I think any author should be able to write stories outside of their background and culture as long as they do some research about what they're writing about and credit those who helped them find those inspirations.
I think it depends because sometimes what ends up happening is authors who are not part of the culture they are writing about but are white and American/British end up getting priority over authors who are actually a part of that culture.
@@Nik-dc4tiWhite-dominated, anglo-companies preferring white, anglo-authors shouldn't be surprising - and if it's a problem, it's a publisher's problem, not an author's problem. Isn't the point of fiction to experience something else? If the audience can do it, can't the author? Books would be pretty bland if they were all autobiographical, with no attempts at creating something the writer was unfamiliar with. Putting limits on art never works out well. But putting limits on just the white, anglo-artists? Should these limits extend to other areas, such as writing different sexed, gendered or classed characters? It's a publishing issue, not a writer's issue. Address it as a publishing issue by: supporting minority publishers, financially backing minority publishing outlets, supporting good minority-produced art - otherwise it's just words and unfair restrictions. *Just in case I need to clarify, bc this is the internet, I am not defending racist propaganda, or poorly written fiction that indirectly hurts another culture. I am stating that all authors should have the opportunity to write any kind of fiction they want to, without rules or limitations - let the market and luck sort out the good art from the bad, and use your $ and platform to lift up the voices you want to hear more from.
@Nik-dc4ti this is why I prefer indie books because I can search out what I want to read and not be fed what publishers want me to read. By putting authors in boxes and saying you're this so you should only write about your own experiences I think it severely limits imagination and confines people into molds. If someone has studied a culture or is fascinated by a culture wants to write a fantasy inspired by said culture they should be able to as long as they don't demoralize or downplay that culture.
The publishers are the ones shutting down authors writing about cultures other than their own. I had multiple editors tell me... "this is cultural appropriation - you can't do this." So I found numerous beta readers from those cultures and specifically asked if they found ANYTHING in the book offensive, invasive to their culture, inappropriate, etc. Nope. Not a single one of them had an issue. They enjoyed the story and were impressed with the amount of research I had done so I could accurately write about their culture. One beta reader even said, "if someone in my culture has a problem with this, they're looking for things to have problems about".
@@scroogemcduckrich9705 Whether it is ten or ten thousand betas, when people of/from the culture you're writing about that is different from your own say they do not find it in any way offensive, it doesn't matter what the old white guy editor says. He's only interested in making money, not telling a great story. Perhaps you should consider it is perfectly fine for someone to write about other cultures as long as they do their research and represent it accurately. That's the key.
My number 1 gripe for the last year or two has concerned Sarah J. Maas. I am so tired of walking into every single book store near me and seeing like 3-5 bookshelf displays (full shelves, not just rows) dedicated to her stuff. It takes up valuable real estate in every store that could be used to have books of other authors. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a booktube review on something, go to one of these stores to find it or another book on my list for it not to be there, but just tons of her books are. I don't know what deal this author or these book stores made, but it has given me such a skeptical conspiratorial view on it all. It all feels like it's being forced down the readers throats. And all this was before I just found out about the separate editions for separate stores thing. Just more fuel to my conspiracy fire.
That's pretty funny, I've had those same thoughts; especially as a new author. I try to get my novel noticed, but it's like there are fat linebackers keeping me from the readers who might enjoy something new to fantasy. If anyone is interested in an epic medieval fantasy inspired by Native American mythology and folklore, check out "Castle of Calamity: On Death's Door".
🥲 totally! I can understand the majority of their user base for the “original language” comes from there but hell yeah. What about the translations, and also the English readers outside of us/uk! (Also thank you! I really appreciate it!)
About the issue with having extra content on different editions, that has me enraged! It definitely needs to be called out, but you know what's the best way to protest? With our money! (On in this case without it?) Meaning that we as customers are the ones that decide what sells and what not! We can't let these greedy people to keep getting advantage of us. We need to be financially responsible and don't throw out our hard earned money on every little thing that's thrown our way. I'm very mindful of my spending, I now have libraries available which I use to read for free, but even before having that blessing, I wasn't spending money mindlessly on books. We need to have self control (or shelf control 😉) and don't fall on their games.
