Book Blogger Hop #319

 

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

 

 

 

This week's question is: What are your thoughts on book-to-book comparisons (for example "It's the next Harry Potter")? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

MY ANSWER: I honestly do not like that. At all. I get why publishers do this, they want the fans of the original to give this new book a try that has elements those fans might enjoy. But when I see it like that with say, Sarah J. Maas...I am likely not going to pick that one up. I enjoyed one of her series, DNF'd another, and I like her Crescent City one well enough. So I'm a mixed fan. I see that on a newbie author and I am going to wonder, which end will this author fall on? When I love it, like it, or DNF it? Because it's going to be somewhere in that mix.

But in the same vein...if I see it's perfect for fans of Caraval/Stephanie Garber? Okay, you got me thinking. I'll look at the book at least, maybe I'll read it.

So yeah. I kind of just said I hate it and love it too. I guess in essence, I don't always like when publishers want to use this tactic. I get why they do and if I am a superfan of the author they are comparing the new thing to I am possibly likely to give it a try. I do do my research on the book, skim some reviews and whatnot. But I guess in the long run, I don't really like it. I'd rather they do some other kind of promotion instead of falling back on other authors because this is a 50/50 shot for some readers. 

I am possibly more likely to try the new fantasy novel if you don't compare it to SJM. You compare it to her books and I will probably just walk away because I won't know which one you're referring to as they all didn't work for me.