Over the last year or so I’ve watched a sad trend. At least, I think it’s a trend. Maybe it’s just that more authors are speaking out. Either way, I’ve recently noted many authors talking about their lowering print runs, non-renewed contracts, or the need to write under a new name because the old one didn’t sell well. Not too long ago, three writers spoke up on the same loop on the same day to share that they’d been told they would not be selling their next book to their existing publisher because the numbers “weren’t there.”
On the flipside of this, I hear readers ask the question, “Whatever Happened to…?“. The list of once-promising authors who are now MIA is long and growing longer by the day. So I was sad to see a reader post that she saw promise in an author’s work, but until that promise came to fruition she would be checking that writer’s books out from the library. That’s a sale lost for that author, which cumulatively lowers sales numbers, which can lead to her publisher dropping her and that “promise” dying before it blossoms.
Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t check out books from the library! I love libraries. And I know books are expensive. With a limited book budget, I also can’t afford to buy books that aren’t going to satisfy completely. But we’re losing authors and with them, their unique stories that only they can tell. What can we do?
I was talking to my mom about this topic the other day. She’d recently happened upon an author who is *thisclose* to being excellent in my mother’s opinion and my mom was very excited. When she mentioned intending to search out the author’s newest book at her local UBS, I had a suggestion for her:
“Why don’t you adopt the author, mom?”
I suggested she take it upon herself to support that author’s work by buying her books new. I said, “I know you can’t do this for every promising author you find. It would be too expensive and it just doesn’t make sense to buy a bunch of books that you like ‘mostly’, over an auto-buy author who delivers consistently. But one author wouldn’t be too bad.” She agreed and she’s going to try it. I’m happy for both her and the author. I hope it helps.
Do you do this? Do you have an author you’re “nurturing” by buying their books even though they still have some growing to do? If so, I think that’s wonderful! It surely can’t hurt. If you’re not, would you consider adopting an author?
I actually do this already to a small degree. Buying books is one of my few vices, so I probably buy quite a few more new books than most people. I don’t buy used, for one thing I haven’t found a good UBS near me. (I have 2 Borders, 2 B&N’s, 2 WalMarts, 1 Target within a 7-miles radius, plus I occasionally buy from Amazon, so I have plenty of choices for new books).
I’ve met new authors and have followed them from book 1 - 3 or so on. Maybe their first book wasn’t the most amazing, but it had potential, and I definitely wanted to read more. The thing is, buying a book can be a risk even from a favorite author, so I try not to limit myself to just a few select people but from a wide variety. I love the idea of supporting new authors.
by Stacy ~ February 16th, 2007 at 6:44 amI don’t really want to have any relationship with authors - nurturing or otherwise. If I like your books, I’ll buy them. If I think their quality begins to falter or remains stagnant, I’ll borrow them or stop reading altogether.
It’s all about me me me.
Any relationship I have is with the novel itself.
by Dalia February 16th, 2007 at 6:56 am:shock:No, my budget is too tight for that. I do buy new when I can, but things are tough all over, you know.
The good thing is buying new isn’t the only way to support your favorite authors. I prattle on about mine on my blog and in Real Life all the time. I have a whole bunch of favorite authors and I love getting people excited about them. And a lot of those people can buy new. And they do.:wink:
by Kimber An February 16th, 2007 at 9:16 amI buy new, used and borrow books from the library.
Getting a new author from the library is a crap shoot, it’s likely I wont find them, especially in romance. But I do get hardcovers by favorite authors, and then pick up mm paperbacks when they come out at a later date. I also get hard to find books from the library–recently I borrowed several Sharon Shinn and Lois McMaster Bujold. I’d read some fabulous reviews but couldn’t find them at my local B&N, Border or UBS. I guess I could have ordered them on-line, but this worked out.
The UBS is for backlists and books I’ve somehow missed over the last few years.
Buying new is for autobuys and new/midlist authors that come highly recommended or books that I like the blurb and/or synopsis.
by Tara Marie February 16th, 2007 at 9:52 amHmmm… this is an interesting question.