Oh hard haaaaard agree in this Jeanette!!! Even if it feels bad, in a way I believe they are pushing us for piracy. It is absolutely unsustainable for us to buy 5 books for like what? 20 pages at most? Unrealistic! Someone will share over on the internet and that will be that.. I am sorry to say this, but really! As you said we need to be mindful of our money spent!
I HATE those non removable stickers! My oldest daughter was a young teenager when Twilight came out. After that she started calling the YA section of book stores ‘The Vampire Romance Area.’ The publishing industry is like, “Well, the Hunger Games was a run away hit. Let’s publish all dystopian all the time.” Honestly I mostly read self-published fantasy on Kindle Unlimited. I’ll admit it is hit or miss, but some of the best fantasy isn’t traditionally published. I could go on with my rants, but you are probably too busy to read an entire thesis. 😂😂
Definitely agree with no 6. I am a slow reader, I usually only read 1 book (~200k words) a month. On the other side, my gf is a quite fast reader which can read 1 book in only 1 week. Early this year, I pushed myself to read a lot faster than usual, which I successfully did. I completed 2 books which usually took me 2 months to only 3-4 weeks. But I found that I didn't enjoy the books that much, and it also made me burnout of reading for 1-2 months. Already returned to the usual pace since then, and I do believe I enjoy the experience much more this way.
I’m a slow reader too, college reading has done a number on me, but one more year than I’m done with college and can read books as I like when I like… self-educate myself… I just need freedom with reading, and no time crunches.
Oh yes. If you have only read Twilight and SJM and consider yourself a fantasy fan, you're a fantasy fan. The fact that if I wrote that statement on the internet I'd receive several replies telling me that I'm not, actually, is mind-blowing in 2023. It's similar to the gamers community: if you only play SIMS and Animal Crossing you're apparently not a real "gamer" despite being, literally, someone who plays games. I'm so glad so many people are speaking out about this lately! Regarding the goals trend, hard agree! I usually give myself 50 books a year as a goal because it's what I've learned I am comfortable with, and more would impact my enjoyment, but lately I have been learning how to also slow down for the books that I feel need their time to be appreciated more (hisfic, historical fantasy or just classic fantasy usually) and there's always a little voice in my head that says to hurry, other people read that book in 2 days, why are you taking 2 weeks! But I will crush the little voice like I crush any other enemy on my path!
Hahaha I am inspired by you! i am also lately crushing that voice in my mind that tells me that 2 weeks for Malice is definitely too much (and trying to enjoy the ride!!) Definitely the gatekeeping also happens within the gaming community! Such a shame!
@@tyghe_bright I was actually recommended Anne McCaffrey when I was buying some Brandon Sanderson books a month or so ago. Ended up getting Dragonflight on kindle for fairly cheap. Fingers crossed I enjoy it when I do get to it! Haven't read Fourth Wing myself, although it does seem like everyone else has. 😂
Shadow of Time by Jen Minkman revolves around reincarnation and Navajo legends. While she is Dutch, the amount of research she did for her story to keep it as realistic and respectful as possible is worthy of praise. The whole Heritage matter is so strict, I think, because of books like Stormdancer, which is a blatant disrespect to the Japanese culture by J. Kristoff
I absolutely love your channel. Thank you for your wonderful and welcoming videos. I am a mood reader, read just about everything. I am new to the fantasy genre. I have seen so many interesting books in the book stores and on RU-vid. I have a nice little collection of fantasy TBR. I am really enjoying it (reading "The Way of Kings" now, I feel so immersed in this book, and love it!
Seems like SJM (or whoever makes these decisions) is taking the Taylor Swift approach. Thing is, that music ends up on Spotify eventually, so you can stream it affordably.
This is probably very unpopular, but...... I don't care what the book cover looks like 🤷♀. Once I have one copy of the book, that's all I need. Sometimes I have 2 books in a series that are paperback and then 1 that is hard back. As long as they are in good shape, and I have them, I satisfied. And the less I have to pay for them the better!
I've always disliked it when there's special editions of books from like Barnes & Noble or Waterstones for example because it's basically impossible to get them if you don't like in the US or UK and aren't willing to pay double for import taxes and stuff, if they even ship to you. Like it makes sense that they would offer it for their primary target audience, but I think nowadays there's a lot of non-English speakers who read English books? At this point I've just resigned myself to the fact that I'll forever own regular editions, but it's still annoying if it's a book I really like or want to read.
