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What are some book turn-offs before you read?
They all sound fair enough, really. With such a huge selection to choose from, it's just a process of elimination.
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The main thing I look at when choosing books is friends' ratings/reviews. I have certain friends here on GR whose reading tastes are very similar to mine, so if a book sounds interesting to me I will look through the reviews for theirs to see what they thought.
As an author and reader I'm a bit shamed to say i'm a book snob. lol I'd rather it be really plain than cheesy or not done well. I try not to judge a book by its cover but it is really hard not to.
I agree with a lot of these, especially the one about a short story with a complicated plot. When I read a book that has a great idea that just doesn't get fleshed out properly it's so dissapointing.One that I disagree with is illustrated cover art. Cartoon-y, or poorly done cover art I'm completely on the same page, but it's actually started to bother me that so many covers today are stock images (that get constantly re-used) or if the book ends up being made into a movie then they stick the actors on the cover. I hate that.
What I'm saying is that an illustrated cover can look terrible if the artist isn't that experienced, but there are also some really awesome illustrated covers. Just look at some of the art in Stephen King's Dark Tower series, or the Harry Potter covers (which are cartoony, but they're so well done).
I agree, especially Romance and Erotica. Lots of male airbrushed torsos I swear there is one torso with interchangeable heads doing the rounds.Personally I don't like stock photos that much, if the cover is generic then what does that say about the book? Or if the cover is badly photoshopped. However, saying that, I won't dismiss a book simply because of that. I will read the blurb or get a sample.
I learned my lesson the hardest, that whole don't judge a book by its cover... There are actually some amazing books with totally awful covers that you could not lend a friend with a straight face. Those "bodice ripper style covers" who likes that? Thank gods for e-readers, I can keep those torso's hidden & read the book and choose. I hated the artwork on a book I was given as a gift and left it until I was reading the back of shampoo bottles, then I grudgingly read it,& to my utter dismay I loved it& needed the next one immediately . I have taken that sage advice about people, you know... Never judge a book by its cover... And reapplied it to books.
But I can't say I'm not a snob... I hate reissue's of books that have the actor's or actresses on the cover instead of the original. I also think certain series are connected because the same model has been used more than once. I also have a hang- up with artwork that never comes to happen in the book, after reading it looking at the cover and wondering..."did I miss that scene?", but my snobbery knows no bounds so subconsciously I'm sure there are even more ridiculous degrees like, seeing an endorsement by something I thought was a sad excuse for a well, they called it a book, I had a much less pleasant term for it.
Just an unattractive cover. I don't want to say I'm a snob, i hope I'm not but I just don't like ugly covers... There's a book with 4.22 rating and sounds amazing but the girl on the cover does nothing for me, except make me turn away. Also included are smutty covers with overgrown men in awkward positions and random girl in a pretty dress who has .001% to do with anything.But I have no qualms against illustrated covers, I think they can look pretty cool. Errors are ok so long as they're not glaringly obvious or repetitive.
I agree with book covers...they say "never judge a book by its cover" but it's hard not to. If someone put tons of work into their story, why not put the same effort into your cover?
Definitely typos/grammatical errors. I just can't get lost in a book if I'm distracted by these things. I've even seen blurbs with errors, sadly. I like covers that are a little different--I, too, am tired of the same old stock photos.
The thing that turns me off that is most specific to what happens after I begin to read is sentence length. If there are a bunch of short, overly simplistic sentences I wont read it. "I'm Mary. My dog's asleep right now. His name is Bob." I almost didn't read Hunger Games because of that.
For me there are couple of turn offs:The overly dramatic blurb is one of them. I understand that the blurb is ment to grip the readers attention but some of them are just too o.t.t for my liking. Or when the blurb only has a sentence of actual storyline and a paragraph full of retorical questions. If It's not a philosophy book, then I don't think it should be asking you so many questions.
