Today I received an ARC, advance reading copy, from a well-known writer with whom I spent a small local convention, who glanced at my proferred hand as if it smelled bad, walked away every time I tried to initiate a conversation, exclusively hung out with the cool big name guest of honor as if all the smaller names about were ants unworthy of attention, and later went on line to complain at length about the convention — an act that appeared to be a habit — insulting the venue, the region, the volunteers, and everybody but the big name guest of honor who needed to be toadied to at the expense of all other considerations, something that very approachable big-name guest of honor neither expected, required, nor wanted?
Author of this ARC: I’m not saying I won’t read your book. I’m saying that with a pile of other books competing for review in my next column, the factors that decide whether I will cover your book include not just whether I believe it will be worth my time and an interesting feature for my column, but also, at minimum, whether my lip curls a little bit at the very sight of your name. I’ve given good reviews to writers whose conduct I find revolting, and will again. But the chances of them getting on my list for any particular column are affected by other intangibles, including whether I believe they’re likely to bad-mouth me at snotty length for anything negative or less than wholly complimentary I might happen to say.
For twenty years, I have avoided reviewing any books by the other guy who once slandered my sanity. I don’t wish him ill; I just see no upside in writing anything about him, positive or negative. I have pursued a policy that my life is better if I sidestep his and intersect him at no point. I have received ARCs of his books and have put them straight in the discard pile. This hurts him not at all, and spares me the irritation. Writer whose publishing house just sent me this ARC, it has been well more than a decade since you entered my personal memory as the person who treated me like a suspect substance you once found on the sole of your shoe, and I wish you nothing but success either, but I find the prospect of cracking your ARC less than tempting. Maybe if no other publisher was sending me anything and I had a hole in my column that I was desperate to plug. Right now, that just isn’t the situation.
Comment By: Gwyndyn Alexander
August 27th, 2015 at 12:24 pm
That seems like a sane, sound, and rational policy. So you’ll probably get flack for it. 😉
If you’re ever in the mood for sardonic poetry examining mythology and fairytales through the lens of feminism and modern society, I’d be happy to add to your ‘tbr’ pile.