUILT TRIP.
Now, there are exceptions to this, HOWEVER – they can only be made by someone other than the writer themselves without making it a pity solicitation. If someone else says, "hey, buy Writer X's work please – their house just burned down and they could use the help," that's fine. Perfectly okay. BUT! If the WRITER says, "buy my books because my house burned down, my dog ran away, I have irritable bowel syndrome and my kid needs therapy," that's something else entirely.
Fundraising is one thing. It's fine to write something with the intent to sell it to have the proceeds go to something specific. It's a whole different thing to ask people constantly to buy your work BECAUSE of something out of your control/you want them to feel sorry for you.
You don't want people to buy your work because they feel sorry for you. You want them to buy your work because it's what they want to read.
Using your medical diagnosis or life tragedy to sell your work (ANY work, not just writing) is a cheap shot, in my opinion. Why would you put in your author bio that you're a breast cancer survivor? Who needs to know that? What's the aim there? Why is that important to tell people? Do you want people to buy your book because you had cancer? (If you do, then more power to you. I'm just saying it's a lame reason to get people to buy your stuff.)
Now if your book was ABOUT living with cancer or coping with it or whatever, THEN it's relevant to say. THEN it's a credibility thing. But if you're writing a mystery story that has nothing at all to do with anything remotely related, there's no point to putting that kind of information in your author bio other than to garner sympathy.
Your writing is about telling a story. It's about escapism, not reality. If you want people to buy your stuff, then write something they're interested in reading. Don't go for the cheap shot/pity buy.
This behavior has the complete and total opposite effect on some people. Like me. Even if I'm interested in buying your story, if you've thrown in a "poor me, buy this book" thing in your bio or on your back cover or even on your blog, I'm not going to bother with you ever.
"Buy my book! I have six kids to feed!" Um, well, that sounds like a personal problem to me. It's not a reason for me to buy your book.
"Buy my book! I have < insert medical condition here >!" Again, not a reason for me to buy your book, and NOT – I REPEAT, NOT – a justification of your lack of writing skills. It's like saying, "Here, I did something that sucks, now pay me for it because it was really hard for me to do because I _____."
Um, how about "no?" Does "no" work for you? Because it does for me. That might work for charities, but you're a writer, not a charity. Making yourself into a charity case doesn't earn you points here.
Also, this isn't something you should put in your query letter. I don't know a single agent who will want to represent you based on the fact that you're a < insert medical condition or personal problem here >. You never see in submission guidelines "special priority granted to persons with < insert condition or situation here >." Submitting your writing is about YOUR WRITING, not YOU as a person. Now, again, if your medical diagnosis or life situation has something to do with your story (i.e. you've written a cancer survivor coping book and have survived cancer yourself), you can put a line in the query about "what qualifies me to write this." Then it's relevant. But don't just say "I'm a cancer patient with six kids to feed and looking for someone to buy my book." (First of all, agents don't "buy" your book - they represent you and present your work to those who would potentially buy it. Just sayin'.) Trying to evoke sympathy will not get you an agent. It will most likely end up getting you rejected. This isn't because agents are heartless. It's because you obviously don't know how to write a query letter and are trying to guilt them into representing you. Emotional blackmail is STILL blackmail, and it's abusive. Don't be that kind of writer.
Now, if you've crafted a brilliant story/followed the submission guidelines/done everything well, it may or may not get representation. If it does, you can tell the agent LATER, personally, that "oh, by the way, this might interfere with things...." It's all about relevance here, people.
Sympathy isn't a way to get anything. See the part in the Speshul Snoflake Syndrome definition about "entitlement."
YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO ANYTHING, EVER. You are not entitled to an agent, a book contract, a six-figure deal, publication, or anything at all, for any reason. Those things are earned, not given. (Unless, of course, you're a celebrity – then they'll just give you a book deal. Well, not YOU…a ghost writer because you're too busy being a celebrity to write anything, let alone write something coherent. Exception to Anthony Bourdain, who can write like a motherfucker.)
Well, that's not entirely accurate. I shouldn't say that Speshul Snoflakes aren't entitled to anything, because they are. They're entitled to mockery, derision and an award. A Speshul Snoflake Award (hereafter referred to as an "SSA").