Another turn off for me is when is book is very over rated or mainstream. Because if everyone comments on how amazing yet when I read it and don't connect with it at all, I will be very disappointed . :(
But yeah, I know these might be a bit snobby but It's what I personally find to be a turn-off.
When it comes to initially being attracted to a book, I'm definitely a cover snob. Can't help it - if the cover doesn't catch my attention some how, I'll never get as far as reading the blurb. And I'm sure there are wonderful books out there with terrible covers but all too often, terribe covers = terrible books. (Of course, that's just my experience.)
HUGE TURN OFF= when you can't connect with the characters at all=/
Alina wrote: "HUGE TURN OFF= when you can't connect with the characters at all=/"I agree Alina, I can agree with some of the other comments on here but what's a story without its characters?
K.V. wrote: "When it comes to initially being attracted to a book, I'm definitely a cover snob. Can't help it - if the cover doesn't catch my attention some how, I'll never get as far as reading the blurb. An..."
I agree, I'm terrible if the covers bad the book's bad in my opinion!
I agree, I'm terrible if the covers bad the book's bad in my opinion!
I disagree, what constitutes a good cover after all? I see so many generic ones (or that I think are generic) and wonder if what is inside is generic too. There are tons of plain covers or book covers that don't yell out "romance" or "fantasy" or "horror" but are still a damn good read. There are plenty of books that have amazing covers but are crap.Fantasy books now have:
some one in a cloak looking shifty
a sword
a throne.
Rather generic or cashing in on more famous books. Now I am not saying this is a bad ploy but if I pick up Bob Smith's book simply because it has some cloaked figure on it and I liked one before but I think it will be the same as the famous book and maybe is good in its own right but I want it to be the same as the famous book how does that help the author when I leave a bad review that it wasn't such and such. People judge quickly and make assumptions (often false) on what they will find.
For me what is inside is important, especially for an e-book. If I see a book promoted I might think hmm nice cover or I might read the blurb and not think much of the cover and buy it. I guess everyone is different and opinions of what constitutes a good or bad cover is simply opinion.
Just my tuppence worth:)
Although I do think the cover affects the book, I always read the blurb. But If the blurb doesn't tell me much and the covers not very interesting then that book is not being bought
This isn't really a "before you read" turn off, but I hate when I get into the book and the plot is too easy to figure out and things happens just a little too conveniently. Even if I really like the characters I get bored.
Lauryn wrote: "This isn't really a "before you read" turn off, but I hate when I get into the book and the plot is too easy to figure out and things happens just a little too conveniently. Even if I really like t..."Yes obvious plots are a pain.
I have a moment when I am reading a book and I will automatically foreshadow what happens next based on the plot. And I would get it right and have my moment of 'I told you so'. But when that happens over and over again it is not good. Certain books have one big 'surprise' then it is over, and that urkes me. I love books that have a little surprises in unexpected places to keep me interested, but not much other wise it ruins the book.
This doesn't apply to every book, but when I'm in bookstores, I usually don't even take second glances at books with real people on the covers. Like with the faces showing or something. Lol. It's just a turn-off for me. But sometimes when I look for a specific book & the only book available has a cover with real people on it, I buy it anyway.
Not sure that I have any yet, but I probably do, and just don't know it yet. LOL
I was just having this debate with some friends! For all those who said "bad cover" is a turn off, or for anyone who reads military science fiction, what do you think of my book "Infinity Squad"s cover, as compared to the other 11 military sci-fi books released on the same month, shown together on this blog post: http://militaryscifi.com/archives/568. I think all the other covers look exactly the same (like what Alexandra was complaining about above, just with sci-fi instead of fantasy) and that my cover is a refreshing change from the norm, and captures the humor of the book. But if everyone in a niche (military sci-fi here, but could be urban fantasy, historical romance, etc.) is EXPECTING a certain type of cover, do you hurt sales of an indie author if you break with tradition?
Opinions of ravenous readers needed!
