Sarah: Darlene’s last post highlighted something that I’ve been pondering ever since this whole kerfluffle blew up in such windy fashion:
For the record, I have zero information about the personal lives of my current ebook publishers and editors. I don’t know if they’re married, gay, straight, have children, have financial problems or have been medicated for anything.
And I’d just as soon keep it that way. What I want from my publisher is for them to publish and promote my books, not become my new best friend.
The incredibly loyal comments from happy Triskelion authors here that display an almost cult-like devotion to the “family” of the publishing house makes me wonder: is this overwrought drama surrounding any criticism a part of the reason why romance as a business isn’t taken seriously?
I don’t regularly read blogs and message boards devoted to other genres, but do mystery authors get all huffy and start tossing their feather boas in agitated fashion when someone says something disparaging about their publishing house? Does this bizarre quirk of culture exist in any other genre?
Why is there this attitude in the romance world that we must all get along and hold hands and sing no matter what our professional disputes? Why is it that so often in the minor and major kerfluffles, professional criticism is taken personally?
In this particular case, it’s easier and far more entertaining to point fingers as to what should or should not have been done in the case of the entry itself, and avoid the actual matter of the situation: can you establish a career with some degree of confidence if your publisher is Triskelion? Given the tone of recent communications, and now the public behavior of the authors who support the firm and react as if someone insulted their mothers, if I were a writer shopping a manuscript, I would have my reservations. It’s one thing to say, “I’ve never had financial problems with Triskelion and this is a minor wrinkle in what has been a smooth publishing process.” But if the number one accusation is, “You’re not being nice!” then how is anyone supposed to take any subsequent argument seriously?
I think it’s symptomatic of the “be nice culture” of surrounding romance, and I won’t hurt the feelings of my Fem Soc prof by attempting to diagnose WHY that culture exists, but the same thing often happens when we post a particularly cranky review of an author that people love love love, oh, how could we be so mean?! There’s a pressure and expectation to not rock the boat, to not dis the authors or the books, to react with love and kittens and not level any harsh analysis.
I understand that writing is a solitary business and other writers are the ones that often best understand the ramifications of that career choice, but hey, I have had friends at work who supported me. I never took it personally when they might harsh on a company policy, even if I agreed with it. So what is it with the personal investment in what should be a professional business interaction?
Criticism isn’t always “nice.” But sometimes it’s necessary, since keeping unprofessional behavior and financial and ethical shenanigans under the blanket cover of “it’s not nice to talk about it” just hurts people who enter into agreements without that knowledge.
Candy: What I find especially interesting is how many criticisms and commentary are construed as personal attacks, or signs that we bear ill-will towards specific people. Trista Whatserface, for example, was convinced that you’d posted Northman’s e-mail out of spite—which was puzzling, because neither of us knew anything about her before yesterday, and as far as I knew, you posted the e-mail because it was newsworthy. In a trainwrecky way, sure, but while there might’ve been plenty of the fascinated horror that accompanies the rubbernecking of any sort of wreck, there wasn’t any actual malice. Projection, much? The accusations that we were attempting to twist the story for our own ends were also strange—the vast majority of the post was Northman’s e-mail, for one, and for another, other than interest in the goings-on in the industry, neither of us has any sort of vested interest in Triskelion.
Now, here comes the part where I talk out of my ass—even more than usual, I mean: I think the way certain women run their business is in a way a reaction to the male dominance in the business world, which is often perceived as cold, impersonal and cut-throat. And so some women-centered businesses skew the other way and personalize their business dealings to an unhealthy degree.
I will say that from what I’ve observed, bugfuck nutty fans and cheerleaders exist in every sub-genre, but the fans seem to be nuttier and more vocal in genre circles like SF/F and romance. Other circles are every bit as vicious, they’re just a bit more quiet about it—I’ve heard horror stories from professors of mine about the incredibly bloody (and largely pointless) infighting in academia, for example.
I’m not sure if the inability to not personalize every goddamn thing is a major part of the reason why romance isn’t taken seriously, but I do think that people use kerfuffles like these to justify their prejudices about the genre, its readers and its producers. It doesn’t necessarily create the prejudice, but it certainly doesn’t help dispel it, know what I mean?
Sarah: I think the “should’ve I or shouldn’t have I” question screened the issue so much that my reaction to it is to consider why there was such a reaction. As someone pointed out in comments to that entry, email is forwarded to news outlets all the time and with verification of the source, it’s news. It’s not like the FWD phenomenon is a new one.
