by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Social media has made it possible for readers to find out more about and connect with their favorite authors. Authors interact on Twitter, Facebook, and through blogs and websites with their readers.
And readers know how to find them. Author “contact me” links are prominently displayed on sites (or they should be, if they aren’t.)
I’ve noticed a good number of readers getting in touch with me—mostly through email, but also through my Facebook inbox (the second most popular method I see) and through Twitter direct messages.
The interesting thing is that most of the emails I get are readers requesting plot lines or plot points, or giving suggestions about future books.
At first I was really surprised at this. The only authors I’ve ever written are some YA authors I actually know after my son has especially enjoyed a book—because I just wanted to pass along a compliment. I know I haven’t made any plot suggestions to any of my favorite writers.
Then, though, I started seeing the notes as a useful tool. After all, I’m writing a series. Readers know my characters pretty well. And it’s gratifying that they care about them. Sometimes in their emails it sounds as if they would like to write their own fan fiction but would rather me do it.
How responsive should writers be to their readers? Well, of course it’s not a fast food type of relationship where writers just deliver the order. But I think it’s smart for writers to know their readers well. You’ve got to know your target demographic. You need to know what your readers like. And, if you want to continue writing your series (especially if it’s traditionally published…but this goes for self-published books too. Why continue writing a series without readers?) you need to make sure the readers continue enjoying the books.
Whenever I get notes from readers I always respond. I don’t make promises, but I tell them that I appreciate their feedback. Then I add their email/Facebook message/Twitter DM to a Word file that I review before writing the next book. If I’ve got several readers with similar suggestions you better believe it’s something I’ll seriously consider changing.
Things I’ve changed as a response to readers:
I’ve given some characters more time onstage, some characters less.
I’ve analyzed what readers said that they especially liked (there was a particular scene in one of my series that kept coming up)—and provided more of it.
I’ve dropped profanity from the remaining books in my series in response to numerous emails regarding it.
I’ve gone a step farther, too. Besides looking for data from reader emails, I’ve sought out and read any of my stinky reviews online …and analyzed them for a common thread. When I saw something mentioned repeatedly, I made a note of it. It’s not too hard to get past any hurt feelings when you’re being analytical—easier than it might seem, actually.
Where I think this approach would give me more pause is if I had a series with more of a linear storyline from book to book. Like the Harry Potter series. There we’ve got a series with a huge following and dedicated readers…vocal readers, according to Ms. Rowling. She had many letters requesting particular outcomes to the series, but stood her ground and kept to her outline.
But….she had a plan for the remaining books already in mind.
Where I think writers can easily be responsive to readers is series genre fiction where each book is written as a standalone or a standalone with a continuing linear subplot.
No, of course this won’t work for literary fiction. But literary fiction is so rarely in series form that it really doesn’t even apply.
Now this is where y’all convince me I’m completely wrong and it’s all about artistic integrity. :) And I do want to point out that if I strongly believed that the readers were out in left field about something, I wouldn’t change my story. So far, though—the readers have had some remarkable insights.
I change my story for my editors—why wouldn’t I for my readers? Who better to please?
What are your thoughts about our writing our own fan fiction?
Elizabeth – I think it’s absolutely critical to pay attention to what readers say. I don’t mean we need to let readers determine the outcomes of plots or change the identity of the murderer, say, in a mystery novel. But we do need to pay attention. For instance, you mentioned that you added certain kinds of scenes to your novels because of reader response. I think things like that can easily be done without changing the basic plot of a story or completely changing a character’s personality. There is a balance between artistic integrity (which is very important) and responding to readers. Oh, and thank you for mentioning the way you contact readers. If we don’t respond to readers when they contact us, that’s a lack of respect I think. And that’s not the way to develop fans.
When I start thinking about what readers will think, my story becomes wooden. I came to dislike things like Janet Evanovich’s number books because they were all the same. The first ones were a hoot, but later, I quit reading them.
I think the best writing reflects something about the author which happens to also touch the reader. Then when it becomes formula, it is not so good.
One of my favorite writers, Robert B. Parker, fell into that trap. I still read his Spenser books because I like them, but over the years, they have become less interesting because they seem formulaic. James Patterson is another writer I liked at first and then quit reading fairly early on. I prefer original writing, something different, a growth and change in character and some surprises.
I think common threads of critique are worth thinking about.
However, I think your writing is pretty darn perfect and your sentences–smooth as butter. :)
T
I do exactly what you do – take into account reader requests and look for common thoughts in my reviews. That led me to create a female character for my second book.
