“I do not really think that I am frightfully important.” So wrote J.R.R. Tolkien in a letter to the poet, W.H.Auden, on 7 June 1955. This was despite the fact that The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings had already been published. The Hobbit, especially, received wide critical acclaim when it was first published.
I think it’s safe to say, that people who love fantasy literature feel that Tolkien was hugely important. One of my favourite family stories is that of my late father, David, reading The Lord of the Rings to his pregnant wife Ann every evening. My older brother James must have been listening attentively in utero because he loves fantasy books.
It’s no doubt easier for publishers to work with creative people who do not have a massive ego, which might make them uncooperative. Although authors who shy too much away from publicity, and self-promotion, inevitably make the book marketing process harder.
Selling books is a business. And most businesses need to make money. Such is the nature of our capitalist world. Publishers aren’t driven purely by altruism and the pleasure of seeing readers absorbed in well-crafted stories.
So, how do publishers make money? Well, they invest in a product that they think will sell. That product is the book but inevitably the author is part of the package deal. Some authors, and by extension their work, are intrinsically easier to market than others. If you’re famous, have thousands of followers or adoring fans, and decide to write a book (or have one ghost written for you) then the book will sell itself. It takes more effort to make an unknown known.
Nowadays, from what I can gather, traditionally-published authors are expected to not only write their own books but also go out and promote them, via book launches and speaking engagements.
There are exceptions though. The Italian author hiding behind the pseudonym Elena Ferrante is one. The identity of Ferrante, the author of the Neapolitan novels, has remained a mystery for over twenty years. Perversely, by hiding their identity, Ferrante has created an element of mystique and fame. People have gone to great lengths to try to deduce Ferrante’s identity.
Interestingly, Elizabeth Strout admires ‘Elena Ferrante’ for keeping their name private. Strout feels the same way as Ferrante: that readers do not need to know about her as a person. She’d like only the “text of my work to rise off the page to them” (Montwieler, 2022). Strout’s readers, however, have been given insight into her life. They were even furnished with a photo of Strout on the back flap of Amy & Isabelle, despite Strout’s request for her image to remain off her debut novel.
I’d also rather not have a photo of myself on the back flap of my debut novel. But if a photo is pivotal for the novel’s publication, I’ll acquiesce.
I feel the same way as Tolkien did, and Strout it would seem. I don’t think I’m frightfully important. My debut novel is important to me though. I hope a publisher, and readers, will find value in my novel.
Written by Gemma Franks. Image: by StockSnap via Pixabay.