Thanks,
Shuvom
I love reading these, haha :) I'm very flighty when I'm picking out books that I don't know anything about. Like if I read the first sentence of the back cover and it's like: "Alice was an unhappy mermaid" I'll be like- bah, mermaids - and put it back. Yet I have marked several mermaid books as to-reads! Also I have little patience for names I can't pronounce (mostly happens in fantasy/sci fi) so if the first page or so has K*hhgt'x from planet Blggyxfx, I'll pass.
I am a huge cover-judger. But isn't that what the cover's for?? ;)
Yeah, but you can't always judge a book by its cover. If you could than you would never pick up the wrong book. For all of you that judge books by their cover: Have you ever gone back and read one you thought looked horrible and found out it was awesome?
For sure :) There are some where the cover becomes irrelevant because the book's just so good... but I let covers help me narrow down the huge selection of possible reads into a smaller group of: "these look awesome!"
I disagree with the illustrated cover thing, two prime examples of books that got me with their covers (and awesome illustrations) are the Terry Pratchett Discworld books (all) and Gregory Maguires Wicked series. I AM finding the black grey and single primary colour covers a turn off at the moment, I know it's unfair but I feel like all these books that are packaged to look like Twilight/50 Shades are all the same and it doesn't grab me. I try not to judge a book by its cover but at the end of the day when I walk into a bookshop and there are 10,000 books to choose from the cover has to attract my attention before I'll pick it up and read the back so clearly it IS important in my book selection process. If it's not an author I'm already familiar with something has to grab my interest. Just my humble opinion.
Leanna wrote: "I love reading these, haha :) I'm very flighty when I'm picking out books that I don't know anything about. Like if I read the first sentence of the back cover and it's like: "Alice was an unhappy ..."Haha! That made me laugh. SO true. My uncle and I both read the Wheel of Time series (I think that's what it was) we were trying to have a conversation about it, but neither of knew what the other one was talking about because we pronounced all the names so differently!
And for me, I personally think a bad cover can be the kiss of death for a book. Because I only have, say, ten minutes to browse in the bookstore, I'm just gonna pick up the books that catch my eye. It's like romance, lol, the looks catch your attention first, then you get to know them and fall in love with their personality. Same thing with books.
I love this thread! Yes, really tacky covers can be a turn-off, although I've sometimes been pleasantly surprised. What I usually do, even with e-books, is look at a quick sample of pages to see if I like the writing. If the writing is compelling, I'll pick it up. Another good indicator is the jacket blurb and the title. I've picked up some wonderful books with boring looking covers simply because the title was so interesting and the jacket blurb had a great hook. For instance, I was just rereading Orhan Pamuk's "My Name is Red". I also chose Oliver Sacks' "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by the title.
Wow, I'm really surprised by how many people actually DO judge a book by its cover!My pet peeve which I only discovered reading Neil Stephenson. Is when a writer uses confusing and big words where a much simpler one would have sufficed. I don't know if that makes me a dummy, but I hate the usage of big words for the sake of it.
I can't stand it when the book has a really vague back description! I will put up with a crude cover, though a good title is a must. However, if the description tells me nothing about the book, or expresses it poorly, or if it's just a bunch of critical praise...that book will have to work a lot harder for my attention.
Unfortunately, romance-y covers also turn me off. I like a bit of a love story, but romance specifically does nothing for me when it's the central plot. It needs complex explorations of human psychology and lots of rich secondary characters if it's a romance~!
Unfortunately, romance-y covers also turn me off. I like a bit of a love story, but romance specifically does nothing for me when it's the central plot. It needs complex explorations of human psychology and lots of rich secondary characters if it's a romance~!
Wilmar wrote: "Wow, I'm really surprised by how many people actually DO judge a book by its cover!My pet peeve which I only discovered reading Neil Stephenson. Is when a writer uses confusing and big words wher..."
That absolutely does NOT make you a dummy! I'm the same way. It's almost like the author is showing off or something, haha.
first person pov, switching back & forth between characters without giving us a hint that this is going to happen, weird or stupid covers that have nothing to do with the book.
