topic Re: I wonder . . . in Book Club

I wonder . . .

rustee — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 15:04:20 GMT

. . . how much longer James Patterson's phenomenal writing gig is going to continue? It has been wonderful for the publishing industry!

What do you wonder about in the world of books?

Re: I wonder . . .

AuntG — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 11:57:19 GMT

I wonder why Bill O'Reilly hasn't done books on the other two Prez's. He did Lincoln and Kennedy but should write about Garfield and McKinley in his series.

Re: I wonder . . .

kelsey17 — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 13:00:11 GMT

@rustee wrote:
. . . how much longer James Patterson's phenomenal writing gig is going to continue? It has been wonderful for the publishing industry!

What do you wonder about in the world of books?

I enjoyed Patterson in the beginning ....but once he started co-writing with others i felt the stories weren't as good......same with Mary Higgins Clark.....who i have read for so many years.....

Re: I wonder . . .

millieshops — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 14:51:38 GMT

@kelsey17I couldn't agree more. Once Patterson started with the co-writers, I lost interest.

I can't think of any writers who have gone to co-writers and kept me as a follower although I have found some successful series where a writer takes over after the death of the original writer.

Just a few weeks back, I read a Felix Francis mystery that was as good as those written by ****** Framcis whom I've read for years even though I know almost nothing about British horse racing!

Re: I wonder . . .

jlkz — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:01:14 GMT

Have read many of Paterson's solo books and a few of the co-authored ones. The latter are so-so for the most part.

Presently I am reading Guilty Wives, a co-authored one, that should be holding my interest: it is set in Paris, deals with French culture and history, and has French phrases. I am doggedly going to finish it....even with the M.A. In French Literature, it is boring..............

Do not know if co-authoring really helps develop the next generation of writers....exactly how did the current great writers get that way when they didn't get the opportunity to " co-author " with anyone !

Re: I wonder . . .

rustee — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:04:25 GMT

@millieshops wrote:
@kelsey17I couldn't agree more. Once Patterson started with the co-writers, I lost interest.

I can't think of any writers who have gone to co-writers and kept me as a follower although I have found some successful series where a writer takes over after the death of the original writer.

Just a few weeks back, I read a Felix Francis mystery that was as good as those written by ****** Framcis whom I've read for years even though I know almost nothing about British horse racing!

@millieshops & @kelsey17

I enjoy the books written by James and his co-writers. I am glad he, they and the publishing industry are increasing people's interest in books (text/e/and audios).

Re: I wonder . . .

gardenman — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:19:48 GMT

Co-authoring is less about helping create a new generation of writers and more about cashing in on the name of a popular writer. A James Patterson will spend several weeks/months on the road promoting a book and not writing, and that time lost would slow the creation of the next book. Readers want a steady stream of reading material from an author and if there's a long enough gap those readers will move on to other authors. Publishers want a book a year (give or take a bit) and that's just not always possible for a writer working alone.

On a really good day, I can churn out about nine thousand usable words. On a typical day it's more like two or three thousand words. I've written books (short ones like my "Becoming Santa") in as little as three days. (Bear in mind it's only 60 pages and about 17,000 words, but still, completing it in three days is pretty good.) I've worked on some books for decades (literally) without ever publishing it and no end in sight.

Guys like James Patterson typically have a stable of writers behind them and they'll give them a general idea of how the story should go and who the characters should be, but hand the more mundane wriitng tasks over to the co-authors while they oversee their work. This lets them "write" while doing the many other things life throws in their way. Very often these authors continue "writing" long after they're dead.

Many established authors view it largely as subcontracting. Much as when you have a house built your builder generally doesn't do everything himself, but he subcontracts out bits and pieces to others to do. He's still the builder of your house, but he's not really building the whole thing as much as overseeing the building of it. Co-authoring is largely the same thing. The "author" is overseeing the creation of the story, but others are doing much of the work.

Re: I wonder . . .

Catty2 — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 20:29:26 GMT

Being an avid reader, I have never read one of James Patterson's books. It seems like he just cranks them out.

Re: I wonder . . .

rustee — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 21:50:21 GMT

@Catty2 wrote:
Being an avid reader, I have never read one of James Patterson's books. It seems like he just cranks them out.

@Catty2

You are missing some great "rides."

