The Fear of Missing Out: The Bookdragon Edition

“The Fear Of Missing Out” is apparently a real thing. Nah, come on! Don’t we have more self-esteem than that?! Who cares if we haven’t heard of this band, or that actor, missed that TV show, skipped this movie, didn’t read that book…

Er, hang on a minute there.

Here are some very valid things bookdragons are concerned with when it comes to being afraid of missing bookish stuff:

All your friends loved this novel/series, but you just can’t get into it. Yes, it is totally okay to have a different opinion, even from the people you’re close to. But when you seem to be the only person in your life that doesn’t appreciate a certain trilogy or author, it can be a bit…almost lonely.

You come across titles written by your favorite author(s) that you had no idea existed. This can come as a real shock to the senses. How can you even claim to be a fan? How is it possible that this knowledge escaped your attention? And how quickly can you catch up?

There’s a genre that you try and try and it just doesn’t mesh with you, and it’s on fire right now, so it’s taking over all the sales this year. That makes it more complicated for those of us who would like to find new titles not belonging to this genre of the moment. I don’t know about you, but I’m not about to spend my meager book budget on releases that will simply test my patience and make me have buyers’ remorse.

You can’t afford merchandise based on your favorite series. Honestly, I don’t have to own throw pillows and tote bags and coffee mugs emblazoned with characters and dialog quotes and cover logos for every single novel I’ve ever enjoyed. But sometimes it would be nice to have just one or two.

It’s really hard when you don’t like a book you were really, really hoping to like. Okay, compared to losing a job or finding out your car is totaled after that minor accident, it’s not that hard. But when you have a lot of emotional energy invested in a project — yes, even reading a novel — and it doesn’t pan out the way you had anticipated… Well, when you’re someone who thinks and analyzes and introspects a fair amount (hands up out there — be brave, only I can see you, I promise), this can be a big deal. (Trust me, it’s a big deal.)

Re-reading an old favorite can lead to the discovery that you no longer like it. This has actually happened to me in recent months. It was devastating. (You hush, yes, it was.) Now I don’t know what to do with those selections, their space on my shelves, how I might feel later if I actually got rid of them… The dilemma ensues.

Sometimes publishers consider it necessary to release immediate sequels in a different size to the original, or to change the covers from country to country. This is very frustrating when you’re trying to get all the titles in a series to match because the universe will end if you do not. Or when you actually like the covers for a foreign nation better than the ones available in your own home town. Is it just me, or do we all agree that publishers need to take fans’ feelings more into account? Grrr…

Occasionally, an author that you love decides to write something that you just cannot stomach. Believe me, this is heartbreaking. Yeah, there are other types of tragedies in the world, like losing your phone or forgetting that coupon for Bath and Body Works until after you’ve left the mall. When you feel betrayed by one of your previously favorite authors, though, this ranks right up there.

(Has anybody seen the episode of “Spaced” where Simon Pegg burns all his Star Wars stuff after The Phantom Menace comes out? It’s like that.)