I definitely hate the "jumping on the bandwagon" trend. So many YA fantasy books anymore are all targeted at young girls and are heavy on the romance with the female lead being in a love triangle. Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with female leads (Clive Barker's Abarat series has a female lead and books 1 and 2 are great but book 3's ending really was an injustice to the trilogy because of plot issues, not because of the lead character), but it's the way that they are all emphasizing the emotional natures of everything. I'm a character driven writer myself but not everyone is super emotional and not every main character will fall for every other main character or even possibly want romance. I'd be far more open to all the female leads in YA if they would just lay off the romance and drama some. On the whole "write within your culture/stop writing western culture" stuff, as others have said, just give the other cultures due diligence with proper research IF you are setting your story in anything close to paralleling this world. Otherwise, write what you want. "Cultural appropriation" is nothing but the gatekeeping of cultures which just like with her first argument, will only lead to pushing people away from even wanting to experience and learn about that culture. And if a culture doesn't occasionally get an infusion of new ideas, new people, new experiences and stories, then eventually it will stagnate and the good and bad parts will polarize. Exposure between cultures is necessary to promote self examination of your own culture as well as see if another culture has problems that need to be fixed or avoided.
I like to take my time with books, soak it all up, i dont want to rush through them. Just to reach a goal. My goal is to hopefully enjoy the book, and pass it on to others.
Ahh! It 100% makes sense!! I am trying to fall into this category more and more! Although I confess that it really is hard for me! If I’ve been weeks with the same book.. I get worried!
Yeah, I hate those pesky book stickers too…it ruins the book! And, nothing bugs me more than a cover of a book being changed for being made into a movie or tv show! Also I’ve learned through the years to set my book challenge to something I can definitely achieve. There’s so many books that are chunky nowadays that I’m not going to kill myself trying to read 100 books/year. Books are to be savored and enjoyed, which makes it more relaxing for me…😎📚👍🏻
Stickers are better then printed sticker shapes if they're removable. Movie/show covers are made because they'll sell(or at least companies think they'll sell)
I think with reading Goals, and this just goes for me, is that my "goal" is at the mercy of the stories I'm immersed in, further more most book's I read tend to be on the "Large" side.. so I've changed my mindset, and let my curiosity dictate my pace.. I find the I savor and respect the stories more this way, I have a very structured mentality so I understand what you mean.. I'm currently reading "Pilar's of the Earth," but Ken Follett.. waiting for my copy of "Light Bringer"
With regard to gatekeeping, this is probably a universal problem that pervades all aspects of society. People like to feel special and exclusive. In the board gaming community, there is an element of this belittling people who only play the classic board games like Monopoly and Risk. On the other hand, there are lighter more accessible introductory games that "non-gamers" can play, that are called "gateway" games. The latter are used by more sympathetic hobbyists who suggest, "You like Monopoly? Maybe you should try Carcassone or Ticket to Ride?" or more recent games I'm blanking on atm. It's a kinder and more constructive way of expanding people's experience of what is available. I'm sure there are readers who are equally constructive.
Absolutely agree! I also think specially the booktube community (fantasy community) is very open and constructive overall. I've seen little to none explicit comments gatekeeping or diminishing one points (with maybe some tiktok readers exceptions) . I think this is a great community to belong to tbh :)
Stickers are better then printed sticker shapes if they're removable. Movie/show covers are made because they'll sell(or at least companies think they'll sell)
I totally understand it will sell more! And actually I am not against it, if it helps other readers pick the book or the continuation! But pleeease no to stickers (and agree that it’s even worse if it can’t be removed!)!
Sarah J Maas already has a lot of negative comments on her account now. Thousands. And as you said, you live in Spain. You didn’t think about the Spanish version(s) and other languages. Let’s just say her moral compass in her books was not the best but now in business goes south too.
There is power with the people who buy books, if people only buy one edition, the publishers will stop with all the different extra content in different stores. Its costing money to make different editions, so if we dont buy all the different versions it will not make them extra money.
Agreed! I am okay with books having different covers and editions and for people collecting them, but when you start having unique content- then it starts to feel as if you are in a tier pricing system here and not paying enough to get the full story, which is absolutely ridiculous!
