Comments on: Little Books That Could

By: denniscass

denniscass — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:40:50 +0000

@Kate: I think insular does it. (To me masturbatory implies a knock on style rather than subject.)

Nits aside, you’re right, and you’ve given me inspiration for a longer post, which is forthcoming.

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:30:03 +0000

Only tangentially related to this topic: I read the article in your link above and noticed that both books by this author – the one making a lot of noise and the one due out soon – are about book people in a book world. There is something insular, if not incestuous, about the fact that these buzz-causing creations are steeped in the world of those who seem to be heaping the accolades on them. This sort of circular attitude to books does not, I fear, bode well for the publishing industry at large. Dare I use the word masturbatory? Maybe just snobbish.

I understand this is somewhat off topic, so please feel free to remove it from the thread, if you choose.

By: GirlPie

GirlPie — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:42:46 +0000

Excellent beef, great visuals, and a smart question. The ‘tortoise’ approach – looking forward to reading more about it from you, thanks.

By: bets

bets — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 20:43:29 +0000

I always worry about the authors of these successes. The bar is instantly set very high, which is the last thing a new author needs. Sheesh. It’s not like we don’t put enough pressure on ourselves already. I like the imagery around a “slow and steady burn”.

By: pseudosu

pseudosu — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 22:39:53 +0000

I picked up a book once called “How I Got Published” (or something like that) and discovered I hadn’t really heard of most of the authors featured, although they all boasted lots of publishing credits. You can get the same experience hanging out on genre blogs etc.– tons of published authors you probably never heard of.

I actually feel really reassured by this type of experience– knowing there are plenty of non-household names, non-Oprah stars out there managing to make a living (of sorts anyway) at writing. Maybe I can too one day. This type of success feels more attainable.