YABookgate

[BoobWhiskers]

I've got one of her fantasy books (can't remember if uprooted or spinning silver) and need to read those too.

I'd definitely recommend Uprooted. Spinning Silver is good but suffers from the fact that it's telling three interconnecting stories in one book, with each of them suffering accordingly; it's still a good read, but Uprooted is much better imo.

 

[Three Gorillion Dollars]

It always weirds me out seeing fanout of sexy Kvothe when he's like fifteen for most of the story? Anyway, he's absolutely a Mary Sue.

Bless you both for the good info, it's been so good finding any sort of normal take on these books that isn't just keyboardsmash squeeing and ship art.

I can't stand when people try and shove memes into serious works, even if they're meant to have a cheeky tone. If it instantly dates a TV show it's gonna do it for your novel too, and the end result ends up feeling like the Marvel Movie problem of being afraid to take itself seriously... yes, I get that space necromancer pvp done seriously is a risky thing because that's so melodramatic and Warhammer40kish, but at least have the balls to try!

The tone of this thing just sounds like a mess. I like a fun book, but this just sounds like a cop-out.

Yeah, tone is the biggest issue with Gideon. It's probably why the nature of Gideon and Harrow's relationship doesn't seem to have sunk in with a lot of readers. @Ashrat was really helpful by mentioning that Muir was a Homestuck fan, that really helps explain the tonal issues at the heart of the novel. When Harrow is basically gaslighting, abusing and manipulating Gideon, should the reader go "Oh, wow, Harrow is a terrible person and Gideon can't see it" or "Tee-hee, enemies-to-lovers romance trope?" That's the big issue with the work, and being able to enjoy Gideon the Ninth comes down to how much that tonal dissonance is going to bother any given reader.

EDIT: What is bothersome about it is that Muir's prose is actually quite funny at points and I'd say her skills are a step or two above a lot of writers these days for that reason. But it's like she's just being funny whenever she thinks she can work in a joke instead of at the best moments which leaves life-or-death situations feeling like they have all the tension of sneaking out late at night.

 

[Commissar Fuklaw]

Some new youtube channel talks about Kvothe, argues with an immensely annoying voice he isnt a mary sue, so uhh check it out?

What the hell is with the comments that read like bots?

 

[Trianon]

I think part of the reason Gideon is popular is that there's a huge need for flawed, interesting protagonists within the YA audience. Giving someone real desires and fucked-up ways of achieving them, without making the whole thing a morality tale where they get punished for everything, should really be the baseline of a good book, but YA is full of either passive heroines who serve as reader inserts and are pulled along by forces outside themselves, or wokies who cannot talk to a character of another race without having long conversations about how problematic it is. Any writer who can use their characters' flaws to move the plot and keep the reader constantly engaged in why they make the choices they do is shoulders above the rest of the crop. It sounds like Tamsyn knows how to do that. I've also enjoyed Holly Black's lead character in the Folk of the Air series because she's a "badass" female character who doesn't feel generic. They might not be the greatest books in the world in other ways, but they do the work of rounding the characters out.

 

[Sneed Halation]

She was of course mainly interested with putting gay sex into the friendship of the two main characters -case in point, the first installment in the Temeraire series started out as a Aubrey–Maturin fanfic she made into a full-length book; the captain was originally Jack Aubrey and the dragon, Stephan Maturin–

I mean, I guess that explains the massive sexual tension between Laurence and Temeraire, but I'd really think that at some point she'd have pulled the trigger on that, instead of giving them both poorly thought out female love interests that they almost outright state they have no actual legitimate romantic feelings for. Then again apparently Laurence also gets amnesia and becomes a samurai, I wouldn't know, I gave up on the series when Temeraire decided to fuck the worst dragon in the series who's just been a total bitch since her literal birth, though the Wakanda plotline was a notable low point before then as well, so the signs were all there.

 

[Windows 10 Upgrade]

What the hell is with the comments that read like bots?

https://futurism.com/the-byte/conspiracy-theory-internet-died

Dead Internet doing its thing, probably.

 

[Windows 10 Upgrade]

I'm about to go on a rather big tangent,

(Snip)

So when they write, they have no choice but to use the same tripe tropes emptied of meaning and devoid of sincerity only touted for their relevance to a given demographic, lol-random irony, dull fanservice for their target group and at best sprinkle over some flashy stylistic stuff if they even have the talent for it, all because they have nothing to say of import. That’s the crop of the dysfunctional side of the new generation of internet fandom, the same that is corralled into the YA-no-older-than-highschool demographic when they write because they clearly aren’t adults in their way of thinking, but normal teenagers doesn’t find them all that relatable either, and so we have this YA literature exclusively written by wine aunts for other wine aunts and assorted woman children.

We had a discussion a few pages ago about book marketing, especially in the YA and Spec Fic Genres, and publishers now lean SO HEAVILY on social media bloggers to push their product they are now locked into a perpetuating cycle where the only books they can *reliably* market to a break-even profit are books which appeal to the terminally-online woman-child demographic.