It's been decided that Speshul Snoflakes are SO SPESHUL that we will occasionally feature one on this blog. I can't promise that there will be no names or links (this will depend on the infraction and obviousness of the Speshulness). Mostly it will just be drawing attention to How Not To Be A Douchebag Author. Our resident Photoshop guru may be making up this virtual award, and we will present it to the "lucky" recipient with our mockery. There is no shortage of "winners" here.
Why would we do such a thing? Because not only should stupid hurt, douchebags should be beaten. Then stabbed. With double-pointed knitting needles. (Wait, those are mine….)
Also...evil. Hi, evil writers here!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Your Social Networking Balance Sheet
I have a list of ELEW post topics as long as my arm (which is long; I'm
an Amazon and have long arms, yo), high among them is getting back to Editing
101 with Mama Bitchstress and our fab discussion on rape culture in fiction.
But I got sidetracked this week.
Inspired in part by a post by our Bad Horse Lilith Saintcrow about how The Hard Sell Doesn't Work and a conversation with the Gothic Goddess, let's talk about
social networking for a sec.
Message vs. noise.
I'm not even going to get into this; Monica Valentinelli had a recent post about that which sums it up:
- If everybody’s shouting different things, then no one is heard.
- If everybody’s demanding a unique reaction, then no one will give them the one they want.
- If everybody’s screaming “Help me!” “Fix this!” “You owe me that!” — then no one gives.
- If you get bombarded with “Buy me!” “Review me!” “Share me!” from multiple people at the same time, then those acts turn into a chore and an obligation.
- If you’re fully vested in what people do for you, especially in a social media context, then you get upset by the actions other people take online, jumping to the worst sorts of conclusions.
- If everybody’s shouting, then they’re all competing. And that, my friends, can be very bad for the craft of writing and reading in general.
Anyone who spends any amount of time on Twitter knows this: the more
everyone is talking about their shit rather than engaging with other people,
the more it turns into noise and the less of their message is heard.
Pretty simple. And for those who object and think they MUST advertise
whatever is it they have for sale daily, or @ people directly on Twitter asking
them to buy, please answer me this: how many books do you buy this way?
Me? I buy none that way. I tune it out. Much like when I’m trying to
shop and people zoom in, pushing products on me, I walk away. And if your
potential audience is tuning out, they are less likely to hear it when you have
something important to say (like a NEW release).
To quote Lili's post on how The Hard Sell Doesn't Work:
The hard sell is filling the airwaves with your self-promotion. It’s consistently talking over other people to get your idea heard. It’s bringing the discussion around to you and your work every time you open your big mouth. It’s being so “cool” you literally don’t care about anyone who doesn’t register on your celebrity radar.
It’s annoying. And it will lose you so many friends and opportunities it’s not even funny.
Also consider this for a moment: if someone is, say, following you on Twitter...that wasn't an accident. They had to click a button to do so. This means they know who you are and, chances are, know already what you're selling. You don't need to remind them all the time.
How do you know if your message is lost among the noise? You do math.
You get ONE promo tweet for every NINE tweets.
That's 10% of your tweets. Maximum.
Having trouble understanding why this matters? Tolerance for
self-promotion varies but you need to always be aiming for the MINIMUM people
will tolerate, not the maximum (unless you don't care if everyone labels you a
spammer; if that's the case, have at it). And an easy way to think about it is
to realize your non-promo tweets are currency.
Each time you tell someone to buy your book, you've just used up nine non-spam
tweets. You "bought" that promo tweet. You want to stay in the black,
not the red.
"But Mama Bitchstress, now we can't talk about ourselves? Does that
mean no word count updates? No picture of my cats?"
It means vary what you talk about and make an effort to a) engage with those you follow (and if someone @'s you), and b) pay it forward and talk about other things.
It means vary what you talk about and make an effort to a) engage with those you follow (and if someone @'s you), and b) pay it forward and talk about other things.
Here are some suggestions.
1. Reply to other people
when they talk (DUH).
2. Talk about other
people's books you enjoy.
3. Or share entertaining
anecdotes about something.
4. Promote important issues or
charities (careful, this can turn into noise as well).
5. Tell us what TV shows you
enjoy.
6. Solicit your
followers' opinions on certain subjects.
7. Mention the hobo midget
living under the bridge in front of your building.
