tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post116473861789529332..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: HatersJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1165193780074228932006-12-03T18:56:00.000-06:002006-12-03T18:56:00.000-06:00Joe & all:Do what the story demands, I say. I swi...Joe & all:<BR/><BR/>Do what the story demands, I say. <BR/><BR/>I switched publishers from a tiny publisher to a small publisher when the former objected to the material in the sequel to my first book. <BR/><BR/>His objection? Bad things happen to a six-year-old kidnapped girl.<BR/><BR/>He wanted me to change it.<BR/><BR/>I wouldn't. Not because I'm so incredibly high-minded, but because the events that occur drive other events within the series. This includes causing one character to quit the police force. Years later, he gets a shot at redemption in a novel I've already written. There've been references to these events that the publisher wanted me to change in published short stories, too.<BR/><BR/>I simply wasn't about to change it.<BR/><BR/>And, frankly, since you saw the word 'tiny' in front of publisher...it wasn't like there was any serious money to do battle with the art on this one.<BR/><BR/>What I found interesting was that, like Joe mentioned about Rusty Nail, almost ALL of the bad things happen to the victim off-stage. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, there's more to this whole author/publisher exchange, but probably best not to air it out in public. Suffice it to say that we chose to go our separate ways and I was lucky enough to find another publisher to take on the series at book two.<BR/><BR/>I think that the story needs what the story needs in terms of violence (or anything else for that matter). Sure, you can tone it down or ratchet it up, but the events themselves are still going to happen. And I'd rather make sure the story being told is the one I wanted to tell. <BR/><BR/>Striving for controversy is contrived and insincere and I think people can spot it a mile away. But I'd rather have fewer, passionate readers than be vanilla.<BR/><BR/>Lastly, I belong to the same list Joe mentioned and saw the posts. Like all lists, people can sometimes get a little high on themselves and a little snotty, too. Those same people probably would behave differently in a another setting.<BR/><BR/>I'd say "Just my two cents," but this is more like a nickel post, huh?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1165117709342892222006-12-02T21:48:00.000-06:002006-12-02T21:48:00.000-06:00Joe,First, I have not yet read Rusty Nail. But it...Joe,<BR/><BR/>First, I have not yet read <I>Rusty Nail</I>. But it's on my list, and I'll base my comments about your writing on what I have read of yours so far.<BR/><BR/>In any case, to answer your question, I would much rather be a universally-loved writer than a writer loved because of controversy, for two reasons. <BR/><BR/>The first is that I'm frankly <I>tired</I> of controversy. These days, <I>everything</I> is a controversy. Someone is upset or offended or outraged or flabbergasted by something every day of the week, and they automatically assume the worst. You don't really have to try to be controversial because as your "fan" letter shows, you'll offend someone no matter what you do.<BR/><BR/>Second, I'd hate to have to build my reputation on attempting to push the envelope to the point that it tears every single time. I'll take no shame in admitting that I'm too lazy to spend all of my time in such an endeavor. I'd rather produce an entertaining story that reads like an honest tale, with any "shocks" feeling like they belong there instead of feeling gratuitous. I don't wish to change how I tell the story to offend or not offend anyone: I'm telling my story in a way that won't offend <I>me</I>, and I will assume that my own sensibilities aren't so radical from anyone else's. If telling the story with scenes that I feel honestly belong there for the story's sake loses me a few readers, then I'll just have to work a little harder to find others. To attempt otherwise would mean that I'd either turn myself off from my own story by going intentionally over the top or that I'd never get a page written out of fear of making no word rub someone the wrong way.<BR/><BR/>What I've read of your work so far makes it clear to me that you don't do violence for violence's sake, and you then break up the dark facts of the crime and its investigation with humor. You have a gift for mixing the two without it <I>reading</I> unnaturally.<BR/><BR/>I have to believe that those authors who remain honest to their story and entertain will, in the long run, have a much more successful and satisfying career than those who try to shock the sensibilities at all costs.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04003514145670026703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1165045152716998572006-12-02T01:39:00.000-06:002006-12-02T01:39:00.000-06:00Don't like what you're reading? Close the book.I d...Don't like what you're reading? Close the book.<BR/>I did, reading Bloody Mary with lunch yesterday (and it was okay not to warn me)- but then took it up later with a drink ... and get the covers now.<BR/>Look forward to Rusty Nail.<BR/>Don't water down. Write to please yourself - well, that's what I want to read anyway. Cheers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1165007417268791942006-12-01T15:10:00.000-06:002006-12-01T15:10:00.000-06:00Everyone has their tolerance threshold, for violen...Everyone has their tolerance threshold, for violence, romance, or anything else about a story. It's all about one's personal taste. You have to write the story that's in you (all writers do, whether they think of it that way or not), and readers should read only the stories they enjoy.