Re: I wonder . . .

bella-luna — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 23:37:24 GMT

I wonder if I should pull the bookmark on the book I'm reading (about Anne Boleyn) and read something else. The dilemma, I guess, is that it's just not holding my attention. It's good and I'm very interested in the subject matter (it's basically about the last 3 months of her life), but I started it on January 31 and I'm only on page 114 (of 347) because I'm just not reaching for it.

Re: I wonder . . .

sunala — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 07:13:31 GMT

I wonder why I'm attracted to reading books about the holocaust. Maybe the word "attracted" is the wrong word, but I seem to read more of that topic than any other.

I'm going to try to take a break and read some other enjoyable topics, maybe even some books that make me laugh.

Re: I wonder . . .

rustee — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 13:58:59 GMT

@sunala wrote:
I wonder why I'm attracted to reading books about the holocaust. Maybe the word "attracted" is the wrong word, but I seem to read more of that topic than any other.

I'm going to try to take a break and read some other enjoyable topics, maybe even some books that make me laugh.

@sunala

You are drawn to Holocaust books, and I am drawn to books about the Titanic.

Re: I wonder . . .

sunala — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 18:52:02 GMT

@rustee wrote:
@sunala wrote:
I wonder why I'm attracted to reading books about the holocaust. Maybe the word "attracted" is the wrong word, but I seem to read more of that topic than any other.

I'm going to try to take a break and read some other enjoyable topics, maybe even some books that make me laugh.
@sunala

You are drawn to Holocaust books, and I am drawn to books about the Titanic.

@rustee I guess we're both drawn to books about disasters. I bet lots of

people are. I wonder why lol

Re: I wonder . . .

rustee — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 22:54:01 GMT

Today, I am wondering if I am going to enjoy Behind Her Eyes by Sarah Pinborough. The hype caught my attention, and I just downloaded the audio version from OverDrive.

Re: I wonder . . .

jlkz — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 01:05:22 GMT

@Catty2

The early mystery books by James Patterson are really good reads....that includes the early Detective Cross series as well.

I have read a significant numbers of his old and new " co-authored " books and can recommend the aforementioned ones: great character development ( which is missing from the newer works ) and twists and turns in the story line that keeps you guessing.

Re: I wonder . . .

Catty2 — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 04:07:25 GMT

Thanks, maybe I'll give JP a try.

Re: I wonder . . .

Honeybit — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 22:45:19 GMT

What "I Wonder" about in the world of books is how much longer printed books will continue to exist. The price of a hardbook is now in the $30 range. Also, I just attended a meeting of our local County Commissioners on the subject of library funding and I'm wondering how long our libraries will continue to exist -- at least as physical buildings containing printed and audio books. Anyone else pondering the same?

Re: I wonder . . .

Catty2 — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 03:27:59 GMT

I use my local county and city libraries all the time. Right now one of them is having an Adult Winter Reading Program so you get points for posting the title of a book you've read, and there are other challenges that also earn points. Since I'm retired I probably read about 2 books a week. It's a great way to relax.

Re: I wonder . . .

gardenman — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 12:02:51 GMT

@Honeybit wrote:
What "I Wonder" about in the world of books is how much longer printed books will continue to exist. The price of a hardbook is now in the $30 range. Also, I just attended a meeting of our local County Commissioners on the subject of library funding and I'm wondering how long our libraries will continue to exist -- at least as physical buildings containing printed and audio books. Anyone else pondering the same?

I think printed books will ultimately go the way of CD's, DVD's and the like. The vast majority of sales will be in the digital format.

Libraries are constantly evolving these days and many libraries no longer resemble the library of twenty or thirty years ago. I suspect many will evolve into a purely digital existence. Some New Jersey shore towns have so much tax revenue that they've been building massive libraries housing everything imaginable including lender ebook readers that residents can borrow. Instead of going to the library to borrow a book, you can now go and borrow a Kindle (or similar device) and read whatever you want on it. The stodgy old library with row after row of bookshelves is evolving these days into some pretty new and strange places.

Re: I wonder . . .

Judaline — Sat, 18 Feb 2017 12:54:45 GMT

I wonder why people read sequential books of an author when they didn't like the first one. Or maybe give him a chance and read the second one. The other day I read a poster whose post said she was trying his fourth but didn't like the first three. That to me makes no sense. I mean, get on with it. There are lots of authors, right?