How to Avoid Spoilers
She dies at the end of the book!
A beloved character makes a cameo in a movie.
That couple will break up after the season finale.
These are all examples of spoiler alerts. I’m not going to say which ones were inspired by real movies, books, or TV shows. I’ll let your imagination fill in the blanks. I don’t really want to ruin your day with a spoiler (although I have a surprise at the end of this blog). A part of you secretly wants to know what really happens at the end of your favorite book. Yet, a part of you doesn’t want to know…at least not right away. Having at least some key information withheld from you adds to the suspense. It’s that anticipation of what’s going to happen next that moves you to stick around for the end. However once you learn a spoiler whether by mistake or by choice, that element of surprise is taken away now that you already know that your two beloved characters get together in the end or that a main character ends up dying at the end.
If you’re like me I don’t like spoilers. And if you try to spoil something for me I will resent you. I would rather avoid them until I get to watch my favorite show or read the book for myself. However in the age of social media and the inert need for some people to be the first ones to spill the latest news, it is almost impossible to avoid them completely. Some are discreet about posting spoiler alerts. Perhaps they’ll label their article or comment with “spoiler alert” to warn unsuspecting readers who don’t know and don’t want to know quite yet. Sadly in some cases people give away the whole plot indiscriminately. I see spoilers in all facets of entertainment and unfortunately books are no exception. I even had a reviewer give away a crucial plot point. So how do you avoid unwanted spoilers? We’ll try to answer this from the standpoint of a writer.
You can’t stop people from posting spoilers. Once you make your full book available to the public it’s inevitable that some key information will be shared. The more visibility or the more rabid your fanbase is there’s a higher chance to see spoilers circulating on the web. While you can’t stop it completely you can try to curb spoilers in two key ways.
Book Descriptions. As a writer you are the first line of defense. As writers especially self-published authors we have full control over the presentation of our manuscript. That includes the description. One of the first things a reader will see is the blurb. If you’re not careful you can easily give away most of your plot in a book description whether it’s the blurb at the back of your book or the description posted on an online retailer (e.g. Amazon). Think of your blurb as a preview for what readers can expect. Although you don’t want the blurb to be too vague you also don’t want to spoil the plot or give a laundry list of what happens in the book. It’s like watching a movie trailer that gives away the whole storyline in 2 minutes. If you were to do something similar in the blurb, what incentive would the reader have to read it if they already know what is going to happen in the end? The trick though is striking a fine balance in what you share about your book and how much. You can liken your description to an appetizer at a sit-down restaurant. Like an appetizer the description should hold the customer until the main entrée arrives. But it should also leave them plenty of room for the main entrée if not whet their appetite for what is to come.
Book Reviews. Book reviewers can add credibility to your work and can garner much needed visibility to your book especially if they give you a glowing review. At the same token, reviews are also opportunities for a reader to give away key plot points whether intentionally or not. While some book reviews particularly editorial reviews are meant to be a more in-depth critique of the book they still don’t need to reveal all the different plot twists to the reader. Whether you contacted your reviewer directly or asked multiple people via a free giveaway, how can you ensure you’re getting a well-thought out review without needlessly spoiling the book? If you’re choosing reviewers it’s advisable to look at their past reviews. Study their style or pattern of reviews done. If they are notorious for posting spoilers and you don’t want that then you should steer clear of them. Even then reviews are not scripted. Granted it is not advisable to coerce the reviewer on what to say. The reviewer may feel like they are being micro-managed and may end up resenting you. While most know not to do that you could politely ask the reviewer to refrain from revealing spoilers in their reviews. Of course you want to be very tactful and gracious in how you word this. After all they are doing you a favor. If they need to refer to a specific example to highlight why a scene or character worked (or didn’t work) and it could potentially give away some of the plot they can at least provide a disclaimer within their review early on. To me that’s a reasonable request that doesn’t overly restrict the reviewer while at the same doesn’t spoil the book for other readers.
Even then you can’t stop nor monitor reviewers who are reviewing of their own accord. If you feel the reviewer is dishing out spoilers out of spite or trolling you could try reporting the comments. Unless the comment is also defamatory, threatening or spammy in nature it may be harder to justify to the site admin to take the comment down just on the grounds of spoilers alone. So choose your battles carefully.
What about other books (or other media) you’re interested in. How do you prevent yourself from being spoiled? If you truly want to avoid spoilers you will have to avoid the internet. Even indiscriminate web browsing (ex: scrolling through your Google news feed) can have you stumble across a spoiler you weren’t prepared for. However for many that wouldn’t be feasible. Even then you are not completely free from overhearing a passing conversation discussing spoilers on a popular book, show, or movie. If you know the people, you could kindly remind them you haven’t seen or read the material being discussed. That should be their cue to be discreet in how much they dish out in your presence. Or you can always plug in your favorite earbuds if you can’t just get up and leave.
Online it’s trickier but it is still doable to minimize your exposure. For example if you haven’t read a book it may be best to steer clear of blogs, sites, or online forums that discuss the book in question. It is far more likely for someone to slip up and spoil it for you in those spaces. It’s best to finish the book first before diving in the those forums or checking social media posts from friends that are avid fans who have already seen or read the work in question.
In conclusion you can’t stop spoilers. But if you are particular about spoilers like I am you can you try to curb your exposure. Even if you’re of the opinion that they are not a big deal, just be mindful that others do mind so just be discreet before hitting send.
***** Spoiler Alert *****
I’m working on a new project that I’m hoping to release later this spring. I’m not releasing too many details yet as things are subject to change but I’m hoping to take what I learned over the years on self-publishing, marketing, and the art of writing and use that to inform, inspire and empower readers and writers alike. Expect future posts to reveal each key step every writer should do (and do well) when preparing for their next book launch.