I already buy many authors’ debut novels to support their sales, but I have to say that I feel my reading time is too short to ‘waste’ on buying books that don’t fulfil me.
I’ve been lucky in that many of the new authors I’ve supported have delighted me and I continue to buy their subsequent releases.
One day I hope my time will come when I will have a debut novel, but I’d want to believe that people are buying my books because they bring them enjoyment rather than to do me a favour.
Sue
by Sue aka MsCreativity February 16th, 2007 at 9:59 amThe reason that I read new authors is because they offer something new, something other established authors are not offering. In that case, the writing is not “inferior” because…well…that’s the only author filling that need (no comparisons).
No pity buys from this gal. Authors earn my dollars.
by Kimber February 16th, 2007 at 10:18 amThis is an interesting concept and nicely worded, but I tend to be like Dalia. Reading should be a relationship with the book, for good or bad. I.e., we can’t be critical of a reader for being negative about an author (instead of the book) when conversely we want the reader to be positive about the author (instead of the book).
I’m not going to continue to buy an author if she doesn’t deliver for me because in the end, its only the book that gives me the reward.
by Jane February 16th, 2007 at 10:19 amI love the idea and already do that to some small degree. I may check out my local library for a new author, but if I see even the slightest bit of promise I will definitely make a point of buying their next work versus checking it out. I’m a firm believer that writers only get better the more they write.
But I also think that’s why paperbacks are so important, because books are so expensive you are more willing to spend $6.99 or $12.95 versus $24.95 for a fairly new author with a future that’s unpredictable. I know there are purists who will only buy Hardcover, but in order to really support a wide range of authors I really feel that paperback has to be an option.:smile:
by HWJ February 16th, 2007 at 10:28 amI love the idea and have strongly considered doing it. Money is really tight over here, being a college student with a work study job and vet bills to pay (and you’d think still living at home would allow me more money to myself). I even have several authors whose blogs I’ve read and the moment their books are out I’m buying.
I have an author right now whose first book was published last year that I stumbled on by chance. Next paycheck I’m buying that book. She delivered and I’m buying the next one too. I want to see her work continue.
Another way to help for people with not a lot of money is through the library. Some libraries, like my own, buy books based on recommendations. -big grin- The more new authors with potential I find, the more requests my poor library is getting to buy them.
by Valerie S. February 16th, 2007 at 10:44 amI try to buy all debut authors in my own subgenre. I buy at least their first two books. Why? Well, firstly to support them, and secondly, it’s research. I want to see what is selling, what boundaries new authors are pushing, what’s hot. It’s one thing to see what NYT Best Selling Author can get away with. It’s something else entirely to see what Newbie First Time In Print is getting away with.
Besides, then when I host them on my blog I can give a copy away. *grin*
by Kalen Hughes February 16th, 2007 at 10:54 amI already do this, although I didn’t quite think of it in those terms. I consider it putting my money where my mouth is. I don’t buy books that look boring or badly written to me, but I give the unusual an extra chance.
For example, I like Regency England as well as most people, but it isn’t exactly [gush] my absolute favorite time and place!![/gush]. I like a little more variety in my history. So anytime I see a book mentioned or reviewed that is set somewhere or somewhen else, I tend to give it serious consideration. I’m buying on a curve. A historical romance set in (for example) Roman Britain or the Roman Empire or 19th century China might get added to my bookstore list if it has B/C reviews, whereas a Regency needs A/B reviews. Same with subject matter. I like strong female characters and action/adventure in my contemporaries, at least some of the time. So I bought a lot of the Silhouette Bombshell line, even the ones that only looked mediocre to me (turns out sometimes I was wrong). Again putting my money where my mouth is. Encouraging authors and publishers to branch out a bit.
Otherwise when I go to the bookstore and the Romance shelves are filled with wallpaper Regencies and TSTL ‘feisty’ virgins, I have no right to complain. If I don’t keep buying the unusual, then I am telling the publishers that same-old same-old is what I want.
by SandyW February 16th, 2007 at 11:27 amI do it with authors AND musicians/artists.
That being said, I wouldn’t mind being so adopted myself.
