Reading in January 2012

[Chrysippus]

Just finished The Dragon's Path. Between that and Leviathan Wakes, I realize I've been missing out on this Daniel Abraham guy. I'm going to have to go back and read The Long Price Quartet at some point.

In the meantime, I'm trying to decide if I ought to start Chris Wooding's Retribution Falls before the semester starts Tuesday, or if I'll have to take my typical semester-long hiatus from fiction.

 

[Contrarius]

Just finished The Dragon's Path. Between that and Leviathan Wakes, I realize I've been missing out on this Daniel Abraham guy. I'm going to have to go back and read The Long Price Quartet at some point.

That's how I've been feeling, too. Dunno why the man insists on all these pen names, but he's obviously a writer of talent. I gotta read both the Quartet and his UF (under yet another pen name) one of these days.

As for me, I've had stomach flu this week -- Yech! -- and somehow it made me want to read romance novels rather than finishing Bloodshot. Self-pity, melodrama, I guess they go together.... So anyway, I'm not through with Bloodshot (Cherie Priest) yet, but in general I feel kinda "eh" about it. I like the general casual narrative style, and the audio reader is very good, but I just don't care that much about the characters or the plot. Oh well!

 

[Loerwyn]

That's how I've been feeling, too. Dunno why the man insists on all these pen names, but he's obviously a writer of talent. I gotta read both the Quartet and his UF (under yet another pen name) one of these days.

Well, AFAIK he only has two names - Daniel Abraham (under which his fantasy is published) and M.L.N. Hanover for his Urban Fantasy. James S.A. Corey is the one he shares with Ty Franck, and probably makes it an easier sell than "Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck". I don't know if it's for any particular kind of research, but it seems like it might be an attempt to keep them separate.

It's not uncommon for authors to use pseudonyms, though. Robin Hobb is one, for example, and I believe a number of authors also use them for Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance.

 

[Contrarius]

Well, AFAIK he only has two names - Daniel Abraham (under which his fantasy is published) and M.L.N. Hanover for his Urban Fantasy. James S.A. Corey is the one he shares with Ty Franck, and probably makes it an easier sell than "Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck". I don't know if it's for any particular kind of research, but it seems like it might be an attempt to keep them separate.

Three seems overboard to me. I don't even understand the UF/non-UF pseudonym thing, and off hand I can only think of one other author who does it (Seanan McGuire). And lots of authors co-write without a new pseudonym, too. But this is all just IMHO. If I were writing em myself I'd want to spread one "brand" name as widely as possible rather than fracturing my market that way, but of course the authors get to make their own decisions!

 

[Loerwyn]

I think it's a way for the author to define their brands better. Daniel Abraham is equated with fantasy, James S.A. Corey with space opera/sci-fi and Hanover with Urban Fantasy. That's three brands that Abraham can keep separate. It also makes for much easier recommendations/book finding. If someone said "I want something more like Abraham" and all his work was under one name, which would they mean? The UF, the fantasy, the sci-fi? If you liked The Dragon's Path, there's no guarantee you'd like his UF books as they're a different genre (IMHO) completely.

 

[Contrarius]

I think it's a way for the author to define their brands better. Daniel Abraham is equated with fantasy, James S.A. Corey with space opera/sci-fi and Hanover with Urban Fantasy. That's three brands that Abraham can keep separate. It also makes for much easier recommendations/book finding. If someone said "I want something more like Abraham" and all his work was under one name, which would they mean? The UF, the fantasy, the sci-fi? If you liked The Dragon's Path, there's no guarantee you'd like his UF books as they're a different genre (IMHO) completely.

Yeah, I'm sure that's the reasoning behind it. But if I were doing it, I'd rather keep the same name so people could see how versatile I am -- and make it easier for fans in one sub-genre to find my work in other sub-genres. There's been many other authors writing in multiple sub-genres under one name -- from Bujold to Heinlein to Zelazny -- so I just don't buy that there's a need to divide em up now. But like I said -- the author gets to choose how he wants to sell his own books!

 

[Rob B]

Next up for me: Well of Sorrows by Benjamin Tate. I've been wanting to get to this one for a while now (since last year). With it being the February Book Club Selection here at SFFWorld and the sequel (Leaves of Flame) publishing this month, I figured now is as good a time as any.

 

[Contrarius]

Next up for me: Well of Sorrows by Benjamin Tate. I've been wanting to get to this one for a while now (since last year). With it being the February Book Club Selection here at SFFWorld and the sequel (Leaves of Flame) publishing this month, I figured now is as good a time as any.

Hey Rob --

I took a look at this over at Amazon, and it looks kinda YA. What's your general impression of it?

