LACrimAtty - 29 May 2009 02:17 PM
I understand it’s fucking hard to write well. Of course.
But my point was how hard can it be to sell, when writing skill has almost nothing to do with it.
Plot is everything, the level of writing almost irrelevant. I guess it comes down to plot and luck. A crap writer with the right plot at the right time can get lucky and make a natural fortune.
Viz. those hacks, Patterson and Brown.
BTW, did you see Elmore on Charlie Rose? Charlie says, “did you have a problem with the Dan Brown book?” Elmore laughs and says, “I had a problem with the first paragraph.”
My man.
It’s like this; selling books is like selling food - Dan Brown, Patterson (especially) and the other hacks are opening up McDonalds franchises and selling Big Macs. Elmore Leonard, and a very few other writers, are opening gourmet restaurants.
It pisses me off that some critics and reviewers still can’t see that EL belongs in the gourmet category, but that’s their problem and it is changing.
I haven’t seen the Charlie Rose yet, but it’s good to hear someone tell it like it is.
You’re right, the bestseller lists are dominated by plot-diven crap, the same way the box office is dominated by special effects crap these days.
For some reason we love indie movies and indie music but there’s never really been an indie book scene. There are lots of small presses trying but most of their stuff is too academic. Hard Case Crime are putting out some decent books - and some cool reprints.
Anyway, you get Gator Bait finished. You may not sell many, but the people on here will appreciate it.