“How Come I Never Heard Of You?”

I have seen the “How come I never heard of you?” slammer used against many writers of note over the years, most recently against Barry Malzberg, Pat Cadigan, and David Gerrold.

It is usually used as a political slammer: to wit, not all of your political beliefs march in lockstep with all of mine, therefore you must not be a “real” writer, therefore I must invoke my superior knowledge of the world of literature to confirm that you’re no one of note.

I am saddened that a riposte is even necessary.  I happily devour books from some artists whose opinions, and mine, intersect at no point. A messed-up personal economic model does not disqualify you from being able to create a narrative that sets the pulse racing.

But the reply to “How Come I Never Heard of You?” should be:

“The universe is not defined solely by what you’ve already heard of, nor is value defined only by that which you already know about.

“This is the world of fiction, after all; there are any number of rich, vital, and yes, even famous creators who may have slipped you by, and… you should see that as evidence that there are many more wings in this house of infinite treasures, not as proof that your magical all-seeing eye has served you well in unerringly skipping over trivia beneath your notice. I, myself, did not know of Cornell Woolrich until he was called to my attention. I did not know of Thomas H. Cook until he was called to my attention. I did not know of Gillian Flynn until she was called to my attention. Many years ago, I did not know of Stephen King until he was called to my attention.