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On Cliques and Cabals

March 4, 2011 by Ally Carter Leave a Comment

Lately there has been a lot of talk about the “YA Mafia.”  

Now, on one hand, this is hilarious, because, come on…the idea of a
bunch of YA authors sitting around like a scene out of Goodfellas is pure gold.

On the other hand, the underlying conversation is troubling.  And the underlying conversation seems to be this:

1.  knowing the right people can help your career.

2.  ticking off the wrong people will hurt your career.

(Also, a lot of people are behaving very badly, but I won’t address that.  I will address 1 and 2.)

Now, are there individual instances where both of these things are true?  Probably.  But only very rarely and I would argue only in the very short run, and this business isn’t a sprint, folks; it’s a marathon. 

Who you know…

There is a notion that this business is about “connections” or “getting your name out there”.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but I loathe this notion.

I knew no one when my agent called to offer me representation.  I’ve received a “blurb” from one
New York Times Bestseller and that book sold
so few copies that I’m pretty sure my mom bought a pretty good percentage (due to no fault of the blurber, of course.  It was just the wrong book at the wrong time).

One of the things that I love about this business is that the only barrier to entry is doing the job well.  Don’t have a graduate degree?  No problem.  Don’t have a pocket full of favors you can call in?  Nobody cares. 

Do you have a book?  Is that book any good?  Is there a market for that book?  If the answers to those three questions are yes then you are in the running for your dream job.  I swear.

Will having a friend tell their agent “so-and-so is sending you a query” make that query stand out from the rest?  Maybe.  But it won’t get you signed.  You know what will get you signed?  Having a good, complete, and tremendously marketable novel.  No reference needed.

Blurbs

There’s been a lot of talk of blurbs with this discussion.  A “blurb”, by the way, is the little sentence on a book written by another author. 

“The best book I’ve read in ages.” –Ally Carter. 

“I loved this book more than snickerdoodles!” –Sarah Rees Brennan. 

You get the idea.

I’ve heard people make the case that blurbs apply to both #1 and #2 above–that authors are friends and friends give each other blurbs and therefore only the people who have friends have a chance at succeeding. 

Another popular argument has been that if a book blogger gives an author a bad review and that blogger later writes a book, then that author might refuse to blurb the blogger’s book, thus hurting the blogger-turned-author’s career.

I can see at least one problem with both of those arguments: blurbs don’t really make a big difference.  No, really.  They don’t. 

I can name a half dozen examples of books that got BIG blurbs that didn’t have big sales.  I can name books that didn’t have a single blurb that have a million copies in print.  If given the choice between the fabulous blurb and the beautiful cover then I’d take the beautiful cover every day.  (Not that those things are mutually exclusive, I’m just making a point that covers sell LOTS books.  Blurbs…eh…maybe a few.)

And, ps, I’m still confused why anyone would WANT a blurb from someone whose books they didn’t like.  The whole idea of a blurb is to say “If you like Author X you might like Author Y.”  But if Author Y hated Author X then there’s a very good chance readers who would like Author Y hated Author X too, but I digress.

The BEA Car Test

I think a lot of the debate has stemmed from the advice that, if you want to publish in the future you might want to be careful what you say now.  Many, many people seem to have taken this as a threat.  Was it intended that way?  I think not, but that’s not my point.  My point is that I advise everyone–be they authors or a bloggers or a candlestick makers–to consider the BEA Town Car test.

Picture it:  New York City, June 2007.  A wide-eyed farm girl is enjoying her first trip to Book Expo America when someone from her publisher says, “Here, Ally, there’s room in this car” and two seconds later she finds herself in the back of a towncar, pressed up against Eoin Colfer.

Eoin. Freaking. Colfer.

Never did I dream I would meet Eoin Colfer much less get stuck in midtown traffic, squeezed in between him and the head of sales for Disney-Hyperion, but it happened.  And today I’ve found myself thinking a lot about that car ride, giving thanks that 1. I liked Eoin’s books (and really like Eoin as a person once I got to know him.)  And 2. I didn’t crawl inside that car to find someone I didn’t like.  Or had had words with.  And so on and so on.

I’m not proposing censorship, and this is certainly not a warning–not a threat–just a general FYI.  You never know who you’re going to be squeezed into a car with at BEA.  You just don’t.  If you’re an aspiring author, then towncars and BEA might seem lightyears away, but trust me, a year from right now you might be the one shoved into that backseat.

