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How are any of these lame jests actually helping the OP who is impoverished in his joy of reading? Keep them to yourself.
Best answered by asking the OP their position on lame jest Vs pompous arrogance I guess. Might also ask their position on taking advice from those that cannot follow it.
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"Everyone has a book inside them, which is exactly where it should, I think, in most cases, remain." -- Christopher Hitchens
I find that to be an awful attitude... self-absorbed people with nothing interesting to write about will assume it doesn't apply to them because they are so interesting, and people not so sure of themselves but having an actual unusual idea or story they are passionate about, could easily be discouraged from sharing something valuable. I say, if you have something to say that fits well in a book, write it. Let other…
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Best answered by asking the OP their position on lame jest Vs pompous arrogance I guess. Might also ask their position on taking advice from those that cannot follow it.
It’s not arrogant to suggest someone read the classics. This demonisation of quality in literature is anti intellectualism
Agreed. 'Arrogance' likely refers to attitude and manner.
> This demonisation of
What demonisation?
> is anti intellectualism.
What intellectualism?
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You were complaining about platforms and influencer's gatekeeping their audiences and creating some sort of "all-or-nothing effect", whatever that means. Someone else pointed out that ads exist, and you got snippy and decided to attack the OP for "never bootstrapped a business, self-published a book, or similar". I pointed out that you don't get an audience for free, and that seems to have further upset you. Doesn't…
> Someone else pointed out that ads exist, and you got snippy Right. Clutch your pearls now. People only pointed out some things and the bad man got so snippy. What 'someone else' actually said was "maybe we should invent ads, so that we don't all have to become influencers". Clearly a snarky comment, which I accurately identified as smug and dismissive. > I pointed out that you don't get an audience for free, and th…
That's just as well since it seems you don't actually know how to. Must be tough to be an influencer with a mouth like that.
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It’s not arrogant to suggest someone read the classics. This demonisation of quality in literature is anti intellectualism
> It’s not arrogant to suggest someone read the classics. Agreed. 'Arrogance' likely refers to attitude and manner. > This demonisation of What demonisation? > is anti intellectualism. What intellectualism?
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Not many people have read my novels because they are extremely dense and technical near future stuff, but I've made interesting friends from writing those books. In fact, one contact I made basically paid for the whole two year investment in writing the novel. I know a very successful writer of thrillers and he said that the technical content of the books would have to be completely stripped down to maybe what's cont…
I like the sound of that, can you share where to find your novels?
The second novel draft is done and is being edited. It's about AI, Mars Colonization, and how humanity gets past the limits to growth and to the next stage of human history past the one we're currently in and takes place in the same universe as the first book. Here's an excerpt that describes a particularly soft and comfy AI doom: https://open.substack.com/pub/botsfordism/p/the-bot
Spent several years writing and editing my first book before thinking the job was finished when I hit the publish now button. But it is literally only half the job done. The hell now is unless you get friends and family or an agency involved to push it and market it it will languish on the 500th page of any Amazon search forever. Oh and did I say that there are thousands of books a day released and there is nowhere y…
Ten years ago I wrote a science fiction novel in Finnish, printed 300 hardcover copies at my own expense, and gave them away to people over the years. I would guess less than 10% of those copies have actually been read. (A few people claim they liked it, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean they read it.) So, a waste of time and money? That's not how I feel about it at all. The creative process was illuminatin…
He's long since passed, and I have a stack of 20 or so left (many were destroyed) from "inheritance". Our current strategy is to take one with us to every hotel/b&b we stay in, most of which have a library shelf, and leave one there. Maybe they never get read, maybe they do. Feels better than sending them to burn!
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You were complaining about platforms and influencer's gatekeeping their audiences and creating some sort of "all-or-nothing effect", whatever that means. Someone else pointed out that ads exist, and you got snippy and decided to attack the OP for "never bootstrapped a business, self-published a book, or similar". I pointed out that you don't get an audience for free, and that seems to have further upset you. Doesn't…
> Someone else pointed out that ads exist, and you got snippy Right. Clutch your pearls now. People only pointed out some things and the bad man got so snippy. What 'someone else' actually said was "maybe we should invent ads, so that we don't all have to become influencers". Clearly a snarky comment, which I accurately identified as smug and dismissive. > I pointed out that you don't get an audience for free, and th…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Ten years ago I wrote a science fiction novel in Finnish, printed 300 hardcover copies at my own expense, and gave them away to people over the years. I would guess less than 10% of those copies have actually been read. (A few people claim they liked it, but of course that doesn't necessarily mean they read it.) So, a waste of time and money? That's not how I feel about it at all. The creative process was illuminatin…
My grandfather self published a memoir some 30 (ish) years ago. Unsurprisingly he never really managed to shift many of the thousand or so hardbacks I believe he paid to have printed. I think a lot of it was catharsis? I also know that the published versions leave out a lot of stuff that he thought was too sensitive or reflected badly on the Air Force etc. He's long since passed, and I have a stack of 20 or so left (…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Someone else pointed out that ads exist, and you got snippy Right. Clutch your pearls now. People only pointed out some things and the bad man got so snippy. What 'someone else' actually said was "maybe we should invent ads, so that we don't all have to become influencers". Clearly a snarky comment, which I accurately identified as smug and dismissive. > I pointed out that you don't get an audience for free, and th…
> But, I feel no obligation to teach you how to talk to people That's just as well since it seems you don't actually know how to. Must be tough to be an influencer with a mouth like that.
You know well that you commented in bad faith on my original reply TO SOMEONE ELSE in agreement with him/her. I was interested in a discussion around the real challenges involved in self-publishing, starting a business and similar. These are challenges expressed by the OP, and which virtually everyone faces.
Then, you jumped in and, instead of engaging with the substance of my comment, decided that you'd make yourself look "smart" by dismissively condescending to me with a snarky comment. It was unwarranted and is up there for anyone to read, as much as you'd like to pretend that it's not.
So, I called you on it. As I said then, it was smug and dismissive. And, I'll add here, rude and trollish. Yes, you look bad. And, if you don't like looking bad, then the right thing to do is to own-up and apologize instead of doubling-down. The latter is the behavior of a spoiled child.
You want to offer up advertising as an alternative, then just say "What about ads?" or similar. Could've been an interesting discussion around the challenges there for startups. Instead, you snark, "someone should invent ads...blah, blah...".
It's not too late to acknowledge that you were wrong. But, if you truly don't see the difference, then I'll repeat here for you: it's not my responsibility to teach you how to talk to people.
So, I'm done replying to this silliness. If you want to accept responsibility and apologize, then I'll accept your apology. Otherwise, no need to waste your time.