But I am curious about the idea that some women-run presses skew to the overly-personal. There are certainly some that are run by women and are exceptionally professional, but then I wonder if the personal-professional mix just happens with certain types of people regardless of gender.
Either way, being called a slimy trashy bottom feeder was certainly a bit of a surprise. I feel like I need to put that on a tshirt.
Candy: As far as I’m concerned, the only legitimate beef with our posting was the inclusion of the TMI—but that struck me as a careless mistake, not a malicious one, and one that you fixed with much quickness once somebody showed you the light AND BE HEALED IN THE NAME OF JEEEEEEEE-ZUS.
The continuation of the slanging match even after you removed the info strikes me as, well, people focusing on something irrelevant so they don’t have to address the meat of the issue, i.e., what the fuck is going on with Triskelion. It’s easy to pile on and say “ZOMG LOOK AT THE MEAN GIRLS LET’S BAN THEM FROM THE INTERNETS” because it allows them to attack something utterly peripheral (our tone, whether or not we should’ve done it, etc.) without addressing the substance of what’s going on.
And yeah, I’m not saying that all women-run businesses work that way, just some of them. And I think you’re probably right in that the personality regardless of gender tends to affect the way the business is run, though I think women are more likely to face cultural pressure to behave and interact in ways that lead to “rah-rah happy fuzzy cheerleader with OMG PONIES and never say an unkind word and pleeeeze be my BFF” attitudes.
Sarah: I think you’re right that the “OMG kittens and ponies BFF” contingent might be on the estrogen side of the spectrum, and not just in publishing. But seeing as we are usually writing about romance and the business thereof, it definitely recurs within the business world du romance with a shocking frequency. And really, it’s the thing about the romance business world that drives me batty the fastest. What is the damn problem?! It is ok to disagree and have dissenting opinions.
Fractious communities exist all over the wild, wicked internet in just about every subject, so I’m not saying that romance is the only one that hosts a community of nutty crazysauce people who can’t argue without resorting to name calling – and can I just say how bummed I am that the Stupid Style of Arguing reared its pathos-laden head, when for a really long ass time we’d managed to have fractious yet respectful and somewhat professional discussions, with helpful interjections from the BUTTSECKS owl?
Ah, well. Back to our regularly scheduled Bitchery. As you pointed out, the internet, it is serious business.
Someone else pointed it out, but if the head of AT&T had sent out the same email to the stockholders, not only would it have been on the net, but it would have been published in Forbes, Fox News would have carried it on air (in a slow week) and Greta would be interviewing the kids.
Some posters just didn’t seem to ‘get’ that publishing is a business. And business like behavior is expected, no exceptions. Period. The End. Amen.
Whatever.
Others commenting on poor business behavior are truly upholding the standards, not the opposite. The violator of the standard was the person who sent out the email. They deserved and got public censure.
If romance writing wants gain respect, it’s going to have to live by the same code that all other business live by….it can’t go down the path of “we write about emotions and soft stuff, please be nice.”
Otherwise, it will always be treated as the Crazy Aunt in the attic or “that bunch of hormonal bats”.
Regardless of the genre, writers are going to bond with other writers. Friendships and/or knock down drag out rivalries will form from there. It’s human nature. And while loyalty to company may be one thing, I feel it’s good to keep a bit of professional distance from your publisher. Respect is far more important than friendship in these instances when you’re trying to make a go of it in this business, and that distance makes pertinent business decisions as well as criticism easier to deal with in the long run if there are no heart strings attached.
A lot of women really hate it when something provokes strong negative emotion like getting angry and it makes them really angry when someone makes them really angry. So it’s a big old nasty spiral of emotion. Just like when you flush the toilet.
And, yeah, anybody who doesn’t get flipped out by that really hate angry thing is just the type to hang around toilets. Emotionless sluts!
Here are some things I like about working for women publishers:
1. One of them screwed up. She didn’t go into the Macho Not Asking for Directions/The Prez is Always Right thing. She wrote a note to her writers saying here’s what I did, sorry, and here’s what I’ll do to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I think the ability to semi-publicly admit making mistakes (if it’s relevant) is a good trait and I think it’s often women who can do it better than men.
