The Reading Vent & Rant Thread

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Oh c'mon. You would be doing yourself a real disservice if you didn't give THAT book a second glance

Finnegans Wake meets Twilight in this brilliant book.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I'm the opposite. I don't particularly like singletons. Still, I'm not a fan of 20+ volumes either. 3-15 is my favorite range.

I don't mind cliffhangers. They're pretty much meaningless with ebooks, as you can immediately start the next volume (if it's been released, of course).

If it does end on a cliffhanger, please let us know so we can wait the next book and read both.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by maddz

Covers are iffy for me. As I read on an e-ink reader which defaults to my current read's cover, I want something that's clear which clearly states the author and title (and possibly the series). What I don't really want is the default paperback cover which looks like a badly-erased pencil drawing in gray-scale. They may not look like much, but I like the Vorkosigan ebook covers. They're stylised drawings with good contrast and bear some relation to the story.

It's not a default paperback cover. It's a generic cover because the publish is too cheap to pay the artist for the actual cover image.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by Renate

Your cover might show, "I Was a Trollop for the FBI" while you are actually reading "À la Recherche du Temps Perdu".

I suspect that most who would use such a feature would, like me, have those 2 reversed.

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's not a default paperback cover. It's a generic cover because the publish is too cheap to pay the artist for the actual cover image.

I've seen covers that look like someone took a stock photo and used Windows Paint to add the text on top.

Even better, I once saw a cover that used WordArt.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If they want more sales, they need to dump the stupid comparisons that mean nothing and just turn off a lot of people.

All three are bestselling authors with multiple thousands of reviews and wide accolades. That was the point. I don't think it's a good idea to take any one arbitrary thing and use it to automatically dismiss a book.

[ZodWallop]

Having said that, I saw this description in the BookBub email:

As werewolf and bookshop owner Sam Quinn begins to discover her abilities as a necromancer, a ghost warns her of a looming threat…

That was enough for me. I was out.

(The book was The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s by Seana Kelly, in case that description flipped your skirt.)

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Having said that, I saw this description in the BookBub email:



That was enough for me. I was out.

A few days ago they sent me this (link):

Book one in a series! Abigail lives a quiet life in her quaint Amish village — until an accident brings her face-to-face with a gorgeous vampire who turns her world upside down…

No thanks.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

Frankly, I pay no attention whatsoever to blurbs. I only read the synopsis and look inside.

Exactly. Too many shill reviews.
The synopsis check is unfortunately only part of the filter. I spot check the writing (look inside), and even then, I get suckered. The story hast to hold up and be plausible (within the genre).

[maddz]

Here's another one: "Tik-Tok made me buy it"

You what? I vaguely know what that is (apart from avoiding social media like the plague I'm the wrong demographic), so why try and market a book that way? I'll admit to buying a few with that blurb, but that's usually because it's the latest in a series I'm reading or an author I read, but usually I see that and pass on.

[Uncle Robin]

Originally Posted by maddz

Here's another one: "Tik-Tok made me buy it"

I suspect a VERY large proportion of these feature Amish vampire werewolf necromancers

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Having said that, I saw this description in the BookBub email:



That was enough for me. I was out.

(The book was The Dead Don’t Drink at Lafitte’s by Seana Kelly, in case that description flipped your skirt.)

Fortunately, the description has since been redone and it reads a lot better then the bit posted here.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

I suspect a VERY large proportion of these feature Amish vampire werewolf necromancers

Do any feature zombie vampire werewolf necromancers?

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Do any feature zombie vampire werewolf necromancers?

I think that was one of my Sims games...

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

I think that was one of my Sims games...

The Sims: Zombie Vampire Werewolf Necromancer edition.