Generally, as a rule, I try to stay out of the Blogland drama. Authors Behaving Badly? Reviewers being mean and not paying homage to all author ass? Meh. Doesn’t interest me. But every once in awhile, something grabs my interest or sparks something inside of me and I can’t keep silent.
I’m ashamed to say, that happened recently. Yes, I should have walked away, but I just couldn’t seem to stop myself. The thing is..I stand by all the things I said. I stand by all the things I say all the time. Yes, I occasionally run off at the mouth (it’s a habit I have that I can’t seem to break) but I realize that once it’s written down, that’s the end of it. 20 years from now when I’m president, those words could come back to haunt me. I’m fine with that. I have very firm morals and convictions and no matter what, I stick by them.
But you know, some people (damn them, damn them all) don’t want to know about me (hard to believe, isn’t it?) and my personal issues and dramas. Now, I can understand that perfectly. I really don’t want to know about a lot of people’s personal lives. Some people? Yes. But others? Uh..no. Authors fall into that category for me. Well, for the most part. Sure, there are exceptions, but really, I just want to read your books, not be your best friend. Well, sometimes. Sometimes I want to be your best friend, too. But that’s a post for another day.
Do you want to know? Are you interested in the daily lives of your favorite authors, publishers, editors, etc?
For the most part, I can separate a book from it’s author. Let’s say I was snubbed by an author, but she writes good books. I’ll still read her books. Does that mean I like the author? Uh..no. But whatever’s clever.
That goes both ways, I think. Can I absolutely hate a book but lurrrve the author? Of course. It’s only natural.
But here’s what I want to know….Does an author ever cross the line so far you can’t imagine reading another one of her books? Because of her personal behavior, did she lose you as a reader? I never thought that would happen to me. I never thought I’d find out something personal about an author and have it ruin his/her books for me, but it has. Because of the personal life choices of a certain person, I won’t be able to read a book by her again.
I wonder what that says about.
Anyway, I want to know if I’m alone here, so how about a mini-survey?
1) Do you pay attention to online gossip and drama surrounding your favorite authors/publishers?
2) Does what the authors does/says in her personal life affect (or effect? I’m drawing a blank at the moment) how you feel about her books?
3) If you feel “snubbed” by an author, do you still buy his/her books?
4) Do you feel there are some things you truly do not need to know and wish your favorite authors would just keep quiet?
Inquiring minds want to know…
Do you pay attention to online gossip and drama surrounding your favorite authors/publishers?
I rubberneck. It’s morbidly interesting to watch a trainwreck, or to drive by a car accident. I could do without it, but good luck with that. People being people will always talk about one another.
Does what the authors does/says in her personal life affect how you feel about her books?
Oh hell no. If it did, I’d never read another Anne Rice book or LKH.
If you feel “snubbed” by an author, do you still buy his/her books?
Probably, if I’m a big enough fan.
Do you feel there are some things you truly do not need to know and wish your favorite authors would just keep quiet?
If there is something I just don’t want to know, I have the choice of reading it. Short of forcing something down my throat, there’s very little chance I’ll ever read something I don’t want to read. so this is a bit of a non-issue to me.
I DO NOT want to know anything about author’s private lives. The only exception to this is if I’ve corresponded with an author on a semi-regular basis and I see past The Author personna and get to know a bit about the person underneath. This has only happened twice with all the hundreds of authors I’ve read. I completely separate authors from their books and I want to know about as much about their personal lives as they want to know about mine (which is probably nothing).
I’ve watched with apprehension the mingling of readers and authors and lately it seems to be a very bad thing.
I respect authors for creating something I enjoy very much – and that’s it. Except for the very rare cases I mentioned above – what they do in their “off time” doesn’t interest me – and I have to quickly add I don’t mean that in any kind of nasty way.
I read very few author blogs and I don’t and never will join any kind of author’s loop.
As for your first question, most of the time I’m pretty oblivious to what goes on and prefer to keep it that way.
I think my rather long answer answered your second question *g*.
As to if I was snubbed by an author, I don’t think it would affect my reading her if I had enjoyed her books in the past. Because who knows if she (or he) was just having a bad day, just received bad news, is quiet and/or shy by nature and to be blunt – I don’t think they really ‘owe’ us anything other than books we can read and enjoy.
Question four – again I’m pretty oblivious to stuff – but yes, I think they can on occasion give TMI that I don’t want to know.
1. God, yes! (Although to be honest, my favourite authors have been far too smart to be embroiled in any of these bruhahas.)
