Your reader is your friend, not an adversary or a spectator...

[Katie-Ellen]

Says Franzen, and a few other things besides. Now, I haven't read his books, and look at the stick he's getting in the comments. He is a pretentious douche etc,

But is this first point worthy of reflection, regardless of whether or not this writer is a 'douche' (I offer no comment)

More importantly, how do you envision your own potential readership? Someone who relates to your book enough to go that walk with you and stay the course. and PAY and why might they do that when you should be staying invisible, because unless it is a memoir it ain't about you, and they probably don't know you from the King of Siam, or a frisbee or a sausage-dog?

Article here

Junior acting sprog drama-queen 'navigating the perilous lava of Mount Doom'...bit like us lot, really

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Jonathan Franzen is in the peculiar position of being treated as a nerdy, speccy, pseudo-intellectual twerp writer by the media; sly digs appear in heavyweight newspapers. It's not just his books that get reviewed or respectful interviews with him printed, but stories like his spectacles getting stolen at a book signing event, or, just this week, how he's an avid birdwatcher (and cat hater):

Jonathan Franzen: 'Climate change isn't only reason for bird decline'

The main problem with him is, that he takes himself so seriously. As the Australians say: "He's too far up himself."

I've tried reading several of his novels, including The Corrections, Freedom and Purity, giving up each time, thinking life is too short to inflict this on me. Purity is one of the dullest and messiest reads I've attempted, almost as if it wasn't edited at all. It made me think that if this defines 'literature' then literature is hard for its own sake, something that's supposedly good for you to consume, but which offers no pleasure.

As for my own potential readership, I keep thinking that it's going to be mainly women of mature years...avid readers of crime fiction, who devour everything from cosy parlour murders to police procedurals to gory slasher shockers. I visit my local library once a week, spying on what other readers are borrowing, and this primitive market research shows that I should write for wrinklies!

Sadly, I don't believe that I'm writing for youngsters, at least not in book form, though eBooks may be read by a broader age demographic. As my crime novels have a Cornish location, I'll be trading on that...meaning that I could be writing for holidaymakers and lovers of the county.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

As for my own potential readership, I keep thinking that it's going to be mainly women of mature years...avid readers of crime fiction, who devour everything from cosy parlour murders to police procedurals to gory slasher shockers. I visit my local library once a week, spying on what other readers are borrowing, and this primitive market research shows that I should write for wrinklies!

Sounds like he's got no sense of humour.

Lurking in libraries. That's a good idea, though, Paul. In principle at least. Is it a well stocked library - sufficiently up to date to be a reliable indicator, do you think?