 

[beniowa]

Regarding the pseudonym thing, it's not just an UF thing. A lot of authors do it when they cross genres. I've even seen authors who had several names just within one genre itself.

Also, according to Abraham, another reason for the pseudonym was because his last name is at the beginning of the alphabet. Apparently, one of the reasons his Long Price stuff didn't do so well (besides Tor's major eff-up) was that when most people go to the bookstore, they tend to grab from the middle of the alphabet instead of the either end. I don't get this as I look from A to Z myself, but what do I know.

 

[Danogzilla]

Yeah, I'm sure that's the reasoning behind it. But if I were doing it, I'd rather keep the same name so people could see how versatile I am -- and make it easier for fans in one sub-genre to find my work in other sub-genres. There's been many other authors writing in multiple sub-genres under one name -- from Bujold to Heinlein to Zelazny -- so I just don't buy that there's a need to divide em up now. But like I said -- the author gets to choose how he wants to sell his own books!

I think it also has to do with the publishers. I've heard they sometimes won't buy a SF book from a mystery writer (or whatever combination crossing genres) because, "you are a mystery writer."

 

[Rob B]

The whole pseudonym thing...Loerwyn is close to the point.

Hey Rob --

I took a look at this over at Amazon, and it looks kinda YA. What's your general impression of it?

I'm only three chapters into at thus far and can say the protagonist is very young. I don't get a sense this is a YA novel. Regardless of what you call it, I'm pretty into it so far. I'll save more of my thoughts for the Fantasy Book Club discussion.

 

[Contrarius]

Regarding the pseudonym thing, it's not just an UF thing. A lot of authors do it when they cross genres. I've even seen authors who had several names just within one genre itself.

Like who?

Also, according to Abraham, another reason for the pseudonym was because his last name is at the beginning of the alphabet. Apparently, one of the reasons his Long Price stuff didn't do so well (besides Tor's major eff-up) was that when most people go to the bookstore, they tend to grab from the middle of the alphabet instead of the either end. I don't get this as I look from A to Z myself, but what do I know.

Ehhhh, I ain't buyin' this one. Abnett, Ackerman, Adams, Aldiss, Alexander,, Anderson, Anthony, Asaro, Asher, Asimov, Asprin all seem to do just fine.

I'm only three chapters into at thus far and can say the protagonist is very young. I don't get a sense this is a YA novel. Regardless of what you call it, I'm pretty into it so far. I'll save more of my thoughts for the Fantasy Book Club discussion.

Thanks Rob!

 

[algernoninc]

finished Od Magic by Patricia McKillip. I was already a fan of her books, but this one is now in my top 3, together with Winter Rose and Riddlemaster. It is mostly about the wild and ancient nature of magic, and how it cannot be tamed and put into fixed rules, something Brandon Sanderson might disagree with, but that I found quite appealing. It is also proof that McKillip can write funny characters, and use a lighter mood for storytelling.

I'm reading now Swan Song by Robert McCammon. I can see the connection to The Stand by Stephen King : in the rotating POV, in the inclusion of supernatural elements.

Also started Black Lung Captain by Chris Wooding. Looking forward to some space pirates action.

 

[Loerwyn]

Ehhhh, I ain't buyin' this one. Abnett, Ackerman, Adams, Aldiss, Alexander,, Anderson, Anthony, Asaro, Asher, Asimov, Asprin all seem to do just fine.

Established name (actually, Abnett has greater prominence in the "licensed titles" section of a bookstore, if yours separates the D&D/40k books), no idea, established name, established name, um... Prydain guy? Established, not sure, not sure, not sure, Established, Established, not sure.

Most of those are authors known for various things, but Abraham does have a point. In my local Waterstones (no apostrophe now!) store, the As and a few Bs or Cs are generally at a right angle to the other books due to the SF/F/H section being at a corner, so it's easy to miss them as they're not in front of you.

 

[Rob B]

Regarding the pseudonym thing, it's not just an UF thing. A lot of authors do it when they cross genres. I've even seen authors who had several names just within one genre itself.

Like who?

Also, according to Abraham, another reason for the pseudonym was because his last name is at the beginning of the alphabet. Apparently, one of the reasons his Long Price stuff didn't do so well (besides Tor's major eff-up) was that when most people go to the bookstore, they tend to grab from the middle of the alphabet instead of the either end. I don't get this as I look from A to Z myself, but what do I know.

Ehhhh, I ain't buyin' this one. Abnett, Ackerman, Adams, Aldiss, Alexander,, Anderson, Anthony, Asaro, Asher, Asimov, Asprin all seem to do just fine.

I've seen the genre switch mentioned a lot, another to start fresh as a new author since once an author is in the publishing databases, changing things is a beast.

