If you’ve been on Book Twitter in the past week, you already know what the controversy du jour is. You also know from reading this blog that I have nothing to do but share my own opinions, loudly, on the internet! I didn’t comment on the main tweet thread because I didn’t want to be targeted if there was a debacle, but I’ll say here that I firmly agree with Rin Chupeco, the (wonderfully talented) author who raised the issue to the community. I promise I’m not writing this just to gossip, but instead to make a larger point about the value of books and working relationships.
What is the issue, you might ask. Well, in short, Mackenzi Lee, a YA author who works at an indie bookstore, decided to sign and doodle in other authors' books, without those authors’ permissions. She frequently signed on the title page, where the author themselves would sign if the reader were to bring the book to an event or conference. It goes without saying that this is… ridiculous. Some authors might not care if someone else signs their work, but I think it’s audacious not to even ask permission. Furthermore, to attach your OWN NAME to someone else’s work is just… very bold. I don’t care for it. The signatures and the doodles were at the request of readers in their online order forms, but personally, I don’t think the bookstore should offer this as an option at all. It’s disrespectful to authors and supports overstepping of boundaries. That’s just one half of the mess. When readers started asking questions, Lee’s response was to delete all pictures of the signatures from her Instagram—one (unfortunately humorous) instance occurred when a reader commented “You missed one when you were deleting evidence” and Lee responded “Oops, thank you!” Her employer doubled down on the decision, denying any wrongdoing or malpractice. Ordinarily I wouldn’t bring anything up. However, I’ve been thinking about this incredibly strange circumstance and I’ve decided it’s not something I can stand. As an author, I would imagine Lee understands that the value of a book is far more than its sticker price—it also includes the hard work that goes into writing it, the joy it will bring a reader, and the sheer magic of starting with a Word doc and ending up with a book. All of that starts with an author. Books *literally* wouldn’t exist if they weren’t written by someone, and I take that to mean that the value of any novel is created by the author. I cannot imagine a situation where anyone other than THE AUTHOR THEMSELVES should get to enhance that value by signing a book on the title page. It’s so disrespectful to fellow writers, as well as to readers, who can’t get their books signed by the person who wrote them. The book community (comprised of writer, readers, and publishing professionals) is large, but I wouldn’t say so large that it doesn’t matter if you’re inside or out of it. You feel a lot less alone if you’re part of the group. I struggle to understand why Lee would disrespect writers who are essentially her colleagues by literally writing inside their books. I welcome any and all thoughts on this, but please keep it polite! I know there are a lot of opinions out there, and I’d love to hear a range of them.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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