Have you ever been turned off of an author's books...

People might be dicks, but why should that have an effect on the quality of their works? It would be pretty unprofessional to think that.

 

I've been turned off from a person's work due to meeting them, reading posts on a forum, reading their dedications, etc. If there is something objectionable about a person, I have a hard time sending money their way.

 

That's why God invented torrents. <jk>

 

Have I ever been turned off by an author's writing after meeting them? That's a big, huge YES.

Then there's the opposite. I became a fan of both Brian Keene and Charlaine Harris after meeting them. They are both warm, personable, and just plain fun people. Now, I have everything Charlaine has ever published, and I'm getting pretty close to having everything Brian's released as well.

 

I don't read or not read people's books because of his or her personality, just the same as I don't like or not like songs due to the singer's personality unless it comes across poorly in their work (and that isn't easy to do).

As a comics reader, I've heard the pros say many things I didn't agree with on a wide variety of subjects, but that doesn't mean I will or won't read the Doom Patrol because of it.

That's not to say I haven't met some pros who were (and probably still are) jerks of the highest order. But if I need an interpreter to follow a story, it doesn't matter what kind of person was writing or drawing it.

Silly me.

 

This.

If I see a consistent pattern of behavior form like that, or a very flagrant incident, then I am not keen on rewarding that behavior with my money.

 

Don't be ridiculous, Dave. I didn't read your stuff even before I met you....

 

I can't really say that I'd be turned off by just finding out that the author is a butthole. He or she would have to piss me off personally. Even with the Larry N. story, that didn't piss me off, just left me thinking "Okay whatever," and I went about my business, and used the book as a checklist for determining what episodes I had or hadn't seen. The incident just kind of got me wondering if anyone had experienced any encounters along those lines, but worse.

 

I've never met any modern-day Trek authors, or any authors of ANYTHING beyond my mom who writes quilt instruction books. I've helped her with her introductions from time to time, and at the trade shows I'm sometimes able to attend it's really fun to see her pretending to love every customer, when of course that's impossible.

I would imagine that for fiction writing it's a similar deal, and in the end if there's an author whose work I love, I wouldn't stop buying his/her books because of a one-time snub in person. It's HARD to stay positive and happy all the time, and I've seen it first hand.

Maybe I'm an idiot and comparing non-fiction instructional writing to fictional tie-in writing, but I honestly believe that in the end it's just people who are doing said writing. Unless they hugely and egregiously insulted you and your mother, if the stories/writings/whatevers are still enjoyable to you, I think it's OK.

 

A few months ago, just before LtP was released, I posted something along the lines of a personal political opinion on this board, to which someone else responded, in essence, "You really shouldn't say stuff like that, or some people won't buy your book!"

I've taken a rather dim view of people who get "turned off" of books by unrelated factors since then.

 

Yet, an argument could follow that if I don't like his/her political beliefs, then I might not like their work either because they probably let that influence their work. Several people have already noted their opinions about Card's political opinions shaping his works.

If I really don't like a person actions/beliefs then why would I want to support that person by buying their works? Personally, I tend to base my purchases on the actual content, but there is at least one trek author who I really can't stand based on their views/actions, which appears to permeate their work, so I've pretty quit buying their works.

And no, it isn't Andy Mangels.

 

If someone speaks offensively--whether it be political, or generally abrasive conduct, that DOES affect my opinions. There is even a case or two where just like wew, a Trek author's behavior or way of treating others has indeed turned me off of their books. This isn't just one incident but an entire pattern of behavior that I find undignified and unkind.

On the opposite front--one author's conduct, as a general rule, has really impressed me, and even though I found the A-plot of his last book difficult to get through, I would be VERY willing to give him another try because he seemed like such a class act. That would be Geoff Thorne.

 

It wouldn't bother me, unless, say, Christopher Bennett literally punched me in the face or something. Even then, the damages would be easier to recover if he had an income, so it would be sort of like paying myself to buy Ex Machina or such.* Seriously, no political opinion or personal asininity would dissuade me from buying a book. The text is its own creature, distinct from its creator.

