tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post113867940534826962..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: The "Are You a Hack?" Quiz!JA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1139003312227309992006-02-03T15:48:00.000-06:002006-02-03T15:48:00.000-06:00I know I'm late, but loved this post!! I'm a 7 sc...I know I'm late, but loved this post!! I'm a 7 scoring Hack. Hua!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138897356515997742006-02-02T10:22:00.000-06:002006-02-02T10:22:00.000-06:00That certainly cuts through the BS and clarifies i...That certainly cuts through the BS and clarifies issues.Joan Reeveshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17622809465767116747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138841975691236812006-02-01T18:59:00.000-06:002006-02-01T18:59:00.000-06:00I'm in the 3-4 middle ground. Most of that is base...I'm in the 3-4 middle ground. Most of that is based on the fact that can't myself in those other positions so they just wash out of their own volition.<BR/><BR/>I'd prefer not to charged with plagiarism or lying to be successful too.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15222366707246731960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138830944694945252006-02-01T15:55:00.000-06:002006-02-01T15:55:00.000-06:00There are worse things than being a hack. A lawyer...There are worse things than being a hack. A lawyere, for instance.Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01234972022475955356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138813810227496252006-02-01T11:10:00.000-06:002006-02-01T11:10:00.000-06:00meme <------- hackBrett Battleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03786471378650235415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138812806077252372006-02-01T10:53:00.000-06:002006-02-01T10:53:00.000-06:00Unless there's some sort'a status below hackdom.I ...Unless there's some sort'a status <B>below</B> hackdom.<BR/><BR/>I want to rule whatever kingdom that is...<BR/><BR/>The Not-Even-Good-Enough-to-Be-a-Hack land.Stacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138812646898444652006-02-01T10:50:00.000-06:002006-02-01T10:50:00.000-06:00I think if you POD publish all your books with Lul...I think if you POD publish all your books with Lulu, you are instantly qualified for "hack" status;)<BR/><BR/>Great post, Joe. <BR/><BR/>Keep up the great work!<BR/><BR/>Stacey<BR/><A HREF="http://www.staceycochran.com" REL="nofollow">staceycochran.com</A>Stacey Cochranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14128613653591282474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138807922716545642006-02-01T09:32:00.000-06:002006-02-01T09:32:00.000-06:00I'm definitely a hack, don't even have to take the...I'm definitely a hack, don't even have to take the damn quiz. Can't afford to be noble and take the artiste high road. Gotta eat. <BR/><BR/>That's also why I'm hiding behind the alligator. Gotta eat.Bestselling Author, Pontif.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17669405211358991959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138806077017811932006-02-01T09:01:00.000-06:002006-02-01T09:01:00.000-06:00I'm definitely a hack and proud of it! I've taugh...I'm definitely a hack and proud of it! I've taught writing classes off and on for years, and I've always let my students know that my goal was to be published and make lots of money. I'm still working on the "lots of money" part, but I have sold 45 novels. Genre novels. Mostly romance novels. I'm proud of that, too.PatriciaKay.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11570164208682704529noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138775611983210002006-02-01T00:33:00.000-06:002006-02-01T00:33:00.000-06:00Wow. I'm such a big hack it's not even funny. A ...Wow. I'm such a big hack it's not even funny. A perfect hack score, down the line. There simply wasn't anything on the hack side of things I couldn't see myself doing in some, if not most, cases.<BR/><BR/>So my big fat check should be coming any day now, right?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04914329013690756540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138774483757700952006-02-01T00:14:00.000-06:002006-02-01T00:14:00.000-06:00Let's see, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and ...Let's see, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler and John MacDonald were all considered hacks.