Goodreads Authors/Readers discussion
III. Goodreads Readers
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Wow @ user rec's
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The astonishment continues. 4 out of every 5 book recommendations asked for on Goodreads, seems to be exactly, precisely, unerringly the same. It is to marvel at, and to shudder at. The 'recommendations given' are the same set of books as well. Almost no matter what book is requested, its maybe less than 15 or 16 different titles returned as advice. 'Your next great read'--if you go by word-of-mouth on this site--will probably be something from Bill Pullman.When did people get this homogenous in their tastes? When did people become such copycats of each other? No wonder Amazon wanted in on this. Its like a room of trained dogs. You can scroll through 50+ people seeking 'dystopics' before finding someone even who mentions another other book style. (What the hell is this obsession with dystopias?)
Goodreads itself is a dystopia, looks like to me. Something just shy of actual cloning.
actually, you are right. I never noticed but yes upon looking back it is all the same ole song and dance. Whatever sells I suppose is what will be recommended. anything to dull one's mind and to put a damper on thinking. perhaps that isn't fair, I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist at times.
....A great deal of sound and fury signifying nothing?It was ever thus... (grins)
Luckily---even though the lists are banal--it does mean people are reading...and one can hope that something there sparks curiosity to reach out further and the dystopia readers will go and seek Brave New world (or even better yet, Island.)
I, as an old woman am grateful to see folks reading anything because I raised a daughter who hates books...and she's not stupid (her grades proved that)...just doesn't like sitting down and reading.
Reading today though, yes, it does reinforce a pack mentality, I guess...also is a sign of some curiosity---and for me, that's what pulls us all forward
Feliks wrote: "When did people get this homogenous in their tastes? When did people become such copycats of each other?"Somewhere around Sumerian times, I think.
I LOVE this. Why?
When a market is saturated with the same stuff for so long it becomes easier and easier to stand out.
Who would you rather be, the copy-cat author fighting and clawing for a speck of attention amidst a storm of clones? OR, yourself. The happy outlier. The one little book that was different.
In my opinion, it's exactly this kind of homogeneity that makes it so much easier for people looking for your book to find it.
---Demar
What would the phrase-cloud for this zone show? Its 90% requests for the following:
Top-mentioned: YA, post-apocalyptic, dystopian, urban fiction, dystopic, fantasy, paranormal romance, strong female lead, teen, indie, series, contemporary, chicklit, fiction, 'more like Harry Potter', 'more like Hunger Games', SF
Runner ups: vampire, werewolf, witches, historical fiction, fairies, fairytale re-telling, mythology, sexual tension, dragons, labryinths, dominant men, Christian, Arthurian, suspense, angels, unicorns, mystery
See for yourself. Start at the deepest page and work your way back.