Great article! After releasing my first novel this year I chose to let reviews happen organically. As new as I am in the publishing world, I’ve been in the independent music world for 25 years and we deal with the same shadiness so I knew what to expect.
What exactly was he the Duke of to have that level of entitlement? Sheesh. You made the right decision there. The second one sounds lovely and you spent your energy in the right spot.
Gosh, I so appreciate getting your perspective on this one Robin. Years ago I wrote an article about the tension between "working class" writers and entitled writers. I would say that you and I are both working class writers. We know how hard it is to get visibility and to get paid. But there's this whole class of people out there who are already getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they gobble up all the writing contracts, and then they assume everybody is going to rush out and read everything they have to say. When you try to tell them that's not how the world works, it's like talking to a brick wall. This is why I try to review a book from a Medium or Substack writer every few months. :)
Ugh... the level of entitlement! When I was a bit more active (and successful) on Medium, I got constant requests to review other people's articles. At least 80% of these requests had an entitled tone to them, like they expected me to do it just because they asked me to. As if they were doing me a favor by holding me in such high regard and I should repay that honor. Well, I didn't.
Yeah, I still get those messages "I've read your article, please read mine." The truth is that if somebody leaves an insightful comment, I often go and look at their work. But I never look at a profile if they demand it. Entitlement is the right word for it. We have to do the work!
You’re welcome! I’d say more, but need to get to work. I know it sounds selfish to ask, but if you do get the chance, can you check out my blog, Campfire Stories of Resistance & Resilience? I’d really like to know what you think. I really do want to grow my audience with the “right” kind of people—i.e.—those interested in my “resistance & resilience” project—not just out of writer’s ego (though I certainly don’t claim to be entirely free of that!), but really for a much larger/ more important reason than that, which is why I started my community-oriented “badass” resistance blog (which is how I like to think of it).
Arrgh. When I was younger I made the thankless, serial mistake of mentoring. And coauthoring.
[I was a best-selling tech writer, the first champion of both Flash & Dreamweaver.
I had worked my way up as a writer, from dirt-rags to national mags, learned the business & hustled, starved, & suffered. I was re-inventing myself as an artist/writer working with computers because —although I had been an extremely successful visual artist working with glass — I lost an arm, a home & studio on acreage in the Santa Cruz mountains, a wife (divorce, not death {dang}), e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in the course of 3 months culminating in the 1989 earthquake) ... It was a decade before I had my 1st best-selling book.]
& you know what? Those talented kids I helped simply took it for granted & more-than-less shat in my face.
Great article! After releasing my first novel this year I chose to let reviews happen organically. As new as I am in the publishing world, I’ve been in the independent music world for 25 years and we deal with the same shadiness so I knew what to expect.
How did it go for you? I've found it's really hard to generate reviews. I hope you got some!
Reader friends of mine, but not too close of friends to be linked together. It’s getting the ball rolling.
I bet you that person was just a single person with no marketing team at all and just pretending to be important 😂
Could be!
What exactly was he the Duke of to have that level of entitlement? Sheesh. You made the right decision there. The second one sounds lovely and you spent your energy in the right spot.
Gosh, I so appreciate getting your perspective on this one Robin. Years ago I wrote an article about the tension between "working class" writers and entitled writers. I would say that you and I are both working class writers. We know how hard it is to get visibility and to get paid. But there's this whole class of people out there who are already getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they gobble up all the writing contracts, and then they assume everybody is going to rush out and read everything they have to say. When you try to tell them that's not how the world works, it's like talking to a brick wall. This is why I try to review a book from a Medium or Substack writer every few months. :)
Ugh... the level of entitlement! When I was a bit more active (and successful) on Medium, I got constant requests to review other people's articles. At least 80% of these requests had an entitled tone to them, like they expected me to do it just because they asked me to. As if they were doing me a favor by holding me in such high regard and I should repay that honor. Well, I didn't.
Yeah, I still get those messages "I've read your article, please read mine." The truth is that if somebody leaves an insightful comment, I often go and look at their work. But I never look at a profile if they demand it. Entitlement is the right word for it. We have to do the work!
Great article! Thanks for writing.
Thanks for reading!
Thank you! I much appreciate that. :)
You’re welcome! I’d say more, but need to get to work. I know it sounds selfish to ask, but if you do get the chance, can you check out my blog, Campfire Stories of Resistance & Resilience? I’d really like to know what you think. I really do want to grow my audience with the “right” kind of people—i.e.—those interested in my “resistance & resilience” project—not just out of writer’s ego (though I certainly don’t claim to be entirely free of that!), but really for a much larger/ more important reason than that, which is why I started my community-oriented “badass” resistance blog (which is how I like to think of it).
That's a good concept for a newsletter. I recommended it!
Arrgh. When I was younger I made the thankless, serial mistake of mentoring. And coauthoring.
[I was a best-selling tech writer, the first champion of both Flash & Dreamweaver.
I had worked my way up as a writer, from dirt-rags to national mags, learned the business & hustled, starved, & suffered. I was re-inventing myself as an artist/writer working with computers because —although I had been an extremely successful visual artist working with glass — I lost an arm, a home & studio on acreage in the Santa Cruz mountains, a wife (divorce, not death {dang}), e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g in the course of 3 months culminating in the 1989 earthquake) ... It was a decade before I had my 1st best-selling book.]
& you know what? Those talented kids I helped simply took it for granted & more-than-less shat in my face.
Ah, people. Ah, life.