Authortube: Part 6

[JackieOfTrades]

I think if the people you're watching are always selling, you may be watching the wrong group. I know of 3-4 authortubers who have books but don't sell them at all on their videos. I tend to watch people who are either not monetized or barely monetized on YouTube, so i wonder if that's the key?

That was very condescending of you.

Misunderstand me correctly. When I say they all sell their books, is that they all talk about their books, title, pen name (if it differs from their YT handle), and they have links to their websites, Amazon, etc. That's selling. Even if they don't tell you to "go buy my book" they still tell you to buy with all their links and talk about their books.

As an example, both Bethany Atazadeh and Brittany Wang teach you a lot about the writing process in their YT videos. They still talk about their books, show off their books, and want you to buy them. And they are in no way "huge" authortubers, putting them firmly in the 'barely monetized' section of YT. This has nothing to do with anything of what you said in your comment. I watch a lot of authortubers, both big and small, newcomers and well established. But KC is the only one who actively refuses to tell us what pen name she publishes under. Does it make her stand out from the crowd? Yeah. But not in a good way.

[JackieOfTrades]

What Authortubers do you recommend? I started following Bethany Atazadeh in 2020, a couple of weeks before her tragedy. Ones I currently subscribe to include her, Mandi Lynn, Cathrin Manning, Sarra Cannon, Sarah Sutton, The Courtney Project, Natalia Leigh, and "Sincerely, Vee". I recently discovered GG by Googling Bethany Atazadeh.

My main interests are the technicalities of self-publishing, like book formatting and promotion. I think I'm a pretty good writer already, but am definitely willing to watch *good* writing advice. So far, I've found Bethany to be the best of the ones I watch, despite some of her views on non-writing topics. I'll just leave that there, though.

My genre is non-fiction on obscure topics, so any Authortubers you know of in that specialty would be especially appreciated. Most of the ones I've found so far are into YA fantasy and dippy romance.

If you sift through Sarra's account (Heart Breathings, not the Sarra Cannon), she has some really good gems in her older videos. She's sorted everything into playlists, so that's a good spot to start. From a business perspective, Courtney's channels is really good. Check out Brittany Wang, I like her even if she's very over the top at times. I also like AN Sage and Kate's Book Date (Katie Wismer). Ines Johnson is a new find to me, so haven't made up my mind about her yet.

[hypnicjerk]

You know what else...Kate posted a reading vlog recently, but other than that one book, what else is she even into lately? I feel like I don't have much of a read on her taste/voice/interests...most of her content is about writing but I have a hard time imagining what her writing is about or feels like, its personality. Plus she often makes videos about her viewers' opinions instead of her own. Why? Is she afraid of being "controversial"? Compare that to Alexa Donne for example, I've never read Alexa's writing either, and she makes videos way less often than Kate, but I know exactly what Alexa likes and dislikes, I get what her "thing" is. Kate rarely expresses her opinions, and when she does it's very tepid...her channel is so focused on output, I know it's supposed to be authortube and not booktube, but how much does she consume versus create? I feel like she has lost some inspiration but doesn't want to admit it. Just my impression.

[Christmas_Hedgehog]

Kate could absolutely talk about the publishing process without giving her pen name. There's no reason she can't do 'release week vlog' or 'everything I did before publishing my book' or 'what I learned publishing my first book' videos. She could even put them out a few months after the events to reduce the chance for people to figure out what the pen name is, not that anyone probably could anyway (or would care enough to try).

[JackieOfTrades]

You know what else...Kate posted a reading vlog recently, but other than that one book, what else is she even into lately? I feel like I don't have much of a read on her taste/voice/interests...most of her content is about writing but I have a hard time imagining what her writing is about or feels like, its personality. Plus she often makes videos about her viewers' opinions instead of her own. Why? Is she afraid of being "controversial"? Compare that to Alexa Donne for example, I've never read Alexa's writing either, and she makes videos way less often than Kate, but I know exactly what Alexa likes and dislikes, I get what her "thing" is. Kate rarely expresses her opinions, and when she does it's very tepid...her channel is so focused on output, I know it's supposed to be authortube and not booktube, but how much does she consume versus create? I feel like she has lost some inspiration but doesn't want to admit it. Just my impression.

You are 100% right. And all of this adds up to me not being a fan of hers and not wasting my time anymore with her videos. I get nothing back for my time, so why bother?

[JackieOfTrades]

Kate could absolutely talk about the publishing process without giving her pen name. There's no reason she can't do 'release week vlog' or 'everything I did before publishing my book' or 'what I learned publishing my first book' videos. She could even put them out a few months after the events to reduce the chance for people to figure out what the pen name is, not that anyone probably could anyway (or would care enough to try).

There is so much she could do and still stay anon if she wanted to. Which is why this whole thing adds up to me not believing her being a published author.

