Which Would You Read?

popmuze · Nov 15, 2009

Based on the following one sentence description, which premise for a novel would you be more likely to read:

"A repressed young man gets a job at the NY Post in 1963."

"A repressed young man gets a job at Penthouse Magazine in 1976."

Maxinquaye · Nov 15, 2009

The first one. NY Post in 1963 would be more interesting than Penthouse in 1976.

You can only look at breasts so many times, but politics is an endless source of craven want and conflict.

AlishaS · Nov 15, 2009

thats a tough question going by just one sentence, I would have to say the first one

Michael Parks · Nov 15, 2009

The first. More potential for a story with substance.

With the second, the "repressed" takes on a totally different slant, and I'm not interested in a book-form of Penthouse Letters (maybe when I was 17).

Mara · Nov 16, 2009

The first one sounds a lot more interesting.

Tate · Nov 16, 2009

Maxinquaye said:
The first one. NY Post in 1963 would be more interesting than Penthouse in 1976.

You can only look at breasts so many times, but politics is an endless source of craven want and conflict.

as awkward as this is about to sound, I totally beg to differ. but I do like the first one, second on made me giggle a little, mind you that's probably my school child mentality rearing its ugly head.

Stijn Hommes · Nov 16, 2009

What you described is just the setup. Both can be interesting, depending on what happens next. That said, if the story eventually turns out to be about politics or sex, you'll lose me as a reader, since neither would appeal to me as a subject for a novel for my reading pile.

popmuze · Nov 16, 2009

The actual premise will probably be the one I mentioned in a previous post (no pun intended) about the time in a young man's life when he realizes he's the only sane person in his family and will probably have to be his own father, the husband to his mother and the older brother to his older brother.
Since both of these events are autobiographical, I'm leaning toward the Post myself; however, I remember many more details about Penthouse. (It was thirteen years later, after all).

Rhoda Nightingale · Nov 16, 2009

If the second was pitched as a comedy, I'd be all over it.

Adam · Nov 16, 2009

Rhoda Nightingale said:
If the second was pitched as a comedy, I'd be all over it.

Ditto.

quickWit · Nov 16, 2009

Maxinquaye said:
You can only look at breasts so many times

good one!

Kalyke · Nov 16, 2009

The second one reminds me of the LDS guy who becomes a porn star.

I think they both are rather meh. The sentances don't tell me what they "do."

RG570 · Nov 16, 2009

If this young man is "repressed," naturally one would want to place him in some situation outside the status quo, something uncomfortable, and I'm skeptical that the NY Post would be anything out of the ordinary for a repressed person.

I think if you suspend the tendency to want to worry that the penthouse idea is cheap or base somehow, the potential for this one is a lot higher than the other.

popmuze · Nov 16, 2009

In the case of Penthouse, I wouldn't come right out and say Penthouse. I'm thinking the name of the magazine would probably be Suave...if not Stroke.

popmuze · Nov 16, 2009

Here's another possibility:

"After leaving his job at the NY Post, a repressed young man goes to work at Penthouse (Suave/Stroke)."

popmuze · Nov 16, 2009

By the way, this would be a comedy/satire on the order of Nathaniel West's Miss Lonelyhearts.

Autodidact · Nov 16, 2009

Either one could be good or horrible. Without knowing any more, I'm more intrigued by the first one. However, "Autididact likes it," is English for "It'll never be a best-seller."

backslashbaby · Nov 16, 2009

I like knowing he'll be doing both if he'll be doing both

It is interesting to combine the two, imho.

ishtar'sgate · Nov 16, 2009

popmuze said:
Based on the following one sentence description, which premise for a novel would you be more likely to read:

"A repressed young man gets a job at the NY Post in 1963."

"A repressed young man gets a job at Penthouse Magazine in 1976."

I think you'll find a different market for each. The word 'repressed' coupled with 'NY Post' will probably attract a more mature audience looking for some character and story depth. The word 'repressed' coupled with 'Penthouse' lends the whole premise a sexual tone that probably appeals to those who crave more porn-like reading material.
I'd be far more interested in the first one. Now if the second premise were enlarged to make it sound more than just a story about a sexually inexperienced male becoming sexually active, I might consider it. As it stands, not so much.

Which Would You Read?

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

Maxinquaye

That cheeky buggerer

AlishaS

Is swimming with creativity frogs

Michael Parks

In the moment

Mara

Clever User Title

Tate

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

Rhoda Nightingale

Vampire Junkie

Adam

Not dead.

quickWit

Totally Ninja!

Kalyke

RG570

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

popmuze

Last of a Dying Breed

Autodidact

...in my Maidenform Bra.

backslashbaby

*

ishtar'sgate

living in the past

Which Would You Read?

Last of a Dying Breed

That cheeky buggerer

Is swimming with creativity frogs

In the moment

Clever User Title

Know what you write...

Last of a Dying Breed

Vampire Junkie

Not dead.

Totally Ninja!

Last of a Dying Breed

Last of a Dying Breed

Last of a Dying Breed

...in my Maidenform Bra.

~~~~*~~~~

living in the past

*