Second Chances?

[Nick]

Do you believe in second chances for an author? If you read one of their books and don't like it, is that it for you? Or do you let them have a second crack at it? Maybe they were new writers, after all. Or not?​

 

[Henrywrites]

It depends on how popular an author is. I can give a second chance, if the author is one that has written good books in the past.

 

[Bryan]

If they're bad, they're bad. Unfortunately, there are so many writers around these days that I don't think you have time to squander on second chances, third or fourth. Of course, some exceptions will arise every now and again.

 

[Nick]

I can understand anybody's opinion on the subject, but I feel like I have developed empathy over the years about it. When I started interviewing filmmakers, I did so by first watching their films that they made and then, seeing if they would be willing to do an interview about them. As you might surmise, a lot of the time, I would talk to filmmakers with shoe-string budgets and not a lot of resources to work with. If you base your opinion on one film, it might not factor in all the variables involved. Sometimes you overextend yourselves, sometimes you're in a genre you aren't comfortable with. And sometimes, no matter your best effort, it doesn't work out the way you intended.

The same applies to writing as well, and I have a lot of empathy with that. For some publications, I have practically rewritten entire stories for some people, because they are new and they needed a thoughtful hand that would cover their paper with red-ink without being an asshole about it. It isn't because they are bad, but because they have to learn the ropes first. Afterward, sometimes things play a factor - like editing and formatting and structuring ones' story.

Scott once paid an editor over $1,000 to edit a manuscript. They edited it several times, and for all intents and purposes, I thought they did a good job at it. However, one of the very first reviews that book received on Amazon was somebody telling him he needed to invest in an editor. Sometimes, you don't have the resources available to find each and every fault, and you can only do the best you can. Sometimes a person knows you are a largely independent writer and will zero in on every fault you have because they feel good punching-down at you.

I'm not saying to read somebody you don't like, all I am saying is - a lot of factors go into it, and one sour book doesn't mean that same writer can knock your socks off in a different circumstance.

 

[Rhett]

I can understand anybody's opinion on the subject, but I feel like I have developed empathy over the years about it. When I started interviewing filmmakers, I did so by first watching their films that they made and then, seeing if they would be willing to do an interview about them. As you might surmise, a lot of the time, I would talk to filmmakers with shoe-string budgets and not a lot of resources to work with. If you base your opinion on one film, it might not factor in all the variables involved. Sometimes you overextend yourselves, sometimes you're in a genre you aren't comfortable with. And sometimes, no matter your best effort, it doesn't work out the way you intended.

The same applies to writing as well, and I have a lot of empathy with that. For some publications, I have practically rewritten entire stories for some people, because they are new and they needed a thoughtful hand that would cover their paper with red-ink without being an asshole about it. It isn't because they are bad, but because they have to learn the ropes first. Afterward, sometimes things play a factor - like editing and formatting and structuring ones' story.

Scott once paid an editor over $1,000 to edit a manuscript. They edited it several times, and for all intents and purposes, I thought they did a good job at it. However, one of the very first reviews that book received on Amazon was somebody telling him he needed to invest in an editor. Sometimes, you don't have the resources available to find each and every fault, and you can only do the best you can. Sometimes a person knows you are a largely independent writer and will zero in on every fault you have because they feel good punching-down at you.

I'm not saying to read somebody you don't like, all I am saying is - a lot of factors go into it, and one sour book doesn't mean that same writer can knock your socks off in a different circumstance.

I can respect that. For an independent writer, I would second that. For a famed writer with more than enough resources to deliver a high-production every time, I am less likely to be as considerate - especially because how many writers there are and how little time there is.