Saturday, January 27, 2007

Write better books!

I had an email this morning. Nothing unusual in that – I get a lot of emails. This one was from a reader. Again, not unusual. But the truth is that I didn’t realise it was a message from a reader at first.

You see, it was headed, like this posting ‘Write better books!’ To be honest, at not quite 7am I looked at the heading and I thought it was some sort of advert – use this programme/follow this course/read this book – and write better books!

It wasn’t. It was - well I can only call it a complaint – a complaint and an exhortation all in one. I was being told, by a reader – we’ll call her X - to write better books. X doesn’t like the ones I’m writing. My stories never go anywhere. She keeps hoping I will improve but I never do.

Well X is entitled to her opinion. You can’t, as they say, please all of the people all of the time. I don’t expect to. Naturally I’m sorry that my books don’t speak to this particular reader, especially as she is, she says, a regular Harlequin Presents reader. So am I. I'm a regular reader of all the HMB lines - and I’d be lying if I said that every single book by every single author in any line speaks to me and I love every last word they publish. Some authors really hit the spot with me as a reader – some miss it by inches, metres – miles . . .

And the ones who miss by miles, I don’t buy. End of story. Their stories are not for me so I don’t read them.

I don’t write to them and tell them to buck their ideas up, change their style of writing for me, and write what I want them to write. Choice. That’s what the world of publishing is based on. Choice. Horses for courses. Different strokes for different folks. If you don’t like my books – don’t read them - buy them - I can live with that. There are plenty of people who love what I write – thousands - hundreds of thousands. If they stopped buying I might worry.

But I don’t think I could write in any very different way. I wouldn't want to. I write as I do - that’s me. That’s Kate Walker.

So I thought, fine. X doesn’t like my books. She’s one of those ‘not for me’ readers. Like I said, I can live with that. Well, I could if I thought she had really had a problem with my books. You see, the next line, after telling me that of all the Presents authors I’m the one who needs to have better stories, tells me that: “Your hero is always rich, and you think you should pair him off with a cry baby who does nothing but whine and cry about something all through the book.”

Excuse me? I know it’s early in the morning. I’ve only started my first cup of coffee and the brain cell isn’t totally awake yet but . . .

Let me re-read that.

Your hero is always rich . . .

Er – I thought you said you read all the Presents every month, X? The Presents hero is always rich – it’s a fact – it’s one of the premises on which the series is built. Name me a Presents book in which the hero isn’t affluent. What about the mini series – Mistress to a Millionaire – The Greek Tycoons – are these guys scrabbling around for a penny or two?

That’s what Presents sells on – it’s what the editors openly declare the line is all about: ‘Meet sophisticated men of the world and captivating women in glamorous, international settings.
When did you last read a Presents novel that didn’t have a rich hero?



But it was the last bit that got me -
. . . and you think you should pair him off with a cry baby who does nothing but whine and cry about something all through the book.

Okay, now I admit I’m confused. I’m trying to think of ‘cry babies I have written.’ To be honest, I’m struggling. I’m not a fan of reading about cry babies myself. I don’t enjoy stories in which the heroine is defeated before she starts, who gives in to everything the hero demands, telling herself she has no choice when it’s blatantly obvious that she does have a choice. A heroine I can’t believe in in the 21st century. I certainly don’t set out to write them. What would be the point of creating a heroine I don’t like? A heroine I can’t think of as just that – a heroine – someone worth writing about.

But then if I find an author who writes those sorts of books then I don’t buy them. I just leave them on the shelves for other people to read them.

Well X is entitled to her opinions. And she’s taken great pains to let me know what they are. I have always said that I reply to every reader’s letter I receive so I shall write back to her. Politely. (Which she was not) I shall tell her that I’m sorry my books don’t appeal to her but that this is how I write. And that actually X, yours is the first and only letter like this I’ve received. And I’m going to continue to write for the hundreds of thousands who are buying my books because they like what they find in them.