8. Cupcakes.
See? You're interesting. You have a fulfilling, busy life full of
awesome things you can talk about that don't involve the words "like my
book on Kindle" or "see my latest review."
But the issue of currency usage with your tweets doesn't end there.
Remember my post about Negative Nancy being Douchey
McDouchealot? The same principle applies.
No one wants to listen to someone bitch constantly.
A healthy rant is great and no one has to be cheerful 24/7. I'm not saying that. But, once again, when you're talking publicly, it's a 9:1 ratio. It takes
nine positive tweets to buy one negative one. (You should know this from
getting reviews; negativity stays with you more than the positives, so you need
a lot more positive to balance it out if you're constantly bitching about
shit).
Your close friends and family can handle a little more negativity from
you but those in the outer sphere of your acquaintance? The readers you’re
trying to attract? They have far less patience. Yes, you suffer from whatever malady; yes, life is hard; yes, woe is you. Shut down the damn computer and take a walk and stop inflicting your negativity on your fans. It is not their job to reassure you nor are they your therapist.
Yes, you have to be yourself on social networks, but if you're a professional writer then be professional.
Tweet, blog, Facebook, etc with care. Do the math. STAY IN THE BLACK.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Finding Your Zen
Breathe, relax, breathe...listen to the sound of water falling gently over your career.
It's been this sort of a month. The sort that has me thinking a lot about bad behavior and what drives people to thoroughly forget how not to be a douchebag, author-wise or not. Usually I blame lack of parenting, but that's probably because I'm a parent and, considering the prevalence of blatant rudeness today, I suspect not every jackass on the street was raised in an orphanage. Some of them must have had parents who told them to say please and thank you, to respect others and to treat people the way they wanted to be treated.
So where did it go wrong? In an effort to not sound totally hypocritical, I looked at my own behavior, good and bad, and it seems to me that most nastiness (yes, I have a lot of it) is the direct product of stress, pressure, frustration...in other words, badly managed anxiety. Basically, when I get all "yell-y" it's because I need to get my Zen on. Breathe....and exhale.
Trying to get published, sell books, write books, write more books is a seriously stressful process. I'm not justifying bad behavior, nor am I going to advise rushing out to take a meditation class, buy some crystals and go on a retreat (okay, I like all those things, but this is not the place for it.) Since I like to believe that people are inherently trying their best, it helps me sleep easier at night to think that the douche-y-ness is accidental. With that in mind, I do think a little relax and breathe might go a long way toward combating bad behavior. In fact, I'd wager a deep breath can diffuse a lot of unpleasantness, and related to writer's business, I can think of a few tips to keep things calm and friendly-like.
1- Kill the pressure. The world will not end if you don't become a famous writer today. Your world won't even end. If your story gets rejected, if no one buys the book, if no one reads the book, or even the next book, nothing significantly horrid is going to happen. (I have to remind myself this when I'm trying to finish a book. If it doesn't happen, there will be no flooding and destruction, honest.)
2- Refuse self-imposed deadlines. There is and always will be another chance tomorrow. And the next day, and really, pretty much every day you have in your future. Nothing ever has to happen "this second."
3- Engage perspective. We all love books, reading, writing, publishing, story-telling. It's awesome, yes. But if we get honest, it's not life and death. It's not really, honestly all that important. That might rile up a lot of folks who love books, and I do too, but if the meteor was on its way and we were looking at our last few moments, I seriously hope you'd all rush to be with loved ones and family, not pick up a good book and kick back. Okay, maybe you would. I'm not judging, but any way you slice it, keeping your perspective helps attitude. This is fun. It's art. It is not survival, love, family, etc.
4-Eliminate Should. A therapist taught me this, so it has to be true, right? Should is an evil word. Taking it out of your vocabulary, in particular your self-dialogue, makes for a lot happier existence. Should has a tendency to carry implied shame with it. I should have been done already. I should have sold more copies. They should have accepted that. I should be farther along by now. Nothing that starts with "I should" can do you much good. (Unless it's, I should stop now and go get a big ol bowl of chocolate ice cream.)
5-Your navel might be the center of the universe, but so is mine. I like to ponder this just to freak myself out, in particular when I'm feeling very important. Go someplace really crowded and look around. Every single one of the people you see FEELS exactly as significant as you do. Their lives feel equally important to them. Their worries, their joys, their experience. When you deal with anyone, editors, readers other authors, reviewers, etc. remember that. Their opinion, to them, has the same weight that yours does. In fact, in their universe, they are the central player. You can't be the main character in someone else's story.