<BR/><BR/>Can't complain about the company...Rob Gregory Brownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11952008139132652259noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138753161211600412006-01-31T18:19:00.000-06:002006-01-31T18:19:00.000-06:00I scored 5. But I want the best of both worlds. Fa...I scored 5. But I want the best of both worlds. Fame, fortune, and integrity. I don't think not wanting to write novelizations or others' characters makes me all that artistic, though. I just enjoy doing my own thing. Some people would call that rebellious, intransigent, or impractical, not artistic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138752114899595042006-01-31T18:01:00.000-06:002006-01-31T18:01:00.000-06:00I got 9 hacks...~sigh~ I gues I'm a hack in traini...I got 9 hacks...~sigh~ I gues I'm a hack in training...hey that equates to HIT...hope that's prophetic! LOLBonnie S. Calhounhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11769607640246518804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138747693087073932006-01-31T16:48:00.000-06:002006-01-31T16:48:00.000-06:00Millenia, Dean Koontz gets a lot of high praise fr...Millenia, Dean Koontz gets a lot of high praise from reviewers all over the place, and he does very well at the bank. Lisa Gardner, Laura Lippman, Linda Fairstein, Tess Gerritsen, Michael Crichton all seem to have good reviews across the board (maybe not all books, but the bulk of them), and they are all bestsellers. I'm sure there are a lot more out there. <BR/><BR/>But I guess it means we have to define "critically acclaimed." Maybe its those books which stand the test of time, like some of Steinbeck's and Twain's. I think Twain in particular was panned by his contemporaries, but I for one loved his books and short stories decades later.Allison Brennanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02872860080644987843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138744358146180592006-01-31T15:52:00.000-06:002006-01-31T15:52:00.000-06:00I don't have to take the quiz. I'm a hack. I've ...I don't have to take the quiz. I'm a hack. I've written everything except matchbook covers and I'd do that for the right money. I've ghosted a crime novel in a series and I'm currently ghosting a medical thriller for a doc in LA because he put my name on the check. I have a direct-to-DVD horror treatment with Lion's Gate right now and I'd be very happy if they gave it a green light. The last thing I wrote was a TV news show for the EPA.<BR/><BR/>If I had other skills or a trust fund I could afford to ride the high road. But I can't plumb a house or drill a molar or comb my hair just right to get elected, so I write what I can to get paid.<BR/><BR/>Yes, I'm a hack. But I drink like an artist. Does that count?David Terrenoirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482864941636273068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138743559629905282006-01-31T15:39:00.000-06:002006-01-31T15:39:00.000-06:00I scored a 3, but I'm un-published... I sense a co...I scored a 3, but I'm un-published... I sense a correlation. :)Jade L Blackwaterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15321787298101881675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138740487576751352006-01-31T14:48:00.000-06:002006-01-31T14:48:00.000-06:00Why is it that you can have more artist than hack ...Why is it that you can have more artist than hack and still be a hack? Not that this describes me - I had one more hack than artist.<BR/><BR/>Then again a lot of the questions didn't describe me at all and could have gone either way.<BR/><BR/>Then again, what if I think that an artist is just a more pompous, phonier, less talented wannabe hack? I think artists suck at art, personally.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'd love to make the game <I>Jak II</I> into a novel, so I'll take "hack" any time.HawkOwlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08506953701159624542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138739767764438762006-01-31T14:36:00.000-06:002006-01-31T14:36:00.000-06:00Millenia, I can think of three right off the bat i...Millenia, I can think of three right off the bat in mainstream fiction: John Irving, Anne Tyler, and Michael Chabon.<BR/><BR/>The quality vs. sales distinction is definitely a false dichotomy, but I don't think Joe is trying to make that distinction. He's saying that you can have both--in fact, sales are a mark of a certain kind of quality. <BR/><BR/>What you can't do is say "Screw what the reader/audience/publisher wants, I'm sticking to my vision at all costs," and expect money to fall from the sky.<BR/><BR/>Ideally you'd get to the level of popularity where you can occasionally do experimental side projects just for the love of it, to fulfill your artistic longings.Jerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13986567025249948237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138729232634272872006-01-31T11:40:00.000-06:002006-01-31T11:40:00.000-06:00I scored a 6. I'm a hack? Huh? Damn.Tell me - why ...I scored a 6. I'm a hack? Huh? Damn.