The Author and the Fan: What do we owe each other?

THE AUTHOR AND THE FAN: WHAT DO WE OWE EACH OTHER?

The only thing I've ever asked of the author, is that he allow me to detest any of his characters for any of the decisions they might make, without feeling it casts any aspersions on himself. And to let Honor live. The fact that an author writes characters with such realism and clarity is an amazing accomplishment that is his fault and not mine. If I'd've run into Ransom after stumbling into a wormhole while sailing the Bermuda Triangle, I'd've choked the stuffing out of the her royal heinous. If I'd run into Pavel Young, I'd've stolen Honor's arm, shoved it up Pavel's ass, then removed the safety protocols and let loose a round.


https://www.amazon.com/Exasperating-Dav ... miniatures

This book is appalling to me. Fans are just so trucking disrespectful nowadays.

What is our due? Are we due?

I do not envy today's author who butts his head up against the efficiency of the internet, forums, arrogant fans and fellow writers. As I said before, when authors graduated from the Old Remington typewriters to laptops and desktops and the marvel of today's technology, they probably didn't count on all that came with it in the small print, which may make them long again for the good old days of the Remington and the natural isolation those bygone days provided from uppity, arrogant fans like us. There was a time we were just damn glad to get the next installment. We were downright ecstatic there was a next installment. We didn't bother to fact check the author's calculations and check the results again thrice. All in the name of progress. We simply enjoyed the read. In the olden days, authors really were gods of their universe. Nowadays, the fans have become rebellious demons.

When did WE THE PEOPLE who buy books begin to think we own stock in the story?

How much does an author owe us?

Should he have to consult with NASA scientists, lawyers, engineers, mathematicians and an entire gamut of professionals before he can quill at will? Some certainly do and many works are monumental because of it. Yet, does the responsibility of the modern age of publishing in many genres hurt storyline and production? Many of us shed tears about the time between publishing. As fans, have we come to a point where we place too much unnecessary pressure on an author by our unrelenting demands and expectations on storyline? Yet as we cry and complain, we fail to see the ramifications of such an innocent crime of passion and pressure. I've had many people tell me...

"That isn't how Weber writes."

I don't think that's fair. To Weber, or to me.

"He would never do that!" (only to see it happen.)

How do we know, since the days of sitting back and enjoying the ride of an author's storytelling are long gone? Now, we want to drive and be the GPS too.

Case in point. After SOV was released, I was appalled at the sharpness of the pitchforks right on the author's own site. Had it been me, Id've closed up shop and never returned. To be fair, some of the anger was manifested by the marketing teams and false advertisements. But a few posters were very irritated with David's character of Damien Harahap. I pointed out that they should tread lightly until the next installment because they may end up eating crow. It seems like those crow recipes are in great demand as I predicted.

My heart breaks for people like my sisters, who cannot enjoy sci-fi because their overworked mind cannot let go to taste the story underneath the tech.

I simply love reading about kzt's angst and what he calls those awful Honorverse books, like At All Costs, that I happen to find magnificent. Don't misunderstand me. Not for a minute am I downplaying a reader's right to read with whatever convictions he carries and I oftentimes wonder, in kzt's case, if I am missing something, having a more forgivable slant toward storyline. Then there are times I am content with my less than strict adherence to the technical aspects of sci-fi. Not because of an inadequacy, but in light of personal choice of a more intimate relationship with storyline itself, as I see it. But that is a personal observation which is biased and subjective.

At the end of the day, what is owed between author and fan? I didn't get the memo.

Formally? Nothing other than paid-for stories and the common decency and respect afforded anyone else.

Informally? Well, an author ought to try and be consistent with quality and release dates. He should start series with the intent of finishing them. But the author doesn't really owe the fan anything the fan hasn't bought and paid for.

The fan, likewise, owes the author nothing but fair payment for the book (even if the library is the one making the payment). He ought to provide positive feedback and keep negative feedback constructive and/or away from the author's spaces. A fan should also promote the author's work with reviews or positive comments. Those are simply good things to do, if warranted, and not an actual obligation the fan has.

Cthia, take a breath. Go have a beverage of your choice.

People always write crap like that. And other's buy it. I have never heard of the book before and am unlikley to read it- too much good science fiction and actual books about topics other than personalites, scandals and self agrandisment of Actors and Politicians out there.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this guy is so incensed that 1) he didn't write all that stuff first or 2) he failed English 101 & Creative Writing 101 and now feels the world owes him a living because all he can write (not haveing read it I'm not sure) is "critic" stuff.

Have you ever read the "news reports" and tech pundits (which give pundits a really bad name) when they write ANYTHING about Apple? No matter what the reports are

BLAH BLAH BLAH,,,,Today Apple ONLY made 3.4 BILLION Dollars in profit down from 3.4999b from last quarter, and have compleatly run out of ideas for new products, instead are depending on the same tired iPhone and computer products which are not doing so well in sales (forgot to mention all the other products that were not only massivly innovative but are still adapting and growing) as the analysis's on crack think they should be selling since they are only getting 25% of the Chinese market and can't convince the people of Lower Slabovia-(with deference to Al Capp) to upgrade thier 6 month old phones to something that has glitter in the case....BLAH, BLAN,BLAH

A favorite saying these days is "Hater's got to Hate". That's about the size of this. Heck, if I could write and sell the kind of stuff you are talking about "cirtics" doing I'd be at the front of the line go get my free money. Isn't going to happen.
David Webber is successful, he has a very large following, many of whom are passionate about his work and so attracts Tolls.
About the only way to deal with it is not to read it---the Troll stuff.

I want the next book, I have better things to read that critic Toll crap.