I can’t stand movie covers and TV show covers on books either. I agree on reading goals and I think I buy a read pile, but end up feeling bad because I fall behind and then I feel like I’m not making the proper progress, then reading feels like a chore because of this.
I just found your channel and enjoyed this video. One question - How do you feel about authors who use smut or smexy time to cover up for bad fantasy or sci-fi worldbuilding and toxic tropes?
Ahh! welcome! I am so happy you enjoyed the video! Toxic tropes such as the "alpha male" are usually red flag for me! As for using smut or s*xy times in fantasy, I guess that I am okay with it. I feel that everything has a context, I can enjoy that kind of book, but by no means if there is no good worldbuiding or character work, I'll rate it as a 5 stars, and probably won't become a favorite. Maybe something to pass a good time, but will not change my life!
Totally agree with the "Now on Netflix" or "Now a major motion picture" stickers. And they're not even stickers, a sticker I might be able to take off. I get annoyed with cover art changing mid series too. What are your thoughts on the practice of not buying unfinished series? I kind of understand it financially if people aren't so well off and I guess it doesn't matter to the more well established authors like Abercrombie or Sarah J Maas but it might affect new and less well established authors
Agree with most of your thoughts here. I haaate that red Netflix sticker on books. At least make it a sticker I can remove rather than just printed right onto the cover! Sheesh! I do, however, have some mixed feelings about gatekeeping. I don't want to keep anyone from enjoying a hobby/interest that I do or make anyone feel less than because of how or why they came into that hobby/interest. That's all fantastic. I want my hobbies and interests to grow in popularity and appeal. But... I also don't want a mass influx by people who weren't previously interested, and then wanting to change some aspect(s) of it to better fit their own personal preferences. It's happened a few times during my life where I've been a part of some smaller, relatively niche hobby that gets a big influx of new people that now vastly outnumber the original enthusiasts. And those new people now want to make changes to the hobby; or a business/company behind the hobby wants to appeal to even more people and in doing so think they have to make changes/compromises that remove or alter the parts of the hobby that most mattered to me and that niche group. Like... it's nice that all these people found something that they enjoy, but now I don't anymore and have to find somewhere else to go and that kind of sucks. It's like I've been gatekept from my own hobby that was also a longtime friend. When someone finds a new hobby/interest, they should try to respect and appreciate it for what already it is. It was around well before they found it and maybe the few bits they don't like about it or think should be "improved" are the exact bits that others find makes them feel most included/welcome. I do my best to keep that in mind for myself whenever I'm the new one to a hobby; as the new person it isn't my place to believe something should be changed that others have been enjoying for years. Sorry... that was a bit long. And I'm not sure it's as applicable to reading as it is other interests. I do really hate those unremovable red Netflix circles on books though. They're the worst.
Haha I also hate the Netflix stickers!! As for the gatekeeping, I am not sure i completely understood what you mean! I do get the spirit of getting “outside” of you own group when the group changes because of the new people (specially if this change happens quite fast), but at the same time I tend to think that at least within fantasy, there are so many types of books, sub-genres, types of magics,… that at the end of the day I feel we can all find a space here. I totally respect of you don’t feel that! I understand is very subjective and sorry that you felt outside!
@@FunFantasyBooks That's what I was saying that I don't think it really applies to reading... I just kind of went off on a tangent a bit there. Like when Harry Potter was new and huge, it definitely brought more people into fantasy/YA reading, which is awesome. And even though we had clones of Harry-Potter-like books for what felt like a decade after, there are still always other genres of fantasy books being published because publishing is such a huge and varied industry. If reading/publishing were super small and those Harry-Potter-like books were the only actual books being published because of the small size of the hobby and they were trying to change based on the huge new influx of readers and cater only to them, that would be bad and unfortunate. Luckily, I don't think that can truly happen to books/reading. And both self-publishing and indie publishers also help make sure there will always be new fresh things to read. A lot of my favorites don't even come from the major publishers.
