I have opinions on a THING that is going around this morning. Opinions that might get me in trouble. I'm gonna talk about it anyways because it's something that gets discussed quietly between authors a lot. Specifically, this thing: barnesandnoble.com/blog/sci-fi-fa…
Now, I'm gonna try to talk about it without being a dick, which is very important and something fans should remember: it's NEVER okay to harass an author over an unfinished series. Ask them about it? Fine. Harass them? Nope. You're likely just adding to the countdown clock.
I've seen a couple different arguments about why it's okay if an author never finishes a series. The argument in the link above is that GRRM's world is so huge and deep that it requires no ending. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeh.... okay? That feels very hand-wavy excuse to me.
The big argument is that an author owes no one anything. That he or she is granting us a glimpse into their imagination and we should be damn grateful for whatever we get. I can see where this argument comes from, and as an author myself I'd probably use it in a gut-defense way.
My problem with this: the author, in all likelihood, DOES owe someone something. They literally owe their publisher the rest of the contracted books. Because of the way the industry works and the type of people authors are, publishers tend to be super flexible about due dates.
Which is great! And lordie have I taken advantage of this myself. But to claim an author owes no one anything is disingenuous. The probably got an advance. They probably took the "on delivery" payment for that book quite a long time ago. In any other industry they'd get sued.
But like I said, publishing is a pretty forgiving industry and I of all people am grateful for that. But forgiveness can only go so far and at some point a publisher either needs to have that money back or take delivery of the book.
It gets complicated when an author, who hasn't delivered a book in a long time, has made their publisher ALL THE MONEY. The publisher loses their ability to negotiate (for good reason) and can't do much more than shrug with each passing year. Sins are washed away with cash.
Which brings me on to the other thing which is "owed" and where a lot of authors disagree with me. I'm a pretty firm believer in the idea that starting a series has created an unwritten contract between you and your readers.
They buy the first one that says "book 1" and they expect more (for good reason). You tell them there will be X number of books in a series, they have every right to be excited for book 2, 3, 4, etc... The promise has been made.
Further, I'd say that the more fans you get - the wilder your success - the more urgent that promise becomes. You're not letting down a few thousands any more. You're letting down a few million.
I certainly have sympathy for the pressure of it all, the mounting responsibilities, etc. But as a reader I really struggle with giving an author a pass just because they've become so rich and famous that the actual book contract doesn't really mean anything to them any more.
Like I mentioned before, their publisher kind of has to give them a pass because MONEY. But their fans aren't getting a return on their emotional investment. They're still waiting. I think a reasonable amount of irritation among a fan base is perfectly justifiable.
Now, this is all my own opinion and not something I feel strongly enough to fight about. It governs how I feel about being an author and my relationship with fans. I might feel differently if I ever get hugely successful. Hopefully not.
Small correction: they wouldn't have taken the "on delivery" payment for that book, they would have taken the "on signing" payment.
