FWIW I would rather enjoy the book world first then get to know the author after, kind of like enjoying the Wizard before looking too closely behind the curtain. But looking behind the curtain has its benefits, all in good time :-)
When I start a series of books, I like to not know that much about the author to just judge the book for the writing and for the story. Sometimes I can have very high expectations about a book written by and author of I had read and loved some of their other books before. But I tend to enjoy a book more when I am not comparing the book to anything else and just enjoying it.
I forgot about all the scandals lol...I was like reading and going wait who was --oh yeah -- lol -- I still watch Bravo but I am feeling what you are feeling too. Time to move on maybe? But THE VALLEY just got so good!!!
Haha soman thank you for asking and inspiring me to laugh out loud with your clever way with words! Too much time with or without Brands and bravo media queens can make this writer reader wonder WTF too! ! I love your diary and how you capture our wild crazy imaginations seeking their true north before realizing it into a new art form. As far as my need to know the identity of my authors ? Most of my reading life I didn’t need to know anything about the author. But I followed my curiosity for a well crafted world that draws me deeply into the story and into a desire to learn more about a multi faceted characters life escapes or escapades. I still do. If the authors writing style inspired or influenced me I would follow his her work but the whole media brand thing has mystified me too and I hate to admit I prefer to be less of a brand and more of an artist who demystifies her muse with the pen as her sword. Please do keep writing your journal AND your great work of art out there on the farm with your sentient beings. Maybe that’s where you find your Muse because you’re ready there🙏🙂
Thank you so much for this. It made me laugh out loud. My poor sentient beings, including our dog who opens doors now like a velociraptor. A lot of writers also instinctively are bad at being showboats, often -- we like our work to do our talking. I have zero desire to reveal anything personal, but I do here when it relates to the work.
I like that your sentient being now opens doors like a velociraptor😄I also agree it’s good for us writer types to stretch out of our comfort zones ! I appreciate what you said about how private we may prefer to be but taking the risk to reveal ourselves more as it relates to our creative work is a risk worth taking.🙂🙏
Growing up, I had authors I LOVED, but would I have recognized them in a crowd? Nope. Now, there’s that ease of access, that expectation. I know so much about my favorite authors.
But what’s funny is when I ask my non-writing friends, “do you follow authors on social media?” They all say no! So once again, I’m in my author bubble, thinking everyone wants to hear about our writing journeys…. And they don’t. 😅
I always think our drama is so insular!! Other authors love it. But in the end, we live or die by the quality of our books. I've seen so many hot authors at the time slowly fade into oblivion because the level couldn't keep up......
my first ya'll fest, i passed STACEY LEE on the sidewalk and you would have thought i'd walked past brad pitt.... authors ARE our rock stars and hollywood celebrities and i think it's a testament to their craft that we are just a little bit (overwhelmingly) intimidated by them....?
I come to most books knowing nothing of the authors beyond what I read on the book jacket. (SGE was an exception -- I read a NYT article about Soman that led me to the series). For me, knowing less about the author allows me to sit more fully with the story itself. And for me, fiction is my respite from reality, from the noise of real life. I don't necessarily need to know who the author is or what their life is like to appreciate a good tale.
I've been reading a lot about building platform lately, and I've been caught up with similar ideas of not really having a brand, not really knowing what it is, especially given that I'm in a place of big transitions. I love the idea of embracing all the aspects and considering the platform more of a diary rather than a brand.
Thank you for being here! I think being a brand gives you incredible power to build an empire around a particular mode of work. But in my case, I'm just too mercurial. I don't know where I'm going next. In that way, I guess my love of Madonna made sense. She had such dramatic reinventions that I'm sure even she couldn't anticipate. I feel the same way about myself. I just have zero clue where it's all going.
Oh my gosh wow, coming from the middle grade world, this is fascinating. No wonder you and Victoria have been some of my favorites to follow on social media! I've often (always?) felt much too wide-eyed and unsavvy for YA, which is totally fine. I'm much more at home with the other kid lit folks playing on the playground waving our arms to say "watch this!" Either that or with the grandparents on the benches watching the kids and the birds. But anyway, it's been fascinating to see the ripples in every aspect of publishing, that I think started with the pandemic and we're just now getting to some of the shock waves.