I welcome people who previously weren't interested in fantasy if they're genuinely new fans. It shouldn't be cliquey and in some ways it's good that fantasy now has a broader audience
Special editions: George R.R. Martin has 57 different special editions (that many buy). John R R Tolkien? 439 variations of his work. Book tubers: Many highlight the colored TEXT block (that you'll never see on anyone's shelf unless they display the book *backwards*.) If people want it, produce it. Stickers: Barnes & Noble puts these stickers on that you'll need a jackhammer, acid and a light saber to remove. Movie ties ins, Oprah Book Club. Abomination!! The worst? Recommendations by authors on a book blurb. You just know they haven't read the book. Is anyone swayed by, "Greatest fantasy tale I've ever read!!" Ken Liu. "I laugh until I cried!!!!" Harlon Ellison. Goodreads: I have 82 books for this year's reading challenge , but I cheat and 20 books are manga.
Interesting points. I understand your stance on gatekeeping, but I also understand the gatekeeping mentality. I'm flighty with my tastes so I'm a-okay with being gatekept out. With multiple editions, it is a cash grab. Pure and simple. I rarely read bonus content, so it doesn't affect me, but I feel bad for the fans of authors who do that. As for same content, I'm fine with it because the one that hits big and kicks off the flurry may not be the best one. You mention "Fourth Wing" and I did not think it was good at all, so I'm okay with others taking a stab at the college/academy/war/dragon thing or variation thereof, because Yarros didn't invent the concept just like "The Hunger Games" wasn't the first dystopia or "Twilight" the first vampire romance. One book or series might hit with the masses but there could always be another book or series that sneaks in later that I might enjoy more. Stories with specific heritage is touchy for me because I am part of an underrepresented minority. I do believe that an author can write about another culture or place of which they are not a member and do it well because I've seen it done. But when it is done in a superficial way, it shows. But sometimes a book is just meant to entertain, and all characters and situations are on the superficial side. Am I going to get on the high horse then? If there are racial stereotypes, then yes, but otherwise, not really. I'm with you on adaptation tie-in book covers. I prefer the non-tie-in cover and stickers are annoying. And lastly, reading goals... I don't pay attention to other people's reading goals. I am more impressed when someone can remember details of books that they've read over the course of a year rather than how much they've read because honestly, I can barely remember the books that I read in January or February or last month, much less what was in them.
Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions in the topics mentioned! I really appreciate it! I understand your point with Fourth Wing (I actually think The Aurelian Cycle did it before and better) and I love the main concepts - but I am pretty sure this is getting ACOTAR level now and it will have a huge wave of stories very similar, and I wonder how many of those will be truly unique (vs please give me another idea that might blow my mind?)
@@FunFantasyBooks Thank you for the interesting topic(s). I put "The Aurelian Cycle" series on my wish list after you mentioned in one of your videos. Book 1 has been a challenge to find and I'm on a book buying ban now until I get my TBR stack under control. But definitely want to check that series out. 😊
What's your take on bonus content that's exclusive to those who participated in a crowdfunding campaign for said book? Cause to me, it's like i'm being rewarded for believing in the story and creator -- but i also get that there's people who maybe didn't get to the campaign in time and missed out, or who came across it waaaay later and fell in love with the story but wouldn't have access to that tiny bit extra
Ahhh it’s a tough question! To me, the extra money should be directed to exclusive editions, with gorgeous art, different covers, better paper, better binding… so better “container”. But I feel that it’s unfair to add to the story, both because maybe you can’t afford it or because you missed it,… i hope that makes sense!
Repetitive content has been an issue for fiction publishing for a long time. Publishers are a business and they'll ride a trend as long as they can - with no consideration for quality.
love your thoughts on all of these points. I see them, too and totally agree with you. Only I think the 'them or us' topic a little difficult. I think there is many 'soft fantasy' from ya and romance considered real fantasy. that's the one point where I don't like the mixture. In all other points I do agree with you ^^
I think a nice alternative to movie poster covers would be to use some sort of concept art, that would feel unique and classier to me and still represent the adaptation for new readers that were brought in by the adaptation. And if they must put a sticker it should be removable. I also definitely agree that gatekeeping and goalkeeping can be intimidating, especially as a watcher of booktube. I went through a period of time where I really didn't have a lot of ability to read and I feel behind. Like I've read some of the classics but not all and so when they reference certain works or characters I feel left out. And that fear of missing out on truly good stories makes me want to set reading goals that are completely unachievable. I want to be able to enjoy my reading, not feel like it's work or a weight hanging around my neck. Instead I've tried to just make it a priority to read when I have time, and try alternative forms of reading to make it easier on myself. But no pressure to reach a certain number of books each year. As always, thanks for your videos! 💛
I promise that no matter how many books someone reads, they will never be able to read every book they'd like to. Even if they stopped printing new books. Even booktubers won't ever get to read all the books they wish they could (that's purely speculation, but I feel very confident about it). But I like to think of this in a positive way! If I were capable of reading every book that I thought I'd like, I'd run out of books to read. And that would be a sad day. I'm grateful that no matter what, there are always going to be books I can look forward to and dream about.