On Blogging

So you want to be in that backseat someday, does that mean you shouldn’t blog?  Does it mean you shouldn’t have a Goodreads account or maybe only give positive reviews?

That’s totally up to you.  But I’ll add this:  everyone’s talking about negative reviews, but let’s say there’s a book
you love–L.O.V.E.  Let’s say you query an agent who hates that
book–H.A.T.E.  Maybe that signals to the agent that the two of
you have very different tastes and that you’d be best served with
another agent?

This is just one example and I use it to prove the point that the more information you put out there…the more information is out there. 

And it doesn’t just apply to books.  This why I don’t trash movies I hated or TV shows I don’t
get–I never know who might be looking to option the Gallagher Girls. 
It’s the reason I don’t play the “who would you like to see cast in the movie” game because I don’t want to say “Jon Hamm IS MR. SOLOMON!” and risk ticking off Kyle Chandler.

For me, choosing what to put out there isn’t about censoring.  It’s about exercising the best possible sense.

The “Clique” Factor

I’ve been thinking about this for more than 24 hours, and I think it’s lingering on my mind solely because of the clique factor.

“YA Authors are soooo cliqueish.”

It’s said a lot, and every time I find it very upsetting because “clique” is a very negative word.  To say that all the people in the YA community are “cliqueish” is like saying “all the people in the YA world are social climbers who use people to advance their own causes and exclude those who serve no purposes to them.”

Today I’ve even seen it said that these “cliques” are hurting the industry because people are–or are not–getting published based on who their friends are.

So…yeah…no wonder it’s upsetting.  It makes me feel dirty–like I should call Jennifer Lynn Barnes and tell her we can’t be friends anymore because the two of us making guacamole and watching Roswell is somehow going to bring down an entire industry.

But here’s the thing: guacamole and Roswell WILL NOT bring down the industry.  And even if it did I wouldn’t stop being Jen’s friend.  Because we are friends.  And nobody gets to tell me who my friends should be.  Or that we can be friends, but we shouldn’t talk on twitter or take trips together  because it’s “Bad for YA”. 

I’m friends with Holly and Cassie and Sarah and Sarah and Sara and Maureen and Emily and Lauren and Diana and Carrie and Melissa and…  I’m friends with these people.  Actual friends.  Real friends.

I’ve spent a lot of my life having a lot of acquaintances and very few really close friends and now that I have a wonderful group of friends a lot of people are mad about it?

Well no wonder this upsets me.

The thing I think no one really realizes is that a few years ago I didn’t know any of these people.  We didn’t band together to bring each other up or keep others down.  These are simply people who have hit it off at conferences and book festivals; these friendships have been forged over bad copyedits and good guacamole.  And, for the most part, my friends and I are almost all about the same “publishing age.” 

These are the people I have “grown up with” in the industry, and if you’re in the early stage of the game I can promise you this: the people you form your real friendships with will likely be the people you “grow up” with, too.

The Crazies, Part 2

I’ve debated a lot about whether or not I want to wade into the crazy pool that is this conversation in some circles.  There are some people throwing around some truly venemous things.  But in the end I am going to post it because, in the end, what I think we have here is a case of The Crazies, part 2.

Some of you may remember this post that I wrote a few months ago in which I discussed The Crazies–or the headgames that authors can play if they let themselves because, for the most part, we hold very little power over the future of our own careers.

So we fill the void with google and twitter and now, apparently, the notion that published authors are out there, gunning for bloggers and baring new authors at the door.

As Holly and Justine and others have already said, this isn’t true.  If you want a career as a published author, write a book worth publishing.  And then, eventually, that career will happen.

Blurb or not…

Recommendation or not…

Invitation to eat guacamole or not…

It really won’t matter in the long run.

 

-Ally

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Sarah Stevenson (aquafortis) says

    March 4, 2011 at 8:57 pm

    Sorry, apparently I’m long-winded today! I wanted to add that it DOES sometimes feel like there’s a group of Cool Kids of YA Literature–not a Mafia by any stretch. It’s just easy to think things like: writers X, Y, and Z are so popular and have such a huge online following, therefore writers X, Y, and Z must be the Cool Kids.