Aisha wrote: "first person pov, switching back & forth between characters without giving us a hint that this is going to happen, weird or stupid covers that have nothing to do with the book."Aisha, what are some examples of bad and good POV switching that you've found in your reading? Usually writing POV switches is really hard, so I'd love to know what books you thought did it right.
Typos are a HUGE turn off for me. Even if I got it for free, if an author wants to make an impressions than get rid of the typos!I'm also not a fan of chessy covers. Again, if you want to make an impression the first impression, which is the cover, should be wow not whose little kid came up with this?
Covers again...the same model/pic on numerous books. UGH!
Use of the same word over and over to describe something. Ok, we got the idea, next word please.
Back to covers...when the characters on the cover do not resemble the characters in the book. Sooo not ok.
Oh my, must stop ranting!
Marni, I'm with you on the 'repeating a description word' thing, and the cover model not resembling the character. It's funny, the SAME book ticked both boxes of these pet peeves for me.
It just looks like Megan Fox to me, and it's not at ALL how the character was described. And the author kept saying one of the other characters had "ropey red hair" like a MILLION times. Okay, I get it already! Her hair is like ropes. Arg!
This is also not what turns you off before you read, but I can't stand reading a book where the model on the cover is different from the protagonist's description. I usually end of thinking "...oh come on! You couldn't dye her hair??? Where's the freckles??!!" etc etc. Typos are never fun to read.
I'm still debating how I feel when I'm reading a book and everything is all happy-go-lucky and then we're suddenly hit with angst. I think it can be done well, but at times it can be weird.
On thing that will stop me from reading a book is character names I can't pronounce or that have cre8tive spellings. If its one character no problem, but if every person in the books has a strange made up name it just annoys me and I won't make it through the back blurb, nevermind the book.And while I might overlook a book with a bad cover...a good cover will definately lure me.
This will sound weird. But I can't read a book with a character that shares my name. My name isn't the common with it's spelling (bryanna) so I normally don't run into this problem but when I do it I just can't imagine the character because it always seems so opposite of myself and every Brianna/Bryanna I've meet. (yes it's 2 different names. Brianna is
pronounced Bree-Anna and Bryanna is either Bree-On-Ah or Bry(like buy with an r)-Anna)
And I don't like illustrated covers or "cheap covers".
Basically if it looks like a cheap 5 dollar romance from the supermarket. I will most likely avoid it.
Oh and if the title is impossible to read on an ebook cover.
With over 2,000 books on my kindle app covers are a big one for me as I'm frequently browsing and have only covers to go by. Not just whether they look good but can I read the title and authors name, which book in the series is it, is the cover appropriate for what's inside. I also wish ebooks would open to the blurb to remind me what the book is about. I suspect that I would be less disappointed with the books if I had a quick reminder of what the book is about; with hardcover and paperback books I always read the back cover/inside flap before reading a book. Nothing like thinking you are reading a paranormal fantasy to find out it was a mystery book without any paranormal elements as on different days I'm in the mood for different genres. Once I'm reading I hate a lot of typos, similar names, gratuitous sex/violence/rape, strange spellings for names, and cliffhanger endings in the middle of sentences or thoughts.
Shuvom wrote: "I was just having this debate with some friends! For all those who said "bad cover" is a turn off, or for anyone who reads military science fiction, what do you think of my book "Infinity Squad"s ..."Hmm, after looking at the link, I see what you mean! So here's the deal. Your book would be the only book out of the group that I would be inclined to read. However, this is due to two reasons. One, I generally would not be interested at all in a military sci-fi book period, but because of your book's cover, I would expect the inside of the book to be something original and unexpected as well. Two, I love a book that is somewhat on the fringe, different, or underground, and your book's cover would make me question what it's about.