Totally understandable!! I feel that and I acknowledge that I tend to read more than what I would if I didn’t have the channel (at least consistently!) Reading goals are both helpful as a guideline but harmful if taken too seriously or if it reduces our enjoyment for the book (and promotes the “I want to finish this faster vs the I want to get lost in the story”)
The solution to the ridiculous Sarah J. Maas editions debacle is to just put out 1 edition with every single ending, and have the ending of the book be a "choose your own adventure" between one of the 5-6 (whatever) endings. Tada! All is solved.
I like to plan my monthly T.B.R. lists but like to try and keep it to less than 1,000 pages each month. I feel like, for myself, anymore than that will put too much of a burden on me and consume too much of my time I could be using for other goals and hobbies. P.S. - I really enjoy your channel and adore everything about you and your videos.
the recycled content point concerning fourth wing is funnier when you consider that fourth wing itself relies HEAVILY (and probably very intentionally) on being a regurgitation of previous tropes and content from the past decade. so in the end these cycles are creating books and plots and characters that are dilutions of the same tropes watered down over and over again
checks the strongly agree button for all topics. okay, maybe just an agree button on the one concerning dragons/fourthwing/etc's. as a person new to fantasy, this sub genre is still all new to me.
Hahaha yay! Glad that you enjoyed it! Totally understand! I love the concept of dragons / military setting (if you liked them maybe you can give The Aurelian Cycle by Rosaria Munda a try!)! I just want to know that other thing beyond dragons will get published in the next 2 years, because even if I love them, I am not sure it will fulfill my imagination after the 10th book…
I couldnt agree more with all of these. Beautiful video. Hey question.... I recently finished throne of glass... I have read all of sjm... but I'm looking for a fantasy (it can be romance) rec that will be similar to tog in the sense of... huge plot twist, character connections, and goosebumps and tears as it all unfolds and comes together
Honestly, I feel that, it's somehow so hard to find 😢 I've only really found one other novel like that that is being traditionally published now, and it has a million trigger warnings. It's called The Husky and His White Cat Shizun and is a danmei/BL novel translated from Chinese. There's currently only 2 volumes released I think, but it'll probably be around 8 in total. I don't know if that's your cup of tea, but that was the only novel in a long time that had me actually ugly crying (even worse I that one scene near the end of Kingdom of Ash 😂)
I agree with all excpet the goals one I feel like as a big reader i get grief for sharing my goals and achievements and that's my biggest issue with book community it's nor fair to the big readers to be like this can't we be proud of our reading. We all have different reading speeds and time we can and want to dedicate to reading so of course everyone is different someone who reads 4 books in their circumstances has achieved just as much someone who reads 150 in their circumstances but don't make the person that's read 150 feel bad for that
Absolutely!! I didn’t realize you could get messages for reading “too much”! But I guess it makes sense. I usually read 100 a year and feel that it’s challenging enough for me! But just wanted to call out the fact that having reading goals can at times harm the reading experience (if you get stressed because you’re not reading fast enough or as much as others)!
I don't get this gatekeeping thing, people read whatever they like, what do they care if they are like you or not? :) (I don't mean you as a person, more like community), second thing I understand, if you like an author you want to read all they wrote, but it works for me only with very few favourites, for most books I do not even read extra chapters if I have them printed in my copy :) Third issue I do not mind at all, most books are repetitive, I just try to avoid them, nobody can read all the books, so one has to prioritize :) Minority authors is indeed an issue, but one can always make an effort, two recent fantasy books I read were by Norwegian (Odinsbarn) and Jamaican (Black Leopard Red Wolf) authors
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Loved to read them!! Ahh personally the gatekeeping is probably the worst for me (or the one that is closest to my heart!) as basically for me reading is a coping and relaxing mechanism and definitely the community is part of it!