And I should warn you all – if you don’t like tears in a romance then the truth is that there’s a moment in The Italian’s Forced Bride when Alice, the heroine does dissolve into tears. Where:


Hot tears flooded her eyes, and spilled out down her cheeks and soaked into the white cotton of the pillow cases.

But there’s a damn good reason why she does break down at this point. I think she’s entitled to her tears. And from all the other letters I’ve had about this book, many of my readers are in tears, or at least blinking hard at that point too.

I write for them. And I’ll continue to do so. Readers who don't like my books can just leave them on the shelves - That suits me fine.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are quite right, everyone is entitled to their opinion: I read all kinds of books and I often come across books I don't like. I don't read any more by that author, or I try again, just in case. People are far more likely to complain than to compliment, but it can be a negative experience. You appear to be a glass half full person, and coping quite well in spite of your inability to 'write better books'!!!

Anonymous said...

Well, reader 'X' has got a right cheek. I am burning with indignation for you at this very moment. How awful for you to get such stuff in the post.
I am sure you won't allow yourself to be downcast by this unpleasantness. Be assured there are plenty of readers out there who love your work and sales figures don't lie do they?
Perhaps X should invest her money in your excellent 12 point guide and write a better book herself?
Best wishes ,
Rachel.

Anonymous said...

Like you said Kate you can't please all of the people all of the time.
My mum always told me if you haven't got anything nice to say then say nothing at all. Now I think that that is great advice.
I am a huge fan of your writing and if you could squeeze out a few extra books a year I'd be very grateful :) after all they're so easy to write aren't they!!
Keep on doing what you do so well Kate.

Chris.

Sela Carsen said...

Pfft. I can honestly say that if Alice *hadn't* cried at that moment, I'd have ceased to care about her completely. I ended up loving her even more because of her tears.

Sela Carsen said...

Pfft. I can honestly say that if Alice *hadn't* cried at that moment, I'd have ceased to care about her completely. I ended up loving her even more because of her tears.

juliemt said...

Take no notice, Kate as there are millions of people the world over who love and look out for your books - and you've the e-mails, the sales figures and the awards and accolades to prove this. As you said so rightly, you can't please them all. However, I've always thought that there is a line between constructive criticism and downright nastiness and sadly that person crossed this line.

Keep on writing your wonderful tales!

Julie

Kate Walker said...

Thank you to all of you for your cheering messages - they mean such a lot to me!

I know that X is only one person but I suspect that writers feel so mcu when their 'babies' are derided - and this one slmmed all of my books!

But yes, Cindy - I think I'm doing okay, specially when I don't seem to know what those 'better books' are :-)
Hi Rachel - and thank you for your indignation on my behalf. And absolutely - sales figures tell a very different story. The truth is that I didn;t feel terribly worried for my writing - as I said in my blog, I write the way I do and I've been successfully published for 20+ years - it was the nasty snipy way the letter was written that annoyed me. And my heroines do NOT whine!! ;-)

Hi Chris - lovely to 'see'you. Me too - the if you can't say anything nice . . advice. If I don;t like someone else's work I just don;t buy/read their books any more - I don't make a point of pulling them to pieces. So you'd like a few extra books a year. hmm? Well - ofg course, i can dash them off so very quickly and without any care - i should be able to oblige!

Hi Sela and Pfft! right back Yes - if Alice hadn't cried at that point I'd probably be receiving messages telling my that she's a hard-hearted bitch -like I said . You can't win them all! Tho I do wonder if X had actually really been reading MY books?

Ah Julie - I knew you wouldn't agree. I love long time readers like you who have been with me for so many years. As long as you enjoy my books then the one waspy comment doesn;t matters. I would be far more worried if ever disappointed a long-term reader.
And yes - very definitely to your comment about that fine line. This wasn't constructive in any way - just plain bad-tempered - but then it only one person's opinion

And I've delted the message from my emails now and intende to forget all about it

 

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