Hardcovers, and SFWA

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have an election coming up, and a ton of rhetoric and flame wars are going on. I’m not in the association, so I won’t be voting — but if I could, I’d be voting for John Scalzi for president. It’s no secret that I’m a Scalzi fan, but there’s much more to it than that.

Let’s face it, there are are a lot of books out there. A lot. Many, if not most, of them are good. Yes, there may be an occasional book that you hate — but really, that’s just you. Someone likes it. So for someone picking books to read, it’s difficult. I hate to admit, but more often than not, the title and cover art are what sell a book to me. Maybe a cool author name too. That makes me sad.

Here’s the real deal — Scalzi is a very accessible author. He’ll return your email. He’ll send you a free autographed book. (Well, maybe not, but he’ll let you download some books for free, so that’s something.) He’s someone that I want to support, not only as an author, but as a family man supporting a wife and child. It’s his willingness to be accessible that brings out that desire in me.

What does that have to do with hardcovers? Simple. I only buy hardcover books when I want to support the author, and not just read the book. If it weren’t for John Scalzi’s website, and Wil Wheaton’s blog — I’d never own hardcover books they wrote.

No, it’s not fair, but it’s true. Writers need to know that, and if Scalzi becomes SFWA president, at least the SF&F ones will hear it. Unfortunately, there is more to being a writer than writing.

2 thoughts on “Hardcovers, and SFWA”

  1. So I thought I would read your blog finally, but I tell you it was rough…. I could not understand it???

    I liked the one about Tigger though, I not only understand it, but it was very familiar, I think I could still smell it.

    True story

    Reply
  2. Ironically, Tigger smells a bit skunky, but he’s cleaner and fluffier due to the bath. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad, because both will wear off with time…

    Thanks for stopping by, even if I’m difficult to understand. I’m often difficult to understand in real life too, so maybe this blog is a good reflection of my true persona. 🙂

    Reply

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