Personally, I wouldn't want to. I have enough trouble breathing through my own anxiety. The point is, relax about it. Relax about everything. Just relax. You'll probably be nicer, better behaved, and maybe a little healthier and happier too.
It's been this sort of a month. The sort that has me thinking a lot about bad behavior and what drives people to thoroughly forget how not to be a douchebag, author-wise or not. Usually I blame lack of parenting, but that's probably because I'm a parent and, considering the prevalence of blatant rudeness today, I suspect not every jackass on the street was raised in an orphanage. Some of them must have had parents who told them to say please and thank you, to respect others and to treat people the way they wanted to be treated.
So where did it go wrong? In an effort to not sound totally hypocritical, I looked at my own behavior, good and bad, and it seems to me that most nastiness (yes, I have a lot of it) is the direct product of stress, pressure, frustration...in other words, badly managed anxiety. Basically, when I get all "yell-y" it's because I need to get my Zen on. Breathe....and exhale.
Trying to get published, sell books, write books, write more books is a seriously stressful process. I'm not justifying bad behavior, nor am I going to advise rushing out to take a meditation class, buy some crystals and go on a retreat (okay, I like all those things, but this is not the place for it.) Since I like to believe that people are inherently trying their best, it helps me sleep easier at night to think that the douche-y-ness is accidental. With that in mind, I do think a little relax and breathe might go a long way toward combating bad behavior. In fact, I'd wager a deep breath can diffuse a lot of unpleasantness, and related to writer's business, I can think of a few tips to keep things calm and friendly-like.
1- Kill the pressure. The world will not end if you don't become a famous writer today. Your world won't even end. If your story gets rejected, if no one buys the book, if no one reads the book, or even the next book, nothing significantly horrid is going to happen. (I have to remind myself this when I'm trying to finish a book. If it doesn't happen, there will be no flooding and destruction, honest.)
2- Refuse self-imposed deadlines. There is and always will be another chance tomorrow. And the next day, and really, pretty much every day you have in your future. Nothing ever has to happen "this second."
3- Engage perspective. We all love books, reading, writing, publishing, story-telling. It's awesome, yes. But if we get honest, it's not life and death. It's not really, honestly all that important. That might rile up a lot of folks who love books, and I do too, but if the meteor was on its way and we were looking at our last few moments, I seriously hope you'd all rush to be with loved ones and family, not pick up a good book and kick back. Okay, maybe you would. I'm not judging, but any way you slice it, keeping your perspective helps attitude. This is fun. It's art. It is not survival, love, family, etc.
4-Eliminate Should. A therapist taught me this, so it has to be true, right? Should is an evil word. Taking it out of your vocabulary, in particular your self-dialogue, makes for a lot happier existence. Should has a tendency to carry implied shame with it. I should have been done already. I should have sold more copies. They should have accepted that. I should be farther along by now. Nothing that starts with "I should" can do you much good. (Unless it's, I should stop now and go get a big ol bowl of chocolate ice cream.)
5-Your navel might be the center of the universe, but so is mine. I like to ponder this just to freak myself out, in particular when I'm feeling very important. Go someplace really crowded and look around. Every single one of the people you see FEELS exactly as significant as you do. Their lives feel equally important to them. Their worries, their joys, their experience. When you deal with anyone, editors, readers other authors, reviewers, etc. remember that. Their opinion, to them, has the same weight that yours does. In fact, in their universe, they are the central player. You can't be the main character in someone else's story.
Personally, I wouldn't want to. I have enough trouble breathing through my own anxiety. The point is, relax about it. Relax about everything. Just relax. You'll probably be nicer, better behaved, and maybe a little healthier and happier too.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Selling yourself
I'm trying to sell my car (because I'm getting a new awesome one!) and it's made me think about marketing yourself, which is applicable here.
Promotion is a pain. It is also, unfortunately, how you sell books. While it would be delightful to write a book and then never do anything again and have it sell millions of copies, that's just not how it works. Promotion and marketing are especially important if you're published with a small press or self-published. The big publishers will do more to promote your books, but unless you're one of their best sellers, you can still be doing more.
