by Jairus Reddy
My frustrations with some “authors” in the industry have led me to reach my boiling point. The great thing is that I can share my frustrations with you, rational human beings. What led me to this overwhelming feeling of disgust and straight up frustration will be revealed over the course of this article, but let me just say to all “authors” out there, “Either be supportive of your colleagues or I hope the wrath of the industry prevents you from ever creating a story again.”
First of all, let me explain what the label “author” does and does not entail. Just because a person had a short story published in an anthology, writes a weekly column or constructs a blog for any publication doesn’t make one an author. This term is used loosely by many in the industry and it frustrates me to no end. Congratulations if you had a story accepted by a magazine or a book anthology, but that by no means allows anyone to call himself/herself an “author” or gives the right to crucify the stories of other authors just because he/she happened to write a short story. Hell I can do that, and if you don’t believe me then send me an email and I will prove it to you.
Second, just because you have successful book sales doesn’t mean you are an “author” either. Many people whore their own writing for the sole fact of book sales, which bluntly, anyone can do as well. Be original. Create your own style. Not every book needs to be written like a New York Times best seller. I mean, if you truly are an author, book sales should not be your motivation to write.
What does it mean to be an author? It means that person has the fortitude and stubbornness to write in his/her own style, whether successful or not, and writes because he/she can’t live without sharing one's imagination. They don’t write to make millions of dollars, they write because they want to tell somebody a story, whether it is just to one person or to a million fans, that they have created and spent years creating. That, and only that, defines what an author truly represents. Read that again in case you didn’t catch on.
Moving on, I am so damn sick and tired of seeing “authors” criticize their colleagues in various media outlets that aren’t constructive. You want to be critical of storyline that doesn’t make sense. Then do it constructively. You don’t like an author taking advantage of forums by selfishly promoting his/her work? Then tell them to stop. If you think an author’s style isn’t great or their editing is lacking, then constructively explain your thoughts. I have no problem with this.
What I am sick of are these conceited authors who blast the writing style of other authors, who criticize an author's experience, or who personally attack other authors for no reason at all. They all know how hard it is to create a novel (actually many don’t because they don’t have the discipline), so for them to attack an author in a destructive manner is downright wrong. These “authors” smell of manure, and I encourage anybody who sees another author do this, to put them in the spotlight of other authors and to put them on trial for jealousy. Hey, when these attacks become personal, it is only out of sheer jealousy.
What happened to supporting other authors in the industry? The entertainment industry is cutthroat as it is, then we have other professionals in the field personally attacking the hard work of other authors. We should support other authors by buying their books and constructively criticizing what their books lack. That way they can take this into consideration in their next projects. Instead, we have jealous authors who selfishly attack something that took years to create and whom make this industry even more demoralizing then it already can be. Well, let me warn authors who take this approach. Whenever I see a review like this again anywhere, I will put you in my next article, whether it’s about one of my authors or any other in the industry, as a traitor to authors everywhere.