:wink:
by Alessia Brio February 16th, 2007 at 12:10 pmI’m thinking of authors who are consistently improving. There are a lot of authors who “show promise”.
by Sylvia Day February 16th, 2007 at 12:16 pmI’ve done this. When Sherrilyn Kenyon first started her Dark Hunters, I was there from pretty much Book 1. I like to think I helped in some small way to put her on the Best Seller list. She’s still an auto-buy for me, when I have time to read.
That said, I buy all of my books new. Not finding a book you’ve heard about on the BN shelf isn’t reason enough for me to search a UBS for it. If it’s in print, BN can GET it. You just have to give the clerk the name of the book and the author if you have it and they can order it in lickety-split. (okay,sometimes it takes a week or so, but they CAN get it, and that does support the author).
Some authors have downloadable pdf files you can print out and take to the bookstore with all of the information you need to get the book, including the ISBN, publisher, etc. I used to have them on my website, but recently redesigned and still need to add them.
See, there are two reasons it might not be on the shelf… 1. They can’t KEEP it in stock cuz it sells so quickly. (This is the story I tell myself about my own book LOL) or 2. The publisher and/or author are not big enough/popular enough/established enough to be ‘auto stock’ items (This is more likely the truth about me ha!)
by Marjorie Jones February 16th, 2007 at 12:26 pmLots of readers buy debut books and enjoy them, but they may not purchase Book #2, because the first book had some problems. If those problems are rough edges that have the possibility of being smoothed with experience, I don’t think avoiding the purchase of Book #2 and waiting until the author gains polish is the answer. If the second book doesn’t get purchased the author may no longer be around to write Book #3.
I, personally, wouldn’t consider the purchase of Book #2 a “favor”. I wouldn’t spend my hard earned money on a bad book just to help an author.
by Sylvia Day February 16th, 2007 at 12:31 pmThis is true for many authors, which is why I find it to be a loss for everyone if an author is nipped in the bud due to poor sales.
by Sylvia Day February 16th, 2007 at 12:34 pmThat’s wonderful!
by Sylvia Day February 16th, 2007 at 12:35 pmI know readers who buy so many books it’s just not possible to get them all new. And some readers just can’t afford to buy new. But those readers can still write reviews on their blogs, post reviews at the online bookstores and/or tell friends about the books, etc. That’s another way of adopting an author without having to spend money they might not have.
And I love the recommending books/authors to libraries, Valerie. That’s a very good idea!
by Melissa McClone February 16th, 2007 at 1:15 pmMy library also buys books based on recommendations. And even if only one person requests the purchase, if they decide to buy it, they’ll almost always order at least four copies to distribute around the system. So I feel like that rather than denying the author a sale by getting the book through the library, I’ve earned them three more sales than they would’ve gotten if I’d bought the book for myself.
by Susan Wilbanks February 16th, 2007 at 1:27 pm:grin:About the recommending the library idea, I’ve done this too. I just got ours to order all of Linnea Sinclair’s books. I’m going to work on getting them to order Michelle Buckley’s and Gwyneth Bolton’s next. I homeschool our children, so the public library is essential to our lives. I’ve baked pies and cookies for our librarians. When I make a suggestion, they listen!
by Kimber An February 16th, 2007 at 2:07 pmI always buy new. And did even before I became a published author. Maybe it’s because I understand the process and what happens behind the scenes with royalties and advances. I understand what it takes to create something out of nothing and get it in print for others to read and hopefully like. Unfortunately this is a business of numbers, and the higher number wins, which will affect those authors will lower numbers for whatever reason. Bad covers, no promotion support, bad editing, no market, etc. It’s a fact I’ve come to realize as I myself have started to see my numbers and worry about my next book deal. But it is the nature of the beast, and it is a beast I chose to tackle.
I wish all readers could buy new, but that’s an unreasonable request. But what Sylvia suggests is a lovely way for readers to support the authors they love that give them hours of enjoyment and escapism.
by Vivi Anna February 16th, 2007 at 2:09 pmSylvia asked: Do you have an author you’re “nurturing” by buying their books even though they still have some growing to do?