2. No. For me, a book exists as a separate entity once I’ve read it. However, ABBs can affect whether or not I’ll try a book by them. And if they behaved particularly poorly, it might affect where I obtain the book–e.g. borrowing or buying used instead of buying new.
3. Never really had this experience, so I don’t know. It would probably be the same as #2 above.
4. Yes. Anything that sounds less than gracious to readers or other people in the romance community, I’d rather not hear/read from an author (snark away in private but don’t let it see the light of day!). Anything else depends on the context. I love Jill Shalvis’s blog because even though she posts personal stuff, it’s light and funny and makes me want to go and buy her books. In general, I think it would be a good rule of thumb for authors to keep public rants to the lowest word count possible, preferably zero.
1. I’m a rubbernecker so I do love the dramas 😉 I also commented on the one I think you are talking about but I was more concerned about the one-sided view of justice.
2. Apparently not. MJD is still on my buying list although I have seen her dig herself a couple of holes but then I think that’s just entertainment 😉 Now, if I have never read a book by the author and they come off batshit crazy then I’m not going to be hieing off to the bookstore.
I can think of one instance where I heard an author had committed murder when she was a teenager – outright first degree murder and she is now quite a famous author. I had never read her books but I found the whole thing quite upsetting and thought I would never buy one of her books.
3. Nah. I think if they were rude right to my face that would be one thing but stuff over the net is fast and furious so I wouldn’t feel like I needed a bigger pat on the head for being the bestest fangirl ever. I’m a fangirl for me and as long as the author keeps me happy with their books then we have no issues.
4. Hmmm. I think the rumours surrounding an author like LKH have definitely affected my reading. Somehow I’m not reading about her characters but more about LKH’s fantasies which is a little weird. An author might argue that all stories are fantasies but I think there are many authors who can write a story and not be in love with their own characters (or even put themselves into the story).
Other than that, as long as they’ve never been convicted of murder I’m pretty much okay. I can separate the book from the author.
(I have discovered recently though that knowing too much about an actors private life can affect how I perceive the character they are supposed to be playing – so now I try and know nothing about actors)
Okay, you knew I was going to go off topic somewhere 😉
CindyS
1. “Do you pay attention to online gossip and drama surrounding your favorite authors/publishers?”
Not really, though sometimes it’s hard not to get drawn into the really major dramas, such as the one you refer to in your post. (You handled it well, btw). No doubt it can be entertaining on occasion, but it can also get really ugly, and I don’t want any part of that.
“Does what the authors does/says in her personal life affect (or effect? I’m drawing a blank at the moment) how you feel about her books?”
So far, no. I haven’t heard anything so heinous that it completely turned me off a particular author’s books or affected me as I was reading them. We all have our hot buttons, however, so there may come a day when I can’t get past what that person says or does. Just hasn’t happened yet.
“If you feel “snubbed” by an author, do you still buy his/her books?”
Nothing that I’ve personally experienced from an author has managed to keep me from buying their books yet.
“Do you feel there are some things you truly do not need to know and wish your favorite authors would just keep quiet?”
On occasion. Some people love to share their business and be in the spotlight, as in “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”. (Ha). Sometimes it’s forced out into the open. But I am usually able to separate the author from the work – I don’t envision the author as the heroine or that their latest release is autobiographical. But if an author came out and claimed that that were the case, then I probably wouldn’t be able to continue to read their books – TMI.
I wanna know who the author is.
Ditto what Isabel said.
With all the flair ups lately I can’t keep up- but on occaision I do stop to catch up.
However, I refuse to comment on them anymore- either at the point of flair up or on my blog.
“Does what the authors does/says in her personal life affect how you feel about her books?”
This is the biggie and my answer is yes.
Hmmm,
Q1. I don’t really pay attention, because I don’t really visit authors blogs/sites… well not the very established, blockbuster ones at least… I mean, sometimes it’s fun, but otherwise, I don’t really care ^^; The only online gossip I’ll get is either one of the blogs I visit are talking about it… or at Dear Author.
Q2. well, it seems that most of my favorite authors are very private… and their website needs an update LOL 😛 So it didn’t happen to me so far… I’d like to say “no”… but i wouldn’t be certain.
Q3. Hmmm, I think yes, I’d still buy her books… but again, easier said then done.
Q4. well I think that author’s personal lives are their own business and we shouldn’t meddle or pass judgement over it… at the same time, of course, I think that the authors shouldn’t advertise about it either. Maybe it’s shallow of me, but if they are blogging or stuff, I’d rather they keep it at a superficial level… just like a regular blogger I guess.