I still think savviness only gets you so far... Eventually the book has to be the thing. But I also think authenticity is everything. A manicured image only gets you so far. I just try to be honest about where I'm at personally and professionally. Hence this diary.
Personally, I'm usually there for the story rather than following every aspect of the author, but I do love it when authors are very passionate about what they do! Oh, and I also love when they are open to talking to readers and even answer their questions or share behind the scenes stuff. I guess I also aspire to be that author but also not too personal enough for drama to start.
Your comment about “romantasy” being the newest quick fix dopamine hit instead of something that lasts really hit home for me. As someone on the edge of publishing looking for a way in and also a long time reader (my passion for books really started to flourish after reading SGE!) you have put into words something that I’ve noticed but could never express. It really stuck with me though and I think that something needs to change but it’s so difficult isn’t it because people want their books to sell and at the moment the YA audience isn’t there for the same type of literature anymore but as a longtime reader I feel like my ship has sailed so to speak and it’s getting harder and harder to find my “people” when it comes to YA. Coming back to the YA authors I recently learned of the Cait Corrain scandal and it opened my eyes to the unique world that authors circulate in. I imagine as you have matured as an author things like Goodreads became less of a distraction for you but what that something that took a lot of your time as the start worrying about how your book would be received? Apologies for the essay haha, coming from a long time fan I have loved getting an inside look into your thoughts!
This is such a heartfelt, perfectly considered set of questions. Let me think about them. I feel like doing a post just on how to interact with readers in general and how to take criticism... Hm. Lots to consider. I'll be back to you soon either here or in a diary entry!
at scad, every major basically had art history as a minor. and i preferred NOT to know about the artist. (mostly, because they were all terrible, and i wanted to like the art without being judged for being a fan of the "person." & i still feel this way.)
these days, i assume all online personas are "crafted." one can be a valuable resource, a community advocate, and a lifestyle goal, but i assume they're also messy behind-the-scenes in the day-to-day of existence in this mortail coil.
so as long as it's a good book, i overall don't care so much about the author...?
although i DO love authors--like you, soman--who through your online presence (& diary) make us feel like part of a community. not just a fandom. you make us feel like we have "access" to people not just doing the work, but succeeding and KILLING it! (also, thank ye gods you crushed that modern SFGE opening. blech!)
and yeah, excited for YA to get back to YA. to reach the readers who need it.
let cross-overs be cross-overs, and no limits on who reads what, of course.
but that section SHOULD be for finding oneself and examining identity and trials one will face after such formative years of teen-dom.
happy travels, and please tell queen victoria we said HI! :D
Very, very, very crafted most of the time. Like fitness influencers. Every ab is photoshopped and most of the time they are trying to sell you something. So be suspicious of manicured social media! Luckily I've been around long enough to know none of that really works long-term and you just gotta be yourself, whatever that looks like. In my case having no idea what's happening, lol.
Both brand and diary sounds cool to me! The change brought by technology can be challenging, but (maybe it's my wishful thinking that) the kind of art that last needs a certain depth in it that AI and TikTok cannot make. Maybe things will change in a few years? But for now, I think it is still the personalised touch of the author that makes the impact in their work.
And as a person who also don't have a brand, is completely clueless about myself, and has a list of ten different nouns for personal descriptor, I enjoy seeing authors sharing about themselves like you are doing here! Inspiring words!
I think you are very much right. True art will always find its way I think, because it comes from the true source vs. a regurgitated combination of past inputs.
FWIW I would rather enjoy the book world first then get to know the author after, kind of like enjoying the Wizard before looking too closely behind the curtain. But looking behind the curtain has its benefits, all in good time :-)
As in all things Good and Evil... balance.
