Prompt Response: Week 7

Hi Y'all

Book controversies are something that librarians and book readers have to be aware of when browsing, reading, or reviewing a story. Often that means breaking the "autobiographical pact" (Menand, 2018, par. 2) which means a couple of different things. In memoirs, fiction, or other non-fiction stories, it is often associated with authors portraying themselves as something they are not. An author either lies about their authenticity (their race, sex, or background) or takes credit for another person's story. When confronted with their lies, they try to explain them away or say that before everyone found out the truth they were perfectly happy. There are some accepted conventions to authors' lying about their names or identities such as J.K. Rowling or Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) who publish their stories under a different name or use their initials. While Mary Ann Evans surprised a lot of people, since the Victorian period generally disallowed female authors, it was understood as a necessity. For authors that use their initials or when authors use ghostwriters, it can be accepted, as long as they are honest about it. People don't like feeling that they have been lied to or misled. 

James Patterson, who uses a lot of ghostwriters, is an author that my library talks about, mostly because not a lot of people know that his ghostwriter writes the majority of the book. The series, A Women's Murder Club, is one of James Patterson's most popular series and yet, Maxine Paetro (cowriter) wrote the majority of the material. Looking at the cover, a regular reader might not notice or comprehend that Maxine Paetrp is also listed as an author. His name is much smaller than James Patterson's name. According to Karen Heller (2016), "Patterson delivers exhaustive notes and outlines, sometimes running 80 pages, to co-authors, his printer regularly discharging collaborator's efforts like lottery tickets" (par. 17). He promotes television shows and BookShots saying that "people want things faster" (Heller, 2016, par. 13). In my opinion, most readers want a personal and authentic connection to the author and the story. They want to feel their emotions and be able to personalize the story that the author tells. 

                                                                  

References

Heller, K. (2016, June 6). James Patterson mostly doesn’t write his books. And his new readers mostly don’t read —yet. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/james-patterson-doesnt-write-his-books-and-his-newest-readers-dont-read/2016/06/06/88e7d3c0-28c2-11e6-ae4a-3cdd5fe74204_story.html 

Menand, L. (2018, December 3). Literary hoaxes and the ethics of authorship. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/12/10/literary-hoaxes-and-the-ethics-of-authorship. 

Paetro, M., & Patterson, J. (2023). The 23rd midnight. Little, Brown and Company.