And now for something completely different: Authors who are not trying to tear each other eyes off

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Since I list both of them in my friends list and they are both in my Top 100 Gay Novels List, I read both their posts, and I love how they managed to "solve" a question in a very ladylike manner, for once using hearth and mind.

Some fans of the Nightrunner's series by Lynn Flewelling, are commenting on Kirby Crow's Amazon reviews page saying that her Scarlet and the White Wolf series IS NOT like the Nightrunner's one. (http://kirby-crow.livejournal.com/324923.html)

Obviously it's not! Problem is that Amazon's recommendation system is linking the two series together, saying that if you like one, you maybe will like also the other one. (http://www.amazon.com/dp/055359009X/?tag=elimyrevandra-20)

Lynn Flewelling posted to specify that she and Kirby Crow, without any online wank feast, talked about the matter, and in particual Lynn would like to let reader know that they're not at odds with each other. (http://otterdance.livejournal.com/353754.html)

So why don't we all take example from them, and stop to try to raise a storm in a glass of water? The reason why Amazon states that "Customers Ultimately Buy" also the Scarlet and the White Wolf series After Viewing The Nightrunner series, it's probably quite simple: Gay Romance readers probably put both series in the same ListMania, or probably they go to Amazon to buy both series after reading about it on some blog. Mine for first has linked them together in the Top 100 Gay Novels List, but I'm not probably the only one. For example this Friday I will post Lynn Flewelling's Inside Reader list on my LiveJournal; Kirby Crow is listed in my Friends list; many friends of mine are also friends of Kirby and probably fans of Lynn... SO it's only natural that they are connected on Amazon. And BTW, where is the problem? Why you can't enjoy both series without feeling like you are hurting one or the other of the authors?

Comments

[lee-rowan.livejournal.com]

If Amazon hadn't stuck Ransom and Standish together in a package deal, I'm not sure how long it would have been before I got to know Erastes. I think the whole "flaming rivalry" business is hyped by TV because conflict attracts attention. That's hard-wired into our genes; if our ancestors hadn't been alert for potential danger, we wouldn't be here. But buying into it is a waste of time. VERY FEW of us can write stories so fast that readers only have time to read our books.

If the Nightrunner and White Wolf series are both gay romance series books, that's reason enough to say "if you like X, you might like Y." Librarians do that all the time.

Besides, Amazon is screwy. I looked up the Battlestar Galactica DVDs, and now I'm getting recommendations for every sort of macho SF violence-porn you can imagine. Amazon's sorting hat has no brain in it.

[elisa-rolle.livejournal.com]

Also I sometime had "strange" recommendation. I hope that, posting reviews with the right tag and Lists with related books in them, I will help to tune that reccomendations for the Gay Romance community of readers on Amazon. And for Lynn and Kirby, I think the recommendation that links them together is a good thing, fans shouldn't be upset by it. Elisa