Andrew Shaffer Quotes

Andrew Shaffer is an American author. Under the pen name "Fanny Merkin," he authored the Fifty Shades of Grey parody Fifty Shames of Earl Grey. His other books include Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love, and Literary Rogues: A Scandalous History of Wayward Authors. He is the founder and creative director of Order of St. Nick, a greeting card company. He resides in Portland, Oregon.

As a writer who has struggled with depression, the question is one that has long troubled me. Should I resist treatment, on the off-chance my creative output will somehow be affected?

Andrew Shaffer
- Depression
- Writer
- Output
Don't respond to haters' taunts - even politely. Ignore them. If nobody takes their bait, most will grow bored and move on.

Andrew Shaffer
- Ignore
- Haters
- Taunts

Every published writer, myself included, was at one time unpublished. All writers know what rejection feels like.

Andrew Shaffer
No matter what you do, you're going to run into haters online. We're not talking about ordinary, disgruntled customers who should be addressed with empathy and understanding. Haters are a breed apart.

Andrew Shaffer
- Customer
- Online
- Haters
This is a common misconception about antidepressants: many people believe they're simply 'happy pills' that will wipe a person's emotional slate clean. Used correctly, antidepressants can lift the fog of mental illness.

Andrew Shaffer
If you're reading a mystery novel, you kind of want the character to solve the crime instead of completely bumble their way through it.

Andrew Shaffer
- Character
- Reading
- Novel
With traditional publishing, books might be pulled due to plagiarism or libel - but rarely for content, and especially not without a widespread outcry.

Andrew Shaffer
- Books
- Content
- Outcry
The difficult part of writing about someone you don't admire is that it's easy to demonize them. What you get then is a cackling villain, twirling their mustache at every dastardly deed they commit.

Andrew Shaffer
- Writing
- Admire
- Villain

It's not always caving to pressure: Sometimes criticism hits close to home; sometimes criticism changes our minds about something we've put out into the world.

Andrew Shaffer
While I've never asked my publisher to pull one of my books off the shelves, I have deleted tweets or blog posts that have drawn criticism.

Andrew Shaffer
- Books
- Criticism
- Deleted