This is my without a doubt my biggest book pet peeve: when the plot of a book is basically laid out in blurb. I’m currently reading a thriller, and have just passed the half way point. Yet I still haven’t hit the second paragraph worth of spoilers on the back. I know another character is going to be kidnapped, and the authors presumed intentions of that twist has been ruined. I usually don’t read past the first few lines on the blurb for that particular reason, but decided to give it a look since I was quite far into the book.
I don’t get the point of this.
by controlaltdeletes
8 Comments
Because the people already interested will read it anyway and the extra info might convince someone else to buy it if it goes in a direction they like.
I have no idea but it’s my biggest pet peeve. My preferred genre is mystery/thriller and I almost always go into a book in this genre blind. It’s not until I’m almost finished the book do I go back to read the blurb to see how it matches up to what I have read so far.
I remember seeing once someone explaining that the reason trailers for films basically give away the entire plot is because people, subconsciously, like to know where a story is going to go before they get into it, something about knowing it’s worth their time or something. Maybe it’s the same for book blurbs?
People like to know what they’re buying and spoilers are a fake problem.
A well written plot doesn’t rely on surprise.
This is a cultural thing. In the US this is what the market expectations are.
Go to Germany and read a blurb and you will barely know the main character and genre (I am of course exaggerating), but people will definitely complain if there is more revealed than up to the 20% mark.
I personally prefer the US method. At least for reading romance, because I can really understand beforehand where the story is going and if I am into that or not.
I find it funny that the blurb of Dune is just the summary of the first movie
Getting people to buy the book is more important than getting people to read the book.
I feel like it’s often 2 extremes with books, either way too much is spoiled or they give me meaningless fluff that doesn’t tell me what the book is about, so I don’t know if I want to read it. Best blurbs are ones that describe the premise or main character well, or plot issues in the first 50 or so pages