Comments on: Bad Novels, Agony Literature and Literary Fakes http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/09/bad-novels-agony-literature-and-literary-fakes/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:44:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Jon Jermey http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/09/bad-novels-agony-literature-and-literary-fakes/#comment-759307 Jon Jermey Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:08:39 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/09/bad-novels-agony-literature-and-literary-fakes/#comment-759307 Let me go further: I've now read some of the Amazon reviews, and this is a wonderful example of how apprently rational people can disagree so completely that you would not recognise they are even talking about the same book. I wouldn't like to be stuck in a lift with some of the people who enjoyed the book, but their views are legitimate and if they were entertained by it then that's all an author can legitimately hope for. The marketing trick, of course, is to find a way to focus on these nutjobs -- sorry, differently-inspired people -- without handing out thousands of free copies to people like me. Let me go further: I’ve now read some of the Amazon reviews, and this is a wonderful example of how apprently rational people can disagree so completely that you would not recognise they are even talking about the same book. I wouldn’t like to be stuck in a lift with some of the people who enjoyed the book, but their views are legitimate and if they were entertained by it then that’s all an author can legitimately hope for.

The marketing trick, of course, is to find a way to focus on these nutjobs — sorry, differently-inspired people — without handing out thousands of free copies to people like me.

]]> By: Jon Jermey http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/09/bad-novels-agony-literature-and-literary-fakes/#comment-759300 Jon Jermey Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:58:28 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/04/09/bad-novels-agony-literature-and-literary-fakes/#comment-759300 I had a friend who was unfailingly positive about everything he did. We went to see one of the worst movies ever made (the cartoon version of Lord of the Rings) and I came out stunned. "Well," he said, "I liked the music." I could never work out whether he was actually living in a state of bliss or one of total denial. So I suspect that there are people who, having put in the time to read or start reading an awful book, can bring themselves to sincerely believe it is a good one. Somehow it meets their needs. This is one reason why attempts to come up with 'objective' standards for judging fiction are just daft. I had a friend who was unfailingly positive about everything he did. We went to see one of the worst movies ever made (the cartoon version of Lord of the Rings) and I came out stunned. “Well,” he said, “I liked the music.” I could never work out whether he was actually living in a state of bliss or one of total denial.

So I suspect that there are people who, having put in the time to read or start reading an awful book, can bring themselves to sincerely believe it is a good one. Somehow it meets their needs. This is one reason why attempts to come up with ‘objective’ standards for judging fiction are just daft.

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