Jane’s publicist tells her, “Books don’t have to be good to sell. They just need a catchy hook, a good cover, and the most important part – visibility. Once you and your book cover are everywhere, people will buy it.” To what extent do you think this is true?
I hate to say it but I think it’s true. There are wonderful books that never get the readership they should have because of little publicity or an unknown author. Jane’s book had gotten the wrong kind of attention but it sold!
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I agree with Cheryl. Books do not always sell because they are good. I am almost embarassesd to admit I am planning to buy a book because it is written by an actor I like. His first book was not that good. I still am buying the seconf.
I agree. There are a lot of mediocre books that are being bought only because people are talking about them. The more people talk, the more popular a book becomes.
I also think this is true. Have you noticed that there is only about a handful of cover designs these days? And from that you can infer the tone of the book and even the subject matter.
Cheryl_R, Yes, I agree. I think part of the publicity for books has been influenced by social media. Just because someone read a book or received an ARC does not make them a great reviewer or a book worth the hype.
I have fallen for the publicity for a few books, but I do try to look at reviews from the sources I trust before purchasing a book.
I do love that sometimes the public pushes a book through. For example, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans and now Theo of Golden by Allen Levi became successful because of word of mouth not the publisher or book influencers.
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So much is based on publicity and social media. I’ve read wonderful books that were not big sellers because no one knew about them.. I’ve read best sellers that definitely weren’t worth all the hype they received.
I will admit a good cover certainly attracts me along with social media visibility. It doesn’t hurt to have a catchy title like this book has. However, in my opinion, content is important as well. If the content doesn’t “hold up” it won’t take long before reviewers will rate poorly and book sales decrease. Books with a 4-star rating cause me to take a closer look before buying. With all this said, it appears that all the factors mentioned are important in book buying.
Unfortunately it is true as I’ve read some aweful books that were somehow everywhere. I don’t like him lol.
Books don’t have to be good to become best sellers. A good book with good publicity will do well, but a mediocre book with good publicity will still sell. It’s part of why I ignore Best Seller lists and instead look for reviews, even better when they’re from people I know.
I have not read the other comments, so excuse any repetition. I think this is true. The books may sell, but that doesn’t mean the buyer reads the book all the way to the end. To be honest, I think the book we are discussing is one of those books, though I did read it until the end. I personally think the book “Jane & Dan at the End of the World Discussion” is mediocre and filled with I guess would be called cliches. However, I did want to find out what the ending was.
I agree with Marcia. Several best sellers have been disappointing. I rely on reviews and recommendations from a friend. Example: John Grisham has written some good books, but now they would sell no matter what the quality.
I know that word of mouth works well to publicize a book. Of course the book needs to be good for that to happen. I think most books are bought and read because of publicizing - but a well known author of previous good books, a great cover and a snappy plot are all reasons books are bought.