These people will read not just for fun and pleasure (if even there is any pleasure to be had - there's this really weird concept of one's sexual inclination being not an urge like a desire or a longing in the nether regions, but a virtue signal in order to fit into a group. Only the "correct" kind of eroticism is permitted - woe betide the 95% of humans who openly desire the opposite sex, which is a deeply probematic heteronormativitiy/genital fetish these days and cannot be spoken of.)

 

[6MillionCoofs]

So…see I can't see with have a general book thread.

Looking for stuff to read. Any suggestions on what people think is good?

Oh and a general question but how do you get into the publishing industry? Always wanted to know.

All the manga/anime has been moved to downstairs, though I don't know why other than it's because it sells well like you mentioned:

I'd assume space. it gets more space for more books and all the manga readers can happily go downstairs where they aren't limited to just a shelf. Least that's why my bookstore did it, I find there is not much crossover from manga to anything else they sell so why go through the effort of making the readers look through normie books. Also, the store always looks like it is stocked, because people don't see low stocked manga shelves when they pass by the window.

Anyhoo what's the "spicy" section I noticed at B&N (shelves were still empty from the reorganizing)? Is that just another term for smut? And if it is, why the fuck is it now situated directly across from the kids' book section?

Now now Kari, you know why.

 

[Teeth That Tear]

So…see I can't see with have a general book thread.

Looking for stuff to read. Any suggestions on what people think is good?

Not quite a general, but What are you reading right now? is a good source of recommendations, in my experience.

 

[Windows 10 Upgrade]

Oh and a general question but how do you get into the publishing industry? Always wanted to know.

I think there's so many ways in that there's not a "general" way. And it might vary from country to country. One of our regular posters works for a Big 5, another has done work for them.

So from what my friends, randoms and others I know did:

Person A: Was actually in the Marketing Division of a Big 5 Publisher and moved into editing! They all worked out of the same office and they became an editing assistant for the editor there
Person B: Did a year-long qualification in Professional Writing and Editing , then volunteered with some small publishers doing editing work, but also did some freelance editing for a Big 5
Person C: Did an internship after college, they did their degree in English, and some publishers have entry-level positions which they went into and worked up
Person D: Is a very early career writer and was just doing some "first reads" for a really niche publisher, but has lately been asked to do some editing work by them. They could probably build their resume on that.
Person E: Their friend was in this publishing area that needed extra staff and they were asked to come and work for them.

It's more a "who you know" scenario, but the companies do advertise on their websites and social media. If you're keen have a dedicated Twitter list where you follow ALL the editors and marketing people etc from your chosen publisher(s) . They will often post and forward job openings. If you want to get into editing, something adjacent like book production will at least get you in the office.

They pay can be really shitty at first, and the hours really fucked up though.

 

[Smoke Manmuscle]

I think there's so many ways in that there's not a "general" way. And it might vary from country to country. One of our regular posters works for a Big 5, another has done work for them.

So from what my friends, randoms and others I know did:

Person A: Was actually in the Marketing Division of a Big 5 Publisher and moved into editing! They all worked out of the same office and they became an editing assistant for the editor there
Person B: Did a year-long qualification in Professional Writing and Editing , then volunteered with some small publishers doing editing work, but also did some freelance editing for a Big 5
Person C: Did an internship after college, they did their degree in English, and some publishers have entry-level positions which they went into and worked up
Person D: Is a very early career writer and was just doing some "first reads" for a really niche publisher, but has lately been asked to do some editing work by them. They could probably build their resume on that.
Person E: Their friend was in this publishing area that needed extra staff and they were asked to come and work for them.

It's more a "who you know" scenario, but the companies do advertise on their websites and social media. If you're keen have a dedicated Twitter list where you follow ALL the editors and marketing people etc from your chosen publisher(s) . They will often post and forward job openings. If you want to get into editing, something adjacent like book production will at least get you in the office.

They pay can be really shitty at first, and the hours really fucked up though.

The some of the people I know were in specialty industries and started to get consulted by authors to ensure scientific accuracy. Others had very colorful lives and had themselves turned into characters. All of them ended up rubbing shoulders with various authors, editors and publishers over the years at conventions. Eventually they were either asked to write a short stories or successfully pitched a story to said editors.

As a side note, if you read Baen books and go to certain conventions that tend to be frequented by their authors, you will start to meet people who seem very similar to the characters in some authors books. Thus giving truth to the saying good authors quote great authors steal.

 

[Three Gorillion Dollars]

Oh and a general question but how do you get into the publishing industry? Always wanted to know.

Nepotism.

No, seriously. A friend suggested I throw my hat in the ring for a publishing job opening for a laugh, and that was that. Anyone I know who works in the industry or has picked up a publishing deal recently, they all admit it comes from knowing the right person at the right time. Never in public, though. In public it's all hard work and dedication and artistic ability. Network, network, network. Be shameless. Do behavior that borders on harassment. I can't give examples without revealing my power level, unfortunately, but there are some people that this has worked out for.

It helps if you tick a few diversity boxes, too. As mentioned in this thread, despite the Twitter thrashing James Patterson got for commenting that it's difficult to white men to get their foot in the door in the industry, the statistics bear out that he's right.

