There have been several online posts recently, where authors, describing themselves as successful or best-selling, made statements which, at best, were very arrogant.
Now, I'd not heard of the authors concerned, and that may be because they're not as famous as they like to think or it might simply be because of differences in nationality or genre. However, to summarise for people who didn't read the posts, these writers caused controversy with views such as the opinion spelling and grammar are unimportant (because that's what editors are for) and declaring that 99.9% of published indie writing (produced by the community in which they'd recently been 'socialising') was rubbish.
Needless to say, these comments, within the context and company in which they were published, provoked strong and mostly unpopular reactions.
At the opposite end of the scale, I have met or corresponded with authors who very definitely are well-known and best-selling. And in each case they have been friendly, humble and helpful, beyond the expectation of diplomacy or manners.
Personally, I find arrogance ugly. And I find humility (not to be confused with lack of confidence) and friendliness appealing. I'm more likely to read and enjoy a book by someone I like and respect as a person. I think this applies to other branches of the arts as well as literature.
Established, famous authors are now saying they are expected to join networks such as Twitter, and interact with their readers.
And while online networking may seem easy, compared to meeting people in person, it's very easy to inadvertently cause offense in a short online post.
So, do you think personality matters? And in a world of increasing internet marketing, does the way a person conducts themselves in this medium impact on their success?
Now, I'd not heard of the authors concerned, and that may be because they're not as famous as they like to think or it might simply be because of differences in nationality or genre. However, to summarise for people who didn't read the posts, these writers caused controversy with views such as the opinion spelling and grammar are unimportant (because that's what editors are for) and declaring that 99.9% of published indie writing (produced by the community in which they'd recently been 'socialising') was rubbish.
Needless to say, these comments, within the context and company in which they were published, provoked strong and mostly unpopular reactions.
At the opposite end of the scale, I have met or corresponded with authors who very definitely are well-known and best-selling. And in each case they have been friendly, humble and helpful, beyond the expectation of diplomacy or manners.
Personally, I find arrogance ugly. And I find humility (not to be confused with lack of confidence) and friendliness appealing. I'm more likely to read and enjoy a book by someone I like and respect as a person. I think this applies to other branches of the arts as well as literature.
Established, famous authors are now saying they are expected to join networks such as Twitter, and interact with their readers.
And while online networking may seem easy, compared to meeting people in person, it's very easy to inadvertently cause offense in a short online post.
So, do you think personality matters? And in a world of increasing internet marketing, does the way a person conducts themselves in this medium impact on their success?
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