I picked up a new book over the weekend by a very well-known RS author. I haven't read any of her work, but I've heard good things about her, so I decided to give it a go. The cover was done all in dark, sultry colors. A man and women, both obviously naked, were shown from the neck up in a provocative, almost-kissing pose. It screamed sexy read. The title foreshadowed an imminent threat, a book wrought with spine-tingling suspense. The back cover blurb confirmed this, hinting at a story filled with danger and intrigue and unbridled passion. The problem? What was inside the book - so far - hasn't lived up to what was on the outside.
This is my biggest pet peeve with books. Sort of a bait-and-switch by the publishers. They promise one thing on the outside, give you something else on the inside. Because this author is on the NYT Bestseller list, and because my CP has raved about one of her previous books, I've muddled through. (I also happen to be obsessive-compulsive sometimes, and this is one of those times.) I'm halfway now, and there's finally something happening. The back cover blurb wasn't totally wrong, it just took almost 200 pages to get there. How many of you would have given up before that point?
I could go on about the 150 pages of backstory, or the fact the hero doesn't get a POV scene until chapter 10, that the real action doesn't start until chapter 8, or that by the time I finally meet the hero I'm rooting for the bad guys because they've had several POV scenes up until this point and basically I'm fed up with how long it's taken to get this book going. But I won't. :) I will tell you this: As a writer you have an obligation to give your readers what they expect. Granted, I haven't read this author before, which is why I'm giving her some leeway here, but overall if your book cover or title or blurb promises a sexy read, then make sure that's what's inside the book. If your book is a suspense, make sure there's something suspenseful happening early on. If it's a comedy, it sure as hell better be funny in the first few pages. And if it's a paranormal, something other-worldly better happen before I hit page fifty. Some of you may say, "But the title and cover and blurb are out of the authors hands," and to that I say, "hogwash." Authors have a say, it's not completely out of your control.
Have you ever read a book that wasn't what the jacket promised? If so, tell. And those of you who are published, (Yes, Alice, this is you) what have been your experiences with titles and covers and blurbs? I'm imagining epubbed authors have a lot more control over these things, but I know print pubbed authors also get a say.
13 comments:
Sorry about the story let down, Eli. I would have given up on it by now.
I'm the opposite of you -- it has to be a really good book to hold my attention. I only have a limited amount of time to myself to read, so I won't waste my time on anything that doesn't hold my interest.
I guess I don't compare the blurbs and cover art too much to the story. I read the blurb, think "yeah, sounds good." Then read. If it's a good story, well-written, then it holds my attention. If it isn't, I toss the book into the give-away pile.
I have no first-hand knowledge of authors' say in book covers and blurb text, but I've sure heard a lot of complaints from pubs about covers. I think authors' say, especially in big houses, is, unfortunately, pretty minimal. JMO
I wouldn't have given that book to chapter 4 if the hero hadn't shown up! And depending on whether or not I felt a connection with the heroine I'd have tossed it. I'm like Danita, I don't have time to waste on a book that isn't holding me.
It sounds like it is misleading the buying public. And that's sad. Because unless you are someone who has read that author before, you most likely will not pick up another one of her books.
I don't know about the big houses but at WRP you write the blurb(with some editor input), pick the excerpt in the beginning, and get to yea or nea the cover art.
From what I've heard you're not that lucky in the bigger houses.
Eli, that's such a bummer. I'm like Danita. I have no patience for a book I don't like right away. I'll usually give it 3 to 6 chapters, then I'm done.
I do research before I buy a book by an author I've never read before. My reading time is too valuable to waste on something that doesn't interest me. About 6 or 7 years ago I was at a bookstore looking for something similar to Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series. There was a sign above one of the shelves that said "If you like Laurell K. Hamilton's books, you'll love Christine Feehan." I was so excited! Bought two of them and could hardly wait to crack open the first one. It was one of the most boring books I've every tried to read. I gave it til the halfway point because I so wanted to like this author (she appears to be very prolific), but the story only got worse. So in this case it was the bookstore that did the bait and switch, not so much the publisher.
Now I read book reviews AND reader reviews on Amazon AND I read a sample chapter before I take a chance. And I own a yahoo group made up of voracious readers who always toss around titles of books they've read so we constantly share our reading experiences, good and bad.
I bought a book by a debut author in a genre I love because his agent raved about it, and the blurb sounded great. The premise was wonderful. The book itself sucked. The pace was slow and the author had one of those voices that's engaging at first, but then gets quickly annoying. Repititious, meandering, unfocused. It must have been the voice that sold the book for him. A sequel for it came out a couple of months ago, so someone's buying his books.
There've been a few occasions when I have picked up books that turned out not to be what I expected, but because they were well-written with engaging characters, I enjoyed them anyway. I think perceptions vary a lot between readers. I mean look at Christine Feehan. For me, her books are as good as any sedative, but her fans rave about her stuff. WTF? To each her own.
Karen
After thinking about it, Eli,I bet the marketing department was totally responsible for the misdirection and they did it on purpose. It's their way of broadening the author's reader base. They could care less if a few new readers get pissed about it because they probably win more new readers than they lose. You can't trust the back cover copy! Ever! It's like buying any product based on the good things the manufacturer has to say.
