What Do Authors 'Owe' their Fans?

No, but if the series is incomplete and doesn't tell the whole story, I'd be expecting my money back. This is why I don't read them.

No. His only obligation is to write the best story he can. He has no obligation on WHAT to write or WHEN (unless he has a contract, and then he's obligated to his publisher, not his fans).

Someone should ask them if they'd rather he butcher the story and characters they love in order to rush the work. If the story hasn't come, it hasn't come. It sucks, probably as much for Martin if he's contractually obligated to give seven books. But if he's not bound by contract, and he's fallen out of love with the series (which could happen, I'm just speculating) I don't think he's obligated to finish at all. It's a tricky situation.

To echo Wayne and Shadow Ferret, NO. However, as a reader of many of series, I would feel a little cheated if the author suddenly decided to stop writing the series without giving his/her readers some closure. But, to get so upset that a book is not out right away that a you'd spit out some fairly vemonous words makes me think that you (the self-proclaimed fan) is not really a fan at all. That's just wrong.

On that same note, I am a rabid fan of certain authors to the extent that as soon as their newest releases are out, I am right there, snapping up the book and cracking it open. That is being a fan. pure and simple. Take that idiot bloggers who think they need to rant and rave and be just plain horrible.

Wow! That was a rant! lol

I don't think so either. Although if they are writing a series, they can't just stop halfway through without telling us how it ends. It just aint fair. Imagine if JK Rowling had done that with the HP series and decided to stop at number 5. A lot of peeps would've been really peethed.

Sad that I knew exactly what, and who, this thread was about based only on the header.

What do writers "owe" their fans? Gratitude, I'd say. And Martin has been extraordinarily polite and gracious in his dealings with ranting fans. Far more polite than I think I could be. I am sure it's his gratitude toward them that's kept him from going off.

I am a huge fan of ASOIAF and I am eager to read the next book. I'm also eyeing Martin, seeing how he's not a very fit guy and he's getting on in years, and I'm worrying that he might die before the series is finished. That would be miserable. I wish he'd pick up the pace a little, as much as anybody.

That being said, not everybody can whip out great novels in a year. Or two. The plots in ASOIAF are hugely complex, and the writing is gorgeous -- he clearly puts a lot of time and energy into his writing. No doubt, nobody wants to see it finished more than George. I also don't doubt that all the nagging from "fans" only makes him more reluctant to tackle this enormous task. Working on other projects is probably his way of keeping his enthusiasm up in the face of all the negativity, so that he CAN make some progress on the series.

I really wish people would leave him alone and let him write. Honestly, it kind of pisses me off that fans feel such entitlement to his writing, that they think it's okay to demand that he crank out books as complex and deep as his are in a year or two. I have no doubt at all that the negativity only serves to delay the books further. I may hold this opinion because I'm a writer, and I understand how hard it can be to make yourself sit down and DO IT. Especially when the book you love has become an albatross around your neck and a source of bad feelings and stress.

(Also, I am freaking out over the HBO series. ZOMG. Can't wait.)

Seconded
Leave him alone to finish it
I would hate it if he rushed and spoiled what has, so far, been a hugely accomplished series

waylander said:

Seconded
Leave him alone to finish it
I would hate it if he rushed and spoiled what has, so far, been a hugely accomplished series

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And I'm sure the very same people who were trying to rush it would be the ones complaining if the quality was not up to scratch.

Between an author and readers is a brand. An author can have many brands; a brand can have many authors, and it's the brand and not the author which readers buy, so brands and fans make each other.

Branding is principally about trust, and it's the job of the author to be trustworthy in creating and supporting the brand. So words like competence, honesty, and diligence spring to mind.

A brand owes fans its brand-values. They're those things that differentiate the brand and make it memorable in the reader's mind. Brand values are often seen in choices of subject-matter, mood, characters, setting, plots and quality of execution. I think that a brand owes its customers timely delivery on its promises, so if it's a series with unresolved story-elements it needs to come out in regular, predictable installments.

The brand is just about everything. I don't think that an author has a direct relationship with fans except at public appearances and even then I feel that the author isn't there on behalf of himself, but the brand.

Sometimes I'll read writing-advice along the lines of 'write to please yourself'. That's fine if fiction is a hobby but if you want it to sell then I think that better advice is 'write to build a brand'.

Millicent M'Lady said:

And I'm sure the very same people who were trying to rush it would be the ones complaining if the quality was not up to scratch.

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Damn right they would

They owe them nothing other than what they pay for - which is the one copy of the book they purchased.

At a conference a couple of years ago, I overheard a bestselling series author telling a friend that she'd received death threats for if she decided to end her series and had to take legal action. All I could think was, seriously, if that's what being a bestseller entails, then just keep me on the midlist. I have an enormous amount of trouble with people telling me what to do anyway. I can't fathom dealing with a scene from Misery.

The minute fans think they are owed anything by creative artists, they are dooming both the art and themselves. A fan would understand that writing takes time, while a greedy punk would say it was all about them.

Shadow_Ferret said:

No. His only obligation is to write the best story he can. He has no obligation on WHAT to write or WHEN (unless he has a contract, and then he's obligated to his publisher, not his fans).

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Don't all die of shock, but I agree 100% with Fuzzface.

I have fans?

A writers owes his readers the best book he can write. That's it. There's never, ever a guarantee that a series will ever be finished, and readers shouldn't expect it to be.

Neil Gaiman had the best response to the George R.R. Martin complaint. He said, "George R. R. Martin is not your bitch."

Jamesaritchie said:

Neil Gaiman had the best response to the George R.R. Martin complaint. He said, "George R. R. Martin is not your bitch."

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Haha! Nice response.

I agree. All the author owes anyone is a great, well-written story.

Imagine you bought a product.

The product wasn't complete - it needed another block in the series for it to be complete. You could still enjoy it and make some use out of it - but for it have its final function you need the final block.

Perhaps it's a fancy drinks mixer and they are assuring you the 'Vodka-straight-from-the-bottle' attachment will be available soon.

Before paying money for the product, you checked with the manufacturer to find out when the remaining block was going to be available.

'Sure!', they replied. 'It is coming out in a years time'.

So you buy the product. Then you discover that the manufacturer WON'T be making the final block available for a while.

They made assurances it would be available by a certain date. You paid them money based on those assurances.

Now they are saying the remaining part won't be available for a while.

Do you think this manufacturer 'owes' anything to their customers?

Mac

Honesty, that's about it. Shit happens, things get delayed.

There was a tv series I was really into and enjoyed, and it had a significant following. It got cancelled without ever being given an ending - bam! Over. Were we owed an ending? Obviously not. We wanted one. We did everything we could to persuade them to at least give us an episode that wrapped up the storyline but we didn't get one. That's life. Sure it sucks when that doesn't happen, but life is going to go on. I like Gaiman's quote though, it's so true.

See, this is why I don't write series.

But to answer the question, I don't think an author, as a complete stranger, necessarily owes his fans anything other than gratitude.

That said, I can understand how it is hard to wait for the next book in a series and you guys have to keep in mind that most of the people complaining have never tried their hands at writing books so to them it's like, "Get it done already." They don't realize how much goes into it.

Mac H. said:

Do you think this manufacturer 'owes' anything to their customers?

Mac

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If you're the kind of person who would be upset over buying only part of a series without some assurance that you would definitely be able to buy the remainder, then don't buy the first installment.

Millicent M'Lady said:

And I'm sure the very same people who were trying to rush it would be the ones complaining if the quality was not up to scratch.

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There's a word for these people. But I'm too polite to use it.

In any case, to answer the original question: the author only owes the readers an honest story written to the best of their abilities.