Interview With Author Jessica Park

Jessica Park is the NY Times Bestselling Author of one of my favorite books (and her most popular), Flat Out Love. Although she is currently finishing work on her latest book, Jessica was kind enough to allow me to interview her over the phone, and shared her thoughts on several topics-
*Note: this is not the entire conversation, just the more significant clips

A: What was your experience when you first released Flat Out Love? Obviously, you had already published several other books, but how was this one different? Did you have any idea of how successful it would eventually be?
J: Response

A: I feel that most people would assume that if you wanted to be successful, if you wanted your book to have readers, you needed to get a really big firm to back you, for that sense of prestige. Obviously that wasn't the case with you, as you did so well self-publishing. Do you think you're kind of the exception to self-publishing, or, like you said, you paved the way for other indie authors?
J: Response

A: FOL has mostly been characterized as "New Adult"- the gap between Young Adult and Adult. Do you think there was something about that genre that specifically appealed to you, or that you thought could appeal to others?
J: Response

A: A lot of times, a books success has to do with their genre. What genres do you think tend to attract the most people, or tend to do the best? And how did you choose your genre?
J:Response

A: {on writing style/prose and how that affects a book's success}
J:Response

A: {on controlling the market}
J: Response

Interview With Author Colleen Hoover

Colleen Hoover is the author of NY Times Bestsellers Slammed and Point of Retreat. The third book in the series is set to be released in 2013, while she has a new standalone novel, Hopeless, coming out December 31. After sending her an email, I got the opportunity to ask Colleen a few questions about her books and the success she has accomplished thus far-

Q: What did you expect when you first released Slammed? Were you confident enough in your writing to know it would become as successful as it did, or were you uncertain about the outcome?

A: "I expected absolutely NOTHING.  I wrote the book for fun and only put it on Amazon because my friends wanted a way to read it.  I was poor and didn't want to print a ton of books out, so I put it on Amazon and made it free for the five days they allow, so everyone could get it and not have to pay for it.  I was STUNNED when it was downloaded 4,000 times over the 5 day period.  After that, the book just started selling through word of mouth. 

And no.  I had absolutely zero confidence in my writing.  Like I said, to me it was just a story that I wrote for fun.  I never even tried to get it published."

Q: At what point after the release of your two books did you realize you had "made it"?

A: "I don't know that I'm even at that point yet.  When I hit the New York Time's Bestsellers list for six weeks straight, I was scared to answer my phone because I knew they were calling to tell me they had made a mistake. lol.  I'm still in shock that it's been received so well. "

Q: Do you believe a good story is all that's needed for a book to become successful, or does writing, genre, etc. play into that as well? How did you choose which genre you wanted to write in?

A: "I didn't have a clue about genre's.  I had no idea that publishers were at a point that they were refusing to accept anything with characters ages 18-22 and anything with poetry.  If I would have researched this before writing the book, I'm afraid it may have influenced what I wrote.  So honestly, I think a book needs heart.  It needs to be written by someone who isn't writing it just because they want it to be a financial success.  It needs to be written because the author has love for the characters and wants to share that with readers, whether or not it becomes a success.  I think readers also look for different things in a book. Some look for easy reads, some look for quality writing, some look for simply a great story.  That's what's so amazing about writing.  Not everyone will love what you do, but someone will."

Q: I heard that Slammed and Point of Retreat got optioned for films (so exciting!). Do you think upcoming films increase a book's success significantly, and what are you expecting, if anything, if they do become films?

A: "They did get optioned!  I was so shocked when my agent called with the news.  We had received offers in the past, but none of them seemed legit, so I wasn't getting my hopes up.  I think if they do become films, it does increase the success and exposure of the book.  So while there are still a lot of hoops we have to jump through to actually see them get to that point, it will be surreal if it happens."

Q: In regards to your latest book soon coming out, Hopeless, do you think the success you achieved from Slammed and Point of Retreat played into your decision to write this book, because you knew you would probably already have an audience?

A: "No.  The fact that I have an audience now scares me more than it motivates me.  When I wrote the first two, I had zero expectations, and no one had expectations from me.  Now that people are expecting another book that can grip them on the same level the others did, I'm definitely feeling the pressure.  But I'm in love with Hopeless and the characters and went into with the same expectations that I went into writing the others. I kept my focus on the fact that I loved the story, loved the characters, and if people love the book I'll be happy.  But if they don't, I will still love that book and won't regret writing it.  It's what I love to do and whether I have readers or not, I'll keep on doing it!  Of course, I am HOPING beyond all hope that people love it.  ;)"       

A Family Business

Acting dynasties- generations of families devoted to the art of acting, gaining power, money, and fame. As daunting as it may seem, this general trend is pretty common among many actor's and acting families today.

Like I've mentioned before, many actors and actresses become well known after starting in the industry at a young age. Related to this, some actors become famous not through their own abilities, but their families. The Kapoors, the Barrymores, the Fiennes'- the fact that so many in the family are successful isn't so much a coincidence as a case of knowing the right people. When one family member succeeds, they open doors for many future generations, and thereby create a sort of "acting dynasty."

While many Hollywood actors have famous family members that influenced their start, this is most common in Bollywood, India's popular film industry. Having seen many Bollywood films over the years (despite not being Indian and badly needing subtitles), I know first hand that many films feature the same faces over and over again- Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukerji, etc. Along with that, they all seem to be connected in some way or another, either their blood relatives, spouses, ex's... But most interestingly enough, it all trickles down from the two main Bollywood dynasties- the Bachchans and the Kapoors. Without getting too political, suffice it to say these two families hold a large amount of power in the Bollywood industry.

Is it fair for certain actors to, in a way, "piggyback" on their relative's success, or should they have to make a name for themselves without their family connections?

