Things That Make Me Put Books Back: The Synopsis

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So, a couple of weeks back, I wrote a post about the elements on a book cover that would make me decide not to take it home. (Missed it? You can check it out HERE) And I promised that I’d write a second instalment, all about the issues I can have with the back cover synopsis. So, as I’ve been too busy to finish up the next Elements Of post yet (seriously, where is all the time going at the moment? Can someone post some to me please?), here is that second post.

The Year Is... I get it. I get it. This book is historical and it’s probably amazingly researched and totally period correct. But I didn’t come for a history lesson. I came for a story inside the history. I want to know about the characters and the plot. Give me dates and historical periods in the middle of the interesting stuff, or later on. You’re not hooking me by making this book sound like a history lesson.

Name-o-rama. Books have loads of characters, and they’re all super cool and interesting and the authors want people to know about them as soon as possible. But if there are six names in one short paragraph, how do you expect me to remember, or like any of them? This is a synopsis, not a cast list!

One Line Wonder. One liners are great for gaining initial interesting in a book. Every book needs a good elevator pitch. But they’re for elevators, and unless I’m speed dating a book between floors, I need a bit more information before I can make a commitment to this adorable 500 page behemoth.

Sneaky Cover Opener. Hard cover books are especially sneaky at getting you to open them up. The back of the dust jacket is beautifully designed, covered in ornamental goodness, and perfectly useless for finding out anything about the plot. You’ve got to search the inside cover for the real synopsis. Hard covers drive a hard bargain.

Endorsement Board. Having endorsements on the back of the book to tell you that it’s super amazing and that everyone should read this book doesn’t hurt at all. But the back of the book is not a notice board. A synopsis is still going to tell me more about whether I’m going to love this book or not than a mere list of newspaper reviews endorsements. Cut the waffle and give me the info!

Blank Space. I’m sure there’s something missing from this cover. Now, what could it be? Awesome cover picture. Nice typeface. Good title. Oh, that’s right. The synopsis. Seriously, a book with nothing on the back cover is a nightmare. There’s nothing to guide you, nothing to tell you if you’ll like it or not. It’s like meeting a guy in a mask. Strange, unreadable, and just a smidgen like it’s going to kill you with an axe.

These are some of the things about back cover synopses that can turn me off a book. Now tell me, do you relate to any of these? Anything you would add to the list? What’s your biggest deal breaker when it comes to the outside of a book?

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16 comments

  1. The second, third, and last are the ones that tick me off the most! And I know right - a ton of quotes from a ton of authors I've never heard of isn't going to make me be like "Well dingely dong dangit, if Susan Brown of Nowheresville likes this book, it must be the one for me!" Anne Rice books are particularly bad at this.

    Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality

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    1. Oh, so true! Liking a book or not is such a subjective thing anyway, what one person likes isn't always what you might like. And do you ever get annoyed by books in a series which have praise for an earlier book in the series on the back? Like, I'm not reading that book now, and chances are if I'm reading this book, then I've read the earlier book already. There's no need to sell it to us!

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  2. #2, 5 and 6 for me. I have never picked up a book because of an endorsement before, and the worst thing in the entire world is having to rip the book apart to find the synopsis. If it's a hardcover and the synopsis isn't on the back, then it's usually on the front flap and if it's not there then it'll be on the back flap. But *gasp* it's not always there and I've just wasted time looking for something that isn't even there.

    I don't mind when they say "the year is so and so" because it lets me know what I'm getting into. If it's set way into the future then I know I'll be getting some cool tech, and I need to know if it's a time in history that I'm interested in or not.

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    1. Playing find the synopsis is one of the worst games ever play with a bookworm (along with guess which character will die next. That one's not much fun either.) The date one is definitely a personal preference with me, but I can definitely see how it can be very helpful when first being introduced to a book. Thanks for visiting, Victoria!