Hmmm, I don’t know.. those are hard questions…
Gwen,
I rubberneck some, too, but I generally stop myself from becoming involved.
I agree about not reading the gossip or what not, but sometimes it’s hard to stop yourself. Especially when you don’t realize right away what you’re reading. But meh. lol
Kristie,
I’m thinking the mingling isn’t a great thing, either. I love reading what my favorite authors write as fiction, but I really don’t want to be their best friend. It just causes too many problems, I think.
Kat,
Thanks for answering!
Cindy,
I was more concerned with the one sided view, too. Very interesting, IMO.
Of course I knew you’d go off topic. I would have been disappointed otherwise. 😛
Izzy and Zeek,
A girl has to have some secrets. 😉
Nath,
They are hard questions. I guess I just wondered if I was alone in my feelings. Generally I try to stay out of blog drama, but some things I feel I can’t walk away from. Hot buttons, if you will.
Chantal,
You crack me up. At least you realize you’re judgmental. lol
Lori,
Cheating is a hot button for me, too. There aren’t many, but for me the ones I have are very hard for me to walk away from or look at in an un-biased way. I try, but sometimes I just can’t avoid getting sucked in.
Thanks to all of you for answering. I’m glad to know (for the most part) that I’m not alone. And besides, I’m nosy and like hearing what y’all have to say. 😛
Ohh, very good questions.
Do you pay attention to online gossip and drama surrounding your favorite authors/publishers?
Can’t really say that I do. Probably because I have not run into any gossip. If you send me a name/link, then I’m sure I could get right into it though. (LOL)
Does what the authors does/says in her personal life affect (or effect? I’m drawing a blank at the moment) how you feel about her books?
Hmmm, Thats hard to answer. I want to say no, but if I saw an author being all pro choice when it comes to abortion, then I would never read anything she writes, ever again.
If you feel “snubbed” by an author, do you still buy his/her books?
I have never been snubbed by an author. Never had the chance to be snubbed, lol.
It would have to happen to me, before I could answer that question.
Do you feel there are some things you truly do not need to know and wish your favorite authors would just keep quiet?
There are things I don’t want to know, because I know how judgemental I am, and I know it would make me change how I feel about the author, so I’d rather not know anything at all.
Do you pay attention to online gossip and drama surrounding your favorite authors/publishers?
I have to admit to reading about a lot of it from the sidelines, but I really try hard to stay out of all of it. There was one exception to that, and it happened quite some time ago, and it pretty much made me leave all the author loops I participated in except for one.
Does what the authors does/says in her personal life affect (or effect? I’m drawing a blank at the moment) how you feel about her books?
As I said above, it’s only happened once before, and it was because it hit my hot button issue – cheating. An author was suopporting someone publicly who was cheating on their spouse. Ick. I left their loop and can’t bring myself to buy their books since. Otherwise, no. I can’t think of anything that would really effect my purchasing habits if I truly loved an author’s work.
If you feel “snubbed” by an author, do you still buy his/her books?
That’s never happened to me before – wait. I once sent a complimentary email to an author and never got a response. Does that count? I still bought her next book. There’s your answer.
Do you feel there are some things you truly do not need to know and wish your favorite authors would just keep quiet?
Sure. But I feel that way about everyone LOL. Including myself.
Ummm, yeah, not with me babe.
lol – I know who Lori’s #2 is because I stopped buying her stuff too.
My answers – yes, yes, and yes.
Honestly, there are just soooo many books that I want, that I’ve found a really easy way to cut down my wish-list is to knock off authors who piss me off.
But, I’m also totally hypocritical about my rule in that some authors who piss me off I buy anyway cos their books are too good to ignore.
Yeah I wanna know who you’re talking about too..is it who I think it is?
As for me? Well, I used to think that it would be cool to be really good friends with some of my favorite authors but lately, yeah I’m over THAT crap, I’m done wanting to know about author’s personal lives and trying to be all nicey nice with them, my few author friends that I have now I wanna keep but I don’t want to know anyone else, I’m gonna keep it straight up reader/author from here on out…
Ha.
1. Heck yeah. I’m a gossip whore. Meaning that I love reading the gossip even if I don’t comment. Whatelse do I have to do while I’m at work?
2. No. It’s just recently that I’ve started not liking certain authors for one reason or another. We’ll see what happens when a new book is released. I hope that I’m not so shallow that I would stop reading them b/c of personal feelings.
I’ve never felt snubbed, so I can’t answer that.
Yes. I don’t want to know if my favorite author is a flaming bitch who hates her readers b/c they dare have an opinion. I don’t want to know about their personal lives. That’s just me, though.