Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat. This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week.
Today’s question is:
What is “wrong” book marketing from a readers perspective?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group.
Let’s chat!
To me wrong book marketing is putting a book in the wrong category. For example putting a book in Romance when the romance is a tiny part of the story. It should be either Women’s Fiction or Fiction etc. If the book is more suspense or mystery than romance again that is the category it should be in. With Historical it’s normally clearer. Historical or Historical Romance. Contemporary doesn’t seem to follow suit.
Also for authors who don’t like to be put in a category and genre mash as I would call it, they don’t like to boxed in. But for readers we need to know what to expect. If I buy a romance then find its more suspense I will be disappointed it wasn’t mentioned. Likewise if it’s labeled Suspense but there is only a tiny amount I feel ripped off. Likewise a book labeled romance were the hero and heroine don’t even meet til chapter 5 that isn’t romance or are together less than 20% of the book it isn’t romance. Likewise labeling your book Rom-com where there is only a very small amount of humour.
The other issue is book covers some covers evoke ideas of what the book will be. One book had a dark look and I was sure it was suspense but it was romance. I didn’t buy the book because of the cover. Likewise a Historical with a cover that looks like poetry. I dismissed it cos I am not a fan of poetry.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group. Remember all comments go into the monthly drawer for a gift voucher.
Hi Jenny, This is an interesting question. Book covers can help define the book category, but I never rely on them to be accurate and meet my expectations. Book cover trends change over time. Book titles can also be useful, but I don’t rely on those being a good indicator, either. Inaccuracies in the book description will frustrate me. Sometimes I’m looking for a specific type of read, and I want to trust that the book description is correct. Other marketing activities and strategies may draw my attention to a book, but it’s the cover, title, book description, and opening pages that I pay the most attention. 🙂
True. there are some covers that convey suspense and I will often pass them over only to find they were actually CCR. The blurb helps but then sometimes that can be deceptive too. Nothing worse than the blurb telling you its a marriage of convenience only to find they finally marry in the last 3 chapters. Yes it was a marriage of convenience (due to a situation that meant they needed to be married or shunned) but this happened right at the end of the book. I don’t want to know what will happen at the end of the book I want to know at the beginning.
Excessive posting about a new book on social media platforms and via emails.
I was put off getting books from a particular author when in the week before and after a new book of theirs was launched I was sent 2 emails each day promoting it and there were multiple posts each day on social media.
Oh yes. I know this feeling. I unsubscribed from a few newsletter lists due to this. And then you get the please review emails.