Comparing Authors: Yay or Nay?
In the long run what it comes down to is saying that Author B's work is like Author A's work! I guess in some ways it's supposed to be complimentary. That if you enjoyed B you will enjoy A. I was thinking about this in ways that are more related to promotion. How do you respond to this? Now I can't say I've ever seen on the cover of a book, Author B is the Next Author A! I guess it's more typical to see For Fans of Author B on Author A's cover, that isn't so bad, it's really saying if you like A you might just like B! That's more of the right kind of promotion I think.
Then there's also the whole comparing authors based on what they write. It might have just been a mere comment somewhere in the blogosphere some years ago, when The Vampire Diaries were being reprinted for the upcoming TV show to debut and I swear I saw....that someone said The Vampire Diaries was just some ripoff/redoing of Twilight. And let me tell you, I saw red. I probably had steam coming out of my ears. Now I know, everyone might not actually dig into research before making such comments. It's likely they read Twilight first and then started hearing about The Vampire Diaries and seeing it being re-released AFTER Twilight was out and the movies were out, just "assume" it was a NEW book and not a reprint. Obviously, The Vampire Diaries predated Twilight by a little over a decade. Heck, it made me laugh when in one of the newer ones that Matt or someone was pulling out their cell phone, this one released between 2009-2011, so yeah pull out a cell phone. I'm mainly thinking of those honking 90 ones that they likely had because they were the graduate class of 91 or 92. That I'd have to fact check, but my books are buried in my closet...or basement...I can't remember where (that's my next project--adding a column in my inventory list to tell me where said book is at! LOL!).
After that tangent I feel like I've forgotten where I wanted to go with this post. But yeah, basically, I'm not a fan of seeing promotion for authors wherein publisher or the advertising department wants to say that this new author is just like this already published author. That they're the next Stephen King or whatever. Not that I think there's too much of that kind of promo these days. I don't know...like I said, I feel like I got thrown off topic with that mini rant above! And I know I've ranted about that here before, so apologies if I made you suffer through that again! Lol!
I think I'd prefer it when I see authors I already love blurbing this new author's book. In fact, that's what led me to pick up a few new authors over the years. When I was hesitant to just go for the new read, I looked closer and saw that 2-3 authors I already love were saying how great the book was. That actually works the best for me when it comes to picking up new books!
But in the long run, how do you feel about the promotions that want to compare authors? Do you like them? Do they help you decide to read this new author's book?
Oh I HATE that. It seems like everything nowadays is for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo, and 98% of the times, those comparisons are WRONG. It mostly turns me off to the book TBH.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the next big author comparison will be. Tomi Adeyemi? Sarah Henning? Adrienne Young?
But the author blurbs are usually by authors whose work the publisher considers to be like that one. For example, a funny fantasy novel will have a comment by another funny fantasy writer saying they loved it.
ReplyDeleteWhen Harry Potter became a big thing, Diana Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci series, about a boy wizard who studied magic at boarding school, published long before HP, was reprinted with new covers. Why not take advantage, the publishers must have thought.
I don’t really see anything wrong with “if you like this, you may enjoy that.” Libraries do it all the time! :)
I don't like to compare authors or literary works, but I don't get all bent when someone says, "if you like A, you'll like this". Those comparisons rarely work for me, but they don't bother me. I do have a problem with people saying "this is a ripoff of". Please! Pretty much everything out there is derivative. The originality lies more in the little details, than the big picture.
ReplyDeleteAs a former librarian, I have to say that a good portion of my job before I became a SAHM was finding books for people who wanted to read titles similar to those written by a specific author they loved. So reviews that list "read-alikes" like that were immensely useful to me back then. But now that I am not answering those questions for the public anymore, I actually do find that I pay more attention to who has blurbed the book, and usually if I read authors who have blurbed each other I end up liking both.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm not a fan of comparing authors like that either. I don't mind them saying something like "fans of the Hunger Games would enjoy this book" as that's just saying that the book is probably dystopian with similar themes and probably a strong, female character. But saying "this author is the next Suzanne Collins" is a completely different thing. I've never read two authors with the same writing style, even when their material is similar. They all have a distinctive voice and it's a bit outlandish to claim someone is going to have that level of success so early on.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don't like it when authors are compared, or if a book is marketed as a mix between two different books. I understand why they are doing it, but I'm tired of it. I'll just listen to other reviewers and trust them, rather than look at the blurbs!
ReplyDeleteI don’t like any comparisons on the blurbs. Wether be if you like this author you will love this new one or fans of this book will love the new book. I don’t mind blurbs from author on their thoughts of book like you said. But that is the only author blurb I like. Let’s not compare. No one is the same and it just turns me off you think this book or author needs that tactic.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a super big fan of it, because it's so subjective... like a book by author A might seem like a book by author B to SOME people, but not to others. Although I will say that it's worked on me once or twice... like if I see a blurb like that I might take a closer look. Especially w/ thrillers. But generally... not a fan. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree that it can sometimes be frustrating to see comparisons made in marketing, BUT on the other hand, it does give people an idea of what to expect. I don't want a publisher to tell me, "This is the next so-and-so," but if they're just letting me know that styles are similar, that can actually be helpful sometimes.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction