Submitted by VertigoOne t3_yd2xg2 in explainlikeimfive
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Comments
VertigoOne OP t1_itprebd wrote
>If you've got a horror novel, and Stephen King or Dean Koontz or Hot Horror Author says "it's the most terrifying thing I've ever read", people are going to be interested. The ploy is to get you to think "well, Hot Horror Author scared the pants off of me, so this must be REALLY scary!"
That makes sense. I guess it gets into the weeds where the title is ambiguous and the genre is unclear.
[deleted] t1_itqcjvb wrote
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mcarterphoto t1_itpyr20 wrote
If it's a hardcover, there's usually a synopsis on the dust jacket's left flap, author info on the right. Often when it's a paperback, there's a short synopsis and review quotes.
But quotes are powerful marketing tools, if it's an author we like and trust. And in general in marketing, a testimonial is more powerful than a claim. Jean Louise-Gasse summed it up in Apple's early glory days, when they hired him as marketing chief. He was asked how he'd advertise Apple and answered "Not advertising, we'll use P.R." He was asked what the difference was:
"Advertising is if I tell a woman I'm good in bed. P.R. is if I sleep with a woman, and she tells ten of her friends I'm good in bed".
VertigoOne OP t1_itq4jnz wrote
>And in general in marketing, a testimonial is more powerful than a claim
I get what that means, but I would still surely need to know what it's a testimonial for. It's like if a testimonial is
Anne Robinson "Household appliance is really good"
I surely would want to know what kind of appliance this is.
mcarterphoto t1_itq6jt6 wrote
Well, books are different than appliances, and publishers can suck at marketing as bad as any other industry! But usually, a book's title and cover will give you some clue as to the mood, and if it's a new author and Stephen King says "A creepy masterpiece of bloody horror from a stunning new voice in fiction", you'll generally get a sense of genre anyway. If I spotted a book and the only blurb was Cormac McCarthy calling it "fantastic", that may be all I'd need though.
I do wonder about hardcover releases with very little info; publications haven't reviewed it yet, but if a publisher feels a book may do well, as I understand it they reach out to other authors they publish to read & provide a quote. Though usually a hardcover has a paragraph outlining the book on the inner dust flap; I don't see many paperbacks without a quick description of the story on the back though.
Nova_Saibrock t1_itqg7dw wrote
The bottom line is always going to be “because that sells more books.”
A book is more likely to sell on the basis of a good review than on the basis of an interesting synopsis, if it has to choose between one or the other. So that’s what they take up space on the cover with.
VertigoOne OP t1_itqkiz2 wrote
On the cover, yes. I'm not talking about the cover.
I'm talking about print and digital advertising where space is more available.
I was hoping if there was a more in-depth reason as speaking for myself and many others I've spoken to, this style of advertising is more annoying that enticing. I was hoping I'd hear of some deeper reason etc. It just seems like this is an example of "we've always done it this way" that's not been met with common sense.
Nova_Saibrock t1_itqn6n6 wrote
The principal remains valid. Market research has shown that is the better way to sell a book, so that’s what they do.
VertigoOne OP t1_itqnn8w wrote
See I'd love to see if there's actual data on this that people use.
Tashus t1_itqowd2 wrote
Are you interested in a high fantasy setting with original characters and a murderous plot? Well then I've got just the story for you! It has dwarves, magic relics, a dragon, etc. Does that sound like the kind of story that might interest you? That's too bad, because I wrote it in sixth grade, and it's not very good.
My point is that a book might be in the genre you care about and still be garbage. However, if a book receives positive praise from reputable sources (e.g. authors you like or critics you respect), then it might be worth reading even if it's not in your favorite genre.
Sunlit53 t1_itpzvnu wrote
Those review quotes are utterly useless as far as i’m concerned. 99% of the time I’ve never heard of the reviewer or just dgaf.
If there’s no synopsis or it’s not already part of a series I read, they lose a sale because there is nothing there to catch my interest.
reviewbarn t1_itqyv81 wrote
I ran a fantasy review blog for 5 years, and it was never very big. But there are seven books out there THAT I KNOW OF that have a snippet of my review in their front pages (only one on the cover).
I lost my site's domain 4 years ago, a person couldn't find those reviews without using the wayback machine. So yeah, I am not real sure what value they have.
corran132 t1_itqrgxx wrote
People have given a lot of good reasons, but there is one other that I wanted to add, with an example.
For Project Hail Marry, Andy Weir got some really excellent quotes for his book. One of these was from George RR Martin. Which was kind of a big deal for him, and everyone wanted to use.
The problem is that Martin did exactly what you mentioned- he talked about something he liked about the book. The thing he talked about was something that Andy had been trying not to spoil about his book. So this created a problem- give away a major plot point, or not use the quote.
