Recently I read a very long comment thread regarding an unattributed juicy gossip item purportedly referring to a romance author behaving badly in public. Naturally a lively and interesting discussion regarding attribution and the lack thereof, those readers who enjoy gossip, those who don’t, trolls, speculation as to who this might have been, unsubstantiated rumormongering and the like, ensued. What caught my attention, however, were comments addressing how gossip about authors behaving badly effect readers’ purchasing, borrowing and/or reading habits. Our own RfP and Meriam and possibly also KrisiteJ commented as well. Apologies, but the thread is big and I’m forgetful.
I’m not much of a tv or movie person so gossip magazines and entertainment “news” (and I use that term advisedly) and celebrity blogs and what not don’t interest me at all. But book and author related gossip? I get sucked in. However, for the reader in me the issue comes down to this: how much information is too much? When and how can one draw the line before reading habits are affected? This applies just as much to publicity hype surrounding particular titles or authors as it applies to (substantiated or not) negative behavior.
Like most Americans, I want to have my cake and eat it too. I want to watch the train wreck explosion and I want to be able to read that author or that title (or whatever) with an open mind. I try very hard to have a neutral outlook. How can I manage both? Compartmentalization. With a bit of help from my TBR. I buy new books regularly. Too regularly if my book budget were revealed in all of its glory. Once home though, books nearly always sit in my TBR for at least several months before I read them. This little strategy helps me forget the associated (take your pick): hype, kerfuffle, gossip, reviews, snark, etc.
The “let it all hang out” atmosphere of the internet is making my cake a little too big for comfort, I think. Or maybe these things are cyclical and the gossip will all die down for a while before someone else gets caught making a total ass of themselves in a public arena thus starting things up again. Either way, where do you fall along the spectrum of readers? Love the gossip and don’t allow it to affect your reading? Do you avoid the gossip and the rumors and the hype so you can take each book on it’s own worth?
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*Either way, where do you fall along the spectrum of readers? Love the gossip and don’t allow it to affect your reading? Do you avoid the gossip and the rumors and the hype so you can take each book on it’s own worth? *
A very great deal depends on what the “gossip” is about, and what the source is. If the ABB (author behaving badly) occurs on the author’s own blog or website, then I view it very differently than an unsubstantiated rumor passed on via a reader blog. The recent blind item on SBTB I shrugged off: not enough information, and I wasn’t sufficiently interested to try to puzzle it out.
On the other hand, an ABB in her/his own words has a profound effect on my reading choices. Any animus or contempt directed at readers is enough to drop an author off my buying list, and I don’t feel as though I need to make any effort to take each book on its own worth in that case. My buying dollars are limited, and that’s as good a way as any to hold the TBR stack to a manageable level.
by Aoife
on May 1st, 2008 at 9:48 am
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an ABB in her/his own words has a profound effect on my reading choices. Any animus or contempt directed at readers is enough to drop an author off my buying list,
I agree. I there are several authors I’ve dropped off my TBB lists due to comments made about readers.
by Amanda
on May 1st, 2008 at 10:51 am
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Every time I hear a reader say they crossed an author off their list because of a comment they made on a blog, I cringe. I’ve written things I’ve regretted, stupid stuff, mostly, nothing mean-spirited, but I don’t know how many times my words have been misinterpreted. I know I’ve misinterpreted another person’s words before and will inevitably do so again. I’ve also disagreed with authors that I continue to support and respect. With the immediacy of the medium, arguments are one click away and misunderstandings abound.
I don’t know what else to say except that I try to judge an author by their books, not their online personalities.
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I try to judge an author by their books, not their online personalities
*Nodding head in agreement* Yes, I try to do the same. However, there have been instances where over the top, completely unnecessary attacks have been made against readers. One incident or two- I’d make a serious effort to ignore whatever was said (written? typed?). After that? The author will have lost the benefit of the doubt in my mind. Thus losing my dollars.
OTOH, there are authors whose work I buy despite regular, substantiated, mean spirited commentary about readers.
It’s a very fine line to walk, I think. Much of it goes case by case. We’ve all said and done things we regret later, I know. Hopefully we won’t make a pattern out of it.
by Amanda
on May 1st, 2008 at 9:06 pm
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Disagreement in the heat of discussion, intelligent or otherwise, is one thing. As noted above, we all say things that either are or could be misunderstood, and that is really not what I am talking about. I don’t personally have to agree with everything that an author or any other person says in the online community. However, I do reserve the right to take my book-buying dollars elsewhere when an author makes contemptuous comments about either an individual reader, or readers in general. That is arrogant as well as disrespectful, and somehow, I can always “hear” that tone or attitude in the author’s fiction afterwards.
by Aoife
on May 1st, 2008 at 10:53 pm
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~I do reserve the right to take my book-buying dollars elsewhere when an author makes contemptuous comments about either an individual reader, or readers in general~
As well you should. I can’t imagine why an author would want to disrespect her own readers, or any potential readers. My personal experience has been that none of my favorite authors have ever disillusioned me so. But what I’m talking about are general disagreements. Should authors be held to a higher standard during these discussions?