[roguecanaries]

Disclaimer that I don't watch Kate so idk how likely this is, but a fair few authors write quick and dirty (in every since of the word) KU erotica for a quick buck and I know if that were me, depending on how dirty we were talking, I wouldn't want my real name and face attached to that... Is it possible she's writing like super kinky taboo smut that she just doesn't want to admit to? Because imo that would be a fair and not unprecedented reason to publish under a secret name

Also Courtney's new dark romance is now available to purchase after they had an unexpected delay, allegedly due to an amazon hiccup... thinking I might give it a shot

[roguecanaries]

Ohhh my god I am already deeply regretting this. I only have myself to blame because I didn't read the content warnings, but let's just say I'm not surprised Brooke didn't want to be her writing partner if this was the kind of stuff she wanted to write because I sure as hell wouldn't be comfortable with this either.

Spoilers below, I really hope I did the spoiler tag right cos this is graphic so like. TW for SA stuff, including discussed SA of a minor

The first chapter begins with the main character finding out that his girlfriend removed her birth control and is trying to baby trap him, so he anally rapes her as a punishment and announces that he's going to give her to all his friends to pass around and rape whenever they feel like it. Oh, and it turns out that she was molested by her father as a child and he asks her a bunch of stuff about her childhood SA while raping her as a form of...dirty talk, I guess? But it's okay cos he feels bad about it after (sarcasm).

She said dark. Wasn't quiiite expecting it to go that dark. That's on me for not reading the warnings going in...

[roguecanaries]

I should add to my last post: I do not actually know if her wanting to write this kind of stuff is why her and Brooke dissolved their partnership, or who instigated it, that's pure speculation on my part. I'm just a random nosey person on the internet haha. However, if a writing partner of mine came to me with a plot like this I would have to tap out, personally.

I am a firm believer that fiction is fiction, fictional characters are not real and it doesn't harm anyone to write dark shit like this, provided the author does their due diligence in giving content warnings (not their fault that I'm dumb and stubborn and didn't read them and it is definitely not the first time I have ignored a warning like that and been unpleasantly surprised lmao, I don't know what I expected). That being said, I'm clutching my pearls over here haha, hats off to her for shocking me. I have read some wild shit in my time and did not think there was anything that could surprise me any more, but let me tell you my eyebrows raised so high that they probably entered the stratosphere

[JackieOfTrades]

Ohhh my god I am already deeply regretting this. I only have myself to blame because I didn't read the content warnings, but let's just say I'm not surprised Brooke didn't want to be her writing partner if this was the kind of stuff she wanted to write because I sure as hell wouldn't be comfortable with this either.

Spoilers below, I really hope I did the spoiler tag right cos this is graphic so like. TW for SA stuff, including discussed SA of a minor

The first chapter begins with the main character finding out that his girlfriend removed her birth control and is trying to baby trap him, so he anally rapes her as a punishment and announces that he's going to give her to all his friends to pass around and rape whenever they feel like it. Oh, and it turns out that she was molested by her father as a child and he asks her a bunch of stuff about her childhood SA while raping her as a form of...dirty talk, I guess? But it's okay cos he feels bad about it after (sarcasm).

She said dark. Wasn't quiiite expecting it to go that dark. That's on me for not reading the warnings going in...

Mother... I already knew that I wouldn't be picking this book up, but this pretty much cements it for me. This isn't dark. This isn't sexy. This is telling everyone that rape is okay. And that is not fucking okay! WTH? Why is she so fucking excited about this release? Sorry for the profanity, but the hell??? Nope. That's a very firm no.

[JackieOfTrades]

I should add to my last post: I do not actually know if her wanting to write this kind of stuff is why her and Brooke dissolved their partnership, or who instigated it, that's pure speculation on my part. I'm just a random nosey person on the internet haha. However, if a writing partner of mine came to me with a plot like this I would have to tap out, personally.

I am a firm believer that fiction is fiction, fictional characters are not real and it doesn't harm anyone to write dark shit like this, provided the author does their due diligence in giving content warnings (not their fault that I'm dumb and stubborn and didn't read them and it is definitely not the first time I have ignored a warning like that and been unpleasantly surprised lmao, I don't know what I expected). That being said, I'm clutching my pearls over here haha, hats off to her for shocking me. I have read some wild shit in my time and did not think there was anything that could surprise me any more, but let me tell you my eyebrows raised so high that they probably entered the stratosphere

I'm firmly in the other camp. Shit like this makes me doubt the author as a person. Rape on the page just...hell. I don't even how words for how it makes me feel. I've never been SA'd, but this is something I feel very strongly about. For me this crosses a very dark line, and this is 'delete' and 'block' on my part for all things Courtney. Even with content warnings, it sends a signal that for some, rape is just dandy. This is what she's been 'dying to write' according to herself? This isn't even a line in the sand for me, sand can be moved. This line is set in brick and mortar, crazy-glued, deep rooted, can't be moved any more than you can move Everest. Or as the Aussies would say; yeah nah!