Margot–Unless we did it in ebook form and had multiple endings for mysteries. That sort of thing makes my head spin a little, but it would be an interesting experiment.
Alex–And your response was to include a female character, I think. Which seems to have worked out really well for your new book!
Joe–I appreciate your insight! This is a trap that I hadn’t considered, but it’s one I definitely want to avoid. So far, the reader suggestions have been ideas that are fresh–minor characters that I hadn’t honestly thought much about needing more time onstage, etc. I think, if a series gets stale, it could be the writer’s lack of ideas or the writer just automatically recycling successful plots from the past. Maybe that’s when series need to end–even if people are still reading them and no matter where the staleness is coming from.
I’m wondering, moving forward, about reader-writer collaboration. I think there can be successful collaboration with ingenious results. But your warning about the dangers of this collaboration is one to consider.
Journaling Woman–Thanks so much! Yours is, too. :)
Oh my gosh–this had never even occurred to me. I suppose it is that I’m still unpublished. I agree with you about the books that are part of a coherent single longer story–don’t want to LISTEN. I remember wondering how Rowling could avoid all the fanfic plots when she was writing Deathly Hallows, but she managed to be fresh and surprising. I love the idea though, for the stand-alones, especially cozies, which are more playful anyway. But for ANY series, that ‘more of’ or ‘less of’ on characters is a brilliant consideration. i will make a database to keep track.
Hart–I thought you would be interested in doing something like this! You’re such a statistician. :) Data can be a good thing, though!
Hi Elizabeth .. I agree with you and the others .. and definitely would not pander to one reader/fan – which new writers could easily do – then that might lead to them to feel they have some degree of influence (let alone ownership – ghost writing perhaps) over the story line.
Do what you do – you’re the published author .. but add in if it makes sense as Alex did – because obviously there was that overwhelming number of requests to add in a woman to his story line.
Cheers Hilary
Hilary–Good point…what the writer should look for is a trending suggestion (similar to what Alex encountered.)
Hmmm, I’ve never even thought of this happening. I think audience is a big part of why we write, so I’m sure I’d take an open-minded approach to suggestions!
I do take note of what readers say but I’ve never done it analytically or systematically. Your method is worth pursuing.
The Spinster’s Vow
The two items of feedback I received were not to write cliffhangers and not to use the Omniscient POV. So I stopped both and made the necessary adjustments to the best of MY ability. Not necessarily their expectations. But I did the best I could do.
Thanks for a very thought-provoking article, Elizabeth. The bit about dropping profanity due to numerous requests is interesting. I dislike profanity myself, and largely avoid it in the writing I’ve done. But there’s a common view that it’s necessary for realistic dialogue, at least with some types of characters. But maybe, like umms and ahhs, we don’t need that bit of realism. Or at least keep it in reserve for when we really need it for effect.
I think you’re handling it very well. In particular, you’re chasing the positives — finding what the audience really likes and giving them more of it.
The area where I start to get uncomfortable is when it turns into self-censorship. Sure, IMHO, in the modern cozy, profanity is something you don’t want anyway, but normally that is something I would make my decision up front — what is the “rating”? And very often I go for less profanity than the audience would expect.
But once I make that decision, that’s part of the flavor of the story, and I can’t let others mess with the voice. I might, however, write something else for an audience who asked for it.
I posted about this in a “Hopes and Fears” post the other day — with a mention of Ricky Nelson; “You can’t please everyone so you’ve got to please yourself.”
This is a great post and I think your method is worth pursuing. I’m a new fiction writer and I love getting notes from readers, but I have to say nobody has made plot suggestions. I would definitely give it thought. But as a reader, I have to say, I would NEVER contact a writer and make suggestions. The thought of that makes me cringe.
I think it’s great that you’re responsive to readers. I hear from happy fans every day, but they’ve never suggested plot ideas. I would consider their requests if they did.
Hi Elizabeth,
Very smart & savvy post! Of course you want to please your readers! Who else are you writing for?
I’m working on a post re: Mental Toughness for Anne & would love to quote your comments about analyzing stinky reviews as a way to deal with hurt feelings. May I?
So interesting, Elizabeth. I’d never thought of writers getting plot advice from their readers. As you could guess, I’ve never sent such a fan mail to a writer. But I do like that you not only listen to the advice, you retain the ideas and consider them!
I’ve only released two of my series (the third one is in the works), but while I was writing the second, I kept hearing from readers who’d ask, “Are you bringing Benny back?” Benny was a secondary character from the first book and my P.I.’s client, so no, he wasn’t in the plan. But as more people asked, I looked at my plot again and decided I could bring him into the story. He made a completely delightful addition, and I’m glad the readers spoke so loudly!