<BR/><BR/>Tell me - why can't you have both? I'd love to be the author of THE GOOD EARTH <I>and</I> bank like Dan Brown. <BR/><BR/><I>Are</I> there any critically praised, blockbuster writers out there?Millenia Blackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04946305818793386484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138727018250950042006-01-31T11:03:00.000-06:002006-01-31T11:03:00.000-06:00"And what exactly is "artistic integrity," anyway?..."And what exactly is "artistic integrity," anyway? And why is it automatically absent from work that sells?"<BR/><BR/>Great questions. I'd define artistic intgrity as being devoted to the art and not worrying where/how to sell it, or if it fits into the marketplace. The words, not the sale, are important.<BR/><BR/>Every author has a point where they'd walk away and say, "Keep your money, I won't write that." That's integrity.<BR/><BR/>I don't think it's automatically absent in published work. A lot of work has integrity. <BR/><BR/>But the publishing business doesn't embrace prima donnas. If you're easy to work with, willing to change according to suggestion, and realize that this is a business, you'll be able to get more work and sell more writing. <BR/><BR/>Because of this, I try to create art for the market, rather than art for art's sake.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138725803538701572006-01-31T10:43:00.000-06:002006-01-31T10:43:00.000-06:00Meant to add this to the end of my last comment:I ...Meant to add this to the end of my last comment:<BR/><BR/>I wonder if there's any correlation between Hack Score and actual experience with the publishing industry. One glimpse at a publisher's Profit & Loss statement has a way of making artistic integrity seem a bit quaint.Jerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13986567025249948237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138725638139785282006-01-31T10:40:00.000-06:002006-01-31T10:40:00.000-06:00Ouch, a 12. Hackin' like a two-pack-a-day smoker....Ouch, a 12. Hackin' like a two-pack-a-day smoker. <BR/><BR/>I agree with Mark on the "making a living" part. I'd do just about anything legal to avoid putting on a suit and pantyhose again.<BR/><BR/>I'd never ghost-write because that only involves money and doesn't build a fan base. Ultimately it wouldn't further my career goals and would take away time from making a name for myself. So even my integrity answers are a little hack-y, I guess.Jerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13986567025249948237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138724449290462372006-01-31T10:20:00.000-06:002006-01-31T10:20:00.000-06:00I enjoyed this quiz :) I got an 11.My score would ...I enjoyed this quiz :) I got an 11.<BR/><BR/>My score would have been higher, but I answered "no" to all the questions about writing novelizations, ghost-writing someone else's series, writing about someone else's character, etc. I don't have any moral objection to doing this, but I suspect I'd be terrible at it. I've tried my hand at writing fanfiction, and it's fallen flat every time. I'm not so good at playing in someone else's sandbox, I guess.<BR/><BR/>And what exactly <I>is</I> "artistic integrity," anyway? And why is it automatically absent from work that sells?Zoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17702478924392188540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138723565434113402006-01-31T10:06:00.000-06:002006-01-31T10:06:00.000-06:00Joe, we tied. So Hacksville now has a population ...Joe, we tied. So Hacksville now has a population of two.Stephen D. Rogershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12356287007864614439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1138720039137292712006-01-31T09:07:00.000-06:002006-01-31T09:07:00.000-06:001. Yes2. Yes3. Integrity4. Yes5. No6. Yes7. ...1. Yes<BR/>2. Yes<BR/>3. Integrity<BR/>4. Yes<BR/>5. No<BR/>6. Yes<BR/>7. No<BR/>8. Artistic integrity and riches. Fame I can do without. 1/2 a point.<BR/>9. I'd rather be Jude Hardin, bestselling author of the Nicholas Colt, PI, series. 1/2 a point.<BR/>10. A genius by millions of people. 10 points.<BR/>11. Yes<BR/>12. Can't we do both? -1 point.<BR/>13. When asked why he writes horror stories, Stephen King said, "What makes you think I have a choice?" Like Popeye says, "I amsg what I amsg." No to this one.<BR/>14. Nothing I submit is my best work. My best is always yet to come. 10 points.<BR/>15. Fans<BR/>16. Bestseller<BR/>17. Yes<BR/><BR/>By cheating, I scored a whopping 28 points. That makes me Mayor of Hacksville. :)Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.com