Yes. Michelle Rowen. A newbie author who happens to be gifted, hilarious and wonderful. Even though she happens to be Canadian.
Love her work. LOVE. And I’m not saying that just because I happen to know her. The work speaks for itself.
by Karmela Johnson February 16th, 2007 at 2:16 pmKarmela, what’s wrong with being Canadian???
I’m a Canuck!
by Vivi Anna February 16th, 2007 at 2:52 pmI usually first buy at a UBS — but mostly because I recycle like a mad thing.
IF I find a book I particularly enjoy — a keeper — I go buy a new copy. Hardbound when I can afford it.
But I like the adopt an author idea. I’ll have to give that some thought.
by KeVin Killiany February 16th, 2007 at 3:35 pmAnd I’ll be sure to let y’all know when I’m up for adoption.
Books are like any other kind of art and so yes, I support artists I like and see promise in. It’s been intimated that my opinion as an author means less for some silly reason, but I’m still a reader and if I want to see good material out there on the shelves, I understand the very real business of publishing and numbers. So yep, I buy new when I can and I talk about the books I like and see promise in.
I can’t afford to buy every book I want new so I use the library too and trade books friends here and there as well. But with first and second books especially, I try to buy new.
by Lauren February 16th, 2007 at 3:59 pmhmmm interesting blog and I will have to give it some thought but I am running out the door…
Short of it I would have to say I already adopt. I am a reader blog. I invite two authors or so a month to guest - those authors are only authors I read or want to read.
They are people I think more people should hear about. They are authors with little to no net presents that I want to know more about and want you the reader to know more about. They are lines I find nifty.
me me me and me
and it is geared toward the reader… I want other readers, like me, to find a special book they will love, hug and call george. Or find a book they don’t, and talk about it with me.
Notice I say talk… not debate… I think two (or more) people should be able to discuss a book seeing different sides for the pure joy of discussing a book. There shouldn’t be a need to talk someone into liking it or not.
I talk to people in bookstores. As I would bet most people here do. I can’t count the number of times I have seen someone walk out with a book I put in their hand. And again it isn’t so much FOR the author as it is for the simple fact that I love to read. I would want someone to help me discover a new author too.
god… and this is me being brief… sorry… and now I am late
be back later
by Sybil February 16th, 2007 at 7:11 pm[...] Nifty blog… go read [...]
by redwyne.com » Blog Archive » Adopt Me and a question February 16th, 2007 at 7:25 pmI tend to buy new. If I buy used, I make sure that if I loved the book that I go out and buy it new. I also shout about the book from the rooftops. That said, readers can’t be surprised if one of their favorite authors disappear because of lack of ‘new’ purchases. Like you said, it’s just the nature of the business these days. You get a two book chance (IF you’re lucky) to make an impression on a publisher. After that, you’re SOL.
by Jordan February 16th, 2007 at 7:43 pmAs a reader of historical fiction — and a worrier that the subgenre is none too diverse — I DO make an effort to buy new authors and to seek out new books for those authors whose *work* I want to support. I totally agree that my primary relationship is with the book and not the author, but if I as a reader am going to be harmed when some of those books no longer are published, I will make the extra effort to support an author’s work by seeking out her books, buying them new, and, if I like them, talking them up and even writing the author or publisher a note affirming my appreciation. I like trying new authors, because I always crave new voices, and if that helps a talented author stay in print, then IMO the system is working just as it should in that everyone wins.
On the flip side, though, I think a program like that at Kensington, where books by debut authors sell for less, is a GREAT idea and one I have absolutely no trepidation about supporting with my book-buying dollars. If I can pay 3.99 for a debut book, I will buy even more books than I might otherwise, and will not be so disappointed if I don’t like them; I may even buy the second book at 4.99 to confirm my like or dislike of the author’s work. And in a policy like this, I think perhaps there is a middle ground in which publishers can encourage book buyers to try new authors, and readers can affordably stray from the tried and true more often.
by Robin February 16th, 2007 at 8:11 pmWhat an interesting thread. I’m fortunate enough that I’m finally in a position where I can buy whatever books strike my interest. What *is* limited, however, is my time. I pick up a fair number of books that just aren’t interesting enough to continue all the way to the end. Some of this is the natural handicap one suffers as a writer; it’s hard to turn the critic off and just enjoy a book for what it is.