2. I got a birthday card from my publisher.
3. They get the fact that family does come first . . . sometimes.
I work for the University of Miami. No huge secret so … yeah. Anyway. If someone came onto a forum I frequent, or walked into the local bar and dissed the shit out of Donna Shalala I’d feel honor bound to slam dance them all over the blogs or bar to hell and back. So would most people at UM. When I was at the Miami Herald, I took great exception to Art Teele blowing his head off in the lobby of my office building to make his point. So. Is it a chick thing or a dedicated employee thing?
In publishing is it because some publishers treat authors less as contract workers and more as full time employees?
yeah, ferfe, good point. loyalty and friendship do show up on the job and they’re a cornerstone of civilization.
But it can go too far and the general “if you can’t speak nicely then shut up” thing can get in the way of real communication—and also effective business. Oh yah and in governing, too.
But Kate. In what way does intimating that Gail Northman a racist and borderline illiterate further a discussion aimed at shedding light on Triskelions corporate restructuring?
None for me, but I’m not considering submitting to Trisk. She’s in business, if I wanted to be part of that business, I’d care a whole lot because those qualities might affect her performance.
If I was one of her employees who knew that she was basically good at her job then I’d do exactly what they did, too. Maybe not scold the bitches for being heartless (but mainly because the amused wrath of SBC and SBS is scary to behold and I’m a coward).
Not sure about racist thing, but the fact that the Publisher appears to be borderline illiterate (not just in the emotional email that was posted here, but also in the more reasoned one on Dear Author) would seriously worry me were I contracted with Triskelion.
Wow. Well I asked for my rights back from Trisk for the business reason that my historical was not erotic enough to sell well as only an ebook. However, the more I read this blog and the comments on Dear Author, the more I am thankful to be away from that whole arena. I’m currently published with two other epub houses and have never had the kind of drama that’s been going on during the last few days.
In one thing I completely agree: the romance genre takes enough hits for its covers, content, and strangely maligned HEA – we don’t need to add unprofessionalism or drama to the mix.
Did they call her a racist for her rant? I missed that part. But as to the borderline illiterate part—did you not read the poorly written rant she put out there? In PUBLIC? And this woman calls herself an editor?
Editor who can’t spell or properly punctuate = bad for the publishing business she runs. IMHO. Which is probably not worth much, but it’s all a game of public perception, and now I perceive her as a person who runs off half-cocked when threatened, and does so badly spelled to boot.
Sorry. I came over from Dear Author and haven’t read the SB thread on this subject.
“Would you want to work for Trisk?” wasn’t the subject at hand from what I read. Subjective I know, but it sounded like the discussion was supposed to be about contracts, RWA’s actions and … some personal issues I didn’t understand. It turned into a slam dance on Heebie Jeebies and proper sentence structure.
I’ve just done an hour’s catchup reading (feather-boas-at-dawn events like these usually pass me by completely) and I’m just left with an enormous sense of gratitude for all the characterisation material it’s given me…
Can’t see that you’ve done anything wrong, SBs.
After all, “private loop” is an oxymoron.
Not sure it’s a female business thing, though, as much as an online business thing. I’ve seen guys react in similar ways, but only on e-loops.
And I have to confess to getting a birthday card from my pet insurance broker.
No, wait. I think that was for my cat.
Here are some things I like about working for women publishers: Wow, take me to your genre.
In my genre, the editor is usually the owner/publisher and this makes for some serious issues. My genre [m/m ero comics] doesn’t suffer from non-payments or any of that happy BS; it suffers from a lack of buffer zone between creators and publishers—because they’re also serving as editors.
Now before anyone says—I love my editor…blah blah, I’m not faulting the editor, I’m speaking about my genre specifically relating to-what causes drama. A creator should have a close relationship with her editor; but this same sort of relationship cannot exist with ‘a publisher’ who must regard their creators in a more professional, and less personal, manner.
A Publisher has to think about distro, other creators, other books in progress, conventions, payroll, websites, and press releases: The company comes first. An editor has to make sure the story comes together, make sure she has a good relationship with her author so that she can make sure the story comes together, and comes together On Time: The Title comes first.
Kaite & Leslie,
Editors are scary. Ethnic insensitivity and questionable communication skills are the least of what lurks beneath their beds. 😉
Perhaps this is not the right place for this (I’m a longtime reader but I’ve only begun de-lurking very recently) but I think both Sarah, and Candy, handled the entire situation incredibly well—they were classy and intelligent, and didn’t express their opinions as negative ad hominem attacks.
