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Dear Author: Romance Book Reviews, Author Interviews, and CommentarySix devoted readers who serve up fiction book reviews (primarily romance and fantasy with some non fiction and manga thrown in) and provide honest commentary on the Romance genre and publishing industry.
S E A R C H
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Nov
03
While I appreciate Ms. Stuart’s forthrightness, I do wonder where the Dixieland Mafia is right now. Miss Snark agrees with them that it is not the best idea to publicly complain about your publishing house. Shouldn’t helpful authors be all over Anne Stuart for committing career suicide? From a reader’s standpoint, I appreciate the forthright comments, but as a businesswoman, I guess I understand where the publisher is coming from.  Jane is a long time romance reader whose passion is, you guessed it, reading. Jane also does not like to talk about herself in the third person, but apparently this is the way that this biography thing works (although in a true biography, someone else would be writing this blurb). Anyway, currently Jane loves urban fantasy authors Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews. She's really excited about this year's crop of historicals including Joanna Bourne's The Spymaster's Lady and Sherry Thomas' Private Arrangements and the upcoming Loretta Chase Her Scandalous Ways.
She's looking for a good contemporary author. Email her with a recommendation!
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5 comments to “Miss Snark Gives Publishing Advice to Anne Stuart”Say What's On Your mind |
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Open Threads at Dear Author. Want to know what new releases are out this month and what readers are excited about reading? Check out the threads below. 
We don’t like to censor comments nor do we endorse the comments of any poster. We do reserve the right to moderate comments but most of the time will not, believing, as Justice Brandeis did, that the greater good is in “more speech, not enforced silence.”
Where is MIRA’s response; I couldn’t find anything on Isabel Swift’s blog, even though someone linked to it.
Although I can see this issue from both sides, I imagine that there is a tremendous amount of pressure for authors to keep to the party (publisher) line and say nothing that could be interpreted negatlively about their publisher. And I think that’s bad, for all sorts of reasons, especially if it stems from fear and not respect. A publisher isn’t hiring an author as an employee; they are purchasing an author’s product — big difference, IMO. OTOH, I can see how a publisher would feel unmotivated to work harder for an author who trashes them (although I personally don’t think that’s what Stuart was doing). What always disturbs me a little, though, is how so many people come out to slap someone like Stuart on the wrist for being a bad little girl. I find those sentiments like “publish me instead” or “she should be punished for her transgression” particularly disconcerting because they give me an image of so many sharks in blood-shot water.
I think its back up. iBOAS.
Robin, I agree. I re-read the comments in the interview and I personally think the tone is one of stating her personal opinion. There doesn’t seem (to me) to be any personal animous or axe to grind. In fact I think AS understands that publishing is a business just fine. I would call her comments as being disappointed in the people she works with rather than trashing them.
Anne at LETS GAB posted about this as well. I commented
I think they can only go dixieland on your ass if they can say they are bigger than you…. (the players are a lil foggy in my mind and I am too lazy to go look them up) none of them were in a place to be giving
beating up on‘advice’ Anne Stuart.The way I look at it… Stuart has done ok for herself so far and managed to publish a book or two. I don’t think the AAR interview will hurt her.
But hey I just woke up and have to go to work for 4 hours, what do I know?
Which makes me think this hasn’t exactly been a shocking heads up to those who know her — if she’s really as open as she appears, it’s difficult for me to believe she hasn’t shared that particular opinion before. I didn’t even see her comments as personally directed so much as a dismayed reaction to the way the business of publishing has overtaken the respect for the books as books, which is hardly a new revelation. The conversation about marketing techniques over at RTB reveals similar sentiments.