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March 21, 2010

Author Cred

For this one I have to take #'s 2 and 4 below together.  First of all I have to thank the reviewer for feeling this way, especially since he is a man.  BUT.  While I understand that having cred in an area would make people more likely to read a non-fiction book on a subject, I cannot agree that a person's credentials work the same way with a work of fiction.
Yes, I have been a "Broadway Baby" all my life in terms of going to shows and keeping up with the reviews, the gossip and even taking college level courses in theater.  But I am not, nor have I ever been in the theater so I really have no credentials in terms of having actually acted, tried to act or even being married to an actor.  All my experience is second hand.  So what am I supposed to say in a bio that would make people buy this book?  "Chris has been a theater voyeur her whole life."  I do think "a student of the theater her whole life" might work but I'm still not sure that that gives me cred enough to sell a book.

2 comments:

  1. Who do you know connected with theater who could give you a back-cover blurb about how authentic you sound? (maybe someone from your school days?)
    You sounded totally believable to me, but I am a Broadway nobody.

    Chura

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  2. This blog got me wondering about authors who write fantasy or other topics they can't be "expert" at. I looked up Tamora Pierce on amazon.com-- she's a fantasy/action YA writer--to see what her author creds are. Here's an excerpt:

    "A self-proclaimed 'geek,' she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. 'He heard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down,' Pierce says."

    I think this is a nice example of one way you could go-- in this case, the interest BECOMES the credential. I know you think that's not enough, but I think it works.

    Just a thought :)

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