I’ve contacted a few authors and/or visited their websites with my class when I’ve read their books aloud in my classroom. They have always been lovely and it ups the student investment when they know the person behind the words.
Jemi–For me, I’m writing mainly for the audience. I think I’m pleasing myself when they’re happy with the novel. This could be dangerous, though…for instance, when I’ve written something they *don’t* like as much. Then my personal satisfaction is really low with the project. Since I’m always working on the next book, though, it ultimately gives me more data for what I’m doing next.
Enid–Hope it works for you!
Stephen–Did you have too many cliffhangers? I hear that readers do get frustrated with chapters always ending with one..
Ruth–Absolutely…and thanks. :) I appreciate your coming by the blog.
R.E.–I’ve not missed it in the stories. And I had 2 readers ask me to email them when I had releases without profanity. I emailed them as soon as the books were ready for pre-order. :)
Helen–It’s almost like product research. Hate to think of it so clinically, but…
The Daring Novelist–That’s my favorite thing–providing more of what works. That’s the stuff that I really thrive on.
I was comfortable with the mild profanity I had in my books. But you know, I never got feedback that anyone *liked* the profanity (not, I guess, that people *would* write about something like that.) But you’d be amazed the number of emails I got *against* it…again, this is mild profanity because we’re talking about cozies. Finally, I just chucked it. Now I’ll say “Ben cursed” instead. Honestly, I didn’t care enough about it to defend myself on the issue so I dropped it. Since then, I’ve noticed an upswing in pre-teen/early-teen readers and I wonder if it’s because the parents deemed the books clean? Who knows. I’d love to find out.
Oh, I like that Ricky Nelson song. :) About the fans who wanted him to sing his old songs, wasn’t it?
Gayle–I’m glad you did! And I know your readers are, too.
Mollie–Me either. There have been times when I’ve thought “Oh, wouldn’t it be great if (fill in the blank) happened in the series?” But I sure haven’t written them about it!
L.J. –Now I’m wondering if it’s just *my* readers! Ha!
Leslie–I’ve gotten some teacher/student emails too, and those I’ve not found surprising at all (I wrote Dr. Seuss when I was a kid and got a note back written in crayon.) Actually, teacher-student emails are probably my most favorite kind. That might be because I don’t usually have many young folks reading my books. :)
Very interesting discussion here, Elizabeth. I agree with you (and Ruth Harris) that “stinky reviews” can teach you something–if only how to toughen yourself up.
But there’s a big difference between the critiques we get when we’re beginning writers and the comments professional novelists get–especially on a series. Some readers tend to think if they’ve bought your book they somehow “own” a piece of you, and that can be a little creepy. I’m thinking Stephen King’s “Misery” type of fan here. I think it’s good to pay attention but consider the source. Sometimes they’re not very well people who want you to write their own fantasies for them.
One fan wrote me after reading the UK version of The Best Revenge, which is about a straight woman/gay man friendship. He said he wanted me to rewrite the book from the man’s point of view. I told him it sounded like he had a great premise for a novel HE might be able to write. He wrote back about six months later and said he’d been working on the book and it was going well. A nice thing.
Anne–I’ve mourned the fact that I have such a tough hide now…I feel like I’ve lost something in the process. But it’s better than feeling hurt, of course.
You’ve made a very good point about ownership and readers. I think the key is to make no promises. Honestly, I’ve no idea to whom I could attribute the changes in my storyline…although, naturally, I could find out. When I email readers back, I’m pretty cautious…everything could backfire with a Cyrano de Bergerac approach to a story.
Fan fic could be a blessing. :)
This is so interesting! I would never think to email an author and suggest something different for future books. But I can see how passionate readers of a series would want to do this.
I love your idea of copying the emails/dms in a document for future review. You can take the advice or leave it! As my grandma used to say, advice is free!
I followed a link from elsewhere, because I’m closer to the literary than the genre side. But please don’t think I’m a snob or anything; I love a good old cozy mystery. I just veer a different way in my own work.
Personally, given what I want to achieve with my stories, I wouldn’t be willing to cut profanity no matter who had a problem with it. If my character would curse, d*mn it, she’s going to curse :p But of course I do it after consciously deciding to do it. There’s no point in littering a story with f-bombs for no good reason. If the colorful speech didn’t have a place your stories, and you could reach a wider audience by compromising, all power to you.
I wish television show writers would stay as in-tune with their audiences…maybe if the folks at ABC paid closer attention to the comment boards, they could have saved the train wreck that was this past season of Castle.