http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/nspace/7534554

I’m sorry if you find my tone condescending, but can you really blame authors for getting fed up with people assuming things about the books they produce instead of actually reading the content? One assumption is enough to mislead another potential reader in my experience.I feel strongly that what an author actually writes is more important than misleading assumptions about a text. If you ever get anything professionally published and then misrepresented, you’d feel the same, I guarantee you. I know a number of authors (including world famous names) who feel the same about this issue as I do – and they’ve seen thier sales suffer as a result of selective reviewing and so on.Forgive my sensitivity on this issue, but my books are my babies and I naturally like to see them represented accurrately. I have no problem with someone attacking (for example) my prose style, as that’s subjective, but on objective issues like the clearly stated aims of a book (see the’About This Book’ section), I won’t apologise for insisting on clarity.

You won’t read it? Well, that’s up to you, but with a fifth printing due, I’m quite happy that I’m reaching an audience. But I hope you do try it, even if you disagree with some of my choices – but I bet you’ll discover some new authors via the book…

You harp on and on about assumptions – this isn’t a top! or best! list, yet your own back cover blurb says “With 100 of the best titles fully reviewed and a further 500 recommended”. If you don’t want people associating “100 best” with your book, perhaps you need to have your back cover blurb changed.

As for me, I use the phrase “top 100 best” once; otherwise, it’s “top 100 must-read”. Must you assume what I’ve assumed?

Instead, the book presents an overview of the SF genre through 100 books (nowhere in the book do we claim to have selected a ‘best’ or ‘top’ 100), and our selection can only be understood if the book is read – or if the reader reads all the novels we cite and considers them as parts of a whole.

There is also the issue of livelihood – professional authors rely on royalties to keep writing, so if people make assumptions about the nature of thier books without having read them, and make internet postings that appear to have understood the author’s intentions, the author can lose out. ‘Oh, it’s a list of the best SF – I disagree with that as a list, therefore, I won’t read the book,’ is the result.

Consequently, the true authorial intention is never discovered by the potential reader, the author loses sales, the potential reader may not discover the details of novels included in the book and so on.

I’m grateful that my book has interested people here, but I’m naturally not happy that assumptions have been made about it’s nature, which I’m sure you’ll understand. I’d prefer people read the book instead of assuming what it is about, as would any author.

Thanks for listening,

Stephen E. Andrews
(100 Must Read Science Fiction Novels, 100 Must Read Books For Men)

PS -incidentally, the ‘Art of Manliness’ website borrowed the title of my second book soon after it was announced on Amazon for a listing totally different to the one my book covers. Again, watch out for those assumptions!

I heard about the new Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I wonder how it’ll compare to the old one? The old one, from what I recall, was a bit cheesy in spots, but then, it was science fiction back in the day before there were special effects, so much more difficult to do well visually the same way they can now.

I’m also partial to stories about Mars. I wonder why that is?

Thanks for commenting, Rosemerry.

Blade Runner is the movie for Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep so maybe you saw that movie as well.

I have to agree with you about Red Mars and that whole trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson but then I’m partial to stories about Mars.