[sufficientcontact]

it's fiction. you seriously think courtney condones SA because she wrote a crappy book where it happens? you're right that there's a line but writing fiction about it is not the line. are you seriously suggesting someone gonna read some random erotica from amazon and then go "well the courtney project said SA was okay so i'm gonna go assault some people!"?

fwiw i also find that content gross and squicky and will never read it or write it, personally, but be for real.

edit: just so this doesn't dissolve into infighting and whatever, I wanna say that this COULD be a valid reason brooke tapped out. in fact, i think it's the most obvious sign so far. because not wanting to write this content is completely valid. it also feels weirdly niche? it's bizarre courtney would throw away a successful career with one penname to start a new one writing something most people do not like (as evidenced by ALL the comments on the topic so far, including mine lol).

[roguecanaries]

See I wonder how niche it actually is? Because I think there is actually a fairly big audience for these super violent, shocking, taboo type stories, it's just that very few people are actually willing to own up to reading it. I don't doubt that it's a smaller audience than Kennedy Fox's, but maybe that's what she's going for now. Really narrow the lens and then there's less competition, I guess. She must think there's good money in it or she wouldn't have written it, especially not as her first book under her (kinda) new pen name.

I do feel like this new direction makes the sudden pivot to KU make a lot more sense... I swear these days, so many dark romances on KU aim for the shock factor and that's how they get sales, because everyone is picking up the book to see just how fucked up things get. Like that book that just went viral where the girl has a prosthetic eye so she takes it out and the guy sticks his... well. You get the idea.

[Malingers]

While this content is certainly not my cuppa, maybe Courtney REALLY wanted to go this route, but just didn't have enough room in her schedule with doing KF books and everything else she does, too?

I have no real opinion on the content existing, just not my thing.

[JackieOfTrades]

It seems it's okay to love to read rape on the page - and it seems it it's not okay to have a problem with rape on the page. Is that what we're saying here?

[_soulvomit]

It seems it's okay to love to read rape on the page - and it seems it it's not okay to have a problem with rape on the page. Is that what we're saying here?

Who said that though? Unless a comment was deleted, I don't see any criticisms of the people who are professing this isn't for them. Just someone saying that while it's not their thing, it's okay for it to be someone else's.

I read a lot of smut, I like dark fantasy, and I've read some stuff that, in a synopsis, would have given me a squick (if I'd read the synopsis first), but turned out to be a book I really enjoyed and have given a re-read. If this synopsis is indicative of what Courtney's new book is like all the way through, it's probably not going to be my personal cup of tea. That's wayyyy too much for me. But there's a market for it, and if that's what people want to read, then let them ... but it's also 100% okay to be really, really not ok with this kind of content and avoid it at all costs.

Maturity is being able to recognize that just because something pushes back against your personal icks and squicks in a viseral way, that doesn't mean that other people don't have the right to want to read or write that content. If it makes you so uncomfortable that you can't support the author anymore, that is 100% fine, and I'm sure Courtney would say that herself. She's at a point where she can afford to take these kinds of risks if this is something she really wants to write

And I'm saying this as someone who literally ripped pages OUT of a short story anthology I liked because it contained a story I found horrifying and triggering on a viseral level, and didn't ever want to lay eyes on again. It's absolutely okay to have a problem with rape on the page. It can ALSO be okay to not have that problem.

[darcybones]

I wanna say that this COULD be a valid reason brooke tapped out. in fact, i think it's the most obvious sign so far. because not wanting to write this content is completely valid. it also feels weirdly niche? it's bizarre courtney would throw away a successful career with one penname to start a new one writing something most people do not like (as evidenced by ALL the comments on the topic so far, including mine lol).

I really think that's what happened. Because as far as I can tell the "guardian/ward dark romance" that Kennedy Fox was publishing never materialized. They've still got it on the website but release day has come and gone without a book. Seems to me that Courtney wanted to get into publishing darker work and in the process of trying to accommodate that the partnership dissolved. Hopefully it's no more fraught then them realizing they want to be writing different things.

Like that book that just went viral where the girl has a prosthetic eye so she takes it out and the guy sticks his... well. You get the idea.

therefore is winged Cupid painted blind

[JackieOfTrades]

People can read what they want, but I was left feeling like I was the idiot for feeling the way I feel about rape on the page. That's what I have an issue with.

[_soulvomit]

People can read what they want, but I was left feeling like I was the idiot for feeling the way I feel about rape on the page. That's what I have an issue with.

No no, you're absolutely not wrong for feeling that way. It's a hard line to cross for most people, I think. I personally can't cross it in fiction, at least not when it's written in a way that is meant to be titillating or romanticized. It's definitely okay to not be okay with it.

I personally might check out this new book, if it's on KU, but I'm going in fully prepared to bail out.

[smallfry2000]

From what Brooke has shared, she loves reading dark romance and wouldn't mind writing it. I think she just didn't want to write it with Courtney. She prefers small town but is able to branch out too. She's just not rushing things right now. She had a lot of responsibilities to take care of first from what she's shared in her group but has something new planned coming this summer or fall.