Cookbooks

I need to remember to print out a copy of this article for my mother, the cookbook collector. (Login required for NY Times)

Delicious Collection for Readers or Eaters
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/04/dining/04libr.html

Vampire authors silver bullets at dawn...

neadods linked a a lengthy message board discussion from Laurell K. Hamilton’s board where she basically says the new direction of her books (i.e. high on sex and violence and maybe a plot) has increased sales and it's only going to continue with future books. I vaguely remember when the Anita Blake series first appeared on the scene. The first couple of books received a lot of hype on the old Vampyres@guvm list, unusual enough to catch people’s attention. I don't think BTVS had appeared on the scene yet, so humor and vampires were different, not the usual angst and omigoth. Hard as I tried, though, I could never get into them. But it was interesting watching LKH suddenly becoming a big thing with hardcovers and book dumps and new editions for the old books. LKH could have stayed a quirky little unknown midlist writer and she turned it into bigger sales instead. I can’t really begrudge that in a writer, if it wasn't counterbalanced with all the complaints and the proofreading holes. The complaints were leveled on LKH's own fan club message board, attacked on her own turf. Does that make it any better or worse though?

Her post also points out a different problem now with writing. It used to be you'd get the reviews in the newspapers or trades and maybe some ardent fan letters. In the Internet age, everyone can post a review on their blog or message board. Everyone has an opinion and can be a critic. Do authors ignore them completely and act in a bubble? Or do they act like LKH or Anne Rice and lash out at the very people buying their books? It's nearly impossible these days to shield yourself from that without being a complete hermit. Me, I'm a curious person by nature. However bad it was, I'd want to know what people were saying, whether it's on a review site like Reviewing the Evidence or Amazon. Yes, I can see where you'd need some very thick skin to deal with those. I don’t always even deal well with critiques or feedback, so I'm not sure I'd be the best judge. It does make me wonder what they feed vampire authors. Was Bram Stoker this wanky with his fans?