 

[Commissar Fuklaw]

So it's that time of the year again where the fags, women and trannies doing nanowrimo make a big deal about themselves. Does anyone have any good gossip from during the downtime?

 

[Three Gorillion Dollars]

Naver AKA Webtoon is trying to turn microtransactions into a business model for books via their new app Yonder. They have apparently put millions of dollars into this and they really want to make their tokens-for-pages business model work in the Western market.

Escape with YONDER, the next chapter of storytelling. Enjoy bite-sized, binge-worthy, thrill-packed stories on the go from top-tier authors. A universe of ongoing stories and worlds you can get lost in.

DISCOVER must-read titles by top-tier authors across diverse genres, including original fiction exclusive to YONDER.

Explore exciting stories within hit genres such as Billionaire Romance, Shifter Romance, LGBTQ+, LitRPG, Progression Fantasy...

I hope the whole thing collapses and the various creatives who signed contracts with Naver don't get screwed too badly. Luckily, the initial launch of the app doesn't appear to have gone too well.

 

[Trianon]

I think there's so many ways in that there's not a "general" way. And it might vary from country to country. One of our regular posters works for a Big 5, another has done work for them.

So from what my friends, randoms and others I know did:

Person A: Was actually in the Marketing Division of a Big 5 Publisher and moved into editing! They all worked out of the same office and they became an editing assistant for the editor there
Person B: Did a year-long qualification in Professional Writing and Editing , then volunteered with some small publishers doing editing work, but also did some freelance editing for a Big 5
Person C: Did an internship after college, they did their degree in English, and some publishers have entry-level positions which they went into and worked up
Person D: Is a very early career writer and was just doing some "first reads" for a really niche publisher, but has lately been asked to do some editing work by them. They could probably build their resume on that.
Person E: Their friend was in this publishing area that needed extra staff and they were asked to come and work for them.

It's more a "who you know" scenario, but the companies do advertise on their websites and social media. If you're keen have a dedicated Twitter list where you follow ALL the editors and marketing people etc from your chosen publisher(s) . They will often post and forward job openings. If you want to get into editing, something adjacent like book production will at least get you in the office.

They pay can be really shitty at first, and the hours really fucked up though.

This is a pretty standard path. It's one of the few industries where you still have to "work your way up." It's assumed that everyone from the coffee getter to the phone answerer is really working there because they want to someday be an editor. There are definitely other opportunities for literary editing that aren't the Big 5 though.

 

[frap]

Naver AKA Webtoon is trying to turn microtransactions into a business model for books via their new app Yonder. They have apparently put millions of dollars into this and they really want to make their tokens-for-pages business model work in the Western market.



I hope the whole thing collapses and the various creatives who signed contracts with Naver don't get screwed too badly. Luckily, the initial launch of the app doesn't appear to have gone too well.

I don't have the receipts to hand but a few weeks back some Webtoon Original creators on Twitter were saying Webtoon don't pay for pre-production, had been withholding fastpass payments and basically don't give them any info on how much they've earned.

 

[JJLiautaud]

Naver AKA Webtoon is trying to turn microtransactions into a business model for books via their new app Yonder. They have apparently put millions of dollars into this and they really want to make their tokens-for-pages business model work in the Western market.



I hope the whole thing collapses and the various creatives who signed contracts with Naver don't get screwed too badly. Luckily, the initial launch of the app doesn't appear to have gone too well.

That sounds gay as hell i already have to pirate books because I cant afford to keep my self in books, so fuck paying by the page.

 

[A Widdle Woach]

Isn’t Amazon trying something similar to the WEBTOON thing with their Kindle Vella?
It looks like you pay per chapter? Honestly I haven’t looked into it too much because it’s not something I’m interested in at all but if that’s how it works that’s a terrible idea for fanfic quality “book’s” that aren’t even completed yet.

 

[Mola Ram]

Isn’t Amazon trying something similar to the WEBTOON thing with their Kindle Vella?
It looks like you pay per chapter? Honestly I haven’t looked into it too much because it’s not something I’m interested in at all but if that’s how it works that’s a terrible idea for fanfic quality “book’s” that aren’t even completed yet.

Since this model began with Wattpad's Paid Program, you are more right than you know. It even included the token thing in the form of "coins." Since Webtoon bought Wattpad not that long ago, I'm not sure the faggotry didn't start with those filthy snowbacks.

 

[Three Gorillion Dollars]

Isn’t Amazon trying something similar to the WEBTOON thing with their Kindle Vella?
It looks like you pay per chapter? Honestly I haven’t looked into it too much because it’s not something I’m interested in at all but if that’s how it works that’s a terrible idea for fanfic quality “book’s” that aren’t even completed yet.

It's better to say that Amazon tried, I believe. From what I understand, while Vella still operates, it was basically dead on arrival and Amazon quickly cut the number of people they had working on it. Vella had the exact same issue but on Amazon's own platform: it was competing with itself. Why would I pay by the chapter if I could hop over to their ebook store and buy an equivalent book for a few dollars more?