I hate bait and switch, but I'm like you, I HAVE to finish a book--even if it's skimming to get there. I can't just toss it aside. The latest RWR has a good article by Toni Blake about sexy romance. As someone who actually reads (and enjoys) erotic romance, I hate the marketing bait and switch that I often see lately--straight romance marketed as "erotic" or "super hot." It's not that the writing is bad either--it's just that that's not why I bought that book. I also dislike YA that been mis-labeled. I don't want to have to go hunt YA in the adult section or find my chick lit lurking in YA. My biggest pet peeve though is with books that are not clearly labeled as historical. I bought a book by an author I've read before. Reviews good. Blurb good. Cover awesome. Nothing that indicated that the writer had decided to give free reign to her inner Jane Austen and write a regency so steeped in antiquated cannon of regency writing that I'm having a devil of a time liking either character even a little. Again, nothing really wrong with the book, but do not show me a picture of dripping chocolate covered fruit and layer seductive copy all over the back, and then spring a plum pudding on me! Great post!
Danita, you're lucky. I wish I could so easily put a book down. ;)
Allison Brennan's been real forthecoming about her publishing experiences regarding blurbs and covers and titles on her blog. While she doesn't have a lot of input on the blurb and cover, she does get to offer suggestions for the title and her publisher works with her on that.
Paty, the hero shows up in chapter one, but he's in and out and he doesn't get a POV scene until chapter 10. Really bugged me.
Good point, Karen. I bet you're right. Unfortunately, true RS lovers wouldn't love this right off the bat.
One of my favorite books is a very slow start. The difference is it's not billed as an RS, simply a romance, so going in I don't expect fast paced action. I guess I'm more forgiving of a straight romance, allowing time to build characterization. Again, all has to do with expectations.
Ugh, Wavy. That would have ticked me off too. Esp. since I'm not a big historical reader. ;)
And I just got my RWR yesterday, so I'll check out Toni's article.
LOL, Wavy. 8^) One of the reasons I don't usually read historical romances is because of the authetcisim of the language. It's great that the author captures those nuances to make the book more real, but I can't read it. Drives me nuts. A good friend of mine wrote a historical that features gypsies and it's loaded with thees and thines and thous. I'll buy it because she's my friend (I'll be seeing her in Denver in September), but I'll likely give it away as a really nice gift. She's a wonderful writer.
Karen
Before I read what everyone else has commented, I will say this: My biggest disappointment was a book called "Undercover Babies."
I loved the premise of this book. I gave it a good title which I can no longer recall. I filled out five pages of art questions and answered a list of "concept" questions.
My editor declared the title was out. They had to change it. They proposed Undercover Babies. I said, "But that sounds like an undercover operation of some sort using babies as a diversion." I was met with silence. As I suck at titles and had already given it my best attempt, I was left with few options. At least there would be no babies on the cover--I had filled out all those art pages and never mentioned the babies as they don't enter the book until pretty late (although they are the major force behind everything.)
Two babies on the cover which I saw three weeks before the book hit the stands. And, btw, my editor writes the back blurb and I see that when I see the cover. I.e, way too late to change a thing.
I happen to know which NYT author you are talking about and she is big and writes ST and perhaps she has more say than a mere category writer such as myself. But I can attest to the fact that the author is one part of the package that makes a book--the most important part, to be sure. But the artists and the conceptual teams and the editors and the copy editors--all of them and more also have a hand in the look of the finished product.
So, the NYT author wrote her book, assumingly her way. And then the others went to work to make sure someone picked it up off the shelf and gave it a chance. Their efforts payed off as you picked it up. But they got you on a false premise and so in the end, they screwed the author who might have lost you as a future reader and then, ultimately, they screwed themselves for the very same reason.
It doesn't make much sense, does it.
I heard from one person that she felt disappointed in my Undercover Babies book as the title promised something the book didn't deliver. At this point, I fight for a title I like. If they don't like mine and I don't like theirs, then I will work on an alternate. But there's still very little I can do about the art and the blurb. That seems to be the way it is.
Alice
Eli--Good blog. As for myself? I usually put a book down after a page if I can't get through it. One page! If there is something really fascinating about the blurb, maybe I'll give it two pages! I can't stand cute, boring, poorly written, confusing, hoity-toity, dumb, rambling prose. If the author can't write a few paragraphs in such a way that I am compelled to read a couple more, adios!
Plus, I hate when authors do this: They're having a conversation, for instance, in person or over the phone. And every single comment made by the person on the phone (for instance) is followed by a memory or a thought or a something by the heroine before she responds. Every one. I just put down a NYT best selling mystery writer for doing this. Eek!
Alice
Chris York here -
As a pubbed author, I can tell you how much input I have had. Big NY house: zero, nada, zilch. I see the cover when they send me a flat, way too late to object. And I have heard some true horror stories about authors who DID object at this point in the process - believe me, their careers (at lesat under that name) are pretty much non-existent. I mean, they pay people lots of money to write blurbs, design covers, etc, and they don't appreciate a writer, who was contracted to WRITE, chiming in with her (amateur) ideas of what would make a good cover. (I don't say this is *right*, it just *is*)
When I published with a smaller, but long-established, house, they asked me for suggestions of what I would LIKE to see on the cover. Beyond that, I had no input, except to write the bio for the flap copy.
In general, this is my understanding of how the process works. And really, how often is the writer a better judge of cover copy or art work than the pro? I sympathize with Eli, it's a lousy thing when it doesn't match, but as a writer you choose your battles wisely, and this is one you won't win, and you will regret.
IMNSHO, of course *BG*
And Eli, with age comes wisdom. Since you don't have the former ... *G* I had to learn to put down a book, and you will, too. Even us compulsive book-finishers can learn a new trick!
Chris
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