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  3. *nods furiously* I totally agree with this. I mean, I'm fine with having to open a hardcover to get to the synopsis, but when a paperback doesn't have any sort of synopsis on the back, I get a little suspicious. Like, is there a good story in there, or does the publisher realize it's so awful the only way they can hope to bring readers in is by not letting readers know what lies ahead? And I don't like information overload either. Sometimes the synopsis is super great and dreams me right in. But maybe seven times out of ten the synopsis doesn't even read like it was written by a professional. So that's a big turn off for me. The endorsements feel like overkill to me, to a point. If there are too many of them, for instance, I just don't even bother to read them because whatever. Another person's opinion of a book isn't necessarily going to be mine. But, sometimes endorsements do work for me. For instance, if an author says they like the book, and I have read and liked some other books recommended by that author, I may be more willing to give the book a go. That doesn't usually happen though, so...

    Thanks for sharing! I really enjoyed this post (not that I don't enjoy your other posts :P).

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    1. Oh, that is such a good way of putting it, Liz! And I totally agree about the endorsements. I mean, I'll sometimes pick up a book if someone I know and trust has given it a good review, but you're not going to like every book everyone else does, and certainly the opinion of Miss XYZ from whatever magazine, or Jack Smith the author I know nothing about isn't going to do a lot for my opinion of the book. Thanks for your great comment Liz!

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  4. Haahaa! So true, especially the sneaky cover opener. I hate that! :D

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    1. I know, right? I mean, on one hand, yes, there is a synopsis, but on the other, it's difficult to find and you actually have to search around for it. So annoying! Thanks so much for your comment Marie.

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  5. Ooh, noting down the first two points as things to avoid in a query. Back cover copy doesn't change my mind on a book because I never bookstore-browse anymore and just order books online -- but it is kinda funny that publishers think random important people endorsing a book will make me read it. (Okay, it has happened, but not on the back of the book? Those blurbs feel super fake, IMO.) I've never noticed that issue with hardcovers, funnily enough!

    Thanks for stopping by The Devil Orders Takeout!

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    1. It's so weird, isn't it? I mean, I don't think I've met anyone so far who had said that reading endorsements from authors and magazines sways their opinion on a book at all. And yet people still seem to believe that they're so important. I guess publishers want to make sure potential readers know that people like the book and it is good enough to be liked, but I definitely wouldn't say that the endorsements really add much to the selling points of the book.

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  6. I definitely relate these, especially the endorsements and the having to search for the synopsis. It's really annoying. I get that the book is great according to these famous fellas, but let me decide that. XD

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. Exactly! I mean, who's to say that your tastes and their tastes even match up? I like some of the same books as people like Cait@Paper Fury, but our tastes never match up entirely and endorsements even from people I know and trust don't always mean I will like the book. So why should anyone expect us to be swayed by the opinions of complete strangers? So weird.

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  7. I absolutely HATE it when all there are is reviews on the back cover and the flap is overly vague. If I can't find the synopsis, I'm probably not going to read the book. I feel like this is a pretty common feeling, yet book designers keep doing it.

    Great post!

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    1. I know, right? I mean, if it's a book that you've just picked up while browsing, you're not always sure to have heard anything about it, so the synopsis is pretty much the only way we have of working out whether it looks interesting to us without actually reading. You'd think someone in the design department might have picked up on the fact that we bookworms don't like to play hide the synopsis on our books.

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  8. Yeah, I tend to only value endorsement boards only after I've read a book and agree with them on all the points. XDD Also I think this is also more common with the super-hot bestsellers because I think that people already assume you know enough about the book from places other-than-the-book to get a feel for whether or not you want to read it.

    I am also not a big fan of the one-liners just because usually they are corny and not written by the author so then they don't even make sense/are stupid.

    There's a lot that goes into synopses, definitely... They aren't a make or break issue for me, but they can still bug me.

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    1. Very true that. Bestsellers do seem to suffer from over endorsements a lot. And I can definitely see that most readers would probably know a lot about the book already from everyone talking about it. But so far, no one I know has ever said that the endorsements made them want to read the book more. I'd be interested to know what the thinking is behind just putting endorsements on the back of a book, rather than the synopsis. That would be interesting to understand, I feel.

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