Comments on: E freebies for men—plus sex, looks and the book biz http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:00:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Garson O'Toole http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800222 Garson O'Toole Thu, 15 May 2008 13:14:54 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800222 Bill Monks notes that “Plenty of pulp series were written under house names by squads of different writers.” Another domain with malleable artistic credits and concocted identities is the cinema. The pseudonym Alan Smithee is sometimes used by a director when a film is “is taken away from her/him and recut heavily against her/his wishes in ways that completely alter the film” according to IMDB (Internet Movie Database). Occasionally an author is strangely “cloned” in Hollywood. Two authors, Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, are listed in the screenplay credits for the 2002 movie “Adaption”. Both of them were nominated for a Golden Globe Award and for an Academy Award. This only proves that non-existence does not prevent award nominations. As the website IMDB notes “The credits include Donald Kaufman as the co-writer. He is also featured as a character in the movie, and the movie is dedicated "In loving memory" of Donald (at the end of the credits). But Donald is just a fictional character himself.” Bill Monks notes that “Plenty of pulp series were written under house names by squads of different writers.” Another domain with malleable artistic credits and concocted identities is the cinema. The pseudonym Alan Smithee is sometimes used by a director when a film is “is taken away from her/him and recut heavily against her/his wishes in ways that completely alter the film” according to IMDB (Internet Movie Database).

Occasionally an author is strangely “cloned” in Hollywood. Two authors, Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman, are listed in the screenplay credits for the 2002 movie “Adaption”. Both of them were nominated for a Golden Globe Award and for an Academy Award. This only proves that non-existence does not prevent award nominations.

As the website IMDB notes “The credits include Donald Kaufman as the co-writer. He is also featured as a character in the movie, and the movie is dedicated “In loving memory” of Donald (at the end of the credits). But Donald is just a fictional character himself.”

]]> By: Bill Monks http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800180 Bill Monks Thu, 15 May 2008 12:24:09 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800180 Ethically I wouldn't have a problem with hiring a spokesmodel to pretend to be the writer of a book that was actually written by somebody else. So long as I didn't find out. Plenty of pulp series were written under house names by squads of different writers. It would just be taking it that logical next step and creating a face to go with the fictitious author. Ethically I wouldn’t have a problem with hiring a spokesmodel to pretend to be the writer of a book that was actually written by somebody else. So long as I didn’t find out.

Plenty of pulp series were written under house names by squads of different writers. It would just be taking it that logical next step and creating a face to go with the fictitious author.

]]> By: David Rothman http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800179 David Rothman Thu, 15 May 2008 12:22:21 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800179 Great info, Garson, thanks. I'm not disputing your premise. The question is whether or not some publishers might be overdoing things in asking pictures to be submitted with photos. What's more, in the case of PW, could "beefcake" have meant less room for and interest in "meat" (as in substance)? David Great info, Garson, thanks. I’m not disputing your premise. The question is whether or not some publishers might be overdoing things in asking pictures to be submitted with photos. What’s more, in the case of PW, could “beefcake” have meant less room for and interest in “meat” (as in substance)? David

]]> By: Garson O'Toole http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800147 Garson O'Toole Thu, 15 May 2008 11:52:38 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/2008/05/15/e-freebies-for-men-plus-sex-looks-and-the-book-biz/#comment-800147 Whether an author looks glamorous, scholarly, or lycanthropic probably can influence the sales of a book. E-books can easily incorporate multiple images of an author if publishers and authors wish to include them in the future. Dan Ariely, a researcher in behavioral economics, wrote the best seller “Predictably Irrational”. He created thirteen different mock book covers and asked bookstore patrons which they preferred. One of the mockups had a false photo of a “strikingly” good looking model identified as the author. This photo was not used in the final published book. There is an author picture on the back flap but apparently it is not an invented identity. An ethical question is raised when fake author portraits are used. Often the narrator of a book is a carefully crafted imaginary being and perhaps some authors feel justified in extending their creativity into the “real” world. The author V. C. Andrews died in 1986. “Her novels were so successful that after her death her estate hired a ghost writer, Andrew Neiderman, to write more stories to be published under her name” says Wikipedia. What kind of author portrait should be used for these books? A female, a male, a casket? Whether an author looks glamorous, scholarly, or lycanthropic probably can influence the sales of a book. E-books can easily incorporate multiple images of an author if publishers and authors wish to include them in the future. Dan Ariely, a researcher in behavioral economics, wrote the best seller “Predictably Irrational”. He created thirteen different mock book covers and asked bookstore patrons which they preferred.

One of the mockups had a false photo of a “strikingly” good looking model identified as the author. This photo was not used in the final published book. There is an author picture on the back flap but apparently it is not an invented identity. An ethical question is raised when fake author portraits are used. Often the narrator of a book is a carefully crafted imaginary being and perhaps some authors feel justified in extending their creativity into the “real” world.

The author V. C. Andrews died in 1986. “Her novels were so successful that after her death her estate hired a ghost writer, Andrew Neiderman, to write more stories to be published under her name” says Wikipedia. What kind of author portrait should be used for these books? A female, a male, a casket?

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