In short, the cover is original and intriguing, and would definitely make me pick it up and read the back out of curiosity. The other book covers are too typical and would steer me away from even reading the blurb. So there you have my humble opinion :)
I used to love judging a book by its cover, but now that I read the majority of books on my Kindle, covers just don't count very much any more. Now, I judge every book by its opening sentence. I always check the excerpt (not the blurb, blurbs are often written by marketing folk, not the author). A good author spends more time on the first sentence than he does on the first chapter. If you can't get the first sentence right, I don't hold out much hope for your book.
Evan wrote: "I used to love judging a book by its cover, but now that I read the majority of books on my Kindle, covers just don't count very much any more. Now, I judge every book by its opening sentence. I ..."I like that, I was reading a book and the first two sentences sold me on the whole series of books.
"On one otherwise normal Tuesday evening I had the chance to live the American dream. I was able to throw my incomptenet jackass of a boss from a fourteenth-story window."
So yea first sentences, or even first paragraph can definately sway my decision to keep to a book.
As for me, I don't have any turn offs when it comes to a book. I read anything, sometimes it's unbarable and I have to stop reading a story go to something else then come back, but I try not to ever leave something I started unfinished....yea I'm weird.
I'm a total cover snob! I'll definitely judge a book by its cover, if the cover is cheap and badly done I'll assume that the book isn't that well written either. Likewise, if a book has a very attractive cover then I'll be more inclined to read it (or at least check out what it's about).
I think everyone is like that. Sadly, I think it's what makes a lot of self published books bomb so badly. The cover needs to attract me first before I'll give it a chance! Even if it's an ebook!
For me, yes, the cover needs to be solid. I'm not offended by an illustrated cover, but if it's like, cartoony? I'm going to think that it's either post-modern (shooting for ironic), or YA. Neither of which I'm really interested in nowadays. Obviously I'm a lit snob so, something I haven't noticed anyone mention yet is the writing. One post mentioned short/choppy sentences ala Hunger Games, and that's kinda the same, but other things too--like poorly phrased sentences, weak word choice, passive voice used to no effect (or used unknowingly). Oh--how about massive cliches? 9 times out of 10, as a reader, if I make it past the cover (I don't read blurbs, generally), it's the writing that will throw me. If I'm playing copy/substantive editor the whole time, it's more like work than play. And that's not good. :/
爱心❤ wrote: "Anna wrote: "On thing that will stop me from reading a book is character names I can't pronounce or that have cre8tive spellings."If I come across books like that I don't bother trying to pronoun..."
So, basically, if you skip reading Tolstoy, or Dostoevsky, or Murakami, or Melville, or Conrad, or Diaz, or Dante, or Shakespeare, et al, then you're guaranteed to end up reading amazing books? Man, wish I had known that before I went to college! Lol.
Shut Up & Read
Books mentioned in this topic
Daimones (other topics)The Lies of Locke Lamora (other topics)
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The Girl in the Steel Corset (other topics)
The Gunslinger (other topics)
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- cartoony/illustrated cover. I know that's awful but I associate a cartoony cover with an amateur (completely irrational) or with someone who likes to draw and wrote a book to have a place to show off their art (completely unfair)
- multiple authors. I know it can work because I'm reading a book right now with 3 co-authors. But, in general, if I see a book that has more than one author (and isn't an anthology), I assume that it's going to be disjointed and the voice won't flow well.
- fabio-esque covers. I love a good romance but if there is a sweaty guy with a piece of silk draped over the profile of a woman on the cover...I'm out. It reminds me of what my grandma used to read. I much prefer the 50 shades/twilight/bared to you covers that are just a 'thing' or two without making me feel cheesy.
- a short story with a deep plot. I love short stories for a quick read when I'm in a waiting room or going to sleep. But if I read a book description that talks about the end of the world and a virus that wipes out 90% of the population and 3 people that are set out to rebuild the planet...and the book is 65 pages...I'm not gonna bother. Why waste an interesting story by rushing it?
- typos. Of course I don't know this until I start but if I find typos in the first few pages, I'll usually stop reading and move on. No time to waste on books that the author didn't take time to edit.
I know there are more.... (sadly)
;-)