My gripe is slightly different, thankfully rare but I have seen it five times only, but each time is a kick to the gut. Why oh why do publishers think its a good idea to put bullet point summaries of a chapter at the beginning of a chapter 🤬😡
Oh that sounds terrible, luckily never encountered it myself! I also really hate when summaries on the back of the book have spoilers in them, like I read a book where it starts of with a married couple who you really root for and the husband dies rather early on but he is such an important and great character and the summary of the book starts with "the widow" like wtf... that annoyed me so much because it kept me from enjoying the first part of the book and rooting for them as a couple the same way I would've and it also took away the impact of his death
@@Kenough_in_Wonderland It was Tales of the Ketty Jay series by Chris Wooding, A Terry Pratchett book, some Warhammer 40K books as well. I tend not to read the blurb of book 2 or 3 of a series I am enjoying. Plus I have been burned when reading the list of characters before finishing the book (Although that on me - wont do that again)
My issue is seeing best of fantasy lists with few or no books by people of color. People of color have written in the fantasy genre since the 1920s but readers wouldn’t know it if they used best of lists to select books to read.
The main reason so few books are translated is because of cost. Trad pub won't do it unless it's a roaring success already (which happens infrequently) and the cost is so much that it's almost impossible for indie authors. Paying someone for hours and hours of translating time, plus hoping that hasn't added any errors as you can't confirm there isn't a typo, it's a lot of work that people deserve to be paid properly for.
Love and agree with all of these. I FEEL the gatekeeping that happens. I’ve fallen into fantasy from the romantic fantasy side (and have since expanded beyond) but I still feel like an outsider since I haven’t read the ‘heavy fantasy’ series that seem to be expected of ‘true’ fantasy enthusiasts. Thanks for this video!
They have been selling special, never before seen, extended footage, on movie CDs and DVDs for years. Doesn't change the original movie and likewise it won't change the original book. It's the same as special edition books having illustrations readers of the regular books don't get. Those pictures are worth a thousand words they say - I say they are worth many times more words than a thousand. Also, authors have also been doing this for years when selling novellas or novelettes which add or enhance, not change, the original book/series. Lots of us have bought those without being outraged. And then there are the special extended editions of the original books. It's all the same, just packaged differently. Personally, I think it's a really cool idea for those willing to pay the extra. It's free choice. BTW, I haven't read any of her books and I won't pay extra for a special edition book, so I'm speaking from a completely unbiased point of view. Let the reader and the market decide.
The stickers!!! I hate them, too. I just started to read The Wheel of Time and bought the first book on my e-reader (🤭) at the end, because seriously, I don't want an epic fantasy saga with a sticker on the cover of "A Prime Series" - that devalues all the work from the author, and sounds as if the streaming production would have discovered it. Like, why .... Great video!
#1 Gatekeeping.... i 100% agree... my Sister can read 5 books every week. I am lucky if i read 8 books in one year. But some extremely Toxic Gatekeeping can be some Comic Book shops. Marvel or DC fans from the 1970s 80s and 90s. Before Big movies took off. Yes, we had cartoons and TV shows already. But can be very tough to fit in with a group if they dont or wont help you with a reading list or their thoughts on old or new books.
I claim to be a fantasy reader even though the fantasy i tend to read is fantasy romance. Ill neve read the epic fantasies but im still a fantasy reader.
I think what Sarah J. is doing for reading is great. Rarely we see piracy in the book industry anymore and I feel like it's finally time to read illegally again. The manga industry was totally gatekeeping piracy and most of the reading that was downloaded illegally from the internet was manga. But with this wonderful idea from Sarah J. Mass I feel like piracy will come to the book community once and for all!!!!! Long Life TO THE PIRATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've recently discovered Afro Futurism, and it's been refreshing to see different experiences. Alistair Reynold's Redemption series places Africa as the dominant continent in a futuristic setting and did a good job of giving voice to the characters from Tanzania. But I'm White and from England, and not necessarily able to pick up on any problematic tropes. It's a risky business stepping outside one's own identity.
