No Such Thing As a Bad Author

[Riley]

Whenever I worry about the thought of not being succesful, I look to authors along the lines of Cassandra Claire and the Casts. I know what yer thinking: "They're terrible!" Perhaps, yes...But I live by a creed: "If you can reach the Best-Sellers List, you've done something right."

 

[Judge]

"If you can reach the Best-Sellers List, you've done something right."

Oh, I suppose it all depends on one's point of view.

I'm reminded of a continuous best seller since 1925. A story about a man who concocts an ideology promoting a race of super-heroes and their arch-enemies from an entire country, previously defeated in war and humiliated by the global community.

Frankly the worst book I've ever read in my entire life, with terrible syntax issues regardless of the content. Originally published by a firm that specialized in only art books.

 

[Bolletje]

I wholeheartedly disagree with you, Riley. There definitely is such a thing as a bad author. The fact that someone makes it on to a bestseller list without being any good at writing just means that person has a good marketing team and knows his or her audience.
If you know how to sell yourself, or you have a team that does it for you, you can become famous without actually being good at anything else. Doesn't just apply to authors, but to actors, musicians, politicians, and many "celebrities" who are famous for no apparent reason whatsoever.

 

[Riley]

I just try to be positive about things. My Mom insists. Besides, I see things differently from most folk.

Mary Sues don't suffer. Mary Sues don't have people who hate them. And flat characters don't do things like yell at the mentally disabled or break up with their S/Os over attempted rape or try to fight stereotypes of their species.

 

[Bolletje]

Nothing wrong with trying to be positive, I just respectfully disagree with you. What does the bit about Mary Sues and flat characters have to do with your original statement, by the way?

 

[Riley]

I randomly decided to share one of my MANY mental issues.

 

[WereBear]

Mass popularity is a tricky thing; one has to be kind of good, but not too difficult or challenging. It has to reach for the lowest common denominator in some way, or it will never reach critical mass. Not original, and easily repeatable.

For instance, I cannot stand the work of Nicholas Sparks. It's the same damn plot over and over, it's as subtle as a kitten sleeping on a puppy, it shamelessly tear-jerks, it's poorly written.

And yet the guy has legions of fans. Because it's like reading the same book over and over, and they know they like it.

McDonald's of the literary set.

And there's nothing wrong with that; if he wasn't around it's not like his fans would reach for Kurt Vonnegut instead. That's a slot someone is going to fill.

 

[nowwhat]

Whenever I worry about the thought of not being succesful, I look to authors along the lines of Cassandra Claire and the Casts. I know what yer thinking: "They're terrible!" Perhaps, yes...But I live by a creed: "If you can reach the Best-Sellers List, you've done something right."

Yeah, and McDonald's never served a crappy meal. Popularity is useless as a measure of quality and merit. It is a truism in this age, that garbage marketed skillfully will far outsell gold bricks, at the same price per pound.

 

[orphan]

Judge... I have refrained for that reason alone.

OT: bad books helped me write.

 

[Riley]

See, if I like or see good in a (in)famous series, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt. Look at both sides. But if I HATE a series, I'll try to find every flaw I can.

Also: I posted a thread that is NOT about how much I hate something. In fact, I just wanna talk about stuff. But THIS one gets more replies than that one. What's up with that?

 

[orphan]

Algo

Edit: hate needs to be distilled.
Took ten minutes to write that

 

[pax]

I really disagree. I've read quite a few books that made it to best seller lists that were absolutely awful. Thankfully most of them I didn't pay for.

One I did, was lauded by Oprah (should have been a hint, had I known at the time), and made into a movie called wild, it was supposed to be about a woman who walked some long mountain trail after her mother's death and had a spiritually transformative experience. She made most of it up, she was totally unprepared,she spent more time screwing in campgrounds than actually walking, she started out as a self-absorbed brat, and her character hasn't changed - not by the end of the book, not after, by some accounts. I only read it to the end to see if something actually happened. Woeful book, but obviously had a marketing machine behind it.

 

[Riley]

Guys...You know what, I can fully understand you. Just when it comes to a different medium. You see:

• Many despise the 1997 film Batman & Robin to the point you can get away with a Aurora joke as long as it's mocking the movie. Me? I see a heavily flawed but greatly heartwarming movie. Plus, it has that Rocky Horror charm. And he director, Joel Schumacher, is not only a pretty nice dude, but made one of THE best PoTO movies I've seen.
• Meanwhile, many (My mother included) are fans of the cartoon show Teen Titans Go! To ME, hoever, this show is the DCAU equivalent to Twilight and even House Of Night.

 

[Aeolienne]

What about Zoella?
Zoe Sugg: the vlogger blamed for declining teenage literacy

 

[WereBear]

One I did, was lauded by Oprah (should have been a hint, had I known at the time), and made into a movie called wild, it was supposed to be about a woman who walked some long mountain trail after her mother's death and had a spiritually transformative experience. She made most of it up, she was totally unprepared,she spent more time screwing in campgrounds than actually walking, she started out as a self-absorbed brat, and her character hasn't changed - not by the end of the book, not after, by some accounts. I only read it to the end to see if something actually happened. Woeful book, but obviously had a marketing machine behind it.

LOL! I just read that and likewise did not see what all the fuss was about. She did everything wrong and made it anyway; perhaps that was what people liked about it.

It was what appalled me throughout, however. "Gee, she wouldn't be suffering so much if she had just tried this out/made a plan/showed some sense."

I'm not into suffering.

 

[Sylar]

Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin and pretty much every Y/A author including the authors of Twilight, Hunger Games and John Green say otherwise. Set of hacks.

600 posts. Whooo!

 

[Riley]

...@Sylar...

YOU TAKE BACK WHAT YOU JUST SAID ABOUT J.K. ROWLING & RICK RIORDAN!

 

[Nitro]

 

[JackSkellington]

Good and bad authors (like most things overall) are very subjective. There is many many best selling authors I do enjoy, while there is many I don't enjoy. People will like what they want.

 

[Sylar]

Good and bad authors (like most things overall) are very subjective. There is many many best selling authors I do enjoy, while there is many I don't enjoy. People will like what they want.

I think there's some objectivity to it. The Harry Potter series is incredibly inconsistent and J.K. Rowling has been pretty open about admitting a lot of the magic in the books being cheats to get around things she either couldn't figure out or couldn't be bothered putting the effort in. She got lucky by having an idea that clearly appealed to a lot of people but her writing isn't very strong and there's a reason her post-Potter work flopped.

Stephen King is along the same lines. He has a lot of good ideas so I guess on that front he deserves the credit, but he has a habit of going to over the top in the last act and letting his bitter and spiteful attitudes get into his work. Some of that is probably down to most of his most famous books being written when he was on drugs and booze, though. Some of them he doesn't even remember writing. Subjectively I kind of like him because he has those interesting ideas and can show a good understanding of fear and imagery at times but objectively his writing isn't that great.