For me? Yes and no.
So, Shadowfever is out. It’s been read by many, and while initial Fever fervor showed that the book has been a huge pleaser, I’ve seen some increasing commentary that the book disappointed. Whatever the case, we know a book can’t please everyone. If it did it for you – great! If it didn’t, I feel for you. Sucks when a book doesn’t work for us.
What caught my attention when Shadowfever came out or was almost out was the question of trust in an author. Apparently a lot of Moning Fever series fans must have had a lot of trust that Moning would pull through and deliver a very satisfying story. But the idea of an author actually asking their readership to trust that said author will give them a satisfying book has always smacked of dangerous to me. It’s like asking for someone to not like the book, actually. Again, books just cannot please everyone. Let’s put it this way: my most favorite series of all-time is Harrison’s Rachel Morgan/Hollows books. I’ve admitted over and over to a fangirl adoration for this series, and so far I’ve managed to enjoy each book more than the last, this year’s release being no exception. As a reader who’s gotten just a little pickier each year, I feel pretty lucky to enjoy the Hollows books as much as I do. Needless to say, I love Harrison for entertaining me this much, and for so many years.
For all that, I do kind of gird my fictional loins, so to speak, and remind myself that this year’s Hollows book might not work for me. Even as I gloat on here about how much I love the books and nothing will ever get me down with them, the truth is, I do know that there might be a Hollows book down the line that doesn’t do it for me. I have to. Books won’t please us all, all the time. This, more than anything, has been drilled into me since becoming an avid reader, though it took a few years to really sink in.
So when an author asks that I trust he/she to put out a spectacular thrill ride of a book, I can only say, well, I’ll be the judge of that. Let me read the thing, and then I’ll decide if the book was good for me. It’s not that I don’t trust that the author will have tried prior to that book reaching my hands. That the author hopes their book will satisfy. I mean, what author would wish otherwise? Here’s what I do trust in the author, before reading their work: that they tried. I’m sure they did the best work they thought they could do. That’s it. I just don’t think it’s reasonable to expect readers to “trust” that the book will satisfy before having read any of it, or even an excerpt.
How about you? Do you tend to trust in an author when they say they’ll be writing and publishing a book you, the reader, will just love? Or do you tend to hold all expectations and judgments for the time when you actually read the book? Feel free to vote in the poll on the right sidebar.
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Saying “trust me” are mightly big words because there will always be one who after they read your book, won’t feel those two words are fact.
Yep, and I think no matter what is meant by “trust me”, it’s still a big thing to say.
Most of the authors who I am a rabid fangrrl for :cough:NaliniSingh:cough: try pretty hard to couch their recommendation. As in “I really hope you like it.”
I think it must be incredibly hard to write “that” book. The one your readership is *RABID* for :cough:Hawke:cough:
It brings to mind Gone Too Far by Suzanne Brockmann, which was Sam and Alyssa’s book, and the last Troubleshooter book I bought. I was one of those readers who was desperately disappointed in the book, while I believe it won many, many polls as favorite romance of the year. Like I said, it was the last Brockmann book I bought. And I’ve had no subsequent interest in entering that world again. As far as I’m concerned, she went into time out with that book.
*shrug*
Nothing is so certain as the fact that you absolutely CANNOT please everyone. I tend to take “trust me, you’ll love it!” with a big heaping spoonful of salt.
I think something like “I hope you really like it” makes a lot more sense.
And I agree – there’s some high expectations for Hawkes book lol. You’re right, it must be very hard to write those.
Of course I always hope that my favourite authors will continue to write books that I enjoy but I think it’s kind of weird for an author to say “trust” me” before a book is published. I guess if one of my favourite authors would say this it would make me nervous and anxious.
Not every book will work for a reader and even books by favourite authors will sometimes fail to meet high expectations. I trust in my own reading experience but not really in an author who says “trust me” (even if it’s an author I love). And I don’t think that authors should have to say this, they should just write the stories that feel right to them.
Sabrina, I agree. Authors should definitely write the stories they feel need to be written. That’s really the best thing – and the only way – they can do it.
This is an interesting post because my first thought is that trusting an author means something different to me than what you’re saying here. Instead of trust meaning — ok I’m going to believe I’ll like the book, when an author says to trust them, I take it as “I’m not going to mess with you” (insert stronger language here instead of “mess with”). There is going to be a happy ending, the protagonist/love interest isn’t killed off suddenly, there isn’t going to be something very WTF inserted in there, and I won’t be ready to KILL SOMEONE after reading the book. But I don’t expect someone to mean that I’ll love the book, guaranteed.
I think it’s dangerous to even say they’ll give readers a satisfying HEA. I mean, that’s what most so, so wanted for Mac and Barrons in Shadowfever, but some aren’t happy with how KMM ended it. I mean, that’s just going to happen. I don’t see why authors would promise anything – not even the I’m not going to mess with you on this and that part. They may not intend to, sure, but they just cannot tell how readers will react.
I think that I can trust without thinking that it’s going to go EXACTLY the way I want it to. But then, I think I’ve only trusted authors who say “trust me” and whose track record I’m sure of. So I guess I haven’t trusted and then been disappointed. I haven’t read the KMM books. If I did, maybe I’d be agreeing with you.
I’m with you janicu! When I see the words “trust me” from an author, I tend to think of it as a promise that s/he will not mess with what was established early on in the book/series – no matter what happens or the crazy twists and turns. That the author won’t mess with my happy ever after :cough:Anne Bishop:cough: or the characters or theme/type of the book/series :cough:JR Ward:cough: When these things gets f***ed up, then the trust goes out the window and it’s time to say good bye to that author.
