McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
despite the flack I'm going to get....
Piotr1600:
Well, IMO it wasn't just "luck and marketing" that got Rowling and/or Meyers published.
They both had to at least conceive and then write a story that connected with their audience in the first place.
That's a matter of skill & perseverance.
Heavy on the perseverance.
Those things had to take place 100% prior to any 'luck' or 'marketing'.
Virtually every author professionally published will have some story variant of how much sheer perseverance it took to get noticed and published.
Luck plays into it here - Once they had something to sell, and that something was recognized by *someone* reading the slush pile (or however it happened for them) as "Hey! This has a market - I can make some cash with this stuff!"
THEN the marketing comes in.
And, generally speaking, the real big marketing isn't done by the author. It's done by the publisher.
And while I would not say that either authors works are the kind of thing where one starts reading and cannot put it down because of the gripping narrative, or deathless prose, (or whatever superlative works for you), it isn't exactly "bad". (I've browsed the slush pile before. The word is usually dreck. Or gawdawful. Or "Pleasemakeitstopnooo!")
Both authors works tap into a certain commonality of human experience, and despite the writers limitations, they manage to do it well enough to sell boatloads of books.
The Backstreet Boys aren't Bach. But they are exceptional for what they are.
Ditto Rowling & Meyer.
Biffy Pyro:
--- Quote from: Piotr1600 on August 02, 2010, 02:04:36 AM ---Well, IMO it wasn't just "luck and marketing" that got Rowling and/or Meyers published.
They both had to at least conceive and then write a story that connected with their audience in the first place.
That's a matter of skill & perseverance.
Heavy on the perseverance.
Those things had to take place 100% prior to any 'luck' or 'marketing'.
Virtually every author professionally published will have some story variant of how much sheer perseverance it took to get noticed and published.
Luck plays into it here - Once they had something to sell, and that something was recognized by *someone* reading the slush pile (or however it happened for them) as "Hey! This has a market - I can make some cash with this stuff!"
THEN the marketing comes in.
And, generally speaking, the real big marketing isn't done by the author. It's done by the publisher.
And while I would not say that either authors works are the kind of thing where one starts reading and cannot put it down because of the gripping narrative, or deathless prose, (or whatever superlative works for you), it isn't exactly "bad". (I've browsed the slush pile before. The word is usually dreck. Or gawdawful. Or "Pleasemakeitstopnooo!")
Both authors works tap into a certain commonality of human experience, and despite the writers limitations, they manage to do it well enough to sell boatloads of books.
The Backstreet Boys aren't Bach. But they are exceptional for what they are.
Ditto Rowling & Meyer.
--- End quote ---
i agree that they had to conceive and write the books and that they had good ideas, but jk rowling herself admits it was luck as she gt publish the second time she sent it away, i could quote but i can't be bothered to did out my 2010 copy of the writers and artist yearbook
MoSeS:
Holy Cow...... I have never made a comment and then come back after the weekend to see soo many good replies.
Everyone makes some really good points.
@Starbeam
My comparing of Rice, Dickens, Tolkien, and King was a really bad example.
I guess it equates to comparing the war tactics of Ghenghis Khan, King Arthur, Colonel Custard, Hitler, Napoleon, and Alexander the Great. All very different times and technology.
@Thrythlind
I struggled and never finished the Silmilarion because I bought some old copy from a library (green hard back with some gold symbol on it, I lost it though) and I struggled with the English in it, I think it was an early translation or not translated at all. I don't know if they have different translations of this?
as for Rice, Interview is probably the least interesting in the series, the best one is Memnoch the Devil, if you ever read only one Anne Rice book, that should be the one. That story is just kind of awesome bunch of FAUSTness going on.
@Biffy Pyro
--- Quote ---I don't hate twilight per se but i hate the massive amounts of attention it gets and the fans
--- End quote ---
I think that's what a lot of people dislike about it, the huge following from young people.
However, no one really gets ticked when there is a Pokemon fad or Dragon Ball Z fad, but when it hits close to home for us long time vampire/werewolf fans, I think that's what bugs us.
On the same token, more power to those successful authors for figuring out what sells.
@Enjourous
--- Quote ---Hemingway is not a good example of good prose. He's a reporter at heart and it shows in his lexicon and syntax. For good prose look to: Twain (for his use of dialect) Orwell, Steinbeck, and for someone writing in a similar time and style Jack London has much better prose than Hemingway
--- End quote ---
Totally agree, again, I was kind of ranting and just pulling names out of the air, Hemingway was a bad example. All you named are WAY WAY better examples.
Thank you.
And I agree with your first statement mostly too. I just feel like King is over-rated, but that is probably my bias because the entire time I was reading the Dark Tower I was thinking Jebus Chris!, what the hell is going on, and then at times it was like, ok now he seems to be sobering up (the author i mean) then it's like oh no, i think he just dropped some acid.
Then as someone else stated, it's like he never knows how to end the books, he just makes up some terrible ending when he gets tired of writing the story, and I get that with King "its all about the journey" but for me a book needs a good conclusion, otherwise it kind of ruins the whole thing for me.
As for King's prose, maybe his prose isn't that bad and I just can't see past the story.
@Piotr1600
Agreed! I couldn't have said this better myself. I think you hit the nail right on the head.
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: MoSeS_ on August 02, 2010, 03:51:26 PM ---However, no one really gets ticked when there is a Pokemon fad or Dragon Ball Z fad,
--- End quote ---
I certainly do, when the young 'uns in question talk about those fads as if that's when gaming started and need some curmudgeonly cane-shaking at and being told to get off my lawn.
--- Quote ---On the same token, more power to those successful authors for figuring out what sells.
--- End quote ---
I am entirely unconvinced they did figure anything out, though. The more people in the publishing industry, writers, editors, agents and others, I hear talk, the more convinced I become that ultimately William Goldman is right and nobody knows anything.
Enjorous:
--- Quote from: MoSeS_ on August 02, 2010, 03:51:26 PM ---And I agree with your first statement mostly too. I just feel like King is over-rated, but that is probably my bias because the entire time I was reading the Dark Tower I was thinking Jebus Chris!, what the hell is going on, and then at times it was like, ok now he seems to be sobering up (the author i mean) then it's like oh no, i think he just dropped some acid. Then as someone else stated, it's like he never knows how to end the books, he just makes up some terrible ending when he gets tired of writing the story, and I get that with King "its all about the journey" but for me a book needs a good conclusion, otherwise it kind of ruins the whole thing for me. As for prose, maybe he's prose isn't that bad and I just can't see past the twisted stories he writes.
--- End quote ---
Well I'll say that King doesn't remember writing Cujo he was so messed up and he's admitted as much. As for the Tower, it is about the journey and it is about the cycle. "Ka is a wheel" and it comes full circle, with enough of a change that one could see that the end of the series is the beginning of the final journey. But a lot of his books do conclude the story arc, but are always somewhat open on the characters in them.
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