The Dreaded Question
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Question of the day: I saw you posted something on Twitter last week about how writers hate being asked how their book is doing. I'm afraid I've committed this faux-pas more than once! Can you explain why this is so terrible?
Hee. Yes. To be clear, I was making a joke on Twitter, but the meaning behind the joke still stands. I've chatted with friends about this, and while I'm only expressing my personal opinion here about this specific question, I do think that among writers, this is a fairly universally verboten subject.
Here's why: the question itself immediately makes writers uncomfortable for several reasons. One, many writers don't have up to the minute sales figures, so we're left to sort of flounder and say something like, "I THINK it's doing well, but I haven't seen numbers so I don't really know." Which in and of itself isn't exactly a confidence-inspiring, puff-out-your-chest statement. (And yes, really, a good agent will be able to get sales figures relatively early into the process, but many do not, so writers really are flying blind about the number of books sold. You would think that this would be made available to, you know, THE AUTHOR, but numbers are tightly guarded by publishing houses.)
Another possibility is that the book, erm, simply isn't doing well. How does an author, who has poured her heart and soul into this project, answer the question then? She's not going to say, "Well, it's kind of tanking, to be honest," so she's left to squirm and avoid eye contact and say something like, "Oh, it's selling great!," with a false sense of optimism that most people can see through.
Alternatively, maybe the book IS selling great, but still, this means that the author has to either a) self-deprecate or b) STILL squirm because she doesn't want to come off looking like a pompous ass. I often feel this way in regard to Time of My Life. I mean, there's just no subtle way to say, "Oh yeah, it's selling awesomely and hit the Times list," without feeling kinda foolish. Or maybe that's just me and my personality, but I'm just not comfortable making a big deal out of it in a casual conversation. (To my husband, well, sure! But when I run into someone walking my dog on the street, well, no.)
So that's why authors are wary of the "how is your book doing?" question. We understand, totally, that it's really just a simple question that doesn't come with innuendo or motivations on your part, but there are just few ways to answer it gracefully and truthfully. But don't beat yourself up for asking! It's not a big deal, and if you really want to make an author feel better, just tell her that you bought a copy so are contributing to sales! :)
Authors - do you dislike answering this question as much as I do? What's your standard answer?
Reader Comments (9)
Yup - there's no good answer to that question (unless you run into the Mean Girl from your junior high school and can trot out the line about it hitting the Times list!) I think part of the issue is that people who aren't in publishing don't understand the financial picture - I know I didn't before selling a book. I've had people ask me, in complete sincerity, if my husband is planning to retire now that I've got a second book coming out (oh, he wishes!) Even if a book is doing very, very well, it won't change your life unless it's on the same level as, say, The Help. So a smile and a vague, "It's doing great!" is probably the easiest answer, regardless of the circumstances.
I think this is a tough question to answer at any stage in a writing career, not just once a book is published (although that is obviously the context in this case). For me, it's that I always think I could/should be doing better. Writing faster, getting more requests from agents, and (someday, I'm sure) selling more copies. Enough is never really enough. (Otherwise we'd stop, right? :P)
See, here is another reason I love reading your blog. As an unpublished author, I am now aware that this awfully uncomfortable but probably very common question is coming, hopefully someday. And you're right, there is just no easy way to answer this, whether the book is a huge success or just floundering around. Someone's got to have a perfect answer out there. If I think of one, I'll let you know.
What helps me the most is to keep in mind that most non-publishing people have a very unrealistic image of writing and publishing. Through no fault of their own, they just don't realize the huge amounts of time that go into writing/rewriting a book, and the heavy competition that manuscripts face both before and after they hit print. My general tactic is to smile, perhaps give a super-brief explanation if they seem to be a bit confused (like the friend who was surprised that revising my manuscript was taking more than a week), and then give a truthful but optimistic answer. "I haven't gotten the sales numbers yet, but I've seen some good reviews on Amazon." "No, it's not quite ready for beta readers yet, but I'm planning to have it finished by <date here>. I'm really excited!" As for the scenario of trying not to brag... I'll let you know should I ever be afflicted by such a problem. ;)
I relate! It's funny how I sometimes trip over myself to answer this question, when all the asker usually wants is a throwaway "great, thanks!"
I'd never ask another author how his/her book was doing, but from non-authors it's polite and shows they're interested, unfortunately :)
That does sound uncomfortable. I am stil in the phase to get lots of "how is your manuscript going?", "when is you next book coming out?" and, my personal favorite, "weren't you writing something?" Not great either.
But think of it this way: as uncomfortable as you might feel answering how your book is doing, you still have the best case scenario of all the possibilities you listed. So enjoy! I hope I'll be able to feel exactly what you feel someday!
Hey Allison,
I bought your book! I NEVER buy hardcover books because I'm cheap, but because I love your blog so much, I gave in and went for it.
Just thought you should know.
I'm looking forward to reading it :)
How's that for a feel-better vibe?
LOL, Robin - thank you!
And thanks all for weighing in - I'm loving the comments these days on the blog. I'm learning new things and gaining new perspective from all of you too.
Crap, Allison!
I saw your Tweet and thought you were irritated because people had NOT read the book, thus I tweeted back at you the question with my disclaimer that I bought it and read it.
I'm so sorry! How very rude of me. I had no idea.
I was trying to joke and be an upper for your day. Whoops.
I'll be more careful from now on. :)
Sorry.
Trish L.