See, I lost my trust in KMM with the Fever series because a lot of the series has been information that’s been repeated ad nauseam. Filler, in other words. She wanted readers, in part, to trust that five books were necessary for the series, and to many the series could have been much shorter.
The way I interpreted it was that Moning was saying trust me, I’ll wrap up everything with a happy ending. And quite frankly, there were points in the series where I can see why readers would need that reassurance. I don’t think she meant is as trust me, you’ll love this book–although admittedly I haven’t visited her website or anything; I just got that impression from the afterwords of her books.
Naturally, being of a critical bent, I don’t let anyone have the final word on whether or not a book is “good” until I’ve read it. ;)
I’m currently on book 2, Bloodfever. I haven’t been swept off my feet by this series, and will probably not jump straight into Faefever once I finish (and not just because I have 2-3 books I must read first for review). It’s not that they’re not doing anything for me, because I am enjoying them. But just not as much as I’ve enjoyed many other stories.
If KMM had said “trust me” in regards to tying up loose ends and leaving readers satisfied in regards to completing the story and not leaving everyone going WTF?! I wouldn’t have a problem. But to ask us to “trust her” that we’ll enjoy it is just too far-fetched. She should know that she can’t please anybody. As someone who can look at this objectively because I wasn’t eagerly anticipating Shadowfever after the cliffhanger I’ve heard was at the end of Dreamfever, I think she’s asking everyone to “trust her” because she did something that really didn’t fit with the rest of the series. That’s just the vibe I get.
Well, if I hear the words “trust me” these days, I automatically don’t, lol! But, if we’re talking KMM here… then well… I also remember conversations about “trusting” her to do the right thing by the end of the Fever series. Interestingly enough I also remember KMM saying she would complete the Fever series in 5 books and that ended with a “The End… for now.”
From what I understand there’s a new series coming out set in the Fever world, so maybe all those questions left unanswered at the end of Shadowfever will be addressed there? Hmm…
I think of ‘trust’ between authors and readers in the same way that Janicu discussed it. That is that the expecations set up by the author in the story will be met. I also remember the authors of the “Liaden’ series Sharon Lee and Steve Miller saying in a statement about their writing that they don’t promise not to kill off a favourite character because the story demands what it will. In this statement they address my expectations of them and their writing so I can handle it when something happens that has me quivering with distress. So in the end that is what the ‘trust’ thing is about. The author acknowledges that readers have expecations and a relationship with the books and characters and doesn’t take that for granted.
I feel authors should write the books they need to write, then leader each reader decide.
With that said, do I trust authors?
Some of them, yes–I trust them to write the best book they can, each time.
But that does not translate to trusting it will be a book that’ll grab me forever. Or a book I’ll enjoy–or even a book I’ll read through to the last page.
Reading Janicu’s comment, I would rather authors never said “trust me” to their readers, no matter what they (the authors) mean.
While I enjoyed Suzanne Brockmann’s Gone Too Far immensely (sorry, Kati!) and I trusted her to continue writing the best book she could, I was rather disappointed in Dark of Night, years later.
Mind you, I enjoyed the book and think it’s well written, but I found that my trust on Ms Brockmann, to keep the consistency of her world and characters throughout future novels, had dimmed. Enough so that I haven’t bought anymore of her novels since.
I don’t want to overanalyze what a specific author says. But particularly in fantasy and paranormal, AND with series that go on for a bit, it’s pretty easy for an author to paint themselves into a corner that they can’t get out of without breaking previously established rules (JRWardcoughcough).
I haven’t been reading KMM, but I would assume that “trust me” would mean “I have a plan for where all this is going, and it will make sense within the universe I created.”
In general, huh. I have authors that I love and I “trust” in the sense that I’ll buy a book based solely on the fact that they wrote it. But if the love affair wanes, I don’t exactly get *mad* at the author or something. (Nor do I assume that if Iike someone’s book we’d be BFFs in real life.) Most of the time I try to keep personal feelings about authors as people out of my reading experience, as much as I can, anyway. Hope that makes sense.
What a great post.
I trust authors for the most part and my list of authors I can’t really bring myself to want to give another try to is very short *coughLKHamiltonAnneRicecough*.
But I can’t recall any of the authors I like a lot ever asking me or other readers to trust them online or in person. I don’t think a lot of readers ever have a reason to distrust an author right off the bat. I have no objections to an author telling me that they worked really hard and hope I love their book but even then I think that’s typically true and doesn’t really need to be said necessarily.
Anyway, regardless of intentions, I think an author asking readers to trust said author is sort of a strange move. It’s impossible to know how readers will feel since everyone reads differently so I think that makes it even more problematic to tell all readers to trust in an author’s vision.
Also… it can’t be a good sign when an author basically has to ask people to preserve their trust and have faith. That might make the rewards of reading that much richer for some, but I am positive it just makes any disappointment that much more disappointing for others.
First of all, authors shouldn’t ‘promise’ to write the book that readers want. Authors should write the book they want written. I trust an writer to write a decent story that reels me in and transports me away. I enjoyed the ‘Fever’ series a lot, and I’m glad that my opinion of the book still stays the same.
Never trust an author that says ‘trust me’ :)
I haven’t read the Fever series, so I’m attempting to answer your question (great question BTW :)
I think it depends on the author and on what they have done previously. JR Ward….I don’t trust. Nalini Singh…hasn’t let me down to date. Janny Wurts (the fantasy author whose books I’m currently reading)…I’m learning to trust. It’s likely Kati said, no matter what they do an author can’t please everyone. It’s a lot of pressure to be under.
Exactly! It is a lot of pressure – that’s exactly why I wonder why an author would even imply that their work is going to please anyone. They ought not to say that and just leave it up to the readers. By implying it, aren’t they (possibly) unconsciously just adding to the pressure?