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Who's in March 09's magazines due out 5th February?
Thank you, Carol. After I read the two cross letters, I went back to my own to see if I really had been that dreadful. Of course, in my letter, I exaggerated to make the point. We all lend the odd book to someone close, and mostly the authors don't know about it. The cases I mentioned were where friends (non-writing ones, of course) were telling me that they'd loaned the book to two or three people and expecting me to be delighted about it. I didn't want to hurt their feelings, so I didn't say to them what I said in the WN letter. I suppose what we all want, if we have a book out in the world, is for people to recommend it, and for sales to grow by word of mouth, like with Captain Corelli's Mandoline. Well, a girl can dream, can't she? ...
How about correcting "solutions on page 59" to "solutions on page 55"!
In Q1, is "The idea" necessary? Also, would it be better to say "his latest novel" rather than "his last novel"?
In Q3, would it be better to say "which was now over twelve hours earlier/previously" rather than "which was now over twelve hours ago"? Probably "obstructing the entrance to her drive" is OK, although most people would assume it was the entrance, anyway.
Jay... you're asking questions like that at this time of morning...;)
Don't blame you for feeling that way Jackie.
As nice as was for your friend to pass the book to her friends, ideally she needed to be recommending they read it, so they buy a copy themselves. :) (Hopefully they will buy the next one)
Jackie: look at it this way. The friends who loaned on their copies of your book are helping to create a buzz. Hopefully the lucky recipients will have enjoyed it so much that when your next book comes out they'll be first in the queue to buy it!
To put in my own 2p-worth, I've never had a problem with people loaning out favourite books, or CDs, or DVDs. Over the years I've got so many other people into my favourite authors/musicians/films that way - which does have a long-term effect, not just on sales, but on the reputations of the writers/artists. I've discovered loads of writers, poets, singers and films by having their work loaned to me - and more often than not I've eventually bought the work I've enjoyed, as well as lots of others by the same artist. The fact is, for most of my life I couldn't AFFORD to by these things on spec, if I didn't know in advance that they were my sort of thing. A lot of people are in exactly that position nowadays, especially with the credit crunch, the declining value of the state pension, and the imminent mass unemployment we hear about every day. I'd far rather people still got to enjoy good art, with the opportunity to invest in supporting it when they can, than they didn't, and the books end up unread, unloved.
Naturally, you've put blood, sweat and tears into your creation, and I can understand a certain bitterness if you don't feel you've got the reward you earned for all that effort. But perhaps it's easier to stomach if you think of those book loans as a long-term investment in your reputation. I hope you're well on the way to producing book no. 2, because at least now it sounds as if you have a public who are waiting for it!
Comments
How about correcting "solutions on page 59" to "solutions on page 55"!
In Q1, is "The idea" necessary? Also, would it be better to say "his latest novel" rather than "his last novel"?
In Q3, would it be better to say "which was now over twelve hours earlier/previously" rather than "which was now over twelve hours ago"? Probably "obstructing the entrance to her drive" is OK, although most people would assume it was the entrance, anyway.
Thoughts, anyone?
Don't blame you for feeling that way Jackie.
As nice as was for your friend to pass the book to her friends, ideally she needed to be recommending they read it, so they buy a copy themselves. :) (Hopefully they will buy the next one)
To put in my own 2p-worth, I've never had a problem with people loaning out favourite books, or CDs, or DVDs. Over the years I've got so many other people into my favourite authors/musicians/films that way - which does have a long-term effect, not just on sales, but on the reputations of the writers/artists. I've discovered loads of writers, poets, singers and films by having their work loaned to me - and more often than not I've eventually bought the work I've enjoyed, as well as lots of others by the same artist. The fact is, for most of my life I couldn't AFFORD to by these things on spec, if I didn't know in advance that they were my sort of thing. A lot of people are in exactly that position nowadays, especially with the credit crunch, the declining value of the state pension, and the imminent mass unemployment we hear about every day. I'd far rather people still got to enjoy good art, with the opportunity to invest in supporting it when they can, than they didn't, and the books end up unread, unloved.
Naturally, you've put blood, sweat and tears into your creation, and I can understand a certain bitterness if you don't feel you've got the reward you earned for all that effort. But perhaps it's easier to stomach if you think of those book loans as a long-term investment in your reputation. I hope you're well on the way to producing book no. 2, because at least now it sounds as if you have a public who are waiting for it!