You can always do more.
But, don't be obnoxious about it. That's your basic rule of thumb, I think. Like anything, promotion is good in reasonable quantities. If you overdo it, people will want to hit you. Trust me, I will.
I love Twitter. I think it's a fabulous way to connect with people, see what people are up to, and it's especially great in the writer community. But there are inevitably those people who sign up for an account and then spam-blast their 2 followers every hour on the hour with promotional tweets. Uh, no. That's not why ANYONE followed you. Same goes for Facebook. The people who follow you or like you or are friends with you are there because they're interested in you. In your books too, sure, but you as a person more. So go ahead and promote yourself on Twitter or Facebook or other social networking sites, but don't let that be the only thing you do.
Be personal, let people into your life a little bit. I'm not saying show them pictures of where you sleep, but let them get to know you. Whether that's funny stories about how your writing was going, typos that made you giggle, or whatever, but don't make it all promotion. Because I (and most of the rest of the universe) are likely to unfollow you as fast as possible and possibly report you for spam.
Most people seem to have gotten the hang of social networking these days, fortunately. But word to the wise, real life is like that too. (What? Life is like the internet? No way! It's true. Fewer cats, probably. I digress). Asking your friends and family to buy your book is great. Please do not badger them about it. People have a variety of reasons for not being able to purchase a book. I'm pretty sure your Uncle George is not the reason you didn't make it on the New York Times bestseller list.
There you have it. Promote, but not too much. Just don't be obnoxious.
Words to live by :)
Skye
Promotion is a pain. It is also, unfortunately, how you sell books. While it would be delightful to write a book and then never do anything again and have it sell millions of copies, that's just not how it works. Promotion and marketing are especially important if you're published with a small press or self-published. The big publishers will do more to promote your books, but unless you're one of their best sellers, you can still be doing more.
You can always do more.
But, don't be obnoxious about it. That's your basic rule of thumb, I think. Like anything, promotion is good in reasonable quantities. If you overdo it, people will want to hit you. Trust me, I will.
I love Twitter. I think it's a fabulous way to connect with people, see what people are up to, and it's especially great in the writer community. But there are inevitably those people who sign up for an account and then spam-blast their 2 followers every hour on the hour with promotional tweets. Uh, no. That's not why ANYONE followed you. Same goes for Facebook. The people who follow you or like you or are friends with you are there because they're interested in you. In your books too, sure, but you as a person more. So go ahead and promote yourself on Twitter or Facebook or other social networking sites, but don't let that be the only thing you do.
Be personal, let people into your life a little bit. I'm not saying show them pictures of where you sleep, but let them get to know you. Whether that's funny stories about how your writing was going, typos that made you giggle, or whatever, but don't make it all promotion. Because I (and most of the rest of the universe) are likely to unfollow you as fast as possible and possibly report you for spam.
Most people seem to have gotten the hang of social networking these days, fortunately. But word to the wise, real life is like that too. (What? Life is like the internet? No way! It's true. Fewer cats, probably. I digress). Asking your friends and family to buy your book is great. Please do not badger them about it. People have a variety of reasons for not being able to purchase a book. I'm pretty sure your Uncle George is not the reason you didn't make it on the New York Times bestseller list.
There you have it. Promote, but not too much. Just don't be obnoxious.
Words to live by :)
Skye
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Full of it
I'm not so much Sarah as I am Snuffleupagus. My dad visited and left me a loverly head cold as a parting gift. I have done nothing this week but curl up on the couch and watch Dexter on Netflix. (Cool show, btw)
So because my head is fuzzed out, I offer you this video instead. Listen, learn, live.
So because my head is fuzzed out, I offer you this video instead. Listen, learn, live.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Why Negative Nancys Look Like Douchey McDouchealots
Bitchstress here, a day late.
Okay, a few weeks...*cough*months*cough*...late. Yes, yes, stuff and things. I do the website stuff here too and I'm TIRED and I'm BUSY and JUST STOP STARING AT ME.
I have a series of posts I'll be starting soon, Editing 101 with Mama Bitchstress. There'll be some theory, some practical things, and probably homework because that's how I roll.
But that is not today.
Today I want to tell you about how you're probably being a douche.
