tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post5398164756167093471..comments2024-03-14T18:09:09.667-05:00Comments on Do Some Damage: Bad Books & Bad BloodUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-29125303613355680672012-01-24T06:53:19.968-05:002012-01-24T06:53:19.968-05:00Adrian, I think that might be truer now than of so...Adrian, I think that might be truer now than of some of the authors who've been published for three decades or more. Huge Rankin fan, and I would definitely say book 11 is better than book 1. That may have something to do with the time and expectations of the genre and how they've changed, and also his growth as a writer. I think he hits his stride around book 5 in the Rebus series. I was going to put that in the post, but everyone knows my opinion there, so I decided not to.<br /><br />Same if you look at Val McDermid, although she's never written a series as long as Rankin's. However, her strongest books probably have been her standalone books.<br /><br />Gigistar, Adrian's books are always high reading priority here at Spinetingler HQ. Even daughter's been reading his YA when she can snag the Kindle.Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-37263605061525368182012-01-24T06:37:09.825-05:002012-01-24T06:37:09.825-05:00Guess what? I reckon now I'm gonna read Adrian...Guess what? I reckon now I'm gonna read Adrian McKinty just BECAUSE OF his post. No, kidding, you were already on the TBR list; I'm just moving you upwards where you can see the light. :-)Gigistarnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-43255038777925973402012-01-23T20:56:34.933-05:002012-01-23T20:56:34.933-05:00Sandra
Thank God I'm not on twitter. People d...Sandra<br /><br />Thank God I'm not on twitter. People don't need an excuse not to read my books, they've done very well not reading them without an additional motivation. <br /><br />I've written two trilogies and I think thats about as far as I'm capable of taking a character and keeping it real and interesting. I'm very skeptical of the notion that book 11 will be as fresh and interesting as book 1 or 2. And I think its a very good thing if an author has a good look in the mirror and asks him or herself "Why the hell am I writing book #11 about these people?" <br /><br />Maybe the public is conservative and lazy or maybe its the publishers who have created this public. <br /><br />I do think that the Wal Mart lowest common denominator approach will be a disaster for publishing in the long run. Eventually the public will tire of the poorly written tripe that has been cynically served up to them by 6th Avenue. They wont buy independent voices or from small presses, no, they'll just stop reading all together. And I won't blame them.adrian mckintyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03349942973907386269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-39246432459108003422012-01-23T18:11:35.058-05:002012-01-23T18:11:35.058-05:00Yes, the book-a-year pressure is a big part of the...Yes, the book-a-year pressure is a big part of the reason for the lack of quality. Marketing considerations over quality are another reason. I didn't even want to open that can of worms, because I didn't feel I could do it justice... <br /><br />And there are always exceptions. Always. There always is someone who can make the schedule work and still maintain their quality level, but with writing, we aren't cookie cutters and we all work in our own ways.<br /><br />Adrian, it must be your spicy posts that generate so much discussion! Things are pretty quiet over here. I don't know what happened with Lehane - I just think it's crazy that some people were talking on Twitter about not reading you because of your post about series books. The thing is, you've written series books yourself. <br /><br />I think, as authors, no matter what we're writing, we owe it to everyone involved to try to put out the best book, and if you're just phoning it in - be it with a series or with a standalone - readers are going to know. And that should be the standard by which we're measured, imho.<br /><br />Thanks for dropping by!<br /><br />And yes, Jay, it's dangerous to start assuming we know why anyone's written a book. Wasn't it Agatha Christie who churned out a few weaker offerings to finish off an oppressive contract so she could switch publishers? Simple reality for me on why I won't be doing another Nolan, Hart & Tain book, at least for now. By contract, I'd have to offer it to the publisher who published the first three. And they owe a lot of people money, so I'd be writing a book I couldn't sell elsewhere that I wouldn't get paid for. Yes, that's financial. But pragmatic. I can put it aside and if things change in time, perhaps return to it, same way I now can with my debut novel. :)Sandra Ruttanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06109584805469336742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-66699093384865052202012-01-23T16:11:33.259-05:002012-01-23T16:11:33.259-05:00I don't really think we can generalise in the ...I don't really think we can generalise in the manner that these conversations tend to do (he says, generalising.)<br /><br />I hope that I always put thoughts of my art over financial considerations, and I work full time to avoid mixing the two. But I also think we get into dangerous territory if we start deciding why other writers have or haven't written a book.<br /><br />We can all name series that have gone on too long, but I don't really want to put any assumptions into the authors motivations. We all try things, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Get up and try again.<br /><br />And to be honest, for the kind of rarefied money Lehane probably commands for film rights and book advances, I think he could earn nicely with or without another Kenzie book. I mean, he's had Eastwood and Scorcese filming his words, and neither of those films were from his series. So if I do have to decide why he did it, i'll give him the benefit of the doubt.<br /><br />I want to write the best books I can, and I want to read the best books I can. I would shudder at the suggestion that only first novels should be published, because surely that works counter to developing a voice, a craft and writing the best books we can?Jay Stringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08764183157841848163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-46429839692025845042012-01-23T14:33:18.716-05:002012-01-23T14:33:18.716-05:00Sandra
Unless he or she is in the poor house ther...Sandra<br /><br />Unless he or she is in the poor house there's no excuse for an author churning out a book a year just to keep the publishers happy. Joseph Conrad said that a work of art should justify itself in every line and although this is beyond most of us its my contention that is serves no one's best interests to cynically produce a book that was written purely for the accountants.<br /><br />Incidentally Brian was kind enough to blog the Lehane quote at about comment 140. I suspect money is what broke Dennis which is a crying shame. <br /><br />Incidentally the last time I did a post that only got 2 comments was probably back in 2008.adrian mckintyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03349942973907386269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7119990365479009764.post-91352643483465228232012-01-23T08:57:56.808-05:002012-01-23T08:57:56.808-05:00I like some series, I'm not fond of the recent...I like some series, I'm not fond of the recent book-a-year mill that publishing has become. The editing has gone downhill.<br /><br />However, I think a writer's best response is to write the best he or she can. Any success is two edged. The next book, they want "the same, but different."Thomas Pluckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17008022962076648740noreply@blogger.com