<BR/><BR/>I like it when other readers warn me about things I might not like in a book, but if they exaggerate that doesn't help me.<BR/><BR/>There's no reason for anyone to continue reading a book they don't like, or even to buy it to begin with. I've never had a bookstore clerk slap my hands away when I pre-read part of a book in the store, and I've found that if I sift through reader reviews online I get a pretty good handle on whether I'll like the book. <BR/><BR/>As a kid I had this weird notion that once I started reading I had to finish, so I finished The Exorcist even though it gave me nightmares. Today, if I get too uncomfortable I put the book down. Life's too short to spend it reading anything I don't like.<BR/><BR/>I guess what I'm saying is, keep doing what you do. Let readers keep doing what they do. Trust that the two will somehow mesh as they should.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164983495109274742006-12-01T08:31:00.000-06:002006-12-01T08:31:00.000-06:00On September 27th, I blogged about Rusty Nail. It...On September 27th, I blogged about Rusty Nail. It's pretty clear when you visit my blog that I write romantic comedy which is about as opposite as one can get from serial killers, psycopaths and blood gore (oh my!). My readers must all have expansive reading taste because not one of them emailed to complain that I'd pointed them in the direction of graphic violence, torture and murder.<BR/><BR/>The lady who wrote you didn't like the subject matter, but clearly there are many who do.Mary Stellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02186261066656584772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164943351362463532006-11-30T21:22:00.000-06:002006-11-30T21:22:00.000-06:00I don’t think you should try and please everyone a...I don’t think you should try and please everyone and give in to a minority but I do think it’s better to appeal to the largest part of the market. When you’re potential customers are already limited to one specific genre it does not make good business sense to appeal to a fraction of that fraction. I write in the sci-fi genre and am having a hard time getting published. I do not let any characters swear or have any sex scenes. I do this to open up the age group of the potential market. Agents see it differently and feel my characters should swear and have sex. Even though this is keeping from getting my books on a store shelf, I would rather continue pitching than appeal to a small market. So as far as integrity goes, it’s a business and you will not survive if you don’t sell. I say cut the violence and increase the sales. When your books are placed at the front of the bookstore, you can write however you want.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164919759519241142006-11-30T14:49:00.000-06:002006-11-30T14:49:00.000-06:00Mr. Konrath,To be honest, I've never read any of y...Mr. Konrath,<BR/>To be honest, I've never read any of your books. Since Rusty Nail was said to be gross and disturbing, I'll be sure to pick up a couple of your titles this weekend!!:*) So, with that being said, graphic violence may attract or deflect some folks. Either way, controversy sells! Serials killers are just that! They are scary, evil people. Keep writing what you write! I've seen worse on the 6 o'clock news! It's amazing how people can live in this country, and sill have rose-colored glasses on! Keep on, Mr. Konrath. You're great!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164918813440953172006-11-30T14:33:00.000-06:002006-11-30T14:33:00.000-06:00When you look at the younger (ie the gamer) genera...When you look at the younger (ie the gamer) generation, they have no problem with violence, be it the fake cartoonish kind or something very real, gritty, pants-crapping. Perhaps our readers are aging and mellowing out/getting more conservative?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164914646240222092006-11-30T13:24:00.000-06:002006-11-30T13:24:00.000-06:00I just discovered your blog from the interview you...I just discovered your blog from the interview you gave for the Absolute Write Newsletter. I thought you might like to know how some new readers to your blog have stumbled upon you.<BR/><BR/>I know that I'll be going back and reading some of your older posts, because just in this one post you have raised many interesting questions. <BR/><BR/>I'll be honest and say that I have not yet read any of your books, (and I had not heard of you either prior to the AW interview), so my response is predicated on my own thoughts as a writer and also my tastes as a reader of fiction.<BR/><BR/>I can tolerate a lot of explicit gore and violence if it is necessary for the plot. I dislike it if it is merely there to gross me out. If I want to be grossed out I'll watch an inane comedy with Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, et. al. Which I don't, because I don't like that stuff.<BR/><BR/>The most graphically violent novels that I have ever read were written by the late Gary Jennings. His novel <I>Aztec</I> had scenes where I literally had to stop reading because I was clutching my stomach. <BR/><BR/>Yet, the milieu was the Aztec culture prior to, during and after the Spanish conquistadors. Human sacrifice was inherent in the fabric of the Aztec religion.