Did you ever decide not to read a book because...

I used to look at the author photo and if I thought he was cute then I would try and find out if he was single.

Of course, I can't do that anymore.

Nakhlasmoke said:

uh a mary-sue is a super-speshul snowflake of a character. They can also be rather obvious author-inserts.

There are threads on aw that talk about them at length

here's a wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

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Thanks! I'll go and take a look.

rosemerry said:

I used to look at the author photo and if I thought he was cute then I would try and find out if he was single.

Of course, I can't do that anymore.

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I can! I look at avatars too although they can be a little... misleading...

rosemerry said:

I used to look at the author photo and if I thought he was cute then I would try and find out if he was single.

Of course, I can't do that anymore.

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Can't find out if he's single? Why not?

Ah well I'm not single anymore. But I have friends who are...hmmm...

Of course this all in my little make believe world where anything is possible.

illiterwrite said:

No, I don't "seriously" expect you to do anything. Obviously certain genres have distinctive covers.

I'm just frustrated by the idea that someone might think a book sounds good (from the blurb) but decide not to buy/borrow it based on cover alone.

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I think that's the point though. If the cover doesn't attract, the blurb doesn't get read. Personally, from my own experience and obviously that of other writers, I think an author needs to use all their powers of persuasion to have the cover art represent what's inside the pages of their novel. I know I lost readers because of my cover. I don't blame those who had no interest in taking a look. I wouldn't pick it up either. It doesn't look like anything I'd want to read. Next time I'll be a lot more vocal about my cover art preferences. It makes a huge difference.
Linnea

well, I was pretty vocal about my last cover. Didn't make a difference. For my next book, I wasn't even asked -- I was simply sent the final cover. My point is that the author often doesn't have any say in the way the final book looks. I know someone with a literary novel. The publisher slapped on a thriller/mystery cover, despite his protestations. He still gets emails from readers about how awful the cover is.

And I KNOW the cover is the big draw, which makes it all the more frustrating.

rosemerry said:

I thought that was shimmy, or am I wrong.

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I had to look it up. You're correct. Shimmy. I guess that's one of those words I've always heard incorrectly.

KTC's definition stands for shinny, it's some form of ice-hockey/field hocky.

rosemerry said:

Ah well I'm not single anymore. But I have friends who are...hmmm...

Of course this all in my little make believe world where anything is possible.

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Wow. So getting married shut off all the fantasy synapses in your brain? I'm sorry.

Heck, I look at the pictures and don't care if they're the ones married or not.

No it doesn't shut off my synapses. Now I just daydream without caring if they are single or not.

Susan Breen said:

Of the author photo? I just picked up a book and the cover looked interesting and the first page was interesting and then I looked at the photo and he looked so damn supercilious that I thought, Forget it. And I put the book back. I've never done that before.

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Haha! No, I haven't done that at all. Have I done the opposite...no, no I haven't. But it's okay that you did, I think.

illiterwrite said:

I'm just frustrated by the idea that someone might think a book sounds good (from the blurb) but decide not to buy/borrow it based on cover alone.

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If the cover turns me off, I'll never read the blurb. If I have any indication at all that it has potential, I ignore the cover. But I don't know the author, haven't heard of the book, have no recommendations, the cover pretty much tells me if I should look elsewhere.

Strangely enough, the cover rarely entices me to read. More often it just says, "Move along, nothing to see here." I realize that I could be judging unfairly, but there are just so many books out there...

It's sort of like being an agent reading queries. There are so many of them, you look for any excuse to say no, just to make the pile manageable.

Judg said:

If the cover turns me off, I'll never read the blurb. If I have any indication at all that it has potential, I ignore the cover. But I don't know the author, haven't heard of the book, have no recommendations, the cover pretty much tells me if I should look elsewhere.

Strangely enough, the cover rarely entices me to read. More often it just says, "Move along, nothing to see here." I realize that I could be judging unfairly, but there are just so many books out there...

It's sort of like being an agent reading queries. There are so many of them, you look for any excuse to say no, just to make the pile manageable.

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I agree with this. I was at the bookstore the other day just scanning the bookshelves looking for, I don't know what, a book to leap off the shelves and into my hands. It didn't happen. They all just sat there mocking me with their silence. So I left empty handed.

I hate the author photos. I try not to look at them at all. Somehow they take all the magic, all the “this is a real place” out of a novel. And there is one mature, female mystery writer whose smirk is so much there that I have to paper clip the back of the book to the last page. If I see her, I can’t keep on reading the book, which is strange because otherwise I enjoy her stories.

I wish they wouldn’t put author photos on books.

I am shallow enough that if I discover something I personally dislike about an author’s actions or attitude I will not buy another of his/her books. I now it doesn't change the writing, but there you are. All the time I'm reading the book I keep thinking about whatever the thing was.

Stlight

If I did that I would of never read a Stephen King novel. He's an awesome writer but the dude looks like a beaver. In a cute way.

KC Sunshine said:

If I did that I would of never read a Stephen King novel. He's an awesome writer but the dude looks like a beaver. In a cute way.

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I dunno, I think he looks scary.

Supercilious? A writer? No!

But seriously, we're all human and we make judgments, both conscious and sub. So we're naturally drawn to beauty over beastliness, with the exception of those seeking beasts.

Speaking for myself, a true hater of cameras, when I get myself published I will make sure to have a great photoshopper on hand.

And Ferret, you made me spew my non-alcoholic beer all over my keyboard with that shinny pic! ;-]

Last year I attended my first writer's conference, chock full of folks whose books I loved and couldn't wait to meet.

About a week before I had a sudden panic attack - I had no clue what any of these people looked like because I, well, never gave the author photo more than a passing glance if at all. Heaven forbid I pass Doug Preston in the hallway and miss an opportunity to say hello!

So like the geek I am I looked up the websites of every author I absolutely had to meet and printed off the page of the website that had their photos. I then studied them so I would be able to recognize these folks when I met them.

No one scared me off, glad to say, and I was amazed and pleased that many of the folks I met last year remembered me! (Not sure if that is good or bad.... )

Needless to say, I've never rejected a book because of the author's photo simply because I never really checked them out beforehand. I must say, however, that I do now because I have met so many awesome folks the past two years, with more opportunities to come, so I am making an effort to recognize people.

As for my author photo, if and when I need to use one, it will be me but at a very young age because I am the furthest thing from photogenic a person could be. I don't know why, but for some reason when I get my picture taken I look like a scary monster who hasn't washed her hair in months with no teeth and boils. The big one on my nose is especially repulsive.

Sigh.

WendyNYC said:

I'd never pick up this guy's book, even if I thought I'd need it:

So to answer your question, yes.

ETA: He really does have a book! I'm not just posting beefcake.

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Some are turned off, and yet, I'm making plans to use my latest Borders coupon to go find this guy's book. I don't plan on reading it, but I sure do plan on drooling looking at the pictures.

One girl's ick is another girl's dreamboat...

(He has a VIDEO, you say? Wow...maybe I CAN get fit before next year...I have to have SOME excuse for the hubs as to why I must buy it and play it over and over and over again...)