There are so many places to go to learn, get entertained, research and promote on the internet. As a debut author just learning the ropes I was quickly deluged with recommendations: Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, etc. I remember when all you knew about an author was the quick bio in their books. Today authors are encouraged to talk to their fans and let everyone see that they are more than just a name on a cover.
But is that such a good thing?
The freedom to express who you are and your views to a global audience is wonderful. But how much should you share? Could sharing too much actually hinder your effort?
This morning I was on a forum and one of the threads discussed authors’ behaviour and how it could change a fan’s opinion enough to stop them buying anything with their name on it altogether. As the thread went on more and more people were being convinced that one author in particular was a horrible human being and had to be boycotted at all costs all because of their social views. Several other authors were mentioned as well for having everything from horrible personalities to making fun of reviewers. Of course upon learning this more people were turned off their work, some were even scared off before even taking a look.
How about you? Without naming names, have you ever had and author say or do something to turn you off their work? Do you care what authors say or do outside of their books? Authors, how much of yourself do you share?
Rumors of Aurelia Popkiss’s death have been greatly exaggerated. In fact, she and her crew have been drifting through the big black, scavenging to survive since the day she “died.” Yet after years of being on the wrong side of less than favorable odds, they never thought that finding a young girl stowed away on their ship would prove to be among the worst things to happen to them.
From the moment Aurelia finds Kateryn concealed in her cabin, Auri knows she’s hiding something. But even Aurelia can’t imagine the true reason for the stowaway’s sudden appearance in her life.
Kateryn’s past is as convoluted and murky as Aurelia’s own. The girl is out for revenge and nothing is going to stop her from destroying Aurelia and her crew—including Keys, Aurelia’s fellow shipmate and the man she’s secretly in love with—to get it.
Kait was born and raised in the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest and started writing to entertain herself during the long winters as a child. Insatiably curious with a love of learning new things, she picked up many random skills including three languages, and two martial arts. After travelling three continents (the other four are on her bucket list), she settled in England with her family where she spends most of her time cultivating her daughter’s love of reading and writing, scribbling ideas on every available scrap of paper and trying out dialogue on her cat.
You can catch up with Kait on Facebook, Twitter, and kaitgamble.com
Reality TV “stars” who claim to write novels that go on to become NYT best-selling authors really piss me off. Talentless rich kids who do nothing all day except work on their GTL (even without the names that’s a dead giveaway), drink, go clubbing, etc. should never be called authors just because their names are on the cover of a book…right above the name of their ghostwriter written in fine print. There should be another word for people who capitalize on their infamy by writing books because “author” is definitely not it!
The short answer is yes. I’ve put an author on a no-buy list for something beyond the quality of their writing. I care. But I care more about deeply held beliefs in conflict with my own more than a momentary lapse into “bad behaviour”.
As a writer, I don’t share much, but that’s the way I am, online or in real life. I’m shy, I have some strongly held beliefs and I greatly dislike conflict. Those traits combine to make me fairly reserved and private, possibly to the point of being aloof. Is that a mistake? Is it better to put myself out there, at the expense of angering people, or better to keep myself to myself? I don’t know, but I know which one makes me more comfortable, and that’s what I go with.
@ Melanie I totally agree. But sadly we live in a society that worships fame and all the stupidity that goes with it.
@ KC Burn I’m the same way. I prefer to keep to myself. I like to think it gives us a little mystery
I’m fairly liberal in my thinking so it takes a bit to convince me to stop buying from an author. That being said there have been a couple of authors that put themselves on my no-buy list thanks to their rants. They were so off putting that I just couldn’t bring myself to pay attention to them in any form.