At first, that comments thread was a bit amusing for me. I like a good drama just as much as the next person. But I was quickly disgusted by all of the unnecessary personal attacks being thrown around. When people started calling Nora Roberts out for simply being an intelligent woman with a well-reason argument, it was obvious to me that it had gotten out of hand. Who in the world thinks that they have the right to insult Nora Roberts? She has (arguably and in my opinion) done more for the romance industry than any other single woman and yet people were telling her that the should be ashamed of herself.
The fact of the matter is that once people really started calling out the personal information in the email as being inappropriate for a public forum, Sarah edited that information out.
And yet the debate raged on and actually got WORSE. Regardless of how many times Candy tried to steer people back to the matter at hand: Would you want this woman to be in charge of your literary career? She was mostly ignored.
So, personally, I applaud Candy and Sarah for the way they have responded to all this intensely negative, and often downright nasty, criticism. And also for the fact that they have allowed all of the comments to remain posted, whereas other bloggers would probably have deleted them as soon as they were posted. They’ve even allowed the comments thread to remain open even though there isn’t much left to say about it all. Again, I’ve seen blog authors shut down comments threads for flamewars that were far less nasty than this one.
Sadly, I have nothing to offer in regards to how the industry is viewed by outsiders, or how the actions of female executives in the romance industry might differ from male executives in a similar industry (I’m only a reader, not an author, so I have absolutely no knowledge of what goes on behind the curtain). But I appreciate the intelligent criticism that the Bitches publish, even when it gets them called horrible names, and am thrilled that they are going to continue doing what they do best because I think the romance industry could definitely use some intelligent criticism.
Writers—myself included—can be batshit crazy. Genre doesn’t apply.
But, I, too, am baffled by the hold-hands, one big family, share our personal woes and joys kind of tone that seems to be on the loop in question—according to some of the members of the loop.
It’s BUSINESS. Friendships can and do—if we’re lucky—grow out of business and professional relationships. I have many that have. But I would never, EVER, post private and personal business on an author loop, and would never, never, NEVER expect my publisher to do so.
Not exceptions. No excuses.
If I had personal problems I wanted to share, I would do so OFF-LOOP with my friends, not with a couple hundred associates I’m friendly with.
I expect my publisher to behave as professionally as I do—even moreso. Actually, considerably moreso.
And, frankly, the minute my publisher stated that I was with her or against her, I’d be calling my agent.
I can give Ms. Northman some leeway as it just strikes me her post(s) were written while emotionally distraught and angry. I think posting under those circumstances is unwise, but we’ve all done it at some point.
I give no leeway to posters who wag their fingers and cry: Shame, shame, you’re all meanies. Bitch, bitch, bitch, because not everyone sees a situation as they do—i.e., I love this author/book/publisher/editor/reviewer so anyone who doesn’t think she’s swell is a fuckheady bitchipants and probably trampling on my civil rights.
There’s no crying in baseball—at least not out on the field. If you’re going to cry in this business, you’re wise to do so in private, or on the shoulder of a good, personal friend.
But how can you trust an editor with questionable communications skills to help you turn your book into publishable material?
Both Ms. Northman’s words and the words of her supporters bring to mind a number of stereotypes men have about women in business: that we’re irrational, inappropriately emotional, whiny, needy, immature, and liable to fly off the handle at the least provocation. Why is it so necessary to “come to the defense” of an editor just because you have a professional relationship with her? You only succeed in making her and yourself look bad.
Remember when Microsoft employees ran through some random Silicon Valley Mall chained together singing “Don’t Break Me Up!”? The business that paid their bills and put their kids through college was under attack. It’s not just women. It’s not just publishing. It’s not just a job to some people. Perhaps looking bad is not as awful as looking for work.
Totally OT, but FerfeLeBat, I didn’t know you were in Miami! I miss Miami, sigh.
I remember the Art Teele thing. He was a dildo anyway.
And I’ve been saying for a while that overly emotional crap like this is one reason romance isn’t taken seriously.
Just remember…WWND?
Cuz if Nora wouldn’t do it…it’s not appropriate.
Which includes thinking you’re the person who should be taking Nora to task for something. Riiight.
December,
I live in the Keys but work in Miami. Hellish commute. I was home the day Art did that. Just decided when I woke up that it was not a good day to drive into te office. They cleared him of the road rage charges.
