Buy any one of my music CDs and I will include a gold plated commemorative DJT coin. Only $5,999 plus shipping and handling. Hurry. Order while supplies last. (The extra thou is for the CD)
This is so true! We are the same with the New Yorker in our house. There is no way on earth I can keep up with a weekly magazine, but having it laying around makes me feel good. I love the idea of thinking of books as a treasure for superfans- thanks for this thought-provoking post. And agreed- Jane Friedman is the best.
It means we are, at least partially, writing for an audience that will not necessarily read our work. That logically leads to the reality that we, and when I say we I mean we as authors, need to become the type of author that people WANT to read in order to fulfil whatever status they are trying to achieve. In more simple terms, we need to think about how to become authoritative, necessary, or cool. And, most of the time, that takes more than just knowing how to write.
The like is for understanding what you explained. You definitely touch upon something truly important here. Is it limiting to write for an audience? Let’s say we know what the audience wants and we cater for it. How do I challenge myself as a writer? I sometimes wonder if a name will keep readers coming no matter what the content. But then again I want to believe readers who read have a sense of intelligence to pick up anything like that. A writer needs more than writing skills for sure!
Knowing what an audience wants and being able to consistently deliver is actually a huge challenge. I think readers get attached to the writer and the content, but if that content suddenly (or slowly) begins to shift, then the reader will begin questioning their connection to the author. Think about it in terms of music. Fans love artists when they first come out, but often struggle to listen to the artist's music as the evolve. They're still "fans," but they consume the music that initially made them fans more than the current music. The thing is, though, I'm not sure it works all the way like that with writing. How many times can a reader reread a book they like? So I think it puts more pressure on us as authors to continue to pump out the type of books/stories our readers appreciate.
I imagine Disney, Nat Geo's current parent company, will be glad to hear people like you are still buying the print magazine. Maybe it will change their mind about getting rid of it.
By God that is why I joined Substack!!
Buy any one of my music CDs and I will include a gold plated commemorative DJT coin. Only $5,999 plus shipping and handling. Hurry. Order while supplies last. (The extra thou is for the CD)
Ha! Where do I send the cheque?
I have to get the coin first from an unnamed source.
Then I will send it via a man armed with an NRA approved rating, suitable hardware, and a titanium briefcase chained to his waist.
(That's the opener for my movie script) Ha! Ain't no slouch!
Cash only. No Bitcoin!
Ad it will be laundered!
None of the stuff on my shelves is for display, BTW- It all gets used at some point.
As they should be!
This is so true! We are the same with the New Yorker in our house. There is no way on earth I can keep up with a weekly magazine, but having it laying around makes me feel good. I love the idea of thinking of books as a treasure for superfans- thanks for this thought-provoking post. And agreed- Jane Friedman is the best.
She is, right?!! And yes, treasures for superfans. I like that simplification.
Thank you! It's a great concept... I always like to distill it so I can remember it. Ah, memory.
Great piece! I often wonder that about reading! People don’t read magazines these days…
So much of it is for show, for status, and once we understand that it forces us to think aout what it means to be an author.
Ok! You got me! What does it mean?
It means we are, at least partially, writing for an audience that will not necessarily read our work. That logically leads to the reality that we, and when I say we I mean we as authors, need to become the type of author that people WANT to read in order to fulfil whatever status they are trying to achieve. In more simple terms, we need to think about how to become authoritative, necessary, or cool. And, most of the time, that takes more than just knowing how to write.
The like is for understanding what you explained. You definitely touch upon something truly important here. Is it limiting to write for an audience? Let’s say we know what the audience wants and we cater for it. How do I challenge myself as a writer? I sometimes wonder if a name will keep readers coming no matter what the content. But then again I want to believe readers who read have a sense of intelligence to pick up anything like that. A writer needs more than writing skills for sure!
Knowing what an audience wants and being able to consistently deliver is actually a huge challenge. I think readers get attached to the writer and the content, but if that content suddenly (or slowly) begins to shift, then the reader will begin questioning their connection to the author. Think about it in terms of music. Fans love artists when they first come out, but often struggle to listen to the artist's music as the evolve. They're still "fans," but they consume the music that initially made them fans more than the current music. The thing is, though, I'm not sure it works all the way like that with writing. How many times can a reader reread a book they like? So I think it puts more pressure on us as authors to continue to pump out the type of books/stories our readers appreciate.
I imagine Disney, Nat Geo's current parent company, will be glad to hear people like you are still buying the print magazine. Maybe it will change their mind about getting rid of it.
I hope so. I actually enjoy the magazine...when I actually get to reading it.