Author points: what are they, how do they work, and how can I get some?
Hello, all!
Author points is a term I coined decades ago to describe the goodwill a reader has toward a writer’s work if they are already invested in that work—either because the book they are currently reading has them hooked, or because they have prior experience with that author’s work and have reason to believe that it will deliver the experience they are looking for.
This came up recently in a conversation with friends about a mid-series book we had all recently read and enjoyed, but which started off with a very confusing in-media-res sort of opening with the protagonist in denial about a problem and avoiding talking about it. We all got past that point, because we trusted the author and had the momentum of a good-sized series behind us, and the author had valid artistic reasons for doing what they did.
But we were all of the opinion that we might not have gotten through that same opening if it came from a writer we didn’t already know and trust, or if it were at the beginning of the first book in the series.
In other words, the writer in question had some author points to burn, and burned them for a particular artistic purpose, and it worked out in the end.
So that’s what author points are, and a little bit about how they work. You build them up by satisfying reader expectations for a while (part of a book, part of a series) and then you can cash them in as momentum to get the reader past a sticky patch—whether it’s a transition to a different point of view, the death of an apparent protagonist, or a patch of writing that is intentionally confusing to the reader.
As for how you get them—well, that’s both the easy part, and the hard part. Because you get them by making the reader trust you. Which is where all your craft and ability to tell a give-me-some-more sort of story come to bear. Sadly, as is so often the answer, the writer’s main weapon is to be even better at their job than before.
And the earlier you are in your career, the fewer author points you go into any new situation with—so this applies to trying to sell a story to a new editor while you are making your “name” as well as to an established author playing a tricky game. It’s why you have to hook that editor early, and keep their attention throughout. Once they know your work, however, you can get away with relying on trust a little more.
Right story, right desk, right day, write better.