(This may not be true with the audience as a whole--I merely assume that since Romance fiction is the most popular and I have assumed that most consumers of romance fiction are women
With regard to the black audience I make the assumption subject to my anecdotal evidence and interviews and myself, where even though I write fiction I read mostly histories, biographies and the like. I will see if I can find something more scientific. --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Jesse Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Thank you for responding, Chris. The formula I refer to is not to > get people to read, or a sector of population to read, but to gain > published status. There is most certainly an SF formula. > SF is in fact, formula writing. > Your statement, "Most fiction is read by women," strikes me as highly > subjective! Where did you find this statistic? Are you a dangerous > person? :) (You know ... an opinion coming as a fact ... > what ... "Urban Women?" "Western Women?" "French Women?" "Earth > Women?" :) This is good natured teasing on you ... I am not hostile > or angry! > Very respectfully > jivajiva (President Club Services) > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Hayden" <Frofidemus@> > wrote: > > > > (You are not Chopped Black Chicken Liver. > > > > You are a Black SF author. > > > > When most readers hear the words SF, their eyes roll back up in > their > > heads and they zone out. > > > > SF does not do nothing for them. > > > > Most readers of fiction are women. Overwhelmingly they prefer > > romance. Sex and scandal and bodice rippers or what. Aliens, > > rocketships, they zone out. > > > > There is nothing to be done about it, from what I can see. > > > > That is, if you write SF in order to appeal to the lovers of > romance, > > you will lose SF fans. More than likely most of what you write > will > > not get past an SF editor. And then the Romance people, when they > > see your book is SF, will take a pass. > > > > That's a for instance. Go down the list of crime fiction, > westerns, > > etc, same thang. > > > > You are in the same boat as today's poets. > > > > When somebody says "Poetry" today, folks eyes roll back up in their > > heads, even though there is lots of rap influenced Spoken Word > poetry > > they would like if they had the chance. > > > > There are solutions but none that are totally satisfactory--there > is > > no formula wherein you can get everybody to read you > > > > At least I don't think so > > > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Jesse Miller" > > <aaaclub_services@> wrote: > > > > > > I am certainly not on a par with R. Wright or J. Baldwin, or > > > virtually any of the H. Renaissance writers. As Jesse Miller, my > > > personality leaves ever so much to be desired, but I am Black, > and > > I > > > am published (in paper books) Damon Knight's Orbit series, Analog > > > Magazine, and others. I've been nominated for SF awards, I am > > > writing frequently here today, yet people log on here and > > say, "Where > > > are we?" Etc. I mean to ask, am I so bad as to be virtual > chopped > > > liver up in here? :) > > > See: > > > http://www.jivagoswamidasa.com/interest.htm > > > Very respectfully > > > jivajiva (President Club Services) > > > > > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Hayden" > <Frofidemus@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > (I might add Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Amiri Baraka, > Zora > > > > Neale Hurston, early Chester Himes, Tony Cade Bambara, Robert > > > Hayden, > > > > Gwendolyn Brooks, John Edgar Wideman, Edward Jones, some Walter > > > > Moseley, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some and there are people > > who > > > > can add many more > > > > > > > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "ravenadal" <ravenadal@> > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > I consider the following black authors "serious": Toni > > Morrison, > > > > > Alice Walker, Ralph Ellison (the gold standard), Ishmael Reed. > > > > > > > > > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "sancochojo" > <mccartjf@> > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > What do you mean by "serious" writers? > > > > > > > > > > > > Thanks. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "ravenadal" > > <ravenadal@> > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I would say the difference is that the white "serious" > > writer > > > > can > > > > > > > still get published. I read literary magazines and the > NY > > > > Times > > > > > and > > > > > > > Chicago Tribune Litery supplements. White serious > authors > > > get > > > > > > > published and reviewed every week. Not so for black > > serious > > > > > > > authors. Black agents won't even represent serious black > > > > authors > > > > > > > because it ain't nothing but a heart ache for them and > > their > > > > > > > clients. Literary agent Marie Brown is a trooper and I > > know > > > > she > > > > > > > tries, but it is a grind and she is a business woman, > first > > > and > > > > > > > foremost. Most of her contemporaries don't even try. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ~(no)rave! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Chris Hayden" > > > > > <Frofidemus@> > > > > > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > (The great African American author is out there. He > and > > > She > > > > > are > > > > > > > just > > > > > > > > like the great White American author, nobody is reading > > > them. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I hate it when people try to act like black folks are > > doing > > > > > > > something > > > > > > > > that white folks are not. A majority of WHITE adults > in > > > this > > > > > > > country > > > > > > > > did not read even one book last year. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Those that are reading are reading trash. Don't tell > me > > > you > > > > > equate > > > > > > > > Dean L. Koontz and J.K. Rowling with Hemingway, Mailer, > > > > > > > Shakespeare, > > > > > > > > et al. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This is sour grapes. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > When you set out to write literary fiction you resign > > > > yourself > > > > > to > > > > > > > > obscurity. If the literary authors are so damn good > they > > > > will > > > > > > > write > > > > > > > > something that will put the so called trashy authors to > > > shame > > > > > and > > > > > > > > outsell them. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > But they can't, can they?) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In SciFiNoir_Lit@yahoogroups.com, "Tracey de > Morsella > > > > > (formerly > > > > > > > > Tracey L. Minor)" <tdlists@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -------- Original Message -------- > > > > > > > > > Subject: What Happen to the Great African > American > > > > > Author? > > > > > > > > > Date: Sat, 13 Oct 2007 22:25:55 -0500 > > > > > > > > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <soulive- > > > > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > What Happen to the Great > > > > > > > > > African American Author? > > > > > > > > > by LaShelle Turner > > > > > > > > > <http://www.thesop.org/html/writers.php? > writer=turner> > > > > Posted > > > > > > > > October > > > > > > > > > 12, 2007 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Something is inherently wrong with the publishing > > > industry > > > > > > > > > <http://www.thesop.org/article.php?id=7762#> when > > former > > > > hip > > > > > hop > > > > > > > > video > > > > > > > > > star, Karrine Steffans, is the most interviewed and > > > talked > > > > > about > > > > > > > > African > > > > > > > > > American author this year. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