I’m here to give the SB my wholehearted support. I don’t think you did anything wrong, although when I read the entry I did say to myself “oh, man, you should never say that about your kid!” Which is more about the editor than about SB.
I am not an author, or wanna-be author, or associated with the literary world in any way. But as a woman in an industry almost completely dominated by men, in a position that very few women ever achieve, I can honestly say that there is no way I would ever put anything down on email or paper about my personal life, and I would never use it as an excuse.
I hate to say it, but I agree that we seem to be having a “girl thing” here.
But I think you guys did the right thing, and I get very unhappy when people attack you for having an opinion, just because it isn’t sunshine and unicorns.
my word was justice22. Rock on!
Oh, I was going to post an analogy to a financial firm I used to work for, but then I thought WWND? I don’t want to get flamed for making inappropriate comparisons and spend the rest of the week defending my poor judgmentaling skills.
Instead, I’ll just be all squee that I’m #9 on your Top Ten Big Bitches. So happy! Hubby thinks I need a hobby, but obviously I already have one.
Wow, FerfeLeBat. And here I gave up on the Ft. Lauderdale-to-South-Beach work commute after like two months. (Although a couple of years later I made the drive with ease every Wed., Fri., and Saturday night to drink and play pool at the Deuce. Priorities, eh?)
I do miss Miami politics. I miss seeing Jorge mas Canosa on TV all the time. I miss Neil Rogers with a passion.
You rock on Meredith! How often do we see just a reader around the blogosphere these days! (Aside from the bloggers themselves.) Go you!!
Ft. Liquordale to Miami sucks, December. Keys to Miami is no joy ride but it’s not the Baton Death March that the Northern Commuters suffer since Hurricane Andrew. There have been four or five suicide jumps off the I-595 overpass in the past two years (approx). On S.Beach I love Mangos. The music never stops.
Miami is a great city, disgruntled drivers and all.
k.So
Lovely. Did I break a rule of engagement mentioning Microsoft as an analogy? It’s been awhile since I posted.
I don’t think you broke a rule of engagement. My analogy would have…so I didn’t post it.
Both Ms. Northman’s words and the words of her supporters bring to mind a number of stereotypes men have about women in business: that we’re irrational, inappropriately emotional, whiny, needy, immature, and liable to fly off the handle at the least provocation. Why is it so necessary to “come to the defense†of an editor just because you have a professional relationship with her? You only succeed in making her and yourself look bad.
Just when I think there’s nothing to admire about those NY houses who don’t seem to give a crap about the success or failure of their authors. *sigh* You just can’t count on any damn stereotype to come through, can you?
I think Candy’s point about the ideal of a woman’s business as more nurturing, etc. than the traditional male world might be right on. Although I can’t help but think there’s still a culture of overpersonalization in Romance that connects back to the author-fan relationship that seems to be the historical foundation of the genre. And aren’t most of the e-press execs current or former authors?
I do feel sorry for Northman because it’s clear that she’s got some BIG personal problems going on and is obviously totally over the edge emotionally. BUT, that CLEARLY is affecting the business of Triskelion, if not wholly than at least in part. And I was troubled by what appears to be a hostility to the “disgruntled authors” who spoke up to the RWA. Compare Northman’s response to the way Anne Stuart’s editor responded after she criticized Mira—verrrry different tactics there.
And here’s the thing I have to wonder: if, indeed, the execs at Trisk didn’t know that some authors were unhappy, is that a reflection of author disloyalty or a glitch somewhere in the machinery of Trisk? It’s difficult for me to believe that all this exploded overnight. And while I would hope that people would maybe be more judicious in sending out emails with so much private info in them (and I’m talking about the person who leaked the email, not the SBs), Northman’s characterization of “disgruntled authors” does seem to suggest that there was already a problem somewhere. In other words, Northman sort of confirmed an issue even as she denied it.
Obviously things aren’t cut and dried and some authors are very happy at Trisk. But some aren’t and should they be seen as unprofessional or disloyal for articulating their concerns to the RWA? Do we berate an employee for complaining to his or her union about what she/he perceives to be unfair practices? If the authors are blowing steam out their ears, would the drama around this situation be so high?
That whole J. Wallace fiasco divested me of ANY idealism regarding authors, publishers, or editors. OTOH, there’s a discouragement of critical discussion in the genre, either of books or publishing practices. So what happens—this type of crap. Isn’t this situation an enormous illustration that the Romance community would be so much healthier if it could manage confrontation and conflict as cultural norms rather than as the tortured *result* of such torqued attempts to avoid forthright disagreement and public disclosure?
