I'm fortunate enough to have a Barnes & Noble less than a block away from my work. I spend a portion of my lunch hour a couple times a week browsing and adding things to my to-read list. For the most part, unless I've previously read the author (Vonnegut and Murakami are two examples I can point to), I tend to avoid authors whose books take up half a shelf on their own.
I'm not just talking about the Danielle Steels and James Pattersons of the world. It's pretty much anything. I made a point today to note a couple of authors: Jojo Moyes, Sophie Kinsella, and Colson Whitehead.
To clarify: I know absolutely nothing about these authors. Not their reputations nor the genres they write. The only thing I know is that they've written enough to fill half a shelf or more at B&N. Because of this, I'm concerned they may be churning out books like cheap sausage that will end up wasting my time and money, both of which I consider valuable.
Am I wrong in this? Should I me a bit more forgiving with authors like these? Interested to hear others' thoughts
by dingle4dangle
32 Comments
Colson Whitehead has won the Pulitzer Prize twice
Edit: I understand the wariness, but it doesn’t always mean an author is churning out writing with no thought behind it. Keep in mind that unless an author is very popular, B&N likely isn’t even going to have their entire backlist.
I would definitely recommend Colson Whitehead. Not cheap sausage. I haven’t read the other two authors.
I dont tend to limit myself. Seems the same as judging a book by its cover. I read synopses and reviews as i do any other book. I generally dont read everything someone writes unless I’m genuinely interested in all the titles.
I think you should just read what interests you and not force yourself to read or avoid something based on whether it seems highbrow or whether the author is mainstream. Your next favorite book may be the one you least expect.
yeah i wouldn’t understand why you do that tbh.
Scarcity is not a synonym of quality.
Some authors really can quickly produce quality reads. Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant) and T. Kingfisher are among my favorite authors who regularly have 2+ releases in a year.
For many authors, a book a year is the preferred schedule, so anyone who’s been publishing for a long time has quite the backlog. Nora Roberts is out here spending 6 to 8 hours a day on the writing process, and she knows her craft pretty dang well by now.
So I suppose my opinion is it doesn’t hurt to give an author a shot. Productive as hell doesn’t translate to poorly-written.
You should keep in mind the difference Been how much they’ve written vs how much space it takes up on the shelf. The latter is a factor of B&N marketing and whoever was stocking the shelves on a given day.
I haven’t read many of these authors you’re referring to but I have gotten through a couple of Colson Whitehead’s books on audio and they were quite good. It can be harder to judge quality of writing in the audio format so I won’t say he’s a masterful writer per say, but he writes very powerful and compelling stories with strong characters. The Underground Railroad was a trip, for sure.
A high volume of output *can* mean bad things, but it isn’t a given, just as plenty of terrible authors aren’t very prolific. You really have to take it on a case by case basis and do your research. Like already you’ve made a wild assumption about Colson Whitehead who is widely considered one of the greatest authors of his generation and is so beloved in literary circles that even mentioning him in the same breath as James Patterson seems like a bit of a joke (Whitehead also hasn’t even written that many novels?). It’s never good to just make blind assumptions. Look up the names, read reviews, talk to other readers, make informed choices.
I mean you can write a lot of books in 50 years. And if you are a huge name with successful books they’ll put all your minor ones as well on the shelf and it will look big. Hemingway, Dickens, Stephen King, etc
I don’t understand how it can matter how much an author writes in order for you to enjoy their books.
Most of the greats churn out products: Frank Zappa, Van Gogh, Woody Allen, Stephen King, etc. Just because an artists lives and breaths their work doesn’t mean their art is diluted.
Prolific writers have often had more hours to hone their craft than authors who’ve written a book or two. Yes, you risk having someone churning out junk but I think ruling an author out just because they have a large back catalogue is unwise and shortsighted.
Margaret Atwood is incredible. Are you going to avoid reading Charles Dickens or Agatha Christie Because they’ve written a lot? I don’t like Steven King but I’ve made a point of reading a few books and I appreciate his skill.
Imo, there’s no “wrong” way to read. If you avoid books because the author has too many out, or they’re on Booktok, or you just don’t like the cover art, it doesn’t really matter. There’s no Reading Police.
Acknowledge you may be missing out on good stuff, but don’t fret about it if that doesn’t bother you.
You can also read those prolific authors through a library, if the money thing is a big sticking point. Not helpful on the time part, though.
Consider how long an author has been in print. A few of my favorites have been writing for 40+ years and their work can fill a shelf.
A writer having many published works indicates that many people find value in their writing. It may be entertainment value only. But generally a writer is only allowed to be that prolific because a lot of people enjoy and purchase their books. Whereas you seem to have an idea that many writings indicate lesser quality, that is not always the case.
However, don’t grab something just because the writer has a lot of back catalog, you should look into the genre and the writers style to see if they are for you.