Anyway, while I wish that more people bought books and I get frustrated when writers suffer difficulties (like my friend, Peter Watts and his notorious problems with Blindsight), nobody is obligated to buy and read books. We have a lot of competition as writers and we have to be on the top of our game to build and keep an audience.
by KingM February 16th, 2007 at 8:11 pmI agree!
by Sylvia Day February 16th, 2007 at 8:20 pmOf course. And some newer authors are striving mightily to reach the top of their game. (Really, if we stop trying to get better, I think we need to quit.)
Again, I’m not talking about buying books we don’t enjoy or supporting authors who were once great and now we find them not-so-much. I’m talking about authors who show promise and are obviously building to greatness. If only they get the chance.
by Sylvia Day February 16th, 2007 at 8:24 pmIMO Lisa Kleypas is a good example of this, at least in terms of the evolution of her writing style (actually I think some of her earlier books are richer, but that’s debatable, I know). If you look at Kleypas’s early books in comparison to her most recently published ones, the *craft* of her writing has evolved tremendously, and one of the reasons I still enjoy reading her books is that I so appreciate that she continues to grow *as a writer*. For most authors who possess something special, I think the sparks are there early on (think of Judith Ivory’s first book, Starlit Surrender, for example). I wonder, though, how many established authors’ early books would have taken root in the current market if they were starting out today — the landscape might look much different than we think it would.
by Robin February 16th, 2007 at 10:09 pmHmm. I know some writers who got *worse* the more and more they wrote. I do try and buy new authors but I sure stop buying “old” authors if they get self-indulgent, fail to develop new ideas or start writing those 400 page books of doom that were rush to print before they were propoerly proofread
Hard times are hard on writers but for some of them good times are hard on them too, in a different way.
by Emily Veinglory February 16th, 2007 at 10:46 pmWhy is it that any time I mention proofreading I make at least three typos?
by Emily Veinglory February 16th, 2007 at 10:47 pmI’ve *adopted* quite a few authors. I don’t use the library and I only buy used when it’s a) a bit name author who doesn’t need me or b) I find a new to me author and I’m trying to find her backlist. Other than that I always buy new and mostly new or mid-list authors. And if I like the book, I will promote it on my blog.
by Kristie(J) February 16th, 2007 at 10:59 pmI typically buy all the books I can afford within my subgenre. I’ve been doing this for years because they are few and far between and I wanted to encourage the publishers. I still buy, though I’m so swamped with writing and researching my own books I have little time to read.
by Roslyn February 16th, 2007 at 11:48 pmI do ‘adopt’ a few authors already, but mostly because I know them either in person, or on the web.
I think ‘Adopt-An-Author’ is a great idea, but at the same time I don’t think readers owe authors anything… definitely no pity-buys.
by Anna Lucia February 17th, 2007 at 6:07 amI have an author who I ‘pimp’ all the time on my blog. Her name is Susan Lewis and she writes erotic thrillers. I don’t think she has poor sales but she’s not as well-known as I think she deserves to be. And I buy every book she produces when it hits the shelves, I love her
by Maria Duncan February 17th, 2007 at 9:45 amHey Sylvia
I frequently do this already. It wasn’t exactly a conscious thing, but when a book had something in it that called to me, even if it wasn’t 100% hit, I usually buy the next one new.
I have, and occassion, still do buy from USB but I save that for authors that have either mostly lost me and I’m just curious about this title or for backlists. But I’m not going to not buy new just because a couple of things didn’t click. The UBS and the library are for books that were almost misses.
