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Writers are great at creating books we all love. But a writer’s image involves more than just their art.
Once a writer has fans, their public image plays a large role on whether they keep them or not. What a writer posts and says has a large affect on the reactions of ones fanbase. With sensitive topics like politics, how should authors handle such topics?
Writer Rage
Pic: The Scream – Edvard Munch
It has been a challenge keeping calm this week with the political news dominating the media. Many writers are stuck. Do they try to steer a middle path or ignore what is happening or make a comment. I have seen writers being attacked on Social Media for daring to have a political opinion and voicing it. They are being told that their work is entertainment and to stick to that and not point out anything different, because as one fan said ‘I want a small corner of sanity where political views don’t intrude.’
Anne R Allen has been seeing red lately over people not respecting Book Bloggers or any bloggers in the publishing blogosphere. I understand how she feels. I don’t have the readership that Anne has but I get at least two appeals a week to write guest posts or highlight someone or update a post with new information. It is annoying because it clearly shows they don’t read my blog. I ignore them including all the ‘follow up’ emails. Anne has great points to make if you are suffering the Troll Blues.
This week Geraldine McCaughrean won the Carnegie Medal for her novel Where The World Ends, a mid grade- early secondary book. She used her winner’s speech to highlight the problems of publishers dumbing down language for children. She has direct recent experience of publishers asking her not to write long words. What happens if we don’t stretch our reader’s minds? Read the Guardian article on Geraldine’s speech and find out.
In industry news… a wrinkle. Audible (owned by Amazon) has started making audio first deals with writers. This has some major implications to rights sales and contracts. Melville House Publishers saw it as a tricksy problem for publishers. Read their blog from a writer’s perspective before you make up your mind.
Rebecca Monterusso has written an intensive breakdown of what a scene actually is, on Jane Friedman’s blog. “They should do the same thing your global story does: upset the life value of the character and put them on a path to try and restore it.”
In The Craft Section,
In The Marketing Section,
To Finish,
In our house we have extroverts and introverts and people who sit squarely in the middle. This can make for challenging conversations when it comes to attending Book Launches. The introverts would rather have a quiet celebration dinner. The extroverts a full on party! So what happens when an introvert has to launch a book with a splash? L L Barkat has the introverts guide to launching a book.
Happy Solstice Day –
Congratulations Prime Minister on the birth of your baby girl- I’m sure children’s writers all over the country are wrapping books for you.
Maureen
@craicer
*FAANG- Facebook Amazon Apple Netflix Google (finance speak for media stocks)
About Maureen Crisp
Maureen Crisp has been writing her weekly publishing roundups for over seven years. She is a traditionally published children's author as well as indie-published. She lives in New Zealand and is heading the team organising the 4th National Conference of Children's Writers and Illustrators. She is currently trying her hand at writing a children’s book series if she can drag herself away from forever tweaking her Mars novel or obsessing over space.