Affaire de Coeur

With the Memorial Day having just passed and the attention the media has given to D-Day with President Obama’s visit to Normandy, I am renewing a plea. Interview or at least talk to the elders in your life. History is so important; the significance of oral history should never be questioned. Look at Alex Haley’s Roots whose discovery of his ancestors and origins came through oral history and started a revolution..

Today, on CNN a WWII veteran talked for the first time in his life about his landing on D-Day. He is 90 years old and had been an officer, commanding 250 troops. Only 23 of them survived. He described the horrors of the parachute landings on Omaha Beach and the helplessness he felt as hands and legs flew past him and his troops begged for aid he was helpless to give. No historian’s reconstructed account can give the flavor, the feelings, or the authenticity as well as someone who was actually there.

Fortunately, AdC reviewer Lani Roberts, whose father was one of the first original Tuskegee Airmen, has had some of her dad’s life well documented, though it took an embarrassingly long time for our country to acknowledge the contributions of these brave men. I’m certain Colonel Roberts had more stories to tell, though, tales that didn’t make it into the movie because they might prove to be too embarrassing to reveal. Lani’s mom is 90 and is a walking, astute historian who was there to see it all. I’m pressing her daughter to get someone to write it all down. Can you imagine what a best seller that would be?

My husband’s uncle Jesse passed away last year, but on one of my visits to see him in the VA hospital, he told me about a near accident in Los Angeles. (He had been a chauffer to several well-known movie stars–I should have gotten some of those tales.) On this particular day he was driving down the street and suddenly a man darted from between parked cars into his oncoming path. Jesse slammed on the brakes, but his car actually touched the man. The man looked up, and Jesse said the man was furious, as if Jesse was the reason for the near accident. That man was Nat King Cole. Jesse laughingly related that he wanted to ask him for an autograph but maybe that wasn’t the best time.

My husband’s other uncle George played saxophone in the bands of notables like Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Coutie Brown. He knew Ella Fitzgerald and sometimes accompanied Dinah Washington. He had some pretty risqué tales to tell about his time on the circuit. Did you know that when an African American or mixed band played in the South they were not allowed to face their audience? Did you know that was the reason why Miles Davis turned his back to his audience when he performed no matter where he played?

We listen to their stories, sometimes with fascination, sometimes with disinterest. So what if you’ve heard the story a dozen times before. If you listen long enough, you will learn something and you will be entertained. Do you know how flattered that elder will be that someone is interested enough in him or her to ask, “Tell me. What is the most significant historical event you remember?”

Now that I’m on the downside of half a century, I have come to realize the importance of oral history. We, as journalists, have a responsibility to commit those stories to paper, in or blog…or they die. As a baby boomer, I can honestly say that my life has been rich with history. As a pre-teen, I saw John and Robert Kennedy walking less than half a block away from me with a small entourage going in and out of buildings in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. I knew who they were but being the shy kid I was, I did not approach them, merely watched in awe. They were campaigning, but from what I had heard from listening to the grown-ups, it was a waste of time, for Catholics didn’t have a chance of winning the presidency. What stood out to me the most, however, is that they had red hair, a trait one could not see on even the most modern black and white TV.

What is the most significant historical event that happened in your life? In your grandmother’s life? Ask them before it’s too late and share it with me. I’d love to hear about it.

Louise.

Maybe you can help me with this one.  I’ve been trying to figure it out for years, and just when I thought I had it right, my theory fell apart.
Why do publishers promote those authors who don’t need promoting and ignore the ones who do?
Over the holiday season, I saw numerous commercials on TV, ads that promoted well-known authors–J.K. Rowling, Patricia Cornwell, Janet Evanovich, and John Grisham.  I saw Carrie Fisher on the Today Show, promoting her book.  These authors are already famous.  Their fans know months before their publication dates when their books are coming out.  These fans don’t need TV ads to tell them, they’re busy trying to buy copies from other countries before the book comes out in the U.S. or to pay ten times the cost of a legitimate book for galleys that have been sent to unethical people all-too willing to ignore the warning on the front.  Should they forget, all the devoted fan needs do is see it on the shelf, and they snatch it up.  No prompting is needed; no ad required.
But there is Midlist Jo Blow or long-time author Janet Doe who may be new or who has churned out book after book, who makes money for the publisher but who gets kicked to the curb in terms of sponsoring and advertising.
I get the catalogs for the publishers.  As an interested party, I check out “Marketing.”  There is quite a gamut.  You can guess who the favored authors are–they the ones with a two-page spread or more in the catalog.  Some may be Oprah’s picks.  (Why on earth would anyone Oprah picked need promotion?  It’s already received the ultimate promotion by being picked.)
Traditionally, the well-known authors get:
“National Print Advertising campaign”
“National television interview”
Those two are the golden rings.

Then it dwindles to something like:
Online promotion, whatever that means
Interviews (I constantly get these pre-fab interviews)
Reviews
That could mean just about anything or nothing at all.