I can’t comment on this because I just found out my best friends daughter***edited to remove WAY too much pathos in the form of TMI, because yeah, you have a point, gotta think of the children here***so I have to drive her to the local STD Clinic to get checked out.
Hope to catch up with you guys tomorrow.
The Pig
Well said, Robin. Well said.
I haven’t read a Nora book in a while. No reason; just hasn’t happened.
After reading this, however—“fuckheady bitchipants”—I am going to go out and buy the bigget, bestest, most overpriced glossy hardcover I can find. And read it. And cackle.
Thanks, Nora. That was swell.
Ah, the culture of nice. Didja see this article on CNN?
Point: A church is trying to stop people from complaining. The pastor says: “When you complain, you do it typically to attract attention or sympathy. It’s you saying, ‘There’s something wrong with me.’ You’re sending out this vibrational energy into the universe that you’re a victim, and the universe responds with more negativity.” He also bans sarcasm.
Counter-point: A psychology professor says “If we lived in a world in which there was nothing to complain about I think it might make perfect sense. But we don’t.” and “The tyranny of the positive attitude in America… can actually hurt some people…. let people cope in the way they cope and don’t make them feel defective.”“
Two books referenced: A Complaint Free World and Stop Smiling, Start Kvetching: A 5-Step Guide to Creative Complaining.
So, which title do you like better?
Interesting point you make, Candy, about this whole cat-fight shedding a negative light on the romance industry (at least in the eyes of other publishers). I am also purely a reader, and it’s interesting to think of the stigma coming from both ways. Do I think the touchy-feely aspect of the genre has much to do with public opinion? mmmm… not really. I think what Leslie said in her comment about her book not being “erotic” enough for Trisk has more to do with the generally negative opinion of romance. Every industry has executives that act inappropriately, and every company I’ve ever worked for has, at the very least, a group of people who share too much about their personal lives then is professionally good for them, male and female both.
I think what really hurts the industry is it’s REFUSAL to make the changes that we all know would help. Let’s take covers a small, small example. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. They are the reason why I only read romances at home, or with the book on my lap. And look what happens when a publisher dares to change the cover… I’ve seen the blue-covered Outlander in Fantasy AND regular fiction sections now, and I’ve seen a wide variety of people reading it. But the old-covered version? Get thee to the romance section!
What hurts romance is the perception that they rely on sex or large breasted, besotted females rather than a good story line. Nevermind that I won Trivial Pursuit the other night because I could name the Duke of Wellington’s horse (thank you, romances) or that I could explain to a friend working on a crossword that Gaia mother earth. Everyone here knows that the genre has value, and a little kerfuffle between the higher-ups isn’t going to change that, and it probably won’t make anyone who is hesitating on trying it out run away.
To me, the real question seems to be whether or not Romance as a genre WANTS to be taken “seriously”. With the exception of a few (nods to you, Nora) it appears to me that most houses/editors/writers CATER to the stereotype. I guess it depends on what the real definition of “seriously” is, but on my part I just don’t see the fact that the industry is mostly women, or the cattiness that very occasionally ensues from that, being a major factor in public perception.
I’m sorry, but if publishers and writers were OMG BFFS 4EVA!!11!1!! then I wouldn’t be spending money on an agent.
In fact, if my editor called me and started telling me that I should give her slack because her daughter was a prostitute, my response wouldn’t be “Take whatever time you need to get your shit together,” it would be “Okay. Who will be my editor while you’re off getting your shit together?” Because business (read: my money) needs to keep flowing despite someone’s personal problems.
I’m consistently surprised at how brainless some authors can be about this business. It’s not some big sorority where everyone really wants you to succeed. We’re in competition with each other for readers, we’re constantly watching our backs and our contracts for ways our publishers can stick the knife in and twist, and yet we’re supposed to be somehow above all that because we’re sensitive, artistic people, and women.
I’m sorry, but this is a business and I did not trade my brain for a set of ovaries (although mine are, admittedly, bitchin’, with flames painted on the side to make them look like they’re going really fast).
Now, all of that said, I have a fantastic editor and my company treats me well. End disclaimer.
