Okay, I'm done.

I'm officially grossed out.  (Via Fuse#8)

It's funny, because I literally just finished responded to a commenter back at my post about VidLit who suggested that it was silly to complain about the advertising in this dayandage because entertainment and advertising have become so intertwined. 

Then he went on to plug his book.

I agree that what he said is true. Advertising and entertainment are intertwined.  He mentioned music videos -- but music videos are nothing.  And sure, product placement has been going in in movies forever, there are infomercials, there's QV Effin C, for crap's sake.

But what I said is true, too:  Just because it's true doesn't mean I have to like it.

I'm sorry.  Meg Cabot teaming up with Clinique?  That's just... gross. 

She doesn't NEED to do it.  Her books fly off the shelves regardless -- all it takes is her name slapped on the front and girls eat 'em up.

I took the VidLit for what it was -- an entertaining ad for Meg Cabot's books.  I took the blog for what it was -- very entertaining ads for Meg Cabot's books. 

But now she's hawking cosmetics?  Ick.  Ick ick ick ick ick.

On a related note:  Due to a comment made over at Fuse's site, I've come to a major decision, and I'm going to make a public apology.  Ahem.

Tamora Pierce, I'm sorry. 

There was this horrible woman in her mid-thirties who used to come into the bookstore I worked in, and for hours on end, she used to lie all over the floor of our very small Chapter Book/Young Adult section reading your books -- always your books -- and she never bought anything and she was always in the way and the other customers had to step over her and we had to step over her while shelving and we always asked her (nicely, with gritted teeth) to move but she never would and I hated her with a burningseethingraging passion, and I held it against you.

I'm so totally going to give your books another try because YOU ARE VERY, VERY COOL.

Comments

[Beth]

Yes, you should give Tamora Pierce another chance. She's a pretty good writer--I particularly loved MAGIC STEPS--an excellent mystery/fantasy combination with some real suspense.

And while you're in that area of the library anyway, try Meredith Ann Pierce--she also rocks. There's the FIREBRINGER trilogy and TREASURE IN THE HEART OF THE TANGLEWOOD is also cool.

[Leila]

MAP wrote the Darkangel trilogy, right? I liked those books -- especially the sci-fi angle, which I really didn't expect.

[Wendi Gratz]

Definitely give Tamora Pierce another chance - and start with Trickster's Choice. Aly is one of the smartest characters I've ever had the joy of reading about - as clever as Eugenides from the Attolia books by Megan Whalen Turner.

[Jenny Davidson]

Yes, I liked Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen very much indeed, I think they're great books. The others I've found a bit variable: always likeable, but sometimes not super-distinctive. That said, I seem to have reread the Magic Steps quartets several times each, so they certainly have their satisfactions!

[Gregory K.]

I agree with the icky feeling you're talking about, Leila, but I do have a quibble. You cannot say that Meg Cabot does not NEED to do this. You aren't Meg Cabot. You have no idea what her needs are, do you? You think it's just about selling books? Maybe. But maybe for her it's about supporting a gazillion charities. Maybe it's about something else entirely. Maybe she simply wants to buy more shoes. The point is, you can say you don't like what she's doing, but I do not think it's fair to claim to know someone else's needs.

Unless you say I need chocolate, as that's always true.

[Gregory K.]

I agree with the icky feeling you're talking about, Leila, but I do have a quibble. You say that Meg Cabot does not NEED to do this. How do you know that? You aren't Meg Cabot. You have no idea what her needs are, do you? You think this is just about selling books? Maybe. But maybe for her it's about supporting a gazillion charities. Maybe it's about something else entirely. Maybe she simply wants to buy more shoes. The point is, you can say you don't like what she's doing, but I do not think it's fair to claim to know someone else's needs.

Unless you say I need chocolate, as that's always true.

[Courtney]

I read about Meg Cabot teaming up with Clinique in her blog the other day and also wondered why she'd bother with it when she's got such a solid fanbase that she can release a million books a year and have them all do equally well in sales (as far as I know). It's not like her readers are saying, "Not ANOTHER one!" when ten new ones hit the shelves. It surprised me!

[Leila]

Gregory K., I agree with you. Obviously no one is in the position to declare what anyone else's personal needs are. And if she wants to buy more shoes, bully for her. :)

But I wasn't talking about her personal needs, I was talking about her advertising needs. Sure, I'm not in a position to declare what her advertising needs are either, but that doesn't make the team-up with Clinique seem any less gross to me. She's one of the few YA authors who is big enough to merit a visit on The Today Show, you know? It just feels gross and unnecessary to me.

[Shrieky]

I am SOOOOOO glad you're going to give Tamora Pierce another shot. Her books are very entertaining. But I dont think you should start with Tricster's Choice. If you want to start in the Tortall Universe then start the Song of the Lioness books but if you want to start the Circle Universe(my fav) then you have to start with The Circle of Magic Quartet. Woooosh! Hope you lke them! *_*

[Shrieky]

I am SOOOOOO glad you're going to give Tamora Pierce another shot. Her books are very entertaining. But I dont think you should start with Trickster's Choice. If you want to start in the Tortall Universe then start the Song of the Lioness books but if you want to start the Circle Universe(my fav) then you have to start with The Circle of Magic Quartet. Woooosh! Hope you lke them! *_*

[Gregory K.]

At the SCBWI Conference there was some talk about advertising and the Harry Potter books. Do they "need" advertising? You tell me. What if advertising sells another million books? Worth it? (I'd answer "yes," by the way.)

What's interesting to me is that when a movie star, for example, signs on to be a product spokesperson, I've never heard of that translating to them ON SCREEN carrying around and using that brand. An author is different in that they can control such choices within their book. That's how this deal is different to me and starts bleeding into odd areas.

(I now attempt to post this only once....)

[Lauren]

UGGGHHH!!! That customer!!!!

[Leila]

Lauren: CC says that customer is STILL AROUND. Like, HELLO. LIFE. GET ONE.

GK: Yeah, Typepad's been double-posting comments lately. I don't know what's up with that. Anyhoo...

It's funny, too, that some endorsements don't seem to bother me while some do -- Joan Cusack advertising USCellular didn't faze me while Paul McCartney's ad for Fidelity Investments made me want to vomit.

Didn't Salman Rushdie do a credit card ad? I think I remember getting a huge kick out of it -- unless I just dreamed it up, but assuming it was real -- it was clever and made me laugh. This Meg Cabot thing just smells like a Big Sell Out Move.

As for regular advertising, yes, of course it's necessary. But there is a point where the advertising starts to turn people off (or at least it turns me off) -- the last couple of times that JK has done her "Oooooo, who's going to die next?" teaser, I've just been irritated.

(And I love the darn books. And yeah, of course I'm going to read the last one, but if it was a series without an end in sight *cough* Stephanie Plum *cough* I honestly might have given up by now.)

Okay. End of ramblefest. For now.