Sometimes one of the lesser knowns’ work is grouped on a single web page with a bunch of other lesser knowns’ work.  But the majority of releases get no mention at all.  I know that when some authors make it, they can get an ad/promotion clause in their contracts.  Quite frankly, I don’t blame them for doing so, and they’ve paid their dues.
However, the person least likely to be able to afford their own publicity, who, by the way, may be a better writer with a better story line–has low royalities, some less than 5%; their print runs are around 10-20K.  With curve balls like these, it is left up to his/her devices to establish themselves.  For the newbie writing his their game, no advertising and promotion, and they’re lost.  Most of the time, it isn’t enough to do lone autographing.  (An author told me yesterday that because she is new or not well known, no one shows up.)  They may or may not be able to get their books reviewed.  Many of them are taken advantage of by unscrupulous ‘promoters’ who squander their meager budgets with tired gimmicks like bookmarks that only reach a few.
So, it seems only right to me that the one making the money off these authors, the publishers, should promote them.  But realistically, why would they?   There are no effective unions to pressure them, and everyone else is either turning or burying their heads, not saying anything about it.  Organizations like the Romance Writers of America who boasts of a huge membership, could take on an issue like this if they really wanted to; they are painfully silent on this issue. 
Since this is not a new problem but one that has persisted over years, it is a safe assumption that no one is going to do anything about it.  The authors who don’t need promotion will continue to get it.  Those who do need it probably won’t.  I just don’t get it.

Louise

I don’t know whether I like this blogging business. It seems that anyone can say anything they feel like, whether it has an iota of truth in it or not. And, if you have something to say, say it, but please own it. What I’m finding, however, is some of the people who write on blogs use noms des plumes because they don’t want anyone to know who they are. I have to ask: How valid is a person’s comment if they’re not willing to stand behind it.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, AdC was attacked by a writer on his blog. Lee Goldberg accused AdC of selling reviews and ratings vis a vis ads. He, himself, had received a five star review from us, and neither he nor his publisher has ever taken out an ad with us. He didn’t bother to explain this inconsistency. He did, however, acknowledge he had never seen an Affaire de Coeur.

It came out that there are some magazines and web site where authors have to pay for reviews. Those sites were never addressed. We have never done that. What bothered me the most was that literally hundreds of authors and many publishers whose books we have reviewed and who have never taken out ads with us could have stepped forward and said, “No, I personally know it’s not true. I have had my book(s) reviewed by AdC and have never taken out an ad.” One publisher did say this anonymously and several authors did too, but with qualifiers like, “…but that was a long time ago.”

Some of my reviewers felt insulted by this scenario and I addressed him on his blog but most of the points I made were ignored. That’s when I learned that many people aren’t interested in the truth. I ended up sending out a message to all who work for AdC, “enough” which was their clue not to engage in the petty backs and forths any more.

To put this issue to bed, I ended up writing an editorial. I also did a side bar on how we review for those who want fact rather than hearsay and innuendo. Finally, I have a spreadsheet on the correlation between ads and the number of stars a review received. (There is none). So maybe read the editorial and the sidebar and scan the spreadsheet and then, if you still have questions about how we review, shoot!

We were pleasantly surprised the next day after our issues with RWA and the missing magazines to find that they had taken action and the replacement magazines had been left as was appropriate for the attendees. We thank Judy Scott for her attention to this and all of her help.

We will write RWA in a couple of days.

B

Are all of the diversities of romance and those who read, write and enjoy them truly welcome at RWA? And/or is it permissible for someone to censor and remove materials and choose what others see and do not see?
Louise and I got our duds on and went off to the Marriott in San Francisco for this year’s Romance Writers of America. We found upon arriving that the Hotel looked beautiful and there were crowds upon crowds of excited attendees from the Speakers, to the Authors to the fresh faced aspiring authors. Throw into the mix the press, agents and publishers you have a huge crowd of conventioneers ready to get their learning on, and then of course their fun thrown in.

We first went up to the famous (maybe infamous) Goody Room where attendees can pick up books, book marks, pens, trade magazines catalogues and such to their hearts content. Like all of the others, we were just as anxious to get our magazines, subscription cards and business cards out and into the mix. In typical fashion we observed the unwritten courtesy of not violating anyone’s space and creating your display as to not block the view of another with their goodies oh display. As I have done in the past, I put the magazines out in three different spaces in the room with business and subscription cards next to them.

Displays in place, we were off to explore all that RWA had going on, as well as a very nice visit to the press room for our credentials and to look through the things they had on display from the convention sponsors, and collect any in which we could work into our coverage of this year’s RWA.

Louise and I had high hopes for this year’s event and were excited about going. That being said, it is always difficult when something happens which tends to dampen the good time and excitement of RWA. First let me say that the ladies of that organization work their respective tails off to coordinate and manage an event such as this. Their literature, program and set-up were certainly first rate from top to bottom.