Technically of course it was Eric Flint who broke the Honorverse.

And authors owe us nothing more than honest stories honestly told.

And I wonder if RFC has bothered to copyright/trademark "Honorverse?"

What gets me is this guy is CHARGING for a novella essentially reviewing the honorverse nooks. However detailed and with whatever mathematics (it’s scifi there has to be some handwavim).
Did he miss place a decimal here or there. Of course himsel did. But to charge money for s review really?

Brigade XO wrote:Cthia, take a breath. Go have a beverage of your choice.

People always write crap like that. And other's buy it. I have never heard of the book before and am unlikley to read it- too much good science fiction and actual books about topics other than personalites, scandals and self agrandisment of Actors and Politicians out there.

Perhaps, just perhaps, this guy is so incensed that 1) he didn't write all that stuff first or 2) he failed English 101 & Creative Writing 101 and now feels the world owes him a living because all he can write (not haveing read it I'm not sure) is "critic" stuff.

Have you ever read the "news reports" and tech pundits (which give pundits a really bad name) when they write ANYTHING about Apple? No matter what the reports are

BLAH BLAH BLAH,,,,Today Apple ONLY made 3.4 BILLION Dollars in profit down from 3.4999b from last quarter, and have compleatly run out of ideas for new products, instead are depending on the same tired iPhone and computer products which are not doing so well in sales (forgot to mention all the other products that were not only massivly innovative but are still adapting and growing) as the analysis's on crack think they should be selling since they are only getting 25% of the Chinese market and can't convince the people of Lower Slabovia-(with deference to Al Capp) to upgrade thier 6 month old phones to something that has glitter in the case....BLAH, BLAN,BLAH

A favorite saying these days is "Hater's got to Hate". That's about the size of this. Heck, if I could write and sell the kind of stuff you are talking about "cirtics" doing I'd be at the front of the line go get my free money. Isn't going to happen.
David Webber is successful, he has a very large following, many of whom are passionate about his work and so attracts Tolls.
About the only way to deal with it is not to read it---the Troll stuff.

I want the next book, I have better things to read that critic Toll crap.

Thanks Brigade. The beverage was refreshing. Welch's grape juice is my drink of choice. Ahhhhhhh! It's good enough to stand in for the blood of Jesus at communion. LOL

It's just that I worry about how much we as fans may unintentionally influence the author's intentions, and possibly derail what may have been his original plans, thus possibly cheating ourselves as readers. I wonder how much more quickly Weber may be able to publish, less his fans relentless demands on the accuracy of the physics, etc.

I wonder if he's ever read anything on the forum and gauged a particular mood, reaction or expectation and went "Darn. I guess I better make some changes."

.

filbert wrote:Technically of course it was Eric Flint who broke the Honorverse.

And authors owe us nothing more than honest stories honestly told.

And I wonder if RFC has bothered to copyright/trademark "Honorverse?"

I can't agree that Flint's contribution broke the Honorverse. I can't agree that the Honorverse is broken. Although I did include other authors as possible speedbumps.

Lunan wrote:What gets me is this guy is CHARGING for a novella essentially reviewing the honorverse nooks. However detailed and with whatever mathematics (it’s scifi there has to be some handwavim).
Did he miss place a decimal here or there. Of course himsel did. But to charge money for s review really?

I believe it is a work of criticism. BTW, he is an Oxford graduate and is currently connected to Cambridge. His bibliography in the wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennard, is quite extensive.

Robert_A_Woodward wrote:

Lunan wrote:What gets me is this guy is CHARGING for a novella essentially reviewing the honorverse nooks. However detailed and with whatever mathematics (it’s scifi there has to be some handwavim).
Did he miss place a decimal here or there. Of course himsel did. But to charge money for s review really?

I believe it is a work of criticism. BTW, he is an Oxford graduate and is currently connected to Cambridge. His bibliography in the wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennard, is quite extensive.

What does an author owe himself first as an artist? What does his/her publishing house expect, yea even demand, from said artist? Should the reader foist his/her totally unrealistic expectations on any piece of work?

Any novel is, by definition, a work of fiction. And yes there are two diverse threads of Sci-fi. I don't care how the steam gets into the pipes, I only care that when the engineer opens the valve, the da ... rned train moves out of the station.

Sci-fi has always been a way to examine the world we live in by projecting it onto an alien culture. Are the characters more than cardboard cut-outs? Are the situations fair metaphors of the world we live in? What does the author say about the world we live in? Is it valid-for-me?

If I realize this is a series, I owe the author the license to create his world and develop it, at least until he exceeds my ability for suspension for disbelief. And I make no demand for others' ability for said suspension.

If absolute physics, astrophysics, astronomy etc is required for any generic you before you can suspend disbelief, that's your thing. I don't care that the math or the physics is off. How did blowing up an entire ship of fellow human beings affect the main characters? Can I relate to that spectrum of reaction?

I guess I owe the author an honest and (as much as possible) unbiased reading of the work he poured blood, sweat and soul into. [edit:] He is responsible for the effort to turn out a quality product, the publisher wants to make money. Neither is responsible for my ultimate reaction to the work.

Robert_A_Woodward wrote:

Lunan wrote:What gets me is this guy is CHARGING for a novella essentially reviewing the honorverse nooks. However detailed and with whatever mathematics (it’s scifi there has to be some handwavim).
Did he miss place a decimal here or there. Of course himsel did. But to charge money for s review really?

I believe it is a work of criticism. BTW, he is an Oxford graduate and is currently connected to Cambridge. His bibliography in the wikipedia article, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennard, is quite extensive.

I wonder if he wrote the Wikipedia article himself?