<BR/><BR/>I don't know what I was expecting when I bought a copy of that book as an impulse buy for Christmas for my mother. I knew she liked fat historical novels and I figured she might not have read anything about the history of Mexico, and I thought she had probably tired of reading novels about Ann Boleyn.<BR/><BR/>She loved the book! Because my mother loved the book so much, she shared it with numerous of her friends and I got it as a return Christmas present the next year. I was literally shocked at what I had given my mother. Many times as I read the book I thought, "I <I>gave</I> this to my mother?" But I loved it as well.<BR/><BR/>It is literally the most sex-filled and violent book I have ever read, with the notable exception of the Bible. The difference is that the Bible has a time span of many millenia and <I>Aztec</I> only spans one man's lifetime. That and Gary Jennings was much more graphic than saying "he knew his wife" or "every man, woman and child was slain in the village."<BR/><BR/><BR/>To this day I think of <I>Aztec</I> as the single best novel I have ever read, because there is nothing superfluous in it. Everything works together as a fine tapestry. Even if it has extreme graphic violence.<BR/><BR/>Because that is what was necessary for the story to work.<BR/><BR/>I am probably one of the few people that had the criticism about Disney's <I>Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl</I> as having a lame underlying premise where an ancient Aztec curse could be lifted by a drop of blood. I mean, after reading Gary Jennings's novel, I expected nothing less than the curse to require someone ripping the beating heart from someone's chest. Not a bloody paper cut doing the deed.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>Now, onto the subject of writing graphic or implied violence regarding serial murders. That is your genre and it may not be anything you can change.<BR/><BR/>Stephen King once responded why he wrote horror and he said that is what came to his mind. When he thinks of a pond he doesn't think poetry and flowers, he sees something creepy rising from its depths.<BR/><BR/><B>I say to your own self be true.</B> Write what you would like to read. Write with the goal of coming up with something that will put a fiendish smile on your face and make you rub your hands together.<BR/><BR/>Enjoy yourself first and foremost. Because that is your job.<BR/><BR/>Don't try to tailor your writing for someone else, because you will muzzle your creative muse. Remember your high school or college instructors that you could never please? Screw 'em!<BR/><BR/>Not everyone likes every genre. People have different tasts. You can't please everyone, so don't even try.<BR/><BR/>Please yourself. Write what you want. The rest will follow.<BR/><BR/>Otherwise, you'll soon lose the love you have for writing. And that would be a shame.<BR/><BR/>LindaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164902363634980002006-11-30T09:59:00.000-06:002006-11-30T09:59:00.000-06:00The gross-out violence just doesn't seem to go wit...<I>The gross-out violence just doesn't seem to go with the whole package. When I encounter it, it's like finding a roach swimming in my whiskey sour </I><BR/><BR/>Point taken. But I still don't believe my stuff is gross-out. It's not graphic or gratuitous. Awful stuff happens, but in the reader's head, not the book.<BR/><BR/>My "schtick" is being scary and being funny. No one else is really doing that. Some don't think it works, and I understand that and respect their opinions.JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164849908253295162006-11-29T19:25:00.000-06:002006-11-29T19:25:00.000-06:00Your book are funny and glib; you have a female pr...Your book are funny and glib; you have a female protag; your covers are bright and sassy.<BR/><BR/>The gross-out violence just doesn't seem to go with the whole package. When I encounter it, it's like finding a roach swimming in my whiskey sourAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164841270426045472006-11-29T17:01:00.000-06:002006-11-29T17:01:00.000-06:00It doesn't much matter what you write in the futur...It doesn't much matter what you write in the future, Joe, your unhappy emailer is never going to read you again, anyway. You may as well write what you want and keep cashing your royalty checks.Mindy Tarquinihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02970872751327021013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164833551290781452006-11-29T14:52:00.000-06:002006-11-29T14:52:00.000-06:00Do I want to alienate potential readers and risk s...<I>Do I want to alienate potential readers and risk sales?</I><BR/><BR/>Be careful...there's a fine line between creative expression and "formula trap" when you start asking yourself questions like that!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164829043381749612006-11-29T13:37:00.000-06:002006-11-29T13:37:00.000-06:00If something or at least the threat of something r...If something or at least the threat of something really bad isn't present in a book isn't present--where will the tension/conflict come from?<BR/><BR/>I've winced reading your stuff Joe--the razor blades in the chocolate was tough--but it woke me up and made realize how bad the villain was.<BR/><BR/>In my book somebody mistreats a dog...and I'm sure people will object--at least until the dog gets his revenge...Tom Schreckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01050914130524851863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164823937389211532006-11-29T12:12:00.000-06:002006-11-29T12:12:00.000-06:00Let me see . . .Jack's a HOMOCIDE detective, right...Let me see . . .