The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion
General Chat
>
is it still about the author, or is it about the title?
date
newest »
newest »
I would guess the answer to this is, it would depend on the name of the author in question.
I think that, perhaps, we're moving away from a fashion for the author's name to dominate quite so much as it had come two over recent years, where KING or PATTERSON would take up a third of the front cover and most of the spine. I'm not sure too much can be read into this; the name of an established author is still the main selling point - for those who them already and those who will have heard of them - but beyond that the various aspects of a cover design all play their part. I'm amazed how easy it is to tell the genre of a book by the design - all the misery memoirs looking like copies of A Child Called It, the sepia tines of the historical fiction, etc - and that also goes for the titles. I think there's some research that people are more likely to be put off by bad design than they are to be attracted by good.
Paul 'Pezski' wrote: "I think that, perhaps, we're moving away from a fashion for the author's name to dominate quite so much as it had come two over recent years, where KING or PATTERSON would take up a third of the fr..."It's a valid point.
I am more attracted by title and design then authors name because after a while even if I loved the books these days like movies and tv shows we get too much of a good thing....Of course there are some authors that like comfort food we are often drawn back to....
For me, it's always about the story, regardless of the title or the author's name. I've been very disappointed by books written by established authors who seem to be bored with their series or career and are just cranking out the books with no real creative spirit. I've also been disappointed by a book with a catchy or creative title. I know from experience that the publisher's marketing department is often responsible for the title, not the author. So, I tend to rely on reviews of books by my Goodreads friends who I know have similar tastes to mine. As for me, I can give 5 stars to a debut novel if the story shines and keeps me up at night and 2 stars to a NYT bestseller's novel if it doesn't.
You make some good points, Beth: Lately, Jonathan Kellerman and Lisa Gardner have been less than enjoyable; however, I still go for the authors; however, I have also been buying and loving the recs have received on Good reads.
Beth wrote: "For me, it's always about the story, regardless of the title or the author's name. I've been very disappointed by books written by established authors who seem to be bored with their series or care..."Beth, your comment was like enjoying a tropical breeze on a white-sand beach.
(((blush))) Thanks, Marjorie and Skye!
All about the story. I've read some great books from unknown authors.
I can't speak for others, but for me, it's all about the author.
Mike, up until recently, I felt the same, but now, since I've been on Goodreads, I've read some great novels via recommendations.
Are people starting to be more interested in titles than actual author’s names? We have seen an explosion of book series over the last ten years. Do you actually need your name to sell a book or is it about the title these days.