Do you start with a negative, or with a positive?

[jlassen]

This was a response to someone in the thread of my previous post. But I wanted to pull it up top, because it touches on the core of my frustration with this whole discussion

Comments

[sclerotic_rings]

You have the right idea, and I honestly have no problem with your decisions all the way around. I just get frustrated with the morons who will continue to bitch about how "you needed to do this" and "if you do this, I'd buy it," and then refuse to buy it anyway.

[anonymous]

Welcome to the club, Jeremy.

---Gordon V.G.

[ktempest]

again with this club!

I suspect that this is the coming attractions to the movie of "I have been teh WRONGED!" written by and starring... someone.

god damn I am in a bad mood today.

[jlassen]

Well, you can be in the bad mood club with me. When I have an entire anthology dismissed as "pointless", because of the perfectly reasonable and necessary commercial concerns of putting the most recognizable names on the cover... I'm in a bit of a bad mood.

And no matter how many times the reasonableness of the nessecity of putting the most commercially viable names on the front cover is pointed out, I'm second guessed, and told that I just really don't understand how to sell books, or understand what the cover is for, or whatever.

And then I have people on my own blog insist that they have been treated poorly in this discussion... that they've somehow been abused? because their mistaken assumptions have been pointed out to them? Yeah. I'm in a bad mood. Because nobodies been abused here.

[ktempest]

yo, email me. And also: *big hug*

[mroctober]

The book has a terrific TOC. That should not be forgotten.

When I was reading for So Fey, I found myself cautious of being as inclusive as possible, of both author and theme, just so that no one would be offended. But I am sure that someone will have an issue with the end result (no enough transgendered stories or bisexual tales). Plus, the cover was a big issue. As is, I fear that it is presenting the book as a collection of lesbian fantasy stories and gay men will avoid it like the plague. It seems nigh-impossible to satisfy the majority of readers/buyers.

[cofax7]

You get more flies with honey rather then vinegar.

You really don't get to dictate the terms of the debate.

Women have every right to be angry about just as many things as men are, and to say things in anger. Now, you may feel it's unfair to be the target of that anger in this instance, but anger? Is a human emotion that apparently women aren't allowed to feel because we're then portrayed as "stamping our feet petulantly". Well, fuck that

[mroctober]

I believe I was the one who mentioend 'foot-stomping and petulance' not Jeremy.

[cofax7]

I do not believe that invalidates my point in any way.

[mroctober]

::shrugs::

I just don't want Jeremy possibly maligned for words that he did not state.

[infinitehotel]

I think the length of the thread makes it seem much more significant than it really was. Without bothering to go back to count, how many people were actually commenting? A dozen? Even at twice that and considering all the lurkers who read the thread and didn't toss in their two cents, it's publicity and that isn't all bad. A lot of readers who had no idea an anthology with Beagle, Jones, Lanagan, Nix, and Sterling was in the works now do and of those, the folks who shrugged their shoulders and said "It's a cover, so what?" are the ones who are going to buy. You might have irritated a few, but I suspect you gained more sales than you lost.

It's a good lineup; it looks like a great book. Even agreeing with the intention of the thread, I can't think of any reason not to buy it.