I mean, my favorite author, Michel Houellebecq, is almost universally considered to be a drunken abomination. But Goddamn can the man write.

*Just using the Trek author I've probably talked with the most here. I don't think Christopher would punch me in the face unless I was clearly asking for it, and he strikes me as a pretty decent guy.

 

I have never met any authors IRL. And if I did, I wouldn't really care what they were like, as long as they wrote well.

 

I like how you were brave enough to put a fine point on the one that a few of us seemed to think about when we read this thread title.

The funny way to look at it is when I go to the bookstore, there are hundreds of authors who have never slighted me in the least, then you can see a name of someone you've actually 'conversed' with in a way through the internet perhaps and as you approach the cash register you think that this author has personally called your intelligence into question or shown bafflement as to why you hold a rather harmless opinion about Trek minutiae and then provided 2000 words afterwards showing how your opinion is without merit.
So I'll put that novel down and pick another one...I'm far behind on my Trek books anyway and at age 36 don't really plan on coming anywhere close to reading them all.

 

I sense I am in the midst of a faux pas. It usually takes a while.

Anyway, be it as it may, I stand by my estimation: decent guy, who generally knows his shit, and as far as I know might be a good writer too.

Although I realize this isn't a universally shared opinion.

That said, I think it's a good example of the opposite process described in the OP, like in ronny's story. I probably wouldn't have any interest in reading a Bennett work--I might be misrepresenting him, but iirc he keeps insisting they're nonviolent and I want 'splosions--but I've come to personally respect the cut of the guy's jib. So at some point, barring a punch to my face, I'll definitely pick up Ex Machina or maybe Over a Torrent Sea or whatever someone recommends.

 

I won't read a book (or see a play or film, etc.) by an author if I think that the author is using the work to espouse political messages that I think are fundamentally immoral. For instance, I've read enough of the Twilight novels to determine that it is my opinion that Stephanie Meyer is, intentionally or unintentionally, idolizing an emotionally abusive relationship and putting male dominance and female subordination and disempowerment on a pedestal; for this, I refuse to read her novels.

Speaking less politically, if I know that an author has a mental blind spot on an issue, it can make it harder for me to respect their work. There's an author I've encountered online who steadfastly refuses to acknowledge the validity of an irrefutable logical argument because of an emotional, ideological problem he has with the argument's conclusion, and while I haven't read his work yet, I think I'm going to have to fight awfully hard to respect the work and not assume it will lapse into irrationality over his ideological blind spots.

 

I definitely don't get all worked up over any *introductions* that writers happen to attach to their novels. If an author wants to dedicate their novel to whoever they want, for whatever reason, even if it's something I personally don't agree with, I don't care. As long as the book is enjoyable, of course.

 

I kind of have the same problem with Gattaca, which I find to be dogmatic and by its very premise unwilling to compromise on its message to present a more pragmatic take on its subject matter. It helps that Gattaca is perhaps the greatest science fiction film ever, whereas everything I've learned about Twilight assures me that it is awful.

 

Now, now. Despite his condescending attitude and the way he loves to argue against pretty much everyone who does not worship at his feet, there are those here who adore him. They are the ones who will, I'm sure, be here any moment now to say that any mention of that writer is the reason they've had you on ignore, and suggest that everyone else also put you on ignore.

As for Chris, after witnessing his attitude here, and after meeting him at Shore Leave and seeing that he is even worse in person, I refuse to buy any book he's written. I have heard from some that his writing is worth reading. I'll never know, because I refuse to read things from someone like that, a condescending jerk. It's the same reason I refuse to buy anything from Orson Scott Card and Stephanie Meyer.

Yet, I have every title released by Terri Osborne, Margaret Wander Bonnanno, & Jean Lorrah. Because they aren't jerks, online or in person. Come to think about it, all three are humble about their work, too.