#sjmexposed

Kind of funny that I just saw this Ask – because I was thinking the EXACT same thing, Anon. When I saw that Susan Dennard Tweet come up on my timeline, SJM was literally the first thing that came to mind.

For those who are not aware, Susan Dennard – author of the Witchlands – posted this on her Tumblr account a few days ago. Here’s a screenshot:

As we all know, SJM appears to be a big fan of fated romances given the content of her books. And as it’s clearly stated above, multiple times, Susan Dennard…is not. 

Is it just us, or does it seem like the shade Susan Dennard throws at SJM is becoming less and less subtle? You could argue that it’s not shade, but then I came across this in the comment’s section of the Twitter post (in regards to a comment on fates done well – couldn’t fit the whole thing in the shot):

“Shade is always allowed.” Again, it’s impossible to prove that either of them are referring to SJM – after all, there are a lot of novels out there which deal with those themes – but neither would it be surprising. 

Wow.

Wooooooow.

Wooooooooooooow.

Thanks for letting us know (we don’t use Twitter that often and had NO idea that was going on...) but please know that we can’t answer all of those Asks because there are...a lot. HOWEVER, we would like to highlight one Anon:

all the authors on twitter right now reacting to the soap penis fiasco in that book box! it's hilarious and bringing many authors' opinions of her books that i didn't know into the light. i almost feel bad for mass, being dragged through the mud by everyone... it's not exactly her fault her fans honestly thought this was a good idea. but then again, she did write the books Like That

I noticed this too. I’m not sure I can answer because I don’t have a good understanding on publishing. I do think her popularity does impact her marketing – they can leave it to the last minute because they know her books sell, sell, sell. SJM would still have deadlines for her work, I’m sure, but I’m also guessing that she has more leeway with them because they know fans will wait for her content. As far as I understand, authors don’t get involved with marketing/promo too much (at least when you’re super popular) so I’d say the timing of promo and so on is decided by the team at Bloomsbury. 

“…because of how big Sarah has gotten, she and her agent don’t feel like the editor actually needs to edit anything.” WHAT. WHAT!? This is…wow. At this point, I’m not sure why I’m even surprised. The arrogance in this is astounding. Every writer – whether fiction or otherwise – needs an editor. Holy god that is truly awful to hear, but it also explains a LOT about the sharp decline in her writing from HoF-ish onward.

It’s one thing for an author to think this. A creative artist simply cannot look at their work objectively. Does she just not want to improve her craft anymore? Things will slip through the gap. It’s inevitable. And yet it’s another thing ENTIRELY for an agent to think this. I always admired Tamar Rydzinski (SJM’s lit. agent) but after hearing this, I’m beginning to question that. Do neither of them care about the quality of the work anymore, or just the money?

(IMPORTANT: Source has been verified as someone with “insider info.” As per their request, they will remain anonymous.)

Thank you so much for this info! 

It’s really heartening to hear that publishing companies do focus on underrated books when they can. It’s great for both the author and publisher. I can’t say I’m surprised to hear that she misses deadlines often, too, especially considering THE WORLD OF THRONE OF GLASS has been pushed back a year. What confuses us is that she keeps making new proposals for new novels/series to her publisher – which obviously they’re going to acquire, because money, when she already appears to be struggling under her workload. I’d have thought it would be better to focus on one series at a time (maximum TWO, maybe) and get that right before moving onto the other. Perhaps a rash assumption, but it comes across a little as if she cares less about the quality of the work she’s putting out – and for her it’s more about the QUANTITY. 

Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Anon!

So. I’m pretty sure I know what Anon was referring to. Here’s a transcript of what Susan Dennard said on her Insta Stories if you happened to miss it.

“On a similar note, because I kept encountering this lately, it is not up to the publisher – or the bookseller – to set event rules. The author decides how many books they’re gonna sign, how they’re gonna sign, all that stuff, so stop blaming all these people… I just feel so bad for publicists and booksellers who get thrown under the bus when it’s not their decision to cap a line. So, anywho, random venting…”