I’ve muttered for years that the romance writing world (at least as summed up by RT and RWA) acts like a big sorority instead of a professional career group. Freshly minted authors go on the writer’s loops and gush about their editors and agents as if they’ve just pledged to be their big sisters. I keep saying, “These people are not your friends. They will drop you like a hot penny the moment you cause them any serious annoyance. You are not accomplishing anything by making nice with them. You are dispensable. They don’t need you—there’s lots more eager-beaver baby writers where you came from. BEWARE.”
I’m just glad I’m a reader and not a writer LOL
Who’s writing my future purchases at the moment? Everyones posting at blogs!!
It’s not writers, it’s not publishers, it’s not even women. Just read in the news re: Paul Wolfowitz’s *ahem* shennanigans at the World Bank (and I quote):
“Bank officials said the negotiations [with Wolfowitz’s representatives] were aimed at finding a way for the board to accept the findings of the bank committee, while also declaring that Mr Wolfowitz HAD ACTED IN GOOD FAITH and that MISTAKES HAD BEEN MADE BY ALL SIDES.” [capitals are mine; can you blame me?]
So, if even the hard-nut cases at the World Bank have gone over the edge in a Kumbaya-fest, what hope do we little mortals have?
A few things, because I just can’t NOT dip my toesies in…
1. If the publisher/editor at Triskelion didn’t want this personal information getting out, she should not have posted it publicly/sent out a mass email with it. Period. The Internet is PUBLIC. Emails can be passed around and read just like a paper trail can be. A lot of obfuscation occurs around this one simple rule—if you do not want it spread over town, do not post/email it. An epub editor/publisher should KNOW this.
I can find nothing professional about the behavior by Triskelion under discussion, even if the email was “only” for authors associated with the publishing house. End of story. I’m sorry, but that’s just all there is to it. There is no situation in which this behavior is at all appropriate.
2. I’m going to go out on a limb here and repeat something that was said to me a while ago, when I was wrapped around the axle. A very wise literary agent told me, “Small presses ARE personal. That is their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. The editor/publisher can publish things they strongly personally believe in, things that bigger houses might not touch. The downside to that is, any criticism runs the risk of being seen as a personal attack, because the business is so scorchingly personal.”
When added to the way women are trained to handle conflict in our society, we have a recipe for feather-boa flinging on the fringes.
3. Very few people, male or female, are capable of being classy and professional all the time. We all have varying degrees of wacko in our professional behaviors. The trouble is, a normal ratio of “wack reaction” is about ten percent, but we hear more about the people functioning with fifty to sixty percent wack or more, because it’s juicy.
4. The peeps responding with the “You’re just MEAN!” are engaging in a classic straw-man maneuver, with a soupcon of “let’s all be nicey-nice and pick a discreet way to stab each other in the back.” I suspect the people screaming loudest about being offended at a clear public discussion of improper behavior are the people who would prefer stilettos in the ribs quietly at midnight, because then influence-peddling and drama can go on behind the scenes and add color to drab lives.
But maybe I’m just being mean.
5. And last of all, Candy and Sarah have handled this with class and appropriateness, and if someone doesn’t like it, they can find another corner of the vast sandbox that is the Internet to play in. Because here, they will get nothing but a good thrashing, as they well deserve if they bring it on to the Bitchery.
Nuff said.
First of all, I really hope Candy and SB Sarah used a copyright-free stock photograph for the “Internet. Serious business.” image, because I must have it on a coffee mug.
Second,
I see similar cheerleading in other genres, more in the small presses. I also see some publishers encouraging it with squee parades on their loops and forums and deliberate shaming of those who ‘step out of line’.
Although there does seem to be more promises to love the authors forever and be family to them in romance submission guidelines than in other areas where sales and distribtuion are more likely to get at least a mention.
I’m just glad I’m a reader and not a writer LOL
Who’s writing my future purchases at the moment? Everyones posting at blogs!!
LOL! Touche! Touche! (Don’t worry, this will all die down in a matter of a day or two.)
I’m already feeling better. My agent is now reading the book I pulled from Trisk and I’ll hopefully find a happier home for it. You ladies (any guys on here?) have made some excellent points…
Hi Candy and Sarah-actually,there’s a lot of nuttiness in sf/f too-not just on the fans side-trust me. I think the main difference is in that other genres,there aren’t as many of these small start-ups.
But look at how John Scalzi was treated for daring to openly talk about SFWA business publicly-or for that matter,when the board’s ethics were questioned(rightly IMHO).
I don’t think it’s just romance,nor actually do I think it’s because they’re mostly women.