<BR/><BR/>Jack's a HOMOCIDE detective, right? That means MURDER. Sure, that includes the more passive killings where the wimp uses poison, but let's face facts: murder is violent. I've read your first two books, and I was not put off by them. Some would consider me a prude, and I LOVED them! I even made my MOM read them. She's a fan now, too. (The scenes with the cat in Bloody Mary are a HOOT!)<BR/><BR/>You've got a good thing going here. It's working, right? If sales start to plateau, maybe THEN tinker with the recipe. As long as you're selling more books, who cares who's offended? <BR/><BR/>Besides, the cat wasn't killed, and even turned out to be a hero. Maybe start selling at the Humane Society?<BR/><BR/>:-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164816439387779452006-11-29T10:07:00.000-06:002006-11-29T10:07:00.000-06:00I'm currently reading *Cross*, James Patterson's n...I'm currently reading *Cross*, James Patterson's new one. It's an instruction manual on how to handle graphic violence in a popular novel, IMO.Jude Hardinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994813046526310594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164815161664902002006-11-29T09:46:00.000-06:002006-11-29T09:46:00.000-06:00Some people may object to the violence in my novel...Some people may object to the violence in my novels. My lack of crude language and graphic sex may lure my readers into thinking they're reading a cozy mystery. Then they may get mad at me when they encounter the violence.<BR/><BR/>But I agree with Joe. How can you get your readers to be fearful for your hero if you don't have a truly scary villain or two?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164812893216247692006-11-29T09:08:00.000-06:002006-11-29T09:08:00.000-06:00Hi Joe,My two cents: I'd rush right out and buy yo...Hi Joe,<BR/><BR/>My two cents: I'd rush right out and buy your books in hardcover as gifts for all of my friends if the books weren't so violent. For all of the help and advice you dole out to writers on this blog, I'd love to support your career in a concrete way. But I can't take that level of graphic violence. So, yes, there is a population of potential readers that you're missing.<BR/><BR/>You can have it both ways. It's not like you have to choose. You can write your current series as it is AND start another one that will appeal to the mainstream.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164810464794807162006-11-29T08:27:00.000-06:002006-11-29T08:27:00.000-06:00I think you have to be true to your vision first -...I think you have to be true to your vision first - no matter what you write someone will always be able to find fault with it. <BR/><BR/>And Joe, if you were serious, take that woman off your newsletter right away. One of the worst things a writer can do is torture readers by signing them up without asking first. Opt in is not the same as opt out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164804317001101872006-11-29T06:45:00.000-06:002006-11-29T06:45:00.000-06:00Oh, shameshameshame.How DARE you!The only legitima...Oh, shameshameshame.<BR/>How DARE you!<BR/>The only legitimate complaint I can see is about a warning on the cover about the contents.<BR/>Otherwise, I tend to rebel about generalizations regarding filth, etc. and people who want all stories to conform to their tidy world.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164777056217322892006-11-28T23:10:00.000-06:002006-11-28T23:10:00.000-06:00The images your writing creates in my head have a ...The images your writing creates in my head have a remarkable way of sticking with me for days...and nights...and many a nightmare, and a few daymares besides. It's truly masterful.<BR/><BR/>We write to entertain, and we write to communicate, and we write to make money. I agree there's a balance to be had between all of these objectives. But in your case? I hope you don't change a thing!Elizabeth Kreckerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12122785972211597168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164776428724431122006-11-28T23:00:00.000-06:002006-11-28T23:00:00.000-06:00In the last couple of Spenser books, Robert M. Par...In the last couple of Spenser books, Robert M. Parker has written about drinking Johnny Walker Blue WITH SODA. <BR/><BR/>That's an image I can live without.<BR/><BR/>And, frankly, I find the debasement a little irresponsible and much too graphic.<BR/><BR/>I'll have nightmares for a long, long time.r2https://www.blogger.com/profile/15050444327059086880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164770514928547092006-11-28T21:21:00.000-06:002006-11-28T21:21:00.000-06:00Just occurred to me! I've got to go out and buy Ru...Just occurred to me! I've got to go out and buy Rusty Nail to find out what all the hubbub was about!Tyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09192814826756623212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164769925731228462006-11-28T21:12:00.000-06:002006-11-28T21:12:00.000-06:00I try to respond to all of my emails. In the case ...I try to respond to all of my emails. In the case of this woman, I wished her a happy thanksgiving, and then signed her up for me newsletter. :)JA Konrathhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1164769488689515972006-11-28T21:04:00.000-06:002006-11-28T21:04:00.000-06:00Fascinating discussion.So, when you receive emails...Fascinating discussion.<BR/><BR/>So, when you receive emails like this, Joe, do you ever respond? (i.e. "Thanks for writing, sorry you didn't enjoy it.")Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com