An agent I follow tweeted the other night about being put off by queries where people gleefully declare their book isn't like X, Y, Z (in this case it was that it didn't have porn or vampires). Others have said this as well and it was one of the first things I noticed in acquisitions way back when: a lot of people, either unintentionally or intentionally, insult other books, authors, publishers/editors/agents, and entire genres in their queries.
This is not a way to make friends and influence people, and we shall count the ways.
1. You say your book is nothing like Popular Book X. Well, what if I like Popular Book X? What if my authors/clients write similar (or DID write) Popular Book X?
What I hear is, "My book is better than that other stuff," and if I LIKE that other stuff, I don't like being insulted. If I DON'T like that other stuff, I don't like people who think they're better than everyone else. I know this isn't always intentional. I know you probably think it's GOOD to say your work isn't Fifty Shades of Fanfic, and all this vampire bitching: yes, there's vampire fatique going on, but a lot of people still dig them.
The solution? LET YOUR WORK STAND FOR ITSELF. Draw a specific, favorable comparison (my book would appeal to fans of X, Y, and Z) and for the love of god, don't bash anyone.
2. You say your book isn't porn. Well, sugar, say what you mean: erotic romance. And erotic romance? It is popular, especially with many a lady these days.
What I hear is, "I'm better than people who write a lowly genre I don't like." And that "lowly" genre? Making hand over fist money instead of yours, sweet cheeks.
The solution: say what it is, and don't bash people's reading tastes. (Noticing a theme here?)
3. You say you're querying the editor/agent because you had problems with your last publisher.
What I hear is, "If we have a difficult working relationship, I'm going to advertise my problems with you to total strangers." You COULD have legit problems (although I'm going to say it now: if you bitch about multiple publishers you're with, the problem isn't them, it's YOU). But the person to discuss your issues with is your spouse, your lawyer, or maybe your editor/agent if it comes up as something important to share.
The solution is shut yer damn trap. You don't go on a first date and bash you ex-husband; you don't cold query a stranger and bash your ex-pub.
We're basically seeing repeats of idiotic, douchey behavior people should've left behind in middle school.
Negative Nancy mutters insults as the cool kids walk by (didn't we all?). Does that make her more popular? Has it EVER made anyone more popular? "Wow, that's so awesome how you sound bitter because you're not cool--let's be friends!" <--- Said no one EVER.
Or how about Gossipy Gabby who talked shit about everyone the moment they were out of earshot? Who thought she'd make a few friends by knocking someone down a few pegs for the shoes she's wearing, or who she dated, or whatever? Of course you do: everyone knows That Girl. And let me tell you something about Gabby: anyone with a brain knows that if she talks about Debbie and Susie and poor, poor Nancy over there, SHE'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT YOU.
I'm not saying you have to pretend to like what you hate or that you can't share bad experiences ever; I'm saying that publicly, in front of professionals, it is probably not a good idea to go about insulting the people you either hope to work with or hope will be your fans. Don't tell me what your book is NOT; SHOW ME what it IS.
Negativity and gossip does not a professional make. It makes a DOUCHE.
Don't be one.
Okay, a few weeks...*cough*months*cough*...late. Yes, yes, stuff and things. I do the website stuff here too and I'm TIRED and I'm BUSY and JUST STOP STARING AT ME.
But that is not today.
Today I want to tell you about how you're probably being a douche.
An agent I follow tweeted the other night about being put off by queries where people gleefully declare their book isn't like X, Y, Z (in this case it was that it didn't have porn or vampires). Others have said this as well and it was one of the first things I noticed in acquisitions way back when: a lot of people, either unintentionally or intentionally, insult other books, authors, publishers/editors/agents, and entire genres in their queries.
This is not a way to make friends and influence people, and we shall count the ways.
1. You say your book is nothing like Popular Book X. Well, what if I like Popular Book X? What if my authors/clients write similar (or DID write) Popular Book X?
What I hear is, "My book is better than that other stuff," and if I LIKE that other stuff, I don't like being insulted. If I DON'T like that other stuff, I don't like people who think they're better than everyone else. I know this isn't always intentional. I know you probably think it's GOOD to say your work isn't Fifty Shades of Fanfic, and all this vampire bitching: yes, there's vampire fatique going on, but a lot of people still dig them.
