The RMMB gave me a hell of a lot. Not to wax lyrical about the glories of an internet messageboard, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it's shaped me in a lot of ways. It helped me come out of my shell and grow as a person, and become more confident and outgoing. The folks in the Writing Board gave me some excellent editorial feedback and really helped me grow as a writer, which coupled with Tucker's whole "follow your dreams" spiel, meant I actually up and went for it. I sat down and wrote, and the upshot of all that is I actually have a goddamned book coming out sometime in the next couple of years, and I'm working with one of the best agents in the country. The talks I had with some of the people on there helped shape my career path and my choices in life. I was exposed to intimate conversations with people I would never have had an opportunity to interact with in the physical world. And there was a FUCKTON of wisdom there, if you knew where to look between the hilarious stories, and people willing to help out and dispense some good-ass world-knowledge. When I was losing my mind going through a horrible relationship, Bunny and Soupy Gee gave me some truly excellent advice - it was candid, objective, informed - and more to the point, I couldn't have gotten it anywhere else. My friends were too young to have that kind of understanding, and that wasn't stuff I could really take to my parents. And yes, while there were some bloodfeuds and entrenched ass-kissers, for the most part what I liked about the RMMB was that it was utterly merciless. If you made a stupid comment, even if you were a well-established poster, you'd get REAMED - and that tended to up the level of discourse substantially. Besides, there are few things as funny as watching two highly intelligent individuals mercilessly lambasting each other to within an inch of their e-lives.
I'm gonna hop on the 'RMMB changed my life for the better' bandwagon. As silly as it sounds, it helped with a lot of self-esteem issues that I was plagued with. Not only did I find validation for my body, but for my thoughts as well. It was the first time I ever had either, and receiving that from people whose thoughts I also respected allowed me to realize that many of the people I assumed I needed validation from were really just a bunch of dumb teenagers like me. The vein of 'believe in yourself and trust yourself' was invaluable to my impressionable young mind. I don't think I would be as confident and secure with myself as I am now if it wasn't for all the fantastic advice on the old board.
You hear that CNN? "sexting" and "esluttery" are good for teeangers! Stop your moral panic and get naked on film immediately!
I learned a lot from the TMMB/RMMB like say for example, how not to post your tits for rep. The damn self respect always got in the way, and still does. Thanks RMMB! Really though I have said many times I've never understood all of the hate directed towards Tucker from RMMB members. I mean sure we all know there were whiners that got bitchslapped by a mod or two at some point (because they deserved it 99% of the time IMO. Grow up and get over it, it's a stupid interbutz messageboard.) For all of the FREE entertainment that place gave me leading me here and still going since Dec of 2004, I just don't get why so many, still to this day and it's been years folks just to remind you, still hate on him so much. Here's a news flash, nothing he did should affect your life that much. His words, the words of the mods (who all did a hell of a job with little to no return BTW) sure they were sometimes wise and helpful be that advice or leading you to a book or author that has changed your life in some way. But I still have to ask, at what point do you get over it? I guess the answer is for some is never. Whatever he does I wish him the best. He's like a cat in that he always seems to land on his feet. And for the record, he would absolutely hate that I just compared him to a cat.
I can't fucking believe I'm agreeing with Shegirl (except for that first part)...I need a knife, large gun or a ledge. Quick! I don't give a fuck if the guy is telling the truth or not about anything, I laughed my ass off in ways I've never laughed before reading IHTSBIH. That's all I care about.
On the subject of writers getting paid, I'd say that as long as he wasn't outright, knowingly lying to them, fuck 'em. Espousing the ideals of his company and getting excited about his vision for the future is not lying. Stating that he thinks he's going to be the next great thing in publishing is not wrong. Claiming that he is offering them a lot by associating themselves with an established writer and a company willing to provide resources is not bad. And sharing an ideal that they could make a lot of money if the vision pans out is not misleading. We're all responsible for ourselves. Any company you get hired by could go bankrupt, or go through layoffs, or reorganize a week later. All anyone should ask is that they're told the truth. Past that, you have to take responsibility for deciding what is realistic, what you can afford to do, and where you can afford to go. Getting excited about an ideal is not an excuse for setting unrealistic expectations for yourself.
Once again, I don't remember what information was public or privileged, so I'll keep my mouth shut about details. But as I recall, Tucker was pretty up front about the realities. He sold people on the gig, but no more (and in my observation usually far less) than any other online publisher I've ever seen and didn't to my knowledge lie about anything. The numbers I saw (which were in no way all, or even most of them) were probably fairer to the writer than any other online publisher I've ever seen. The fact is, most artists aren't terribly savvy. They often don't think to ask questions like 'How much traffic did your other writers generate in their first 12 months, how much did they get paid and when did they get paid'. They see that they get $0.X/whatever and see an escape from their day job/Wisconsin/whatever. The ones who whined saw the breakdown of remuneration at Rudius all seemed to have assumed they'd get more traffic than facebook from Day 1, a book deal on day 5, and a movie deal inside of a month. I really try not to get too far into the defending Tucker thing. I don't see him as any kind of saint in these deals, and there were times when I KNOW he was a complete cock. But his deals with writers at Rudius seemed reasonable to me.
Well. It's been a while since I've popped onto TiB, but I will say one thing about the article, it reminded me to come back to this board now that I have time again. As for Tucker Max, I always held the firm belief that he was a giant ass-face, but I did enjoy reading his drunken tales. Much like you enjoy a floorshow at dinner theatre. You go for the food, but you'll watch the entrtainment. That's how I felt about the TMMB. The posters were the drawcard, not Tucker Max. I joined the TMMB just before it became the RMMB, and was around for the movie hyperbole and the 'marketing that was going to revolutionalise the industry.' The movie was mediocre at best, a bit OTT in places, and not one I would purchase to watch over again. I won't be following his future works, and I couldn't give an ingrown asshair what he does in the future. This place on the other hand...
I would never behave like Tucker Max, but I'm envious of his honesty with himself. Even if you think he's misguided you must admit that he's genuine. And he brought me indirectly to one of my life's mantras: "shut the fuck up and keep working." I am in debt to him in some way for that, I imagine.
Buy a thousand copies of Hilarity Ensues and you get a full on party day with Tucker himself, now can we take bets on who/whether/if this takes place somehow? Tucker Party
I don't think he's expecting one person to do that. More likely a student organization that wants him to speak at their school (he says that's what he charges) and get a thousand free books out of the deal.
I'm inclined to wonder about the potential marketing value of 10 hours of Tucker Max time right as he's releasing his book. It might easily outstrip the $26,000 required for the initial spend, but that would require the right product and strategy.