Too Much Hype

An insidious creeping phenomenon among writers is over-hyping themselves. I'm seeing blogs and other social media for books that don't even have publishers yet. People who may have acquired an agent are calling themselves "authors" and writing about their books and characters, as if they were already bestsellers. Too much "visioning"! They're already working on sequels or the "next in the series" about the same character or theme, or other series at the same time. Such chutzpah! You're not all Isaac Asimovs.

If I want to write about a book and author, first I look for the publisher (to avoid self-publishers unless some well-known literati gave the book a smash review or blurb). I seek an Amazon listing and a graphic of the cover. If I find no link to online or physical booksellers and no publishing info (release date, ISBN, publisher), tiny warning bells start tinkling.

Sure, we have been suggesting for years that beginner writers have sites, blogs (maybe not so much now with Twitter), participate online and start a site for a book six months prior to publication--by which time it would be sold to a publisher. These moves were advised as platform building. Now some people have gone way too far. I think social media are being used to avoid the necessary hard work to become a published writer, particularly a novelist.

Another facet of authors I might research are their academic backgrounds. If one tosses about literary terms and definitions as gospel, I want to be sure the author has the credentials to back up opinions and information. As I prepared to review David Shenk's The Genius in All of Us, I felt certain he would have a Ph.D. in psychology or education. Hint: if it isn't listed on the book cover, the author probably has no advanced degree. Sorry, that's less credibility, which leaves a nonfiction writer more vulnerable for attacks -- exactly what has happened to Shenk.

Finding multiple sites, blogs, Twitter, chats and other SM accounts for a related author/book/theme is starting to be a sure sign of a beginner.  Probably an unpublished book writer.  Why?  Because these forms of SSP (shameless self-promotion) are easy and F*R*E*E. And that's sad. The Web, a marvelous tool for teaching and learning is filling with mediocrity, dragging down the quality of the online experience. It's increasingly meatless media.

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