Somebody mentioned no pity buys, and I don’t really think that was this is about. Seems to me it’s more in supprt of an author you think has something. Maybe that something needs polishing, but unless she continues to sell, that polishing isn’t going to happen. Is it your responsibility to make that buy? Of course not, but if you did like the book and want to see more from the writer, that’s not going to happen unless you and others buy her books.
by Shiloh Walker February 17th, 2007 at 2:45 pm[...] A little adopting and a touch of lovers of reviews. [...]
by redwyne.com » Blog Archive » Killing by Trade February 17th, 2007 at 10:32 pmI’ve found many authors I hadn’t known of before. To be honest, I buy the books if they interest me. I live way out in the boonies, and the nearest library is 45 minutes away in town.
However, if I find an author’s books that have impressed me, I am much more likely to buy their books again. Clear as mud, right? LOL
I truly hope my readers feel that way about my books, too.
Cassidy McKay
by Cassidy McKay February 18th, 2007 at 1:14 amInitially, it’s the story that needs to sell itself to me - not the author. If the blurb looks good and my generic let’s-open-on-a-random-page -and-see-what-it-says trick piques me, I’ll buy it. And if I enjoy it, I’ll buy more. Thinking about it, I’m flatly unloyal; I ultimately want to connect to a story, not a writer.
by Vikki February 18th, 2007 at 3:39 pmHere’s an idea, which is something I adopted recently. Every time you go to buy a book by an old-faithful author, buy one by someone you have never heard of at the same time.
It’s not exactly ‘adopting an author’ but it stretches your mind (which is why I did it, initially) and those random sales might just be what pushes that author into book sale - another chance to become somebody’s ‘old faithful’.
My success rate is mixed - but it is fun to try new things, and it keeps me out of a reading rut, which has to be a good thing for me and the authors I read.
by Imelda February 18th, 2007 at 4:58 pm[...] Buying one hardcover instead of two paperbacks, according to Sanderson, is truly supporting the author.It’s perfectly acceptable in the writing world to make pleas for money. If I, the reader, don’t buy new at exactly the right time, the author might not be able to write for a living and give up their day job. They may not be able to put food on the table, clothe their children, afford that Kia (even though its a buy 1, get 1 free). If readers truly care, authors say, readers will buy new, buy hardcover, buy 2, adopt an author. [...]
by Dear Author.Com | Drop an Author, Adopt a Blogger February 19th, 2007 at 5:13 amI tend to buy most romances I read. You would think that I would never need to go to a bookstore since I work in a library and have to be there anyway. However, I am in a small town so we don’t have the funds to buy every book every patron wants. In fact, we have not had an increase in our book budget in years. I don’t get people who move here from big cities and can’t understand why we can’t get everything-seems like it would be obvious that small town=small library budget. We depend on donations for almost all of our romances. Therefore, other than maybe Nora Roberts or Sandra Brown if I didn’t buy them I would never get to read them.
by Sam February 19th, 2007 at 8:28 amI also buy michelle rowens! I dont know her but she’s great. I’ve reccomended her to several people to buy new and not wait to find used. bitten and smitten was great!
J.R. Ward and P.C. Cast both are authors I buy and reccomend others to buy new.
Carrie Vaughn is also an author i like to support. her books “kitty and the midnight hour ” and “kitty goes to washington” are great! (new one due out in april!)
i will buy used books usually when i run across an established author who has several books in a series, then i want them all NOW so finances demand that i buy them used.
by rebyj February 19th, 2007 at 5:36 pmI adopt books, not authors. But if I like the author’s writing, I tend to buy his or her back list and keep a lookout for new books (and if I really like the story, sometimes I buy them in different editions, if the covers pretty). A few authors are auto-buys in HC, but most in PB, especially unknown (to me) authors; I don’t think I give allowance for first books, partly because I usually don’t know if it’s the author’s first book or not when I (first) read/buy it. I also plug the ones I like wherever I can.
I suppose I tend to adopt TV shows as well (e.g., Supernatural, Firefly, etc), but also only after I’ve fallen for them, and even then, I tend to wait and dither before actually buying the DVDs - I get the same way about buying HCs or new-to-me authors; I’d rather try them out first by getting them used or through the library. If they were less expensive - like the $3.99 debut ones Robin posted about above - I’d be more inclined to buy them new.
by Em February 20th, 2007 at 4:48 am