The more a book's quote say about the book, the more it has the potential to spoil. For instance, if I say a book is 'really, really good' that may be an endorsement. If I say 'Man, I didn't see the third act twist coming, and it really recontextualizes the writing before that point in a way I find interesting,' then some readers might find that enticing, and some might be pissed that I just gave away the fact of that twist.
llfoso t1_itqsto8 wrote
A lot of Japanese light novels and manga just use a synopsis as the title. "That Time I Got Dumped And Won The Lottery" or something. It's incredibly uncreative and unwieldy, but I will never complain about a product that does what it says on the tin.
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monkeyhind t1_itqyukv wrote
I think it was the now defunct Spy Magazine that had a monthly feature called "Logrolling in Our Time" which would post book blurbs by authors who praised each other's works.
"John Reviewist's new novel is a comic masterpiece" -- Janet Famouswriter
"Janet Famouswriter's book is an instant classic" -- John Reviewist
Wendals87 t1_itpomfd wrote
there isn't much room on the front cover (a little more on the back but still not much) after doing the cover art and title. They can squeeze in short quotes from reviewers to give a very quick idea on the reviews but not enough room for a more detailed description.
For actual adverts, it needs to be short, sharp and to the point. Not many people would watch an advert where it had a small wall of text that explained what it was about. For most people, the cover artwork, title and a quick one sentence positive can capture their attention and they can then read the blurb in the book or look up more information about it
VertigoOne OP t1_itppn6x wrote
>there isn't much room on the front cover
That I understand, but I'm more talking about actual adverts. Things you see online etc.
>For actual adverts, it needs to be short, sharp and to the point.
Right, but "to the point" also means it has to tell you something. No one learns nothing from these words.
>Not many people would watch an advert where it had a small wall of text that explained what it was about.
A wall of text I get, but something short and sharp can give you actual information too. I don't mean a whole exposition dump. Just a tagline that gives you some insight, the way that films do.
Here's some good example of what I'm trying to get at.
"On Thursday morning, the world was destroyed. Best get a towel."
"In Regency England, can love really cross classes?"
"When the state makes truth fiction, what can you know?"
That would be my interpretation of how you'd do something like this if you were selling the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, and 1984 by George Orwell.
>For most people, the cover artwork, title and a quick one sentence positive can capture their attention and they can then read the blurb in the book or look up more information about it
Really? All these adverts look the same. How can they get attention when they're so interchangeable while the books themselves are so different.
casualstrawberry t1_itpr3ce wrote
You're absolutely right. As with most things like this, I believe the reason comes down to, money, time (which is money) and laziness, (which is time * money).
Wendals87 t1_itpuju3 wrote
I understand your point and it's hard to know what it is about based on adverts only. I guess this where the saying, Don't judge a book by its cover " comes from
It's all about appealing to the most people as quickly and cheaply as possible, without drowning in too much information. I am no marketer, but I know that advertising firms don't charge big dollars for no reason. They know what sells the most and unfortunately it cant work for everyone
>On Thursday morning, the world was destroyed. Best get a towel."
>In Regency England, can love really cross classes?"
>"When the state makes truth fiction, what can you know?"
If I have never heard of, or read those books, those lines mean nothing to me. It gives me no information about what the book is about, characters etc.
A quick "this book is great!" doesn't either, but I can gather that someone at least the review found it good!
VertigoOne OP t1_itpvijz wrote
>It's all about appealing to the most people as quickly and cheaply as possible
But if you learn actually nothing, how can you appeal to anyone?
>If I have never heard or read those books, those lines mean nothing to me. It gives me no information about what the book is aboutx characters etc.
That's not true.
The first one tells you that it's most likely some form of sci-fi (post apocalypse - world being destroyed) and that it's slightly irreverent or at least weird (what do towels have to do with this?)
The second one literally tells you that it's set in Regency England and is a novel centered around romance and social class.
The third one strongly implies dystopia of a specifically authoritarian nature.
The point is that this is all vastly more information than saying "this book is good" gives you.
Lankylurkr t1_itpr2t9 wrote
Usually, the publisher is banking on name recognition of the "reviewer" to draw interest.
If you've got a horror novel, and Stephen King or Dean Koontz or Hot Horror Author says "it's the most terrifying thing I've ever read", people are going to be interested. The ploy is to get you to think "well, Hot Horror Author scared the pants off of me, so this must be REALLY scary!"
Now, if you take the same author, and put them on a romance novel, it either a) is incongruous enough to generate interest, or b) is a ploy to get you check the book out.
It becomes a problem when someone sees this blurb and goes "who the heck is this? Why should I care about their opinion?"