Snooki hitting NYT bestseller list...a good thing?

So, I had this big fat rant typed up in here, where I got in a truly unholy furor about Snooki hitting the NYT bestseller list with her book Blah Blah Blah (I'm totally not posting a link or the real title because I'm not funding her, haha).

And then with one accidental hit of the "delete" button, it was all erased. My beautiful diatribe, gone in a flash! *sob*

But...maybe it's for the best. After all, I could write pages upon pages about why this is truly a shame, why Snooki isn't a REAL writer, why I'm disappointed that people are buying her book instead of supporting debut authors.

But I won't.

Instead, I'm going to take all that anger I feel bubbling in my gut and use it productively.

Hey, I'm an author. I work hard. I study the craft. I will continue to grow. I can and will take these feelings and funnel them into a more sensible discussion. And then into my current manuscript.

After all, people, let's be honest. Yes, Snooki hit the NYT bestseller list, but her story (to put it baldly) sucks. I read the excerpt and feel very comfortable saying that, haha. (I'm not posting it because, again, I'm not supporting her). So how long can it stay on the list? How quickly is it going to shoot down into obscurity and hit the outlet stores?

People are always curious--we all crane our heads to look at car accidents. And that's what Snooki's book is: a tragic car accident. Traffic slows down for a little bit while we feed our impulse, but then once the thrill is gone, we move on our way, putting it behind us. Completely forgetting about it by the time we get home.

Snooki may hit NYT right now, but her book doesn't have what it takes to stay there (yes, I'm being insanely judgmental, but so be it). Like a flash in the pan, I truly believe she's going to peak and then fall. Her book will be found on the discount table, marked 50% off soon enough, just like every other flash-in-the-pan "celeb" who does the same thing.

So let's look at how a book like hers can actually help us regular-Joe authors:

--when people buy her book (which pains me, but come on...we all know it's going to happen and obviously already is happening), it provides $$ to the publisher. In turn, the publisher is able to acquire more books, able to take a chance on smaller stories and help make other authors' dreams come true. This is a good thing.

--if Snooki can get published, you can too. Let me repeat that: IF SNOOKI CAN GET PUBLISHED, YOU CAN TOO. Snooki's platform is her insta-celeb status, but she has no sense of craft, of writing skill. But you, you smart writer, you're working hard at developing your sense of pacing, characterization, plotting. Because of that, you're setting yourself up in the long run to succeed. You don't want to peak and fall; you want to rise and stay there. It may take you longer, but you have a much greater chance of hitting and staying successful than she does. After all, what's going to happen to her once Jersey Shore loses its "charm"? The world is a fickle place.

So, here's my plan: all this anger and passion I feel about Snooki on the NYT bestseller list will serve me as fuel. As a sort of odd inspiration, paradoxically enough.

I am working in this industry as a career. I can and WILL succeed, because I have deep, abiding dedication and motivation. I will open my manuscript and write, because that's what I do. I will revise. I will keep working on selling another book.

And I will not buy her book. Instead, I will take my hard-earned money and support my fellow authors, especially those who are truly debuting. I will also stop being so bitter over someone like Snooki, because her life is her own journey, and she's not robbing any audience from me, right? I'm pretty sure whoever is really reading her stuff probably wouldn't dig my writing anyway, haha.

So if you'll excuse me, I have a book to write. :D