The pressures of fame (yes, this is a Harper Lee post)

It’s been impossible to ignore all the hype about Harper Lee’s follow-up to To Kill a Mockingbird. Even if you’re not a reader, you’ve heard about it. And, if you are a reader (or a writer), you’re probably foaming at the mouth to get your hands on it.

I haven’t said much on the subject because I don’t want to add to the madness. Not that my little voice matters much in the grand scheme, but still. My first reaction to hearing about her forthcoming book was, “!!!” My second reaction was, “Oh god, I feel bad for her.”

This Ploughshares post captures my feelings perfectly.

See, I’ve heard that Lee is a hermit, “as reclusive as Boo Radley.” She once proclaimed that her first book said all she wanted to say. Nobody expected another book. Ever. And, then, the recent announcement. Immediately, journalists flocked to her hometown trying to get intel from her neighbors and caretakers at her nursing home. Ruthless!

I think fame is hard for lots of people, but especially writers. At our core, we are quiet people, usually introverted. We have to be because writing a novel is a mostly solitary act. It requires lots of alone time. We all want people to read our books when they’re done. They are our life’s work, after all. But I don’t think any writer really wants to be “famous.”

It’s no secret that J.K. Rowling tried to publish under a pseudonym in an effort to escape the pressure that came with writing something after Harry Potter. J.D. Salinger continues to avoid interviews. Thomas Pynchon has been so devoutly private that there have been crazy rumors made up about him (including that he was the Unabomber). Cormac McCarthy denied thousands of interviews before appearing on Oprah to say, “If you spend a lot of time writing about a book, you probably shouldn’t be talking about it–you should be doing it.”

What’s hard in this day and age is social media. I’ve just begun to realize the pressures of self-promotion. After signing my book deal, my agent sent me a document outlining all the things I can do to promote myself as we get closer to the book launch date. These days, I’ve heard publishing houses spend a lot of marketing dollars on very few names (and those names usually belong to proven best sellers). That said, as a first-time novelist, I’m going to assume that most of the marketing will be up to little ol’ me. Frankly, that’s terrifying.

It’s not natural for me to talk about myself or to interact with “a community” of people, especially online where that community is so vast and intimidating. I had a minor panic attack signing up for Twitter. Really, I just want to write stories and be done with it. I envy authors who wrote pre-Internet. They could focus on their craft and let traditional marketing (funded by their publisher) take care of the rest. I mean, that’s what writers are meant to do–WRITE. But, no, that’s not how it is these days. These days, you have to split your time between being creative (writing) and being strategic (marketing). It’s very jarring to switch back and forth and I wonder if, ultimately, the quality of the writing suffers.

From the Ploughshares post:

“It’s an unspoken rule amongst most writers that if you want to make it as an author in today’s digital, hyper-accessible age, you must be willing to promote your book. To launch yourself into the limelight. To smile and sign the books of adoring fans, asking how to spell their names. To tour five cities in three days. To do the circuit thing. To maintain your online platform. To walk the red carpet of the premiere of your adapted film release and bare all on a radio talk show. And to do so again after achieving fame the first time can be down right daunting—especially if your second or third book isn’t as beloved as your first.”

And more:

“I know many an author who sighs and groans about the “necessary evil” of the book tour—and many editors and agents who have taught me–a young, relatively unpublished author–about the necessity of proving to any potential editors and agents down the road my willingness to do my part in promoting myself.”

My publishing house sent me an author questionnaire and many of the questions focused on the connections, websites, and social media accounts I have. Promotion, promotion, promotion. I mean, yes, you have to write a solid book. But that seems to be about 40% of the focus in today’s publishing world. 60% of the effort is marketing.

In a way, I’m happy there’s hype about Harper Lee because it shows people still care about books (YAY!). But, I’m uneasy knowing that most of the hype is due to the fact that she has remained so stubbornly private and seemingly detached from the pressures of a world that is increasingly demanding of social engagement. We, as a society, pounce on these type of people. It’s the same reason girls always go for the “mysterious” guys. We like the challenge, the intrigue. Already, there is so much buildup and so much burden on Harper Lee for just doing what she can’t help doing–writing. In my opinion, there’s no way this sequel can match up to To Kill a Mockingbird. The media has already assured that, sadly. My only hope is that Ms. Lee stays off her computer, ignores the buzz, and continues to do whatever makes her smile.