Catherynne Valente takes down her own award-winning ebook

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by oggelbe2007

I wonder how many fans/readers consider an authors personality when they decide to read a particular book? If an author is really a jerk how likely are you to actively seek out their work and spend the time/effort reading it? Does that factor in at all? I'm not implying anything about this particular author but just authors in general.

I consider everything I know about an author when deciding on purchases.

I don't buy from authors who "don't allow" fanfiction of their works. (I don't believe authors have the legal right to prevent it, hence the quotes. But authors who want to prevent transformative or parodic use of their characters are in the no-buy list.)

I don't buy from authors who campaign against same-sex marriages, or who support racist politics, or who want to curtail women's reproductive rights.

That doesn't mean I google every potential author before purchasing--but an author who makes it into my sphere of awareness as being *known* for traits I find vile, doesn't get money from me.

Authors who are dicks to their fans are in a weird quasi-category. I don't directly boycott rudeness, but it's possible I'd think over the situation I know about and decide, "Not giving her any money today"--and "today" might happen to be any day I was considering buying the book. Or it might not; I don't try to keep mental tabs on who's been a jerk online. (I have enough problems keeping track of who's joined the ranks of psycho fascists; I am not wasting braincells tracking general rudeness.)

[DawnFalcon]

"I don't directly boycott rudeness"

I boycott rudeness directed at me. This is unfortunately common among non-Baen scifi authors, it seems.

[J. Strnad]

I'd still like to know particulars. How long did the whole process take? How much were donations? (I know she probably wouldn't want to divulge that!) How long was the entire work up after the last chapter was written? How long was it up after the award was announced?

Did people believe that that, by donating during production, that would be all the money she would ever receive for her work, and that the book would remain forever free on the internet? That doesn't seem like a realistic expectation to me.

One would have to have a lot, lot, lot more clout than any beginning author, regardless of awards won, to convince a print publisher that it was okay to leave the whole book up on a website, for free, once a print edition was in the offing.

[AnemicOak]

It sounds like she put this up for free and then said hey, if you want to add to the tip jar/donate that'd be great. Is that right?


Or was this something more structured like Tim Pratt is doing where it's spelled out if you dontate X you'll get this, etc.?

Broken Mirrors is a free, serialized online novel about sorcerer Marla Mason by T.A. Pratt, supported by donations from readers. Pay what you like, but the more you give, the more you get. All prizes will be shipped after the serial ends, in late 2010. Prizes are:

Below $10: My heartfelt thanks, because it really does add up.

$10 and up: Your name in the acknowledgments of the print version and online.

$20 and up: A Marla Mason bookmark.

$40 and up ($50 and up overseas): A signed limited edition chapbook featuring a new Marla Mason story.

$60 and up ($70 and up overseas): A free, signed print copy of Broken Mirrors as soon as it's available from Merry Blacksmith Press.

$100 and up ($110 and up overseas): A personal handwritten postcard from Marla to you. May contain light profanity and bad doodles.

$200 and up: A single-page Marla comic by Justin Pierce, suitable for framing.

$300 and up: I name a character -- or spell, or aircraft, or something else in the book -- after you, or use a name we mutually agree upon. It's a great gift: immortalize your loved ones! Or yourself.

$400 and up: A poster of the cover art from your choice from Blood Engines, Poison Sleep, and Dead Reign, signed by artist Daniel Dos Santos.

$600 and up: A giclee print of the cover art from your choice of Blood Engines, Poison Sleep, or Dead Reign, signed by artist Daniel Dos Santos.

$2000 and up: I'll write a Marla Mason short story just for you, to be produced in a signed chapbook limited edition of a single copy.

$5,000 and up: I'll dedicate Broken Mirrors to you.

$10,000 and up: I'll hand-deliver a print copy to your door and make you a nice dinner at a time of our mutual agreement, and do a reading for you and your friends. (Destinations outside the US may require additional airfare. Query if you live in Australia or Europe or something and you're interested and we'll figure it out.)

Amounts are cumulative, so if you do many small donations, you get rewards based on the total you donated during the months the book is being posted.

Or was it behind some kind of paywall? (doesn't sound like it)

[J. Strnad]

Wow. Maybe I'm really cheap...okay, I DEFINITELY am really cheap...but if I donated five bucks to a project like that, I'd figure I'd done my part!

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Wow. Maybe I'm really cheap...okay, I DEFINITELY am really cheap...but if I donated five bucks to a project like that, I'd figure I'd done my part!

I'm sure the $2-$10 range are what most folks do. Pratt's idea is kinda neat I think and I hope it's successful for him.

