Quote:
Originally Posted by starrigger
I don't get it. What are you people complaining about? She put the book up for free for a good long time. Sure, the community helped her, and she helped the community. Then she found a publisher--which is grounds for cheering, not snide remarks--then she won a Nebula, which is also grounds for congratulations--and finally she acceded to her publisher's request to take the free book down. If people liked the book, then she gave good value for the donations. She didn't promise it would go on forever.
One can quibble over whether she might have given more notice, or whether the publisher was smart to demand the takedown. But that's no reason for the kind of condemnation I'm reading here. I've got books up for free download, and some people have made generous donations. If I decide to end the offer at some point, is this the kind of treatment I can look forward to? I hope not.
I think she did a cool thing, and it's a shame it had to end, but that's life.
The one time I took a look at her blog, I saw a lot of expressions of support for her move. She did what she had to do, and most people seem to understand that.
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She cynically used the community as leverage to gain herself a publishing deal. Now, that might have flown years ago when we didn't have instant and probing communication, when writers and audiences weren't making personal connections, but you can't do that now. It's not on, it's sneaky and more than a little ratbagish. On the other hand, you didn't do this. You didn't get the community to sponsor your writing and then turn around and yank that writing once a publisher showed interest. Two very different approaches, with two very different outcomes. You gained respect, she will be considered a ratbag for a very long time.
You don't treat a community like consumers any longer, it's a sure-fire way to lose credibility and foster hatred.