    But I’m well aware that is 99.9% likely to be my own insecurity talking, not to mention the fact that other writers’ success has little or nothing to do with my own success or lack thereof. 🙂

    Reply
  2. Debra D. says

    March 4, 2011 at 9:11 pm

    Great post!! Also, whew! Very relieved that eating Mexican food and watching teen alien melodrama is still allowed. =D

    Reply
  3. Diana Peterfreund says

    March 4, 2011 at 9:14 pm

    Sarah RB, you wouldn’t make that blurb though, at least, not how it reflects on ALLY’S snickerdoodles! Because there is nothing better.

    Rachel, Ally is right. All five of those books are going to get an agent. Ask any agent — their problem is scoring the deal with the author of the good book — because they have 7 other authors from other agents.

    Reply
  4. Sandy says

    March 4, 2011 at 11:32 pm

    Ally, I own all of your books, even your pre-Gallagher Girls chick lit stories, so I can definitively say it wasn’t just your mom who bought them. 🙂

    I’m turning all the people around me into Ally Carter groupies. We’re gunning for our amazing local indie bookstore to bring you back when you tour for Uncommon Criminals (Kepler’s in Menlo Park–you were there last summer).

    Reply
  5. Melissa Marr says

    March 4, 2011 at 11:54 pm

    You’re always so sensible, Ally. *sends hugs*

    My first BEA was 2007 too, & I was utterly speechless when I went in the green room, sat down, & realized Eoin Colfer was beside me. I didn’t speech to him, & I was pretty sure that I would be SILENT during my interview (which was after his). Seriously, he’s just too freaking brilliant. I can’t imagine how you functioned upon being in a car with him. . .

    Reply
  6. Dot Hutchison says

    March 5, 2011 at 1:07 am

    This was brilliant, thank you! I’ve been following the mess on twitter, and as someone who a) reviews books online, and b) is trying to attract an agent for YA novels, I’ve been absolutely baffled by the entire concept.
    We grow older, but there seem to be parts of us that never actually leave preschool.

    Reply
  7. SFogleman says

    March 5, 2011 at 1:11 am

    I get that, Sarah. I really do. It’s very easy to feel left out. I feel that way all the time, and then I have to stop and remind myself that if I don’t get invited to the movies with six other authors tonight it MIGHT be because I live in a different state.

    One thing I love about the YA community is that there are so many conferences like NCTE, IRA, TLA–places where large groups of authors are tossed together like salad and you get to meet new people and interact with some writers you never would have met otherwise.

    I hope to see you at something soon.

    Thanks,
    Ally

    Reply
  8. Morgan says

    March 5, 2011 at 2:05 am

    Great post, Ally, as always. It’s really sad what people are saying about authors nowadays. I don’t follow it, because, as I said, it’s really sad. It was nice to see an author “fight back” in a sense, and all those things you said are so true.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous says

    March 5, 2011 at 4:32 am

    “Baring new authors” actually sounds very friendly…;-)

    Reply
  10. Hannah says

    March 5, 2011 at 3:52 pm

    I agree about the blurb thing thing. Usually, I would read the blurbs on the back of a book just because they’re there. But I only know if I really like the book after I read it, regardless of what the blurb says.

    I don’t think there’s anything cliqueish about young adult writers being friends. It’s just like in school when you and some other people in your math class get along really well and then you study together in the library and become friends; there’s nothing wrong with that. But I have to admit, it’s easy to get that cliqueish impression when you read one young adult writer’s blurb on another YA writer’s book or when YA writers hold signings together. It’s just that we readers don’t really know what’s going on in the YA writers committee so we start making all the wrong assumptions to fill up what we don’t know.

    Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    March 5, 2011 at 4:15 pm

    Thanks Ally i think this will help new authors
    especilly my sister i relly hope she will be one day,no she is goging to be an author! i no how much she loves writting
    my parents said for her 17th b-day she can send it to a publisher! ell i wonder wich 1 she will chose her website http://www.ahleysworks.webs.com
    on another note i know this has nothing to do with the blog but guess wat i found today?! well most people hav seen the sound of music well u no the guy who like the17 year old dauter the oldest well i hav met that guy she did all the seance like the song “i am 16 going on 17” i found his atograph!!!!!!!! i met him in 3rd grade he was like a big teddybear!
    -aleandra

    Reply
  12. Amy says

    March 5, 2011 at 7:08 pm

    I love that you mention TLA with the national conferences! 🙂

    Reply
  13. Anonymous says

    March 5, 2011 at 7:41 pm

    Thanks for posting this, Ally. It’s great advice.

