Entry tags:

author entitlement, authors, writers are often pompous douches

Why fan -- er, pro authors can't have nice things.
Rob Thurman is an urban fantasy author who desperately wants to get the 6th book in her series on the NY Times bestseller list. According to a wee mousie, the way bestsellers are calculated is by applying a complex and seekrit algorithm to the first week's sales, from Tuesday (when new books, like albums and babies, "drop") to Saturday. So it's very important to rack up sales during that time period if you want to list.

Also according to the mousie, Thurman's been going nuts for the past month, posting in all caps, and topping things off with this post. Thurman berates a reader for buying the book on Monday because said reader is having surgery on Tuesday. The reader apologizes, Thurman says she'll need pictures of the surgery.

Thurman's specialness doesn't end there. Non-USA readers have to buy two copies of the book to get their reward (sneak peek at the 7th books), people who buy online are Ebil! and more CAPSlock.

Her tweets are also... yeah.

Hat tip to the mouse, for ~~stealing~~ borrowing chunks of her post.

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shukkhy
2010-03-03 08:32 pm UTC (link)

PS I need a computer genius to help me figure out how to lock the Cal 6 chapter one so you minxes don't email it to the free world. I know adobe can be locked so you can't copy it, but then a few rotten apples would forward it. And I want this to be for those who really stand up and support Cal and Niko this week. International readers: You don't count on the NYT. So there is no way you can help me there, but buy *two* Roadkills, send receipt for proof, and you, too, can see chapter one of Cal 6. Don't want to discriminate against my overseas fans.

The hell? Who would buy two books just to get something they will be able to read anyways? It's the internet, sweetie, once it's out there it's out there.
And way to not discriminate against your overseas fans for something that is in no way their fault. If it doesn't count towards your bestseller list (on which your name will never be, btw.) just give them the preview for being kind enough to support you in their country. Really.

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	jupiterpluvius 2010-03-03 09:56 pm UTC (link)
	Most US readers don't count on the NYT bestseller list, either. She really doesn't understand how it works, it seems. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	threegoldfish 2010-03-03 10:05 pm UTC (link)
	Honestly, when I was selling books, I was always told that those things are determined by how many the bookstore orders, not what actually sells. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

jupiterpluvius
2010-03-03 10:09 pm UTC (link)

There's that, too (though if something sells through right off, bookstores will order more).

I've had one publishing contract (so far) with a bump for the NYT list and not for any other list (didn't hit it, by a mile) and it really is tempting to try to game the system. Tempting until you realize that it will make you look like the biggest entitled doucheflower EVER.

"Buy my books on THESE days in THESE places and I will earn more monies!"

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	ekaterinv 2010-03-03 10:52 pm UTC (link)
	If it was just a line on an author's blog, I could totally understand it, and I would probably do it too, especially for an author who wasn't already hugely popular. It's the demanding tone and constantly harping on it that crosses into entitlement, imo. (Reply to this)(Parent)

bobafeis
2010-03-03 10:53 pm UTC (link)

Seriously! It may not get her on the NYT list, but it will count towards overall sales, which still determine your royalties and possible advances and print runs for future books (if those contracts aren't signed yet). If the rights for those countries aren't sold yet, having a local fanbase that's thriving despite lack of product availability will definitely increase the monies involved.

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	out_bottle 2010-03-04 01:48 am UTC (link)
	Oh, THERE'S the wank! Yeah, the buy-2-books thing is a little tacky. I thought she WAS on the NYT list for her previous book? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	angelan 2010-03-04 08:31 pm UTC (link)
	She was: http://robgoodfella.livejournal.com/50109.html So...being an entitled whiner...works? (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	out_bottle 2010-03-05 04:04 pm UTC (link)
	I guess it must, for some people... (Reply to this)(Parent)

	lindentreeisle 2010-03-04 06:34 pm UTC (link)
	"I know I can't trust you assholes, so does anyone wanna help me figure out how to stop you from showing the chapter to people?" Have we really become so inured to the attack-our-customers approach to piracy that no one bats an eye at this? LOL. What a douche. (Reply to this)(Parent)

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