Comments on: How Stupid Can Stupid Be? http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/ Dissecting the publishing industry with love and skepticism Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:02:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Lilly http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-166754 Lilly Sat, 13 Oct 2007 10:25:41 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-166754 "most of us have genitalia"? “most of us have genitalia”?

]]> By: Lauren Dane http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80167 Lauren Dane Mon, 06 Jun 2005 19:54:42 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80167 Tracey - excellent point! And Kelly, we aren't talking about rights in the classic legal sense, we're discussing them in a broader sense. Now I personally find your arguments to be specious wrt erotic romance, but you have a right (both legally and in the broader sense) to express them. Whether your like erotic romance or not, it isn't a very small minority, tens of thousands of readers buy it, big brick and mortar publishers are now doing erotic romance lines (including berkeley jove, harlequin, etc). More than that, as authors why on earth are we begrudging each other so much? RWA is all too eager to take money under the guise of being all about the authors, but when it comes right down to it, apparently there are authors and there are authors. Frankly, it embarrasses me that writers are so eager to see other writers get pushed out the door, it seems counterintuitive. Lauren Tracey – excellent point!

And Kelly, we aren’t talking about rights in the classic legal sense, we’re discussing them in a broader sense. Now I personally find your arguments to be specious wrt erotic romance, but you have a right (both legally and in the broader sense) to express them. Whether your like erotic romance or not, it isn’t a very small minority, tens of thousands of readers buy it, big brick and mortar publishers are now doing erotic romance lines (including berkeley jove, harlequin, etc). More than that, as authors why on earth are we begrudging each other so much?

RWA is all too eager to take money under the guise of being all about the authors, but when it comes right down to it, apparently there are authors and there are authors. Frankly, it embarrasses me that writers are so eager to see other writers get pushed out the door, it seems counterintuitive.

Lauren

]]> By: Yasmine Galenorn http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80166 Yasmine Galenorn Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:56:44 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80166 So, maybe we should avoid offending everybody and make all covers stark with only titles created from an approved list of words? Sheesh...censorship in action. Shades of Fahrenheit 451. If we go out of our way to offend everybody, there won't BE any books. Back east, somewhere, someone took action to ban one of my books from their local library due to content. I know how that made me feel, and I can easily imagine how it would make me feel if I belonged to an organization who willingly took my dues but refused to promote my work because of cover or content. Especially cover, over which authors have so little control. Methinks a storm has broken within the ranks of RWA. Yasmine Galenorn So, maybe we should avoid offending everybody and make all covers stark with only titles created from an approved list of words?

Sheesh…censorship in action. Shades of Fahrenheit 451. If we go out of our way to offend everybody, there won’t BE any books. Back east, somewhere, someone took action to ban one of my books from their local library due to content. I know how that made me feel, and I can easily imagine how it would make me feel if I belonged to an organization who willingly took my dues but refused to promote my work because of cover or content. Especially cover, over which authors have so little control. Methinks a storm has broken within the ranks of RWA.

Yasmine Galenorn

]]> By: Robin Bayne http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80165 Robin Bayne Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:47:21 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80165 PBW--thanks for posting your blog link. Very helpful. PBW–thanks for posting your blog link. Very helpful.

]]> By: Kate http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80144 Kate Mon, 06 Jun 2005 16:17:05 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80144 Wow. That cover? Was BANNED? The fact is that the board members of RWA are probably wishing they'd run for some local government board instead. I would if I were them-- in fact I wish they had and I'm not them....(what a thankless job) Wow. That cover? Was BANNED?

The fact is that the board members of RWA are probably wishing they’d run for some local government board instead. I would if I were them– in fact I wish they had and I’m not them….(what a thankless job)

]]> By: Tracey Lyons http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80098 Tracey Lyons Mon, 06 Jun 2005 14:47:05 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80098 Man, oh Man! What a hot topic this has become. This whole new graphics standard by RWA makes me want to go out and write my own erotica romance just for the heck of it! I've pubbed in historical with sex and sweet historical. I think what disturbs me the most is the fact that members pay dues to the organization and they should be supporting the first amendmant issues not going against our freedom of speach. I am also left wondering what all of the publishers have to say about this? I'm more uspet about the fact that they specifically target what is acceptable or not on bookcoers. It doesn't matter how you cut it, this is censorship. I would also wonder if erotica authors couldn't come up with a class action law suit, that this organization is now infringing on their rights. I don't know just some more of my ramblings. Man, oh Man! What a hot topic this has become. This whole new graphics standard by RWA makes me want to go out and write my own erotica romance just for the heck of it! I’ve pubbed in historical with sex and sweet historical. I think what disturbs me the most is the fact that members pay dues to the organization and they should be supporting the first amendmant issues not going against our freedom of speach. I am also left wondering what all of the publishers have to say about this? I’m more uspet about the fact that they specifically target what is acceptable or not on bookcoers. It doesn’t matter how you cut it, this is censorship. I would also wonder if erotica authors couldn’t come up with a class action law suit, that this organization is now infringing on their rights. I don’t know just some more of my ramblings.

]]> By: PBW http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80097 PBW Mon, 06 Jun 2005 14:06:03 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80097 Normally I don't pimp my weblog posts on other people's blogs, but I contacted Ann Jacobs, the author whom RWA refused to allow to sign her novel at their BEA booth, and asked if she would tell me what happened. Her response, along with a .jpg of the cover art for the book in question, are posted over at my place: http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2005/06/ann-jacobs.html Wherever you are on this issue, forget about the rumors and get the facts. Normally I don’t pimp my weblog posts on other people’s blogs, but I contacted Ann Jacobs, the author whom RWA refused to allow to sign her novel at their BEA booth, and asked if she would tell me what happened. Her response, along with a .jpg of the cover art for the book in question, are posted over at my place:

http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2005/06/ann-jacobs.html

Wherever you are on this issue, forget about the rumors and get the facts.

]]> By: Robin Bayne http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80096 Robin Bayne Mon, 06 Jun 2005 13:41:22 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80096 Kate--- they dissolved the incorporated version of the group (WRW)-- the one with dues and bylaws. Now we are an online loop-group which is free to all : ) Kate— they dissolved the incorporated version of the group (WRW)– the one with dues and bylaws. Now we are an online loop-group which is free to all : )

]]> By: Kate http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80095 Kate Mon, 06 Jun 2005 13:09:42 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80095 Lori S-- the website for WRW says "as of November 15th, 2003, the nonprofit organization World Romance Writers, Inc. was dissolved." ?? Lori S–

the website for WRW says “as of November 15th, 2003, the nonprofit organization World Romance Writers, Inc. was dissolved.”

??

]]> By: Kate http://booksquare.com/how-stupid-can-stupid-be/comment-page-1/#comment-80094 Kate Mon, 06 Jun 2005 13:06:48 +0000 http://www.booksquare.com/archives/2005/06/04/1382/#comment-80094 and booksquare brings up another issue: Is RWA strictly M/F? What about romance between two women or two men? I'm not a gay male, but stories like Kiss of the Spiderwoman get to me in a big way because they're about love and sacrifice....hmmm. Not sure about the HEA on that one. Anyway, there are wonderful gay and lesbian love stories out there. They're absolutely romance. Is there a stance on that question? and booksquare brings up another issue: Is RWA strictly M/F?

What about romance between two women or two men? I’m not a gay male, but stories like Kiss of the Spiderwoman get to me in a big way because they’re about love and sacrifice….hmmm. Not sure about the HEA on that one. Anyway, there are wonderful gay and lesbian love stories out there. They’re absolutely romance. Is there a stance on that question?

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