Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
I would imagine that virtually all of us fit that qualification. Does that mean we're all midlist authors?  |
I suppose if you're a published author, then by my standards, yes. I know you're trying to be sarcastic but...
I think it's easier to see the distinction between the top tier and the mid tier though. Again, in contemporary fantasy and sci-fi you have the clear-cut top tier of J.K. Rowling, Stephen King (if you want to call him fantasy, some people do), Stephanie Myers, Jim Butcher, George R.R. Martin, Pat Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercombie, Peter F. Hamilton, David Weber... All these writers have huge book deals and hit either the NYT or Sunday Times top 20 (usually the top 10).
I think it's a lot murkier once you try to draw a distinction between writers like Alastair Reynolds, Tobias Buckell, R. Scott Bakker, and Matthew Stover... some of whom are very successful and sell a lot of books but have never had a best seller (like Reynolds) and others who make a living, but don't sell a ton of books.
I don't think there really is a way to decide between midlist and below midlist. Is Jim C. Hines midlist? He's certainly a name in the field, but he only makes about $60,000 a year off of his writing, certainly not enough to justify quitting his day job.
What about Jeff A. Carver? He's been publishing forever, but never had a best seller. He pretty much remains unknown outside of hardcore SF fans... are his sales low enough to somehow fall below the "midlist" designation though?
****I'm talking entirely about sales, BTW, not quality.