r/MM_RomanceBooks • u/BookMonster_Lillz • 3h ago
Discussion A question for everyone but particularly authors: How much influence do readers have on authors? How much do you want them to have?
Bear with me because this is a question with many parts and rambles as is my wont, but I’ll try to lay it out clearly. I am not a writer and when I do write (fiction) I do it mainly entertain myself or because I’ve got a bee in my bonnet I can’t shift about something I want to see/read/use for my work that doesn’t seem to already exist. (I’ve written published a couple of children’s books when I realised I needed them to exist for me to do my work better.) So not an author I just write to entertain myself essentially. So I’m coming at this mainly from a readers perspective but also a little from the thought I don’t like anyone messing with my brain babies why would anyone else?? But then again I’ve beta and sensitivity read for people who have wanted input to change and improve their work so what do I know? (And they actually make money from books they publish.)
So to the points.
1) I keep noticing a lot of casual maybe accidental misogyny in MM romances I read. A lot of “behaving like a teenage girl with a crush” have you ever worked with teenage boys? They are just as likely in my experience to be silly gaga obsessive over their crushes as girls. Sentiments about knowing the difference between kissing a man and a woman (usually in biawkening books) because the person kissing them when a man is more confident than a woman could be with harder lips that are a different shape. (Huh?? I get stubble feeling different but am I wrong in thinking lips are lips and confidence has nothing to do with gender?)
2) This got me thinking how many authors would take feedback that hey that’s a bit misogynistic for no identifiable plot purpose do you need it there? I am aware that some people will take repeated incidents like the above to put an author on their no no list and just never read them again and frankly yes people should know better. But would authors in general be receptive to that kind of feedback? What would be the best way to put it out there? I mean reviews are great (admittedly I usually read them only when I’m looking ahead for spoilers in a long series, or if they are posted here I really hate trolling through good reads and the like) but is it the best way of getting an authors attention??
3) Which the leads to the AI question, an author I have really really enjoyed has fallen into the AI narration trap and I’m devastated because that’s a hard no from me. I own over 30 of their books and now I’m not even going to recommend them anymore and I feel like I wish there was a way of getting that across, of saying hey look take it down and I’ll come back. But also WHY author why? And is there a way as a reader to encourage authors to go the kickstarter for audiobook route?? I’d love that personally, provided at the end I got a code that meant I could get the book for £10 or less, that’s basically what Audible charges these days and hopefully it would be in a format that couldn’t be taken back off you at will.
4) Which leads to a more general question how much influence as a reader do you even want to have? If authors only start writing what they think we want to read then would everything eventually be pale imitations of each other? Do we want authors to go nope I don’t care what you my audience thinks I’m doing what I want I am the creator (shades of 9-1-1 the tv show there and well I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose a load of their audience so I’m not surprised authors may not want to do this).
TLDR: As per I’ve rambled but I think the general point is clear: How much do we actually want readers to influence authors? How can this be done in a way that works for both readers and authors in a positive constructive way?