The solution? LET YOUR WORK STAND FOR ITSELF. Draw a specific, favorable comparison (my book would appeal to fans of X, Y, and Z) and for the love of god, don't bash anyone.
2. You say your book isn't porn. Well, sugar, say what you mean: erotic romance. And erotic romance? It is popular, especially with many a lady these days.
What I hear is, "I'm better than people who write a lowly genre I don't like." And that "lowly" genre? Making hand over fist money instead of yours, sweet cheeks.
The solution: say what it is, and don't bash people's reading tastes. (Noticing a theme here?)
3. You say you're querying the editor/agent because you had problems with your last publisher.
What I hear is, "If we have a difficult working relationship, I'm going to advertise my problems with you to total strangers." You COULD have legit problems (although I'm going to say it now: if you bitch about multiple publishers you're with, the problem isn't them, it's YOU). But the person to discuss your issues with is your spouse, your lawyer, or maybe your editor/agent if it comes up as something important to share.
The solution is shut yer damn trap. You don't go on a first date and bash you ex-husband; you don't cold query a stranger and bash your ex-pub.
We're basically seeing repeats of idiotic, douchey behavior people should've left behind in middle school.
Negative Nancy mutters insults as the cool kids walk by (didn't we all?). Does that make her more popular? Has it EVER made anyone more popular? "Wow, that's so awesome how you sound bitter because you're not cool--let's be friends!" <--- Said no one EVER.
Or how about Gossipy Gabby who talked shit about everyone the moment they were out of earshot? Who thought she'd make a few friends by knocking someone down a few pegs for the shoes she's wearing, or who she dated, or whatever? Of course you do: everyone knows That Girl. And let me tell you something about Gabby: anyone with a brain knows that if she talks about Debbie and Susie and poor, poor Nancy over there, SHE'S GOING TO TALK ABOUT YOU.
I'm not saying you have to pretend to like what you hate or that you can't share bad experiences ever; I'm saying that publicly, in front of professionals, it is probably not a good idea to go about insulting the people you either hope to work with or hope will be your fans. Don't tell me what your book is NOT; SHOW ME what it IS.
Negativity and gossip does not a professional make. It makes a DOUCHE.
Don't be one.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Money for Nothing
Seleste deLaney here with a little fact that a lot of aspiring authors don't seem to understand: most authors make squat for money. Sad but true. Until you hit the big best seller lists (USA Today and NYT), you really shouldn't quit your day job. (Once you hit those, there's a pretty good chance you'll be able to ride a wave for at least a while as long as you keep putting out decent books.)
What that means is within the writing community, we get it--we're all broke. Sometimes this leads to financial difficulties when emergencies crop up. In fact, it's happened a couple times to authors here at our very own ELEW.
So what is a savvy author to do when the shit hits the fan and bills start piling up? Savvy author knuckles down, swallows their pride and asks for help. But, they know money is tight and even if you love their work, you don't really know them. So, they offer something in exchange for your help. They dust off an old manuscript and shine it up to give to people who help out or they write a new short story/novella for a favorite character for the same reason. They start offering critique services for a fee. (These are the types of things our members have done. Something for something is a beautiful thing.)
There are a ton of things an author can do when push comes to shove. Yes, some more palatable than others, but the reality is no one really likes asking for help in this way. Or at least that's what I always thought.
(I'm going to go tangential for a sec, but I promise it all comes back around.)
The rise of online fundraising sites is a great thing. It helps to get donations to groups in need and helps up-and-coming magazines and the like to get off the ground. This is good.
However, a situation came to my attention recently where an author decided to fund-raise for themselves. Now, this is not a situation where their heat is going to be shut off this winter. Or they're at risk of losing their internet (which is a big deal for an author these days). Or medical bills. Or anything else that could be deemed as an emergency. No. Said author just wants something and doesn't currently have the cash to pay for it.
This would be like me trying to raise money for a new corset since we know so many of my fans love my corsets. Sure, I want it and maybe I can't swing it right now (I can because I'm lucky and my husband supports my corset habit, but we're playing pretend for a minute), but I don't need a new corset. I want it. (See the difference there?)