Source-

Sirs: "Bollywood's Hot-- and Getting Hotter"

Michael Cera Will Always Be An Awkward Teen

Do you ever wonder why Michael Cera always seems to play the role of a lovable, socially awkward teenager pining for some girl's attention? Or how Zooey Deschanel just has to be the cute, quirky girl who still acts like a little kid (in a totally sane, endearing way, of course)? How about how Johnny Depp continues to choose the most eccentric roles out there that allow him to experiment with his acting abilities? All of these questions can be answered with the simple trend of typecasting.

As I mentioned in a previous post, many actors become linked with a certain role or genre of film, which affects what roles they will hold in the future. Typecasting is exactly that- actors and actresses becoming associated with different roles based on their past archetypes (awkward teenager, slightly slow best friend), their race/culture, or what types of roles they've played in the past (villains vs. heroes).

As stated, Michael Cera is a prime example of typecasting- almost all of his roles feature him as different variations of the same character (Arrested Development, Juno, Superbad, Youth in Revolt...). And while some people may find his character a little overbearing, it seems to be working for him, and he enjoys it. As he said, "It's a real game people end up playing with their image. That's really not whats important to me. It's just not. And I don't know how to play that game or understand why people do." According to Cera, he'll continue to play the same archetype, and really, why wouldn't he?

In terms of race and culture, typecasting is a more controversial issue. Often times, the idea of being fit for a certain role is dangerously misconstrued as stereotyping or borderline racism. Omar Naim, a Lebanese director, best described the implications of this form of typecasting, saying "I know a couple of really excellent Arab American actors, some of whom don't speak Arabic, and all they play are Arabic roles where they're forced to fumble their way through some Arabic." Not only is it damning to the studios of those projects, but it also negatively impacts the cultures that aren't being represented properly.

In conclusion, how much does typecasting affect an actor's success, or lack thereof?

Sources-
Sirs: "Boy Wonder"
Sirs: "But Can You Play a Terrorist?"

Synthesis & Plan

So far, I've found a lot of information on what makes celebrities so successful and well known, but I haven't found much on authors or other types of artists, which was the second part of my question. As of right now, I'm considering honing in on just celebrities, but I'm not entirely sure.
The main ideas of what I've learned concern typecasting and similar movies (actors playing more or less the same role in different movies and becoming known for it), attractiveness (personality, looks, etc.), and how they get started (child star success versus having famous relatives). I plan on doing more research on all three of these topics, but the specific questions I have are about statistics and previous research- I want to find studies and graphs about success as a child star, how much an average actor makes, how much an actor's looks or personality outside of a movie affect people's perception of it, etc. Hopefully, this will help me better organize my research and back up some of my claims.

Age is just a number...

Drew Barrymore, Dakota Fanning, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Christian Bale. All good actors, all widely recognized, all former child stars.

In Hollywood, experience is a key factor in getting cast in main roles. Few directors are willing to give their lead role to someone new to the scene, possibly because they might not have as much appeal as someone already successful (Emma Stone reportedly missed out on the role of Claire Bennet on Heroes because she was fairly unknown; Hayden Panettiere, who did get the part, was a former child star). For this reason, many stars today have had previous experience in the industry prior to their more "serious" roles- think, for example, guest starring on popular soap operas or starting off in commercials.

With this notion that in order to be successful, it's important to start young, child acting studios have received an influx of business as of late. And who can blame them? After starting at the age of 4, Dakota Fanning was already making $3 million a movie when she was just 12 years old. This idea that your child can be taught and tutored into becoming the next A-list actor, the next million-dollar-making child star, is appealing to many parents, who choose to travel to Los Angeles and enroll their children in such workshops. One of the more popular places, Oakwood Toluca Hills, doubles as an apartment complex, in order to encourage residents already there and lure in potential clients, hoping their child's success at a young age will pave a path for their future.

On the other hand, there are many child actors who didn't continue in the industry- a few names that come to mind are Mara Wilson (Matilda), Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone), and, of course, Shirley Temple- even Drew Barrymore went through a rough period due to her childhood success. So with that in mind, how much does success as a child star affect an actors success in the future?

Sources-
Sirs: "Hollywood Elementary"
Sirs: "Cinderella in Sneakers"
Sirs: "The Barrymore Curse: Can Drew Beat It?"

Why Gwyneth Paltrow isn't 300 lbs.

Hollywood- the land of hopes and dreams... along with drug problems, alcoholism, eating disorders, and image-consciousness. But for now, let's just stick with that last one.
It's no surprise that some of the leading names in Hollywood just happen to be fit and attractive- in this business, success is equated with body image, specifically in terms of weight. Actors and actresses are constantly pressured by the media, agents, directors, and yes, even each other, to lose weight in order to become successful. And despite the success of "larger" women such as Queen Latifah, Mellissa McCarthy, and Octavia Spencer, this pressure to be thin isn't going away.
Although this trend of "sizeism," as it's commonly referred to, is generally frowned upon (just look at Ashley Judd or Tyra Banks), some actually encourage it. Several actors have come forward, citing Gwyneth Paltrow, someone known for her thin figure, as their chief motivation to shed weight, quoting her saying "you are your best advertisement."
Besides other actors, a large portion of this pressure is put on by agents and directors themselves- we all remember Christian Bale dangerously losing over 60 pounds for his role in The Machinist:

 

So why does this unhealthy pressure remain? Simple as this- actors know that if they aren't willing to lose the weight, someone else will. And while some fight the sizeism that comes with Hollywood, many succumb to it, if not for the positive attention, then for the job security.
If so many are willing to go along with this trend, though, how will it be stopped?

Source-
Sirs: The Skinny on Hollywood Peer Pressure