[Dusty Bottoms]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

It sounds like she put this up for free and then said hey, if you want to add to the tip jar/donate that'd be great. Is that right?


Or was this something more structured like Tim Pratt is doing where it's spelled out if you dontate X you'll get this, etc.?

I have to get in on some of this action myself.

I'm writing a fantasy serial novel about a witch or a warlock or maybe it's a vampire pilot who works for Pan Am, something like that, probably a lot like Buffy but with more sex in it, awkward sex, the kind of sex where you spend a good few weeks taking extra showers hoping you can scrub down to your memories. It's called Hungry Moon Woman, or maybe it's Moon Vampire Wizard Cat..something like that, and here's my pricing plan:



$5 And I will exclude these phrases from at least one of the awkward paranormal love scenes - "Downy mound', "Honey Well" and "Throbbing Gristle" (not to be confused with the band)

$10 And I will write your name, in biro on my flesh and send you a photo (in email). $5 extra for hyphenated names. $10 extra for anything 'South Of The Border". Add $20 if your name is hard to spell or Welsh.

$25 gets you a bookmark that I will steal from the local book store (most of them have moons on them, or pithy sayings about walking in the sand and God and bright lights and such)

$50 I will mention you in the credits of the book, online.

$100 I will mention you in the credits of the book, online, and I'll get your name right.

$200 I will mention you in the credits online, get your name right, and say that we once kissed, with tongues and everything. Add $50 if you're ugly or Welsh.

$250 Same as above, plus I'll send you a picture of all the creatures in the forest that died to get you a paper book.

$300 For a full week I will go by the name Maria Von Strumpet the Ninth and affect a faux irish accent.

$500 I will watch one of the Twilght movies in its entirety without vomiting blood.

$1000 I will watch two of the Twilight movies without vomiting blood

$2000 I will come to your house watch one of the Twilight movies with you and not beat you so hard that you vomit blood.

$5000 I will sever the finger of any enemy of your choice, Yakuza style, and deliver it to you on a purple satin bed within a hand-crafted ebony box that bares the legend : "I donated 5k and all I got was this lousy severed digit!"

$10,0000 I will discover a cure for all known diseases and then instead of letting them name the cures after me, I'll give them your name instead. I will also come to your house, cook you a dinner made from the meat of endangered animals, pour you a wine that Odin himself brewed and mop your forehead with the missing passages of the Bible (the ones where Jesus goes off to become a haberdasher's assistant in Gethsemane).


$1million - I will read any Dan Brown novel of your choosing.


Now that's a business model.

[GeoffC]

[dmikov]

What can I get for a buck?

[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by dmikov

What can I get for a buck?

Some venison steaks, a big piece of leather and some antlers to hang on your wall but I'm not sure what that has to do with ebooks? Maybe you could try trading those things at the general store for an ebook.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Iphinome

I'm going to just parrot elfwreck here, she had the right to do it. But it wasn't nice, taking donations implied that it was paid for that's all.

You threw some books up already finished and can take them down at your pleasure. She put hers up bit by bit and took donations in exchange for posting the next chapter. Think of it as someone building a castle and every day people who think castles are pretty cool come by and drop off a few home depot gift cards to keep the project going. Then when the castle is finished someone picks it up with a helicopter and flies it away. The people who offered their help stand there stunned saying what the hell.

Her choice, no laws broken, no promise to keep the castle where it was built. Just... I don't have the words. uncool I guess. If i were the publicist I'd be offering people who donated over a certain level autographed hardcovers or something to try to smooth ruffled feathers and maybe everyone who donated a coupon for a discount on the hardcover. Something to show those people that they really do matter because they probably feel used right now. But that's just me, I think a short term hit in income beats long term bad will.

Originally Posted by Iphinome

I understand there can be a difference of opinion and I'm not overly familiar with this situation just what I've read since the thread was posted thank you for seeing my side you're far more polite than some other people. In another thread I'm being crucified as a thief and a freeloader for arguing in favor of shorter copyright so a civil disagreement feel like you just gave me a big hug and a cookie.

I read this nodding my head in agreement the whole way. Well said. I also agree with GeoffC and his parallel to Charles Dickens works.

I have chocolate milk and pecan sandies to share.

[Iphinome]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I read this nodding my head in agreement the whole way. Well said. I also agree with GeoffC and his parallel to Charles Dickens works.

I have chocolate milk and pecan sandies to share.

I'm afraid I would fear poison.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Iphinome

I'm afraid I would fear poison.

Now, now. None of that. I'm a firm believer in civil disagreement. We all have opinions and should be free to express them. We can agree on some things and disagree on others. It's all good.

Cookie?

[GeoffC]

Chocolate ?

[kennyc]

Yes!