I follow several blogs by authors I enjoy. It’s both sweet, sweet torture and really interesting, because it kinda whets my appetite for whatever book they plan to write next as I enjoy whatever anecdotes they have to share. I’ve always wondered at the people who scolded authors for doing things other than writing. I could understand asking when the next book was coming out- once. I couldn’t get why six people in a row would leave comments to the effect of, “When is the publishing date?” and I really took issue with the people who would complain that the author was on tour, taking his kids to the zoo, writing a book other than the one that particular fan wants to read, or just taking a vacation with her family. Why did some fans feel entitled to every bit of a writer’s free time?
Neil Gaiman wrote an interesting essay on the subject at one point when a fan wrote in, complaining about George R. R. Martin’s ever-extending finishing point. The writer posits to Mr. Gaiman that perhaps, by utilizing social media tools to communicate with fans, one has a greater responsibility to deliver product in a timely fashion. Mr. Gaiman responded, in part, with the eminently quotable line, “George R. R. Martin is not your bitch.”
The post is really a good one, and a point that a good many people seem to need to hear, judging on the number of comments I see on blogs and Facebook pages on any post that an author makes asking, “Why aren’t you working on Book Important to Me instead of your current activity?”
Today I found this post by author Brent Weeks, a response to Neil Gaiman’s 2009 post. He also makes some good points. People do expect- and not incorrectly- that when a writer begins a series that they intend to finish it, and it does behoove an author- particularly one getting started in a career- to deliver the books in order to develop and increase their fanbase.
But I think that his approach that there is any responsibility to readers on the part of an author is fallacious. If a book is sold to a publisher on its own, then the author has fulfilled his deal with the publisher. If an author has a set contract with the publisher, then their responsibility is to meet those deadlines to the best of their abilities. Not to mention that publication dates are rarely, if ever, set by the authors themselves. They may finish editing a book a year or even two before the publisher decides that the time to print and release has come. Yes, it is unwise of an author to make any promises about when the current work will be finished, as that gets hopes up, but people make mistakes, and people who write fiction for a living are as human as the rest of us.
It’s admirable that Brent Weeks hasn’t had an issue with making his own deadlines yet. It’s great for him, his agent, his publisher, and his fans. This is not sarcasm. But even so, not every single fan has the same timeline when it comes to considering when they think a new book should be released. Some people think that a few years is acceptable. Others are upset or angry if a new book isn’t out every few months.
There is a writer I love who has only released six books in the last 25 years, and the space between the last book and her next will likely end up being over 15 years. I’m okay with that. Her works are worth that wait to me. Another author I love began releasing two books every three years several years back, and the quality dropped off. I still enjoy her books, but I’d be happier if she took a bit more time. In each case, I vote with my wallet. The first author I brought up- I have bought multiple copies of her books as gifts and spares. The second I haven’t bought a book from in years, opting to get them from the library.
I have yet to read any books by George R. R. Martin or Brent Weeks (though I’ve heard endless amounts of praise for both bodies of work), but another author of whom I’ve very fond gets this question all the time. “Why aren’t you writing The Book?” It makes me crazy on his behalf.
There is no warranty on books. When you purchase a book, you are paying for the effort that went into that stack of paper and cardboard and cloth in your hands. You are not paying $25-30 dollars for a hardcover and the right to own the author’s time. That would be like the people who came up to me when I was off the clock at the bookstore or the theater and demanded that I do something for them right then, without being paid.
It’s not wrong to expect that, when you purchase a book subtitled “Book One in the Epic Series” that there will be more books. But those books will come on the timetable that the author and publisher have decided upon, and you do not have the right to whine if their timetable is different than yours. Unless you have paid for a book, you don’t get to demand it. Things happen. Authors get sick, and sometimes they die in the middle of a series. They have family tragedies. They deserve a vacation as much as the people who work 9-5 desk jobs, sell you clothes at the GAP, bring you your overpriced sandwich, and clean your toilets. Sometimes, no matter how dedicated, they get stuck on a story and need to freshen their viewpoint by working on something else for a few months.
It’s also not wrong to be disappointed when a much-anticipated book takes longer than you hoped to come out. It’s natural to be excited about the things you love and anxious to get a chance to read/see/hear them.
The wrong part comes in when a few obnoxiously loud people demand that an author write to the exclusion of all else, including families, social lives, and obligations to a publishing house. It makes me want to tell the author to take an extra couple months, just to spite the loudmouths.
