A few quick points...

While this model does seem to me like it could work for some up-and-comers, especially those with local friends very invested in the writer's career, I can imagine several reasons why someone wouldn't want to pursue this course of action, even it it made sound business sense on paper.

If many fans or friends wished to help an author, the author might need to make choices about who does what, placing the author in a potentially uncomfortable managerial position over friends and other people volunteering their time. Or, said author could leave it to others to organize actions, and risk that something of less quality or speed than hoped is produced. This places the author in an awkward position: how, as the author, do you chastise, or reject the product of, volunteers or fans whose assistance you actually requested, or at least accepted? Do you endorse something sub-par to spare their feelings? How much rework can you ask them to do? Even if they do good work, how *much* can you ask of them, and for how long? How many one-act dramas will be written, and friendships or author/fan relationships soured, along the way? And how much is all this distracting you from the actual business of writing?

I have an author friend I dearly love. If there is a crisis, we always come through for each other, no matter how bad it's gotten, how much it costs or how inconvenient it is. I hope I wouldn't think twice about taking a bullet for him (though I believe that sort of thing is hard to know about yourself unless you've actually done it). But when it comes to regularly scheduled programming, I am sometimes a well-meaning flake, and distribution deadlines upon which his professional income and reputation depend are things I should not be responsible for. It's taken me a couple decades to admit this about myself; some authors' fans and friends might not know just how flaky they really are yet, and a friendship might not be worth the risk of finding out.

Now, I do think that this system you describe sounds like it could work very well for some. But I suspect that to really undertake fan-supported self-promotion, you have to risk hurting the feelings of some very well-meaning folks -- folks who really love your work and want to help, but suck at it -- for the sake of replacing them with more, and more "useful", fans and support people. I would think that some authors might just not want all the emotional turmoil that goes with that, and would rather that fans have no more expected of them than that they buy the work and share their love for it with others in their own ways. Meanwhile, people on whose active support the author is relying for his or her livelihood can be contractually obligated to perform their agreed-upon actions, while trusted friends provide emotional support and advice, help to whatever extent they wish or are able on a day-to-day basis, and serve as a highly reliable backup rescue service, just in case everything goes to hell and said author needs to sleep on someone's couch and not think about writing for a few months while he or she recovers and prepares to re-enter the fray.

So, to sum up: while I don't how Seanan specifically feels, I imagine that some authors may not want to increase the risk of personally hurting good friends, or even fans, for the sake of their writing careers, even if it means that their careers must end. And it does seem to me that adopting such a fan- and friend-supported promotion and distribution network increases that risk.

Let's face it - anything you do - including inaction - is going to hurt someone's feelings.

And you are right, some people are better at certain things than others. I didn't say this would necessarily be easy. I do think however it's necessary.

There's 168 hours in a week. Seanan is spending 40 hours at work, and 50 hours writing, leaving 78 hours. I don't know if she included travel to and from work here or not. Assuming she spends 8 hours per day asleep, that leaves her 22 hours (about 3 hours per day) in which she can do things like cook, eat, do laundry, pet the cats, relax, research her next book, join a chess club, go bowling, get her hair done, show for clothes, pet the cats, clean the house, read, watch TV, pet the cats, read the newspaper, surf the net, read LJ, pet the cats, add additional things Seanan needs to be able to do here.

3 hours per day is just not enough time.

Now I keep on hearing all of the reasons why nothing can be done. What I'm not hearing is what things could be done to improve the situation, in fact I think I'm the only person who's made a positive suggestion.

What the hell is wrong with you people? Put your brains to work. Think. What would help take the stress off Seanan?

The question I ask is: Has Seanan asked for help and/or advice?

In my experience, unsolicited advice over the internet is not often welcomed.

It seems that what she's asked is that we not perform, and actively discourage, illegal book downloads, which sounds like something it should be easy enough to do.

I certainly can abide by her wishes in that regard.

The question I ask is: Has Seanan asked for help and/or advice?

Not directly, know. Of course Gary (old friend of mine) didn't ask for advice either, before he tried to blow his brains out with his father's hunting rifle. Thank god he failed, and that his family was able to get him the help he needed (that was over 30 years ago - back when admitting you needed help was considered bad).

So what do you do? Wait for someone to ask? Or say something when you see a problem. And Seanan has admitted that her current life style is a problem, it leaves her tired, and with very little time to do anything except work and write.

I'd like to see here looking and feeling chipper, with all the energy of Supergirl.

Hyperbolic much? I'm done here, thanks.

Actually no.

I am however continually amazed at North American culture. You are supposed to suck it up, and handle it yourself. Many people consider it shameful to ask for help. So you end up with people's problems getting worse, and worse. Does this make sense to you?

I'd rather offer to help now. It makes more sense, then letting things go.

By the way, I'm a lay priest. This gives me a different viewpoint than most people. My vows are to try to help, and while I'm not perfect, I try. Actually my wife says I'm very trying :)

I do understand the desire to want to try to help, and it's an urge I wish more people had. But I think another result of the cultural construct you reference is that some of us feel the need to ride to the rescue when we think we see someone else in trouble, and recognizing when such actions aren't called for can be as hard for some of us as it is for others to let someone help, or for still others to resist the urge to wait for a rescuer before taking action.

For most problems, I firmly believe that building systemic solutions that involve people working together is usually the right answer. But based on what I've read here, Seanan already has an extensive support network of beloved friends who know her and whom she trusts, several successful professional mentors and allies whose advice she solicits regularly, a strong awareness of and ability to manage her own mental health, and a general handle on her situation. (Maybe, if things get to stressy, she'll decide "Hey, maybe I'll try writing only ONE series of novels at a time this year.") If she needs active, involved support, she has places to get it -- she's just chosen, and choosing, not to make her journal and general fan base one of those places right now.

Anyway, if she changes her mind, I'm sure she'll let us know, and get more than she asked for in the bargain. :)

You are most welcome!

It's one of my hot-buttons. I've had too many caretakers in my life, and I tend to walk away from them now, because they just don't listen when I say that I can take care of myself.