I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t see readers writing to each other “I’m going to cross you off my friend list!” Does that make sense?
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*My personal experience has been that none of my favorite authors have ever disillusioned me so. But what I’m talking about are general disagreements. Should authors be held to a higher standard during these discussions?
I guess what I’m saying is that I don’t see readers writing to each other “I’m going to cross you off my friend list!” Does that make sense?*
It makes perfect sense. Since this is a frequently discussed topic, I know that there are a range of views on it, and I suppose I come down somewhere in the middle. I personally don’t think an author *should* be held to a higher standard, but have no doubt that there are readers who do hold them to that higher standard. I have no problem with forcefully expressed opinions, no matter who they are coming from, as long as they aren’t directed at an individual in a way that demeans or ridicules that person. However, whenever an author posts on a topic, as an author, she needs to be aware that whatever she says may be viewed by some people in a negative way, and be prepared for that reaction. Fortunately, none of my favorite authors have disillusioned me in this way, but there have most definitely been new-to-me-authors whose books I wouldn’t read under any circumstances after seeing how they conduct themselves online, and other authors who I had occasionally enjoyed who I crossed off my to-buy list after a particularly arrogant or rude online performance.
I’ve never seen readers saying “I’m going to cross you off my friend list” either, but there are certainly some reader-posters I never directly respond to online because they are capable of being really unpleasant if they feel someone doesn’t agree with them. The difference is that those people aren’t producing a product that they want to sell, so my avoiding their posts or blog has absolutely no effect on them.
by Aoife
on May 2nd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
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~The difference is that those people aren’t producing a product that they want to sell, so my avoiding their posts or blog has absolutely no effect on them.~
Good point. I sometimes hesitate to express my opinion because I worry about how my comments will be perceived. As a reader, I can laugh at cover snark, but as an author, I fear the wrath of the art department!
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I’m a gawker for sure but for the most part, unless someone says something extremely hateful I can’t see wiping them off my list. I know that author behaviour has stopped me from buying an authors book but when I had distance from it and decided to purchase her book it was great.
The good news for me, is that the last few ABB incidents haven’t involved any author I’d heard of or read before so I didn’t really need to make any choices.
That said, it seems I’m getting better at removing myself from authors who irritate me online. In other words, I don’t click on their comments or search out their forums because I know their personality just doesn’t gell with mine. I’ll still buy their books though because in the end, that’s what I’m about.
CindyS
by CIndyS
on May 3rd, 2008 at 2:26 am
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I pretty much stated my thoughts on SBTB. I’ll just augment those comments with my actual reading habits:
I’ve never crossed an author of my list because of online behavior. I hope I never will. I’m uncomfortable associating a creative work with a moral judgment of the creator, or having a sense of personally altering the moral balance of the universe by what I read. That feels too righteous and too similar to the kind of judgment I imagine is often the basis for censorship.
On the other hand, I’ve decided not to try authors because of poor writing online. I’ve also crossed author blogs off my RSS feed–about as often as I delete reader blogs from my list. I find the poor behavior is pretty evenly distributed–which means it’s actually more on the reader end, simply because there are more of us.
And on a third hand, I’ve occasionally tried a book *because* of the author’s online persona. So far it’s not a reliable method of choosing a book!
by RfP
on May 3rd, 2008 at 7:33 pm
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*I’ve never crossed an author of my list because of online behavior. I hope I never will. I’m uncomfortable associating a creative work with a moral judgment of the creator, or having a sense of personally altering the moral balance of the universe by what I read. That feels too righteous and too similar to the kind of judgment I imagine is often the basis for censorship.*
I don’t really see that I am altering the moral balance of the universe by not buying an author’s books because I don’t care for the way she talks online to or about readers! Or that people who choose to continue to read that author are making any kind of moral judgment either. Perhaps they simply like her books too much to give them up, which is a perfectly valid choice to make.
by Aoife
on May 4th, 2008 at 12:32 am
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That sounds sane to me, Aoife.
by RfP
on May 4th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
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RfP–A day when someone thinks something I said sounds sane is a good day. It may not happen often, but it’s still a good day;)
by Aoife
on May 4th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