    Reply
  14. Maxie says

    March 5, 2011 at 8:07 pm

    Wow. I’m commenting on Ally Carter’s blog along with Melissa Marr and Shannon Hale. Oh.My.GOd

    Reply
  15. Willa says

    March 5, 2011 at 8:45 pm

    Hi, this is a very insightful post. Here’s my blog- http://willasramblings.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  16. Meredith says

    March 5, 2011 at 8:46 pm

    Cool blog. You are a good writer

    -Meredith
    http://mintteaandagoodbook.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  17. Steph says

    March 5, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    Hi, Ally! This doesn’t have anything to do with this post, but I was just thinking about book previews. So, I was wondering if, maybe, sometime, you could post a blog about book previews and why they’re made, who makes them, what the point of having them is, the effect it has on the authors (beneficial or it doesn’t change anything for authors), etc. I see them often for books, but I never really knew the story behind them. It would be awesome if you could make a blog about it for us. If you can’t, I totally understand because you’re doing some important stuff… like writing. Haha Well, thanks!

    Reply
  18. Anonymous says

    March 5, 2011 at 10:00 pm

    Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. I feel like singing because of this beautiful blog. Laaaaaaaaaaaa laaaaaaaa leeeeeeeeeee laaaaaaaaaa.

    Reply
  19. Sarah Stevenson (aquafortis) says

    March 5, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    Hope we see each other sometime, too! Kidlitcon 2011 is in Seattle in October…

    Reply
  20. Mia says

    March 6, 2011 at 12:46 am

    AW! the last lines gave me shivers!.

    Reply
  21. GGluvr says

    March 6, 2011 at 5:57 am

    Yeah, it doesnt really matter about thouse small things like a blurb, cuz i only read those if its on a really good book, and i already read it many times and i just want to squeeze every last bit out of that book cuz it was so good. Like i often do 2 ur gallagher girls books Ally!

    Reply
  22. Anonymous1a says

    March 6, 2011 at 3:25 pm

    WOW!! I had no idea of all this! But, Miss Carter, this is great advice! And way to NOT let this bring you down! PUSH FORWARD! You are awesome!

    Reply
  23. Anonymous says

    March 6, 2011 at 5:21 pm

    Ally,
    How is it you are always right, thanks for the great advice, I had no idea what was going on with this. Ally sometimes I think what would we do without you the thought is unbelivable. Can’t wait to read UC and GG5.
    -Alexis 🙂

    Reply
  24. Josin says

    March 7, 2011 at 5:36 pm

    OMG, could you imagine what a group of YA writers sitting around like the Goodfellas would actually look like?

    You’d have your barely teens, talking while texting the other barely teens with the things that they either don’t want to say out loud or don’t actually have to do with the conversation. (barely-teens are scary good at multi-tasking like that)

    You’d have the three people with hair dyed pink, blue and/or green. (These are based on real wannabe and existing YA writers, btw.)

    You’d have the 20-somethings and 30-somethings, probably all talking at once.

    One would be doing a Vlog of the meeting, at least four would be tweeting it. Someone would be constantly updating the status on their Facebook.

    There’s no way anything nefarious would be a secret for longer than the time it takes two teens to text and tweet… say that five times fast…

    Reply
  25. ldsjaneite says

    March 7, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    Very well said. Thank you!

    Reply
  26. Lyn Fairchild Hawks says

    March 13, 2011 at 1:22 pm

    Hi, Ally,

    Thanks for this post. I just found you via Nathan Bransford.

    What strikes me is how much time some people spend getting mad and staying mad–when we should all be busy writing and reviewing.

    I also think if we take nasty tones in our reviews, then there are logical consequences. We have to be professional in writing reviews and elevate the exchange of conversation. John Updike’s rules for writing reviews still stand. http://tinyurl.com/4e45683

    But, there will always be some behaving badly–starting rumors, talkin’, squealin’, lyin’…and if we want to keep writing, we’ve got to keep our head above the fray and ignore those who wanna be startin’ something.

    🙂

    Lyn

    Reply

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