B&A Writers: True/False Survey?

[Steven J Pemberton]

1) If a writer describes his work as the next ___ (already existing work), it is likely a copy-cat version/fan fiction. True if the writer says it (maybe not if someone else says it)

2) If you can't discovery write then you're more pragmatic than creative. (Discovery writing = polite term for making it up as you go along.) Maybe.

3) There should be a measure of book quality beyond critical reviews and the NY times best sellers list. Maybe. We already have sites like Goodreads.

4) Electronic publishing will flood the market with so much low quality work that publishers will begin to offer more money for better quality writers (This is clearly subjective and can't be measured by fallacy/fact but answer based on your opinion) True for the first part but false for the second. There's already a lot of crap out there, but it's hard to find unless you go looking for it.

5) Your book is written/constructed at better quality than some notable writers who received critical acclaim. I couldn't possibly comment.

6) It doesn't matter how hard a writer works, they should not be published unless it meets publishable quality. End of. False. It made sense in the days of physical bookshops, who had limited shelf space and so had to stock what they thought would make the most money. Online bookshops have no limit on shelf space, and the cost of adding a book to their catalogue is next to zero, so there's no compelling reason to keep anyone out. Had you said, "They should not be *read* unless they meet publishable quality," I'd agree.

7) You are anxious to talk about your story to a trusted friend but hate listening to plot synopsis by over anxious acquaintances. Not really.

8) Writing is your winning lottery ticket. False. I enjoy writing, most of the time, but I doubt I'll ever make a living from it.

9) You aged 40 years overnight and developed instantaneous Alzheimer's. Stumbling on your latest story that you don't remember writing, you read through it and see that it's not very good. You criticize whoever wrote it for the errors they made. Probably. I feel like that now with books I wrote ten years ago.

10) If you don't get your story out into the world, your legacy, your very individual thoughts and observations of life will be gone. That's a scary thought. True.

11) A publisher agrees to publish your book but printing mistakes are made to the point where the typos negatively impact your sales, and thus..impacts your contract (and how many future books they print). You would sue the publisher and find a new one. If I sued, I would probably lose, but if they wanted to print fewer copies of the next book, I would find a new publisher if I could.

12) Your book was finally published and did better than you ever expected. 7 months after your book's release, a competitor released their own novel and it has remarkable similarities to your own story. You would contact your publisher and agent to discuss potential copyright infringement. If it came out only 7 months after mine, he couldn't have copied me, unless an insider leaked mine. But why would anyone do that?

13) You worked several years on your controversial story. It was finally published and received critical acclaim. But following its release, a very similar event occurred in real life, triggering outrage by readers (and conspiracy theorists who claimed you were somehow involved with the horrible event). Out of respect for the social upheaval and fan reactions, you take your book out of print. False. I would probably stop marketing it, or ask the publisher to stop, but probably wouldn't make it unavailable, as that would just fuel the conspiracy theories.


Bonus Question:

1) If you could shrink a large animal into a lap animal, what would it be and why? I don't know... I'm not really an animal lover.
2) What is your favorite music era? The 1980s, I suppose, as it was when I grew up.
3) If something else could change colors in the autumn, what would you want it to be (other than leaves/plants?) Buses. Just because.