Author Topic: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon  (Read 4993 times)

Galavantes

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Re: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon
« Reply #15 on: October 04, 2010, 08:27:57 AM »
He and Martin (Maybe I'll throw in Rothfuss after I read Day 2)  are almost all you need as a fantasy fan. Everything else is just filler.

Um, yeah, wrong. So very very wrong. Like, so wrong you've redefined the word 'wrong'.

Sanderson, Martin, Rothfuss - they're all good, but they are, honestly, but a small segment of fantasy, no matter how big they are. And calling writers like Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, Michael Moorcock, Robert Jordan, etc nothing more than "filler" is a downright insult. By stating such, you are implying that there are no other worthwhile fantasy novels out there, and, again I must declare you so very wrong it is almost painful.

Ouch. Scratch that, it IS painful.

I love Brandon's books. I mean, it should be obvious, if you consider my work on 17thShard.com. But to be honest, he hasn't been around long enough to be a true staple of the genre yet. He will become one, though, in time, and is rising fast. But he isn't quite there yet. Neither is Martin, is you ask me - let the man get some bloody books out on a bloody timely basis and maybe I'll consider it.

To consider all other fantasy "filler" is wrong and insulting, to both the authors who write it, the readers who enjoy it, and the genre as a whole.

You're taking the whole comment way too seriously, and you're adding meaning to my words by saying I'm implying they aren't worthwhile. If you intend to respond to my statement then please limit yourself to responding to what I actually said and not to what you BELIEVE I am implying. Conversation breaks down pretty quickly when you start responding to imaginary comments.

And in clarification I was referring to current "in progress" series, I truly believe there is very little work out there at the moment that is of the same caliber of quality as those I stated. (For the record I almost included Butcher) There is -some- recent work out there that is as good, which is why I said "ALMOST all you need" and not: "You don't need anything else". But generally speaking I stand by my comment.
And lets try not to get quite so offended quite so easily. I mean really, you're entitled to disagree with me, but lets not get into the whole: "What you said is so terrifyingly wrong that I've had to redefine words and my eyeballs have melted out" thing.

Kykeon

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Re: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon
« Reply #16 on: October 04, 2010, 08:57:24 AM »
Whatever the monetary success might be, he still isn't known enough for my taste.
Or maybe you have to write shallow nonsense to get widely know these...  :-\

guy

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Re: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon
« Reply #17 on: October 04, 2010, 06:20:29 PM »
makes me wonder if we should buy an extra copy of his books if we want to lend them to people, or just stop buying used copies...

Bookstore Guy

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Re: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon
« Reply #18 on: October 04, 2010, 06:50:35 PM »
He and Martin (Maybe I'll throw in Rothfuss after I read Day 2)  are almost all you need as a fantasy fan. Everything else is just filler.

Yeah...I think you over did it there by a bit.  Even if you say you only meant "in progress" series, you are short-changing a ton of authors.  There have just been too many great authors in fantasy for your statement to be considered valid.  I mean, it's great that you love those three authors--most of us agree that those three are fantastic.  Just don't get carried away by fandomonium. 

As a fantasy fan, I need far more than those three authors--and I don't mean that as a slight.  Abercrombie, Lynch, Erikson, Bakker, Lloyd, Barclay, Gaiman, Pratchett, Tchaikovsky, Jones, Esslemont, Enge, Scholes, Wooding, Cook, Simmons, Mieville, etc, etc, etc.  You see what I mean?  And these are just the people with current series.  And just SOME of the authors who make up a portion of the backbone of fantasy (Martin and Sanderson obviously fit the bill as well as Rothfuss).  It's all a giant puzzle, and I feel that the continued monetary and critical success that all these authors enjoy is all interlinked.
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guessingo

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Re: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon
« Reply #19 on: October 04, 2010, 10:11:29 PM »
I mean he's definitely not paid $1.7 million. And if he were that would be too high. I do know the rough numbers, but if Brandon wants to talk about them on his blog (some authors do) that's up to him. There was a press release back when the deal was signed, but all it said was each of the four books has a significant six-figure advance and when combined with 'performance-based bonuses,' the possible total advances on the deal "could exceed $2.5 million."

Anyone who wants to buy a copy of the book to give to someone else is certainly welcome to, but what Brandon really cares about is the book getting read.

Reaching #7 on the New York Times best seller list for the first book in a new series is very good( Peter-- I know you realize this. this is for other people). Most series take several books to really take off. I don't think The Eye of the World had many hard cover prints at all. GRRM said his series took off only because of the Robert Jordan quote. I don't think he hit #1 until his 3rd book. Series take time to build anticipation. I have not read Brent Weeks books yet, but haven't they had increased sales as more have come out? I don't think Patrick Rothfuss got anywhere near the top 10 with his first book. I think he built steam over time through reviews, word of mouth, his blog, and his personality.

John Scalzi has blog posts about how much money he makes. He is doing very well. Probably not nearly as well as Brandon. I think he does it as a warning to want to be authors who think they can get rich quick. I don't think he does it to show off.  Alot of people on here like Stephen Erickson. I like Stephen Baxter. Both appear to be mid-listers. There lowers sales do not have an affect on my opinion of their work.


guessingo

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Re: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon
« Reply #20 on: October 04, 2010, 10:22:00 PM »
He and Martin (Maybe I'll throw in Rothfuss after I read Day 2)  are almost all you need as a fantasy fan. Everything else is just filler.

Yeah...I think you over did it there by a bit.  Even if you say you only meant "in progress" series, you are short-changing a ton of authors.  There have just been too many great authors in fantasy for your statement to be considered valid.  I mean, it's great that you love those three authors--most of us agree that those three are fantastic.  Just don't get carried away by fandomonium. 

As a fantasy fan, I need far more than those three authors--and I don't mean that as a slight.  Abercrombie, Lynch, Erikson, Bakker, Lloyd, Barclay, Gaiman, Pratchett, Tchaikovsky, Jones, Esslemont, Enge, Scholes, Wooding, Cook, Simmons, Mieville, etc, etc, etc.  You see what I mean?  And these are just the people with current series.  And just SOME of the authors who make up a portion of the backbone of fantasy (Martin and Sanderson obviously fit the bill as well as Rothfuss).  It's all a giant puzzle, and I feel that the continued monetary and critical success that all these authors enjoy is all interlinked.

Ken Scholes books seem to have gotten alot of good reviews including on your site.

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Authors, Monetary Success and Brandon
« Reply #21 on: October 04, 2010, 11:57:16 PM »
Rothfuss's book wasn't even on the NYT list at all until the paperback came out.

Hitting the top 10 for the first book in a fantasy series is very rare. Of course, hitting the top 10 for the first book in a fantasy series when last year you had a #1 best-selling fantasy book is not at all rare.
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