When I start a series of books, I like to not know that much about the author to just judge the book for the writing and for the story. Sometimes I can have very high expectations about a book written by and author of I had read and loved some of their other books before. But I tend to enjoy a book more when I am not comparing the book to anything else and just enjoying it.
Yes. Agreed. The book has to stand for itself.
I forgot about all the scandals lol...I was like reading and going wait who was --oh yeah -- lol -- I still watch Bravo but I am feeling what you are feeling too. Time to move on maybe? But THE VALLEY just got so good!!!
I need to watch that. I still think you and I will end up with V on a Bravo show one day, if even just as passengers causing trouble on Below Deck
Haha soman thank you for asking and inspiring me to laugh out loud with your clever way with words! Too much time with or without Brands and bravo media queens can make this writer reader wonder WTF too! ! I love your diary and how you capture our wild crazy imaginations seeking their true north before realizing it into a new art form. As far as my need to know the identity of my authors ? Most of my reading life I didn’t need to know anything about the author. But I followed my curiosity for a well crafted world that draws me deeply into the story and into a desire to learn more about a multi faceted characters life escapes or escapades. I still do. If the authors writing style inspired or influenced me I would follow his her work but the whole media brand thing has mystified me too and I hate to admit I prefer to be less of a brand and more of an artist who demystifies her muse with the pen as her sword. Please do keep writing your journal AND your great work of art out there on the farm with your sentient beings. Maybe that’s where you find your Muse because you’re ready there🙏🙂
Thank you so much for this. It made me laugh out loud. My poor sentient beings, including our dog who opens doors now like a velociraptor. A lot of writers also instinctively are bad at being showboats, often -- we like our work to do our talking. I have zero desire to reveal anything personal, but I do here when it relates to the work.
I like that your sentient being now opens doors like a velociraptor😄I also agree it’s good for us writer types to stretch out of our comfort zones ! I appreciate what you said about how private we may prefer to be but taking the risk to reveal ourselves more as it relates to our creative work is a risk worth taking.🙂🙏
Growing up, I had authors I LOVED, but would I have recognized them in a crowd? Nope. Now, there’s that ease of access, that expectation. I know so much about my favorite authors.
But what’s funny is when I ask my non-writing friends, “do you follow authors on social media?” They all say no! So once again, I’m in my author bubble, thinking everyone wants to hear about our writing journeys…. And they don’t. 😅
I always think our drama is so insular!! Other authors love it. But in the end, we live or die by the quality of our books. I've seen so many hot authors at the time slowly fade into oblivion because the level couldn't keep up......
my first ya'll fest, i passed STACEY LEE on the sidewalk and you would have thought i'd walked past brad pitt.... authors ARE our rock stars and hollywood celebrities and i think it's a testament to their craft that we are just a little bit (overwhelmingly) intimidated by them....?
I come to most books knowing nothing of the authors beyond what I read on the book jacket. (SGE was an exception -- I read a NYT article about Soman that led me to the series). For me, knowing less about the author allows me to sit more fully with the story itself. And for me, fiction is my respite from reality, from the noise of real life. I don't necessarily need to know who the author is or what their life is like to appreciate a good tale.
I've been reading a lot about building platform lately, and I've been caught up with similar ideas of not really having a brand, not really knowing what it is, especially given that I'm in a place of big transitions. I love the idea of embracing all the aspects and considering the platform more of a diary rather than a brand.
Thank you for your post, Soman. ❤️
Thank you for being here! I think being a brand gives you incredible power to build an empire around a particular mode of work. But in my case, I'm just too mercurial. I don't know where I'm going next. In that way, I guess my love of Madonna made sense. She had such dramatic reinventions that I'm sure even she couldn't anticipate. I feel the same way about myself. I just have zero clue where it's all going.
Oh my gosh wow, coming from the middle grade world, this is fascinating. No wonder you and Victoria have been some of my favorites to follow on social media! I've often (always?) felt much too wide-eyed and unsavvy for YA, which is totally fine. I'm much more at home with the other kid lit folks playing on the playground waving our arms to say "watch this!" Either that or with the grandparents on the benches watching the kids and the birds. But anyway, it's been fascinating to see the ripples in every aspect of publishing, that I think started with the pandemic and we're just now getting to some of the shock waves.