From an interview with Abraham:

A few years back, I was at Worldcon, and I listened to a panel with Walter Mosley. He told a story about being in a bookstore and seeing one of his science fiction books shelved in mystery. He took it to the information desk and explained that it was in the wrong section. The infodesk critter said “On no, that’s Walter Mosely. He writes mystery.” Mosely said “I’m Walter Mosely,” and he said he could see the guy thinking and you write mystery.

Authors names are brands for their writing, whether we like that or not. And I have had a lot of people tell me that they aren’t like that, that they’d follow a writer they like to any subject matter.

The evidence is that they’re in the minority. If that were true, more people would have read Stephen Donaldson’s Gap series. John Grisham’s baseball novel would have found its audience. Booksellers wouldn’t have said that Walter Jon Williams – one of the best writers in the field – is hard to sell because he’s written so many different things that no one knows what a “Walter Jon Williams” book is. Even George R.R. Martin. If anyone has a name to conjure with, you’d think it was George. But I co- wrote a novel – Hunter’s Run – with him, and the Song of Ice and Fire fans didn’t pick it up. I think the way you meet peoples expectations is tell them what they’re going to get with the name of the author. Richard Stark wrote straight-ahead crime thrillers, Donald Westlake wrote humorous ones. Daniel Abraham writes epic fantasy, James. S. A. Corey writes space opera, MLN Hanover writes urban fantasy. Walter Mosely writes mystery.

Now there are places you can play where that doesn’t happen. YA fiction, for instance, has a different dynamic. And as far as I can tell, no rules apply to Neil Gaiman.

Jack Campbell is the pen name of John G. Hemry. Here's an interview where he explains another reason for the pseudonym:

Why do you use the pseudonym Jack Campbell when writing your Lost Fleet series of books?

That has to do with the nature of the publishing industry. In the US, the big chain bookstores use software to decide how many copies of an author’s new book to order for their shelves. The software does this by looking at prior sales, and tends to lowball what it orders. Given this, it is very easy to end up in a sort of death spiral. The software sees the chain sold five copies of the last book, so it orders three of the next. Maybe the chain only sells those three, so the software orders just one of the book after that. The author gets to the point where the pre-orders from the bookstores are so small that the book has no chance of taking off.

I get caught in that down spiral and by the end of my second series my agent and my publisher both strongly advised that I come up with a new name. The software at the bookstores would see a “new” author and order enough copies of the next books that my series would have a decent opportunity to succeed. I came up with Jack Campbell because my father and my son are named Jack, and because my family has Campbells in our ancestry.

It worked. The Lost Fleet books have done very well, and now it seems I am
going to be writing as Jack Campbell for some time to come.

Coming from the book industry, I hate to concur with Campbell, but a lot of it is down to the databases and ordering software used by the distributors and booksellers.

 

[Contrarius]

Established name

That was kinda my point. They were able to become established and successful while using their own dreaded "A" names.

I think the way you meet peoples expectations is tell them what they’re going to get with the name of the author.

I think he's selling readers short. And I'll repeat my earlier comment about other sff writers doing just fine while writing in multiple subgenres under the same name -- vis Bujold, Asimov, Heinlein, Zelazny, Card, and so on.

Look, this doesn't need to be a huge argument. Abraham obviously gets to use however many names he likes. I just happen to think it's a dumb thing to do -- and, believe it or not, I'm allowed to think that.

 

[Rob B]

Look, this doesn't need to be a huge argument. Abraham obviously gets to use however many names he likes. I just happen to think it's a dumb thing to do -- and, believe it or not, I'm allowed to think that.

No, you must think how I tell you to think.

And you're right, for some writers it works to do different things under one name and vicey-versey.

As to an earlier question about Well of Sorrows, I blew through the first 100 pages yesterday. Gripping stuff I thought and the more I think about it, the less I think of it as YA.

 

[Randy M.]

SHARP TEETH by Toby Barlow

Wow. Only 30 pages read and already I'm sucked in. I hope it lives up to its promise.


Randy M.

 

[JustaStaffer]

Just finished:

Robert Jackson Bennett's The Troupe, which feels a little like something Gaiman might have written.

Saladin Ahmed's Throne of the Crescent Moon, which I totally loved.

Probably going to Peter Brett's Desert Spear or Arctic Rising, the new Buckell.

 

[Siberian]

I have followed a similar principle, only under different nick, Robert Jordan principle, since I read the first 8 books of the Wheel of Time series and then realized the series was not finished!
Never again. So far, not even one violation

Funny, I have exactly the same rule for exactly the same reason.
It doesn't apply to the series of loosely connected or mostly self-contained books (Dresden Files, for example).

Maybe I miss out on Martin and other great authors, but I can deal with it better than with waiting