Book ethics, now in convenient poll form!

[megwrites]

[Poll #1327486]


ETA: Just to clarify, the six book series in question is in the exact same genre as the "debut novel"

Comments

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

Pseudonyms don't really bother me at all, nor does ghostwriting. I know that's part of writing, and honestly, I can't say I read any authors who are so prolific as to have ghostwriters anyway.

I suppose what bothers me, really, is that the publisher went out of their way to create the image of a "debut" novel and first time author, when it was really, really *not* true. Making the author's publication history (or fictional lack thereof) part and parcel of how they advertised the book to me was disingenuous. It stinks of desperation and dishonesty, neither of which I like.

[readingthedark.livejournal.com]

Oh, I agree. Many writers are launched as debuts that aren't even close. Even Andrew Gross' series launch hinted at it being his "debut novel" in the same breath that they talked about his track record of bestsellers in the same genre. They were subtle but tried to say both in the same paragraph more than once. I guess the point I forgot to clarify is that pseudonyms are often used to give an author who didn't earn out an advance or two a new start. (The other reason is that they're afraid they'll saturate the market or make someone they're trying to establish look like a hack. They don't always falsely claim it's a first novel, but they often don't mention that it's a pseudonym. (Kim Harrison, Lian Hearn, Jayne Quick, J. D. Robb (though that one's so complicated that I tend not to use it as an example)). Desperation and dishonesty have always struck me as guiding forces of publishing.

[fiction-theory.livejournal.com]

Desperation and dishonesty have always struck me as guiding forces of publishing.

Truer words were never spoken. I think you're right on the money about that.

And right now I think the publishing industry is reaping what it's sewn over the last few years. Desperation and dishonesty never pan out in the long run. Just ask Bernard Madoff and Rod Blagojevich about where being desperate, dishonest, and more focused on money than being good at what you do gets you.