And for real tho...secret love children??? Wild.
I still think savviness only gets you so far... Eventually the book has to be the thing. But I also think authenticity is everything. A manicured image only gets you so far. I just try to be honest about where I'm at personally and professionally. Hence this diary.
(i want to know all the tea, but also kind of don't? like, should YA authors ghostwrite "reality" tv/stories for us and not name names?? bahahaha.)
Personally, I'm usually there for the story rather than following every aspect of the author, but I do love it when authors are very passionate about what they do! Oh, and I also love when they are open to talking to readers and even answer their questions or share behind the scenes stuff. I guess I also aspire to be that author but also not too personal enough for drama to start.
This is well-said. It's about the connection but also most importantly, about the writing.
I'm glad that somebody's mentioning the sex-driven crossover books that NOBODY NEEDS!!!
Your comment about “romantasy” being the newest quick fix dopamine hit instead of something that lasts really hit home for me. As someone on the edge of publishing looking for a way in and also a long time reader (my passion for books really started to flourish after reading SGE!) you have put into words something that I’ve noticed but could never express. It really stuck with me though and I think that something needs to change but it’s so difficult isn’t it because people want their books to sell and at the moment the YA audience isn’t there for the same type of literature anymore but as a longtime reader I feel like my ship has sailed so to speak and it’s getting harder and harder to find my “people” when it comes to YA. Coming back to the YA authors I recently learned of the Cait Corrain scandal and it opened my eyes to the unique world that authors circulate in. I imagine as you have matured as an author things like Goodreads became less of a distraction for you but what that something that took a lot of your time as the start worrying about how your book would be received? Apologies for the essay haha, coming from a long time fan I have loved getting an inside look into your thoughts!
This is such a heartfelt, perfectly considered set of questions. Let me think about them. I feel like doing a post just on how to interact with readers in general and how to take criticism... Hm. Lots to consider. I'll be back to you soon either here or in a diary entry!
at scad, every major basically had art history as a minor. and i preferred NOT to know about the artist. (mostly, because they were all terrible, and i wanted to like the art without being judged for being a fan of the "person." & i still feel this way.)
these days, i assume all online personas are "crafted." one can be a valuable resource, a community advocate, and a lifestyle goal, but i assume they're also messy behind-the-scenes in the day-to-day of existence in this mortail coil.
so as long as it's a good book, i overall don't care so much about the author...?
although i DO love authors--like you, soman--who through your online presence (& diary) make us feel like part of a community. not just a fandom. you make us feel like we have "access" to people not just doing the work, but succeeding and KILLING it! (also, thank ye gods you crushed that modern SFGE opening. blech!)
and yeah, excited for YA to get back to YA. to reach the readers who need it.
let cross-overs be cross-overs, and no limits on who reads what, of course.
but that section SHOULD be for finding oneself and examining identity and trials one will face after such formative years of teen-dom.
happy travels, and please tell queen victoria we said HI! :D
Very, very, very crafted most of the time. Like fitness influencers. Every ab is photoshopped and most of the time they are trying to sell you something. So be suspicious of manicured social media! Luckily I've been around long enough to know none of that really works long-term and you just gotta be yourself, whatever that looks like. In my case having no idea what's happening, lol.
A HIDDEN LOVE CHILD SOMAN???
OMG IT WAS SO SCANDALOUS.
Both brand and diary sounds cool to me! The change brought by technology can be challenging, but (maybe it's my wishful thinking that) the kind of art that last needs a certain depth in it that AI and TikTok cannot make. Maybe things will change in a few years? But for now, I think it is still the personalised touch of the author that makes the impact in their work.
And as a person who also don't have a brand, is completely clueless about myself, and has a list of ten different nouns for personal descriptor, I enjoy seeing authors sharing about themselves like you are doing here! Inspiring words!
I think you are very much right. True art will always find its way I think, because it comes from the true source vs. a regurgitated combination of past inputs.