I think there are too many books in the world for any one person to read even a fraction of them, so we all have to chose what we’ll devote our time to in whatever way works for us, and if it’s a way you’ve chosen to narrow it down and it’s working for you, it’s not wrong. That being said, I personally don’t think a writer who has written a lot of books is necessarily turning out slop. Some of my favorite writers have long careers, and between the bookstore wanting to have multiple copies because the store knows they sell quickly and different editions existing, I could see them taking up a pretty big amount of space. So if one of those authors does catch your eye and you do want to read them, I don’t think you’re risking disappointment as much as you fear you will.
Think about the books you enjoy now. In a couple of years, those authors might’ve written enough to have slightly more books on the shelf. Your future self would ignore books *that you now* ***know*** *are high quality* simply because there are several books on the shelf. Think about the books you’ve therefore missed out on. I really don’t understand your logic.
I mean, you could always read the books and see if you like them. If you don’t want to spend money on a book that you’re unsure about, you can get it from the library or read a little bit of it while your at B&N without buying it. I don’t know that you’re *wrong* for doing this, since that’s a strong word, but I do think you’re robbing yourself of novel experiences which can be bad for your personal growth.
Read whatever you want to read. There are so many books out there. Having a ton of books isn’t necessarily an indication that an author is churning out mindless slop – but you get to decide if you want to take the time to challenge those beliefs or to move on to something else and try one of those authors if you hear good things about them.
Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is one of my all time favorite books, I still think of it a lot. I don’t think you can lump them all together. I’ve read one book by Jojo Moyes, The Giver of Stars, it was entertaining, not the best, but not awful, depends on what you enjoy reading
I love prolific writers because then if I like a book I can find others by the same author that i usually also like instead of constant searching for one offs
That said some do suck. Also I think that Shakespeare guy was fairly prolific
Yes, that’s dumb. The Beatles churned out album after album too.
Sure, some authors may just be going for quantity over quality, but just as likely is that these authors are very skilled and know how to create a good work of literature in an efficient manner. Authors that only have a couple books are likely much less experienced and therefore less skilled.
So no you shouldn’t be “more forgiving” because there’s nothing to forgive. Seeing a big shelf full of books should indicate to you that just maybe this author is prolific because they’re really good writers. It’s up to you to determine whether their books may be up your alley or not, as you likely already do with the authors you do read.
Brandon Sanderson has incredible output and his works are, in my opinion, some of the best fantasy ever written. No offense, but your rule seems quite arbitrary and dumb. Read books that you will enjoy.
Consider that authors who are prolific are more likely to be masters of their art, simply because mastery comes with time. Stephen King is another machine when it comes to writing and he’s achieved near god-status for authors.
I understand your thinking; I really like to try debut novels whose authors may or may not go on to become my faves. But just because an author is prolific doesn’t necessarily mean they whip out trash. I will not pick up a Jodi Picoult book, but not because of how many there are on the shelf, but because I’ve read her and she’s just a formulaic junk writer. Give each author a chance because someone you hate, I might love, and vice versa.
And, some books are written just to be a fast fluff read; nothing wrong with that.
You probably are missing out on some good stuff, yes. Stop limiting yourself.
I’m glad I started reading (a lot) very young; I never gave a thought to this sort of thing. I just read whatever appealed to me. I still do, though what appeals has shifted over the decades.
What a strange way to close yourself off.
You’re displaying a profound lack of knowledge about how much writers actually write.
Yes. Why use a random bright-line to choose books?
Patrick O’Brian and John LeCarré, among many others, take up large parts of their respective shelves. Both are master craftsmen and supreme stylists.
I chose books by reading the inside jacket and then reading the first 5-10 pages. That’s it. If I want more I’ll buy it. If there’s a laudatory blurb from George Saunders, that’s a plus.
This is such a weird take to me. I could understand if this was shelved in a section in a library maybe but a B&N is not equitable in what fills a shelf either. A “bad” author may have written many many books that do not sell but three that do and that might make them look better in your estimation. I am someone who justs reads what I like but I fully acknowledge that some things are classics and might change my life if I read them but that’s just not for me right now.
Terry Pratchett was a prolific writer, he published a new book almost every year and managed to keep up with the quality, even when his illness started to take over. He’s considered one of the most influential voices in fantasy books: he is also a best selling author, still being loved, discovered and discussed ten years after his death, for a good reason.
Yeah that’s irrational for a few reasons.
First and foremost, quantity is not always inversely related to quality. Monet isn’t a crappy painter because he did 2,500 paintings. Why would an author be a crappy author because they wrote more than a dozen books? Sometimes quantity is because they are just *that* talented and creatively driven. How many works did Shakespeare write, after all?
Second, sometimes even if they *are* indeed a “popcorn” author, there can be something to enjoy in there if it scratches a particular itch for you, and that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with trying out a James Patterson and finding you like it. Not every book you read needs to be a Pulitzer.
Not really. I guess it’s your own choice. The more well known the the writer, the more about them you read. Then, based on that you have an opinion.
Lesser known ones are better.