Also, if I'm going to ask the general population for money, I'm damn well going to offer something in return. So... any donation gets a copy of this new freebie short story with minimal editing and the very generic cover a friend of mine made for me. A donation over $X gets that and a copy of the manuscript I pulled from my trunk and shined up. A bigger donation, we'll call it $Y, gets the previous and a red-shirt character named after them in an upcoming story of my choice. Someone's willing to foot the entire cost of the corset? I'd probably be willing to work something out (something likely involving an ARC of said story with their named character and allowing them some choices about the character.)
Why would I do that? Because very few people out there, as much as they might love my corsets in theory, really give a rat's ass if I get a new corset (even if I take a million pictures in it). So, if I truly want that new corset, I need to be willing to do something to get it beyond asking for help. Otherwise, that's known as "taking advantage of your fans."
TAOYF is a bad thing. As an author, our fans are our bread and butter. (For the purpose of this, a fan is someone who loves your work and seeks it out because it's written by you.) It's simple math really:
So, yeah, people get it. Times are tough. We understand. But if you're going to put yourself out there and ask for money (from your friends and fans), don't be a douchebag author when you do it. Offer something back so it feels more like an exchange and less like you're sitting in your corner pouting and saying, "You aren't doing enough for me."
Also? The work involved is why this sort of thing should be reserved for needs and not just wants.
What that means is within the writing community, we get it--we're all broke. Sometimes this leads to financial difficulties when emergencies crop up. In fact, it's happened a couple times to authors here at our very own ELEW.
So what is a savvy author to do when the shit hits the fan and bills start piling up? Savvy author knuckles down, swallows their pride and asks for help. But, they know money is tight and even if you love their work, you don't really know them. So, they offer something in exchange for your help. They dust off an old manuscript and shine it up to give to people who help out or they write a new short story/novella for a favorite character for the same reason. They start offering critique services for a fee. (These are the types of things our members have done. Something for something is a beautiful thing.)
There are a ton of things an author can do when push comes to shove. Yes, some more palatable than others, but the reality is no one really likes asking for help in this way. Or at least that's what I always thought.
(I'm going to go tangential for a sec, but I promise it all comes back around.)
The rise of online fundraising sites is a great thing. It helps to get donations to groups in need and helps up-and-coming magazines and the like to get off the ground. This is good.
However, a situation came to my attention recently where an author decided to fund-raise for themselves. Now, this is not a situation where their heat is going to be shut off this winter. Or they're at risk of losing their internet (which is a big deal for an author these days). Or medical bills. Or anything else that could be deemed as an emergency. No. Said author just wants something and doesn't currently have the cash to pay for it.
This would be like me trying to raise money for a new corset since we know so many of my fans love my corsets. Sure, I want it and maybe I can't swing it right now (I can because I'm lucky and my husband supports my corset habit, but we're playing pretend for a minute), but I don't need a new corset. I want it. (See the difference there?)
Also, if I'm going to ask the general population for money, I'm damn well going to offer something in return. So... any donation gets a copy of this new freebie short story with minimal editing and the very generic cover a friend of mine made for me. A donation over $X gets that and a copy of the manuscript I pulled from my trunk and shined up. A bigger donation, we'll call it $Y, gets the previous and a red-shirt character named after them in an upcoming story of my choice. Someone's willing to foot the entire cost of the corset? I'd probably be willing to work something out (something likely involving an ARC of said story with their named character and allowing them some choices about the character.)
Why would I do that? Because very few people out there, as much as they might love my corsets in theory, really give a rat's ass if I get a new corset (even if I take a million pictures in it). So, if I truly want that new corset, I need to be willing to do something to get it beyond asking for help. Otherwise, that's known as "taking advantage of your fans."
TAOYF is a bad thing. As an author, our fans are our bread and butter. (For the purpose of this, a fan is someone who loves your work and seeks it out because it's written by you.) It's simple math really:
No fans=reduced word of mouth=fewer book sales=poor author with no new corsets.And TAOYF will turn some fans against you, thereby automatically lowering that first number and putting more pressure on both you as an author and those other fans to increase word of mouth... It's a vicious, ugly cycle.
So, yeah, people get it. Times are tough. We understand. But if you're going to put yourself out there and ask for money (from your friends and fans), don't be a douchebag author when you do it. Offer something back so it feels more like an exchange and less like you're sitting in your corner pouting and saying, "You aren't doing enough for me."
Also? The work involved is why this sort of thing should be reserved for needs and not just wants.
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