If I'm asking people for monetary support outside of the product I'm generating, then they have a right to dictate how I use my time, and what I produce with it.
I think this is false. My personal experience is that when I put money in an author tipjar, it's in response to product that they've already generated, and which they've often already sold through traditional channels previously or decided not to sell (or initially sell) through traditional channels (released under CC or pure blogging). It's just another way for an author to get that money, letting readers support after having read, rather than supporting before (or during, for advertising). Unless you specifically ask for donations/preorders to support a future product, I don't expect anyone will be contributing except in response to something they've already read.
My understanding is that the people driving Martin to distraction (counterproductively) are generally people who did nothing more than buy his writing. The extra investment comes from time spent reading those books (they're kind of long), reading them again (I've probably read each book twice), and anticipating what might come next (O the theories I have!). That alone is enough to warp the thinking of a person (I have those entitlement issues with SoI&F, but I check them quickly, because they are, obviously, ridiculous).
Sidenote: In 2005 (the same year the last SoI&F book was released), videogame programmer Cliff Johnson declared his long awaited sequel "almost finished" and opened preorders. Johnson's game has been as delayed as Martin's novel, and yet Johnson's fans who have already paid for the game exhibit far less ire than Martin's who haven't put any money into it. Perhaps it's because Johnson's able to refund money when somebody gets mad. Martin can't refund the time (and, yes, has no obligation to).
Anyway, a reader feels the most goodwill toward the author right after reading something (novel, story, essay/blog) they like. They're filled with that joy; they see your name; it drives them to your website. Then what? Hopefully, they buy the book. But what if they already have the book? What if your next book is still in production? What if they don't want to read a novel, becauase they were reading your blog or short fiction? What then?
There are readers (not tons yet, but some), who will come to your website, flush with your words, thinking, "That was great, now what can I do for her?" I have done this, not hypothetically. I have gone to your bibliography page, before this conversation, and asked myself, "Where's the paypal button?" Offering more options captures more of that goodwill.
What's more (and this may sound creepy, especially if you're concerned about entitlement and overinvestment), allowing your fans to do things you tell them to is good for your business. It increases their identification with you, which increases the goodwill in your name brand, which makes people more likely to buy read and recommend your work. "I read her story, and I liked it, and I sent in a few bucks" is stronger than "I read her story, and I liked it."
So, suggestions tailored to you. Lemme review your website. Doot doot doot.
You're offering a tuckerization, which looks like a mild form of patronage (somebody's paying money to influence your future work, under limited circumstances), but the money is being offered to charity. You've also very recently reprinted (preprinted?) a novelette with specific instructions to donate to Haiti. A theme.
A lot of the short fiction in your bibliography has been published by groups that maintain open archives. I gather, from your stance here on novel publihsers, that you're also very heavily invested in maintaining these groups as paying concerns. So add direct links to their support pages. Yes, I know they have their own on your story, but it makes a difference that you're saying it as the author. And you've probably said it in, say, the blog post where you announced the story was printed and elsewhere, but that doesn't mean it'll be seen, or possibly remembered, at the critical moment.
Several of the stories are linked to Transcriptase, which directs support to the Carl Brandon Society and the Triptree Award, so you might want to link to and direct support there too. The other short fiction you reprint is offered under CC license. For that one, maybe link to and direct support to the SLF?
Also, having a general statement on the sidebar regarding support and linking to and directing support to one, several, or rotating charities would help catch the people who just come by your blog posts.
So that's opening the revenue streams, just not directing them to you. I don't think it makes a great difference to the reader how that money gets where (though it does to the IRS), and I don't think you're shielding yourself from any dangers that might be posed by fans who want to give you money. But charity's a luxury for most of us, and finding a way to support that luxury, even indirectly, is also valuable.
Finally, and, hopefully obviously, if the time comes when you can't write (in the sense of, you can't write what you feel you're supposed to write, or you feel you need to do or write something else), don't keep that off the table either. The fuckwads may be upset at Martin for help produce a GoT pilot for HBO, but, dude, Sean Bean as Eddard Stark? I'm all over that. And so's a new audience of non–book buyers.
no subject
My understanding is that the people driving Martin to distraction (counterproductively) are generally people who did nothing more than buy his writing. The extra investment comes from time spent reading those books (they're kind of long), reading them again (I've probably read each book twice), and anticipating what might come next (O the theories I have!). That alone is enough to warp the thinking of a person (I have those entitlement issues with SoI&F, but I check them quickly, because they are, obviously, ridiculous).
Sidenote: In 2005 (the same year the last SoI&F book was released), videogame programmer Cliff Johnson declared his long awaited sequel "almost finished" and opened preorders. Johnson's game has been as delayed as Martin's novel, and yet Johnson's fans who have already paid for the game exhibit far less ire than Martin's who haven't put any money into it. Perhaps it's because Johnson's able to refund money when somebody gets mad. Martin can't refund the time (and, yes, has no obligation to).
Anyway, a reader feels the most goodwill toward the author right after reading something (novel, story, essay/blog) they like. They're filled with that joy; they see your name; it drives them to your website. Then what? Hopefully, they buy the book. But what if they already have the book? What if your next book is still in production? What if they don't want to read a novel, becauase they were reading your blog or short fiction? What then?
There are readers (not tons yet, but some), who will come to your website, flush with your words, thinking, "That was great, now what can I do for her?" I have done this, not hypothetically. I have gone to your bibliography page, before this conversation, and asked myself, "Where's the paypal button?" Offering more options captures more of that goodwill.
What's more (and this may sound creepy, especially if you're concerned about entitlement and overinvestment), allowing your fans to do things you tell them to is good for your business. It increases their identification with you, which increases the goodwill in your name brand, which makes people more likely to buy read and recommend your work. "I read her story, and I liked it, and I sent in a few bucks" is stronger than "I read her story, and I liked it."
So, suggestions tailored to you. Lemme review your website. Doot doot doot.
You're offering a tuckerization, which looks like a mild form of patronage (somebody's paying money to influence your future work, under limited circumstances), but the money is being offered to charity. You've also very recently reprinted (preprinted?) a novelette with specific instructions to donate to Haiti. A theme.
A lot of the short fiction in your bibliography has been published by groups that maintain open archives. I gather, from your stance here on novel publihsers, that you're also very heavily invested in maintaining these groups as paying concerns. So add direct links to their support pages. Yes, I know they have their own on your story, but it makes a difference that you're saying it as the author. And you've probably said it in, say, the blog post where you announced the story was printed and elsewhere, but that doesn't mean it'll be seen, or possibly remembered, at the critical moment.
Several of the stories are linked to Transcriptase, which directs support to the Carl Brandon Society and the Triptree Award, so you might want to link to and direct support there too. The other short fiction you reprint is offered under CC license. For that one, maybe link to and direct support to the SLF?
Also, having a general statement on the sidebar regarding support and linking to and directing support to one, several, or rotating charities would help catch the people who just come by your blog posts.
So that's opening the revenue streams, just not directing them to you. I don't think it makes a great difference to the reader how that money gets where (though it does to the IRS), and I don't think you're shielding yourself from any dangers that might be posed by fans who want to give you money. But charity's a luxury for most of us, and finding a way to support that luxury, even indirectly, is also valuable.
Finally, and, hopefully obviously, if the time comes when you can't write (in the sense of, you can't write what you feel you're supposed to write, or you feel you need to do or write something else), don't keep that off the table either. The fuckwads may be upset at Martin for help produce a GoT pilot for HBO, but, dude, Sean Bean as Eddard Stark? I'm all over that. And so's a new audience of non–book buyers.