What does an author owe to readers?
There's been a lot written about George R.R. Martin lately, but most of it isn't about his books.
For instance, fans of Martin's planned seven-part fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, have reacted favorably to the news that Sean Bean was cast to play the lead, Ned Stark, in an HBO pilot based on the first book.
What they haven't been so favorable toward is how long it's taking Martin to finish the series, which began in 1996 with A Game of Thrones. Since then, Martin's written and published three more in the series; the last one, A Feast for Crows, was published in 2005.
Four books in nine years isn't too shabby. But with three more projected before the series ends, and four years since the last one was published, fans are getting antsy.
So antsy in fact, that one wrote to Neil Gaiman for advice:
"When writing a series of books, like Martin is with "A Song of Ice and Fire" what responsibility does he have to finish the story? Is it unrealistic to think that by not writing the next chapter Martin is letting me down, even though if and when the book gets written is completely up to him?"
In other words, what exactly are Martin's fans entitled to, anyway?
As Gaiman puts it, not much. While I won't repeat his exact phrase (this is a family blog, after all) I can say that I agree to a certain extent.
You're paying for a book, and that's what you get. If you want to know more about a character, a world or a subject, feel free to wait for the author to write more, or become a fanfic writer and make yourself happy.
However, I've been known not to start a critically acclaimed series for fear that I wouldn't live to see its end. For instance, I've still not started Stephen King's Dark Tower series, which spanned from 1982 to 2004. Twenty-two years is a long time to sweat over a fictional world, from a reader's perspective.
And can you imagine the ruckus if J.K. Rowling had abandoned Harry Potter, five books in? There would have been riots in the middle schools.
So what's your stance on unfinished series? Do you wait until the author's completed his entire work, or roll the dice and hope for the best? Do authors owe their fans a timeline, or should they be happy for any bit of writing they can get?
Comments
I'm a huge and committed fan of GRRM, and have been in love with ASOIAF since it was first published. I also read and enjoyed Neil Gaiman's take on everything, and I agree wholeheartedly. What are the fans "entitled" to? Absolutely nothing, other than the right to buy and read whichever books they please. The worlds and characters of every author are their own creation, and therefore their own domain. Authors are not beholden to their admirers, as much as they might appreciate the support. To say that I am eager for "A Dance with Dragons" (GRRM's next novel in the series) is an absurd understatement; I check his blog daily for updates, scour the web for any trickle of information and have set Google News alerts to update me the instant anything is posted anywhere in the world. Yet I will wait, and wait, and wait for however long it takes Mr. Martin to do whatever he feels is necessary. All I can do is hope for the best (and make plans to order HBO).
Posted by: Alyeska | July 21, 2009 2:42 PM
Things like this happen because authors and the public are still getting used to their new, proximate relationship- used to be, authors were basically inaccessible, and oftentimes fans were inaccessible to each other. but now everyone can engage in online free for alls. I don't think authors really owe their public anything, but in this day of blogs and access, they'd be smart to toss out crumbs now and then.
Posted by: Marie | July 21, 2009 4:54 PM
It's not that Martin is necessarily letting them down, though. He's taking his time, yes, but the pace of publication isn't up to the readers. Readers have the right to be excited about books but they should never ever think that their own selfish wants go before the author's needs or decisions. He isn't giving up the series midway - he's just doing it slowly.
I agree with Marie. And I agree that sometimes it's best to wait with a series (not always). Ultimately, readers need to accept that the writer isn't going to pander to readers by putting books out when they want it or do whatever the readers want, but rather take time to make the book good or whatever best suits him/her (the writer). Shouldn't we all prefer that?
Posted by: Biblibio | July 22, 2009 5:11 AM
Authors owe such readers nothing. If readers opt for reading a novel series, they should be patient and wait for the next volume to come out. Readers know, going in, that it's a series, so they have to settle for the possibility of not being able to read the next book as soon as they'd like. If the author isn't ready to put a new book out, it's unreasonable for readers to demand a new book anyway.
Posted by: Pete | July 22, 2009 1:25 PM
"or become a fanfic writer and make yourself happy" - That'd be great, but GRRM himself has specifically asked people NOT to write fan fiction about his works.
Posted by: Rolldog | July 28, 2009 7:37 AM