You're providers, guys!

Cut the tassles and the glitter and the ooohs and aaaahs, and writers are providers. Fiction writers are providers of entertainment. Now, I came into a quote by Margaret Weis:

In answer to another oft-asked question, I don't read fantasy.

It does explain a certain "flavor" in Mrs. Weis' books. How she never quite manages, in what I read before I gave up in the mid 90s, to break beyond certain topics. 'Star of the Guardians'? Star Wars, lightsabers included. Rose of the Prophet? Al-Qadim campaign setting. Death Gate Cycle? Planescapish, gone emo. She is interesting as a world builder, but world building alone doesn't write a story. And since she doesn't read the competition...

Now, upset as I am about that, it's not the point. It's data. Data that accumulates over Mr. Preston's add, Big 5's practices... Can you imagine a furniture store's clerk telling you "Sure, it's a nice one. The designer's never sat on a couch!"? Meat providers buying adds in the NYT to pressure McDonald's into raising prices? Those providers would be off the rolodex so fast you could actually sell the energy.

But we accept it from writers. And many writers accept it from their, face it, service providers (publishers).

Writer's, read this one and apply it both to your providers and, as providers, to readers. Or be off.

Take care.