Around mid-afternoon I went back to the goody room to restock magazines, business cards and subscription cards only to find that all had been removed. In the places where we had been set up was a virtually identical set up of Romantic Times magazine. All of our business cards, magazines and subscription cards had been removed and replaced. I immediately went to the Press Room and spoke to Judy Scott about it, and she was very concerned about such behavior and referred me to the Registration Desk to find her supervisor Alicia. Alicia was not there so I spoke to the girl at the desk, who quite frankly did not care about any of it. Her remarks included the fact that they could not concern themselves with any of those sorts of issues. When asked if I could have her name and quote her, she declined. I left my business card and asked her to have Alicia call me so we could discuss this.

I then returned to the goody room to restock the missing materials. Again, I did not move nor remove anybody’s materials and actually set up our displays again right next to where they were before without disturbing any of the RT display. While I was doing this, I noticed an author who was looking for a contest bin she had set up. She had left it earlier with several entries in it and had come back to collect them so subsequent visitors could have ample space for their entries. Her entire bin was gone. After visiting with several of the participants in the room, I found out that many people had things who had just disappeared and their space taken over like they had never been there. Among this group were the alternative lifestyle authors as well as some of the other groups who might not walk the traditional path.

After this I returned to Judy Scott, informed her that the problem with missing displays was a larger scale problem than just the Affaire de Coeur magazines and that, perhaps, in the best interest of all of the participants they should look at it. She was very concerned and assured me that she would look into it and that Alicia would call me to discuss this issue.

Last year when I attended in Dallas, I suspected that this same thing had happened, but it was not as blatant as this and I let it go. This year, I’m convinced it is done by parties who feel that they have the right to edit and control what all participants see.

Alicia has not contacted me nor made an effort to. I thank Judy Scott for her interest and good intentions.

The fact is that the literary world is not defined by one group’s opinions nor are they in a position to determine what all of the attendees are exposed to. Sadly, based on past issues of this sort, they will continue to behave in this dishonorable manner and RWA and similar organizations will just allow it.

We will continue to restock and play fair and decently. Hopefully the parties guilty of this will learn a lesson, but I doubt they have the strength of character to learn about courtesy and fair play. This is very sad for them. The rest of us know how to behave, treat all decently and equally and that is why organizations such as RWA and others will continue to put on a beautiful gathering for those who wish to learn, promote and socialize within this industry we all love.

We will be blogging again tomorrow with all of the fun and challenges of a new day at RWA.

Bonny Kirby
Vice President of Advertising & Promotion

Well, that is obviously no longer the question. Here I am doing my first blog. The decision to do this was not entered lightly. After all, I know myself pretty well. I’m opinionated; I’m not always tactful; (though I’ve come a very long way); I’m candid–no bs here. Moreover, I’m not swollen-headed enough to think that people are waiting with bated breath to hear what I have to say.
On the other side, as the publisher of Affaire de Coeur, I’ve been around this business for quite some time. I’ve met a lot of people. I’ve seen a number of changes over the years. I’ve watched trends and controversies come and go. I have seen and heard things people would find amazing for either the audacity or stupidity of it. So maybe I do have something to share and discuss.
Given that, I approached blogging the same way I approach most issues. I became analytical. I looked at a number of blogs…newspaper blogs, author blogs, TV show blogs, “read my blog” blogs, government agency blogs, poltical blogs.
Some are written with Authority! What they say in their blog is the absolute gospel (according to them). Some are written as entertainment; they’re funny or they tell an entertaining story. Many write their blots to spark controversy. Others use blogging for information dissemination. Some blogs reek with opinion only. Some are like essays with documentation of facts. Some are short with one or two thoughts discussed. Some are so long they put me to sleep. Some people do weekly blogs; others do daily blogs. Then there are the once in a while bloggers.
I’ve come away from reading blogs with a potpourri of reactions. “Huh?” I’ve wondered. “I didn’t know that. I’ve learned something.” “Who asked him/her?” “Who do they think they are?” “That’s bull.”
I also came away with the notion that I could probably write a blog since it seems the thing to do these days. Lord Beckett’s haunting line from Pirates of the Caribbean–World’s End became a mantra from co-workers and family members. “It’s just good business.” This line was often accompanied by, “Why don’t you join the 21st century?”
The gauntlet has been thrown. I’m going to blog my butt off. (That would really be something to blog about.) My goals are to make my blogs relevant, informative and entertaining in some blogs and to address some of the blogs I’ve read in my research. I welcome you to join me. I want to hear what you have to say. I invite you to guest blog, as I’ve been asked to do. I’ll be the first to admit I will accept all the feedback I can get. I also invite to take me on when you think I’m either way off base or just wrong. Agree with me or disagree with me. Let’s all take the challenge together.

Louise Snead
Editor & Publisher
Affaire de Coeur Magazine