Why Do Great Books Get Ignored?

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TopaAzul062
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Post by TopaAzul062 »

It's an interesting question with no one single answer. I remember reading In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes in high school. It was picked up from the library and the title reminded me of the poem by the same name that I just finished reading.

The story itself focused on vampires, vampire hunters along with humans but the way she wrote about them differed greatly from the tales that were read prior. Her vampires didn't just roam about at night, they actually engaged in day-to-day life be it under the sun or moon (unless it's cloudy). To me the book was amazing and the sneak peek of her then upcoming book Demon in my View was attention grabbing.

Very little was heard of the book after reading and she pretty much got her start in writing by way of her teacher who helped her get the book published. Not all great books get ignored as some wind up in classrooms as assigned reading material. That said, the readers will likely get turned off due to the pre-req of identifying a list of items they are to locate within the pages they're reading.

I'm okay with giving new books a try as long as they peak my interest. It's not just luck and marketing, it's about reaching the right people in the right places.
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Post by njc28 »

Great books are ignored due to their longer to both while making review and reading before advertising or sharing to your friends or customers.
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Post by evraealtana »

I think part of it is what defines a "good" book. A book that speaks to you may not speak to anyone else.

- Think back to a popular book that you hated. Twilight? Eragon? The Hunger Games? Harry Potter? For me, it was Fifty Shades. I could NOT see why everyone loved it.

- Perhaps it works in reverse, too? A book that everyone else ignores/dislikes really resonates with you on a deep level? For me, it was a book called "The Shakespeare Stealer". It turns out that it was a children's book, and that I was about 10 years older than the target audience by the time I read it. But, decades later, I still think about that book regularly. I can't find any other person who's even HEARD of it, much less read it.

- Something about the book + who you are at the time you read it + what was happening in your life = a deep, personal, soul-level resonance. I'm not sure how to MAKE that happen, or even to PREDICT it happening, but it seems to me that all the factors have to line up to create a book experience that is "good". Apparently the factors, whatever they are, are more often in line for books that become popular?

Speculation on my part. But those are my thoughts.
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Post by JennyorAlice »

I agree with what @evraealtana said. If you walked around to each person and asked them what is a great book, you're going to get a different answer depending on the person you're asking. Different books will resonate with different people. What you like to read, others may not like and vise versa.
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Post by Tamorie Hargro »

TopaAzul062 wrote: 20 Apr 2019, 01:45 It's an interesting question with no one single answer. I remember reading In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes in high school. It was picked up from the library and the title reminded me of the poem by the same name that I just finished reading.

The story itself focused on vampires, vampire hunters along with humans but the way she wrote about them differed greatly from the tales that were read prior. Her vampires didn't just roam about at night, they actually engaged in day-to-day life be it under the sun or moon (unless it's cloudy). To me the book was amazing and the sneak peek of her then upcoming book Demon in my View was attention grabbing.

Very little was heard of the book after reading and she pretty much got her start in writing by way of her teacher who helped her get the book published. Not all great books get ignored as some wind up in classrooms as assigned reading material. That said, the readers will likely get turned off due to the pre-req of identifying a list of items they are to locate within the pages they're reading.

I'm okay with giving new books a try as long as they peak my interest. It's not just luck and marketing, it's about reaching the right people in the right places.
My goodness, just before clicking on this thread I thought to myself: "Why are there NEVER posts about Amelia Atwater-Rhodes?" And here you are!

I've wondered the same thing plenty of times. I was also super caught up in her vampire books. Read them feverishly, and I agree that her application of the vampire craze was something that I'd never read before. It's the same with Vampirates by Justin Somper. These books are really creative, and yet, no one really speaks about them. I think this is precisely the reason -- because they're so different than typical vampire books which are more about the cringey romance. Vampire romance is good, yes, but I need a little bit more.
J.K. Rowling - Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban wrote:Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light. 🔥
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Post by shrikant275 »

It took sometimes time to understand the things in the article or in the book. Or because things included in the books are not easily understood in hard language.
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Post by Anngladys »

love_b00ks wrote: 25 May 2018, 21:05 I haven't started selling books yet but I am planning to. I got some great tips from Smarshwords and I am planning to apply them when I begin making my book. Maybe authors just jump into publishing without really understanding the whole process and are not able to identify their niche yet that is why some great books just get ignored.
This is likely to be true.
Writing and publishing is a lot of work.
The Smashwords guide is very helpful.
I wish you all the best!
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Post by Anngladys »

JennyorAlice wrote: 21 Jun 2019, 12:42 I agree with what @evraealtana said. If you walked around to each person and asked them what is a great book, you're going to get a different answer depending on the person you're asking. Different books will resonate with different people. What you like to read, others may not like and vise versa.
This is true. I think that the great books are great in different niches. It's possible for a romance lover to never know about a great astronomy book. That doesn't mean that the astronomy book is not great.

So the answer to this would be pretty relative. What does a great book mean for the person who's asking? If the person is an author, what does greatness mean? Then work towards those goals, following every possible piece of helpful advice and strategy employed by those who are 'great' in that area.
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Post by Anngladys »

Jennifer Fernandez wrote: 12 Aug 2018, 16:06 I've always wondered the same thing. I think it has to do with luck. I've heard of authors who don't get recognized until very late in their careers. Look at the Game of Thrones series. It wasn't until 15 years later that it became really famous. Then you have authors like J.K. Rowling who had fame almost from the start. Maybe it has to do with marketing? I don't know much about that area.
I think that marketing has a lot to do with it too. Some really awful stuff is greatly marketed and greatly known, but some really good books remain largely unknown. So marketing is key. And the marketing budget available too, you know?
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Post by Anngladys »

RGraf wrote: 21 Sep 2018, 15:19 I've asked the same thing. I think a big part of it is few people with clout chance new authors. They go with the bestsellers. Not many try to read the newer authors and help promote them. I try to do that, but I don't have the million of followers people like Oprah has. Think of what would happen of Oprah branched out to include new or self-published authors. It could change the entire publishing industry.
Now that you mention Oprah, I'd like to say that it does take time to build a following. Which is why it's great to really know your target market and try to reach them even before writing your book. Then take time to consisitently grow your author brand. Eventually, it'll grow and the book(s) will become great.

Luck or chance may have something to do with it, but I'd lean more towards great content that others find shareable. That can propel growth faster than anything else.
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Post by Anngladys »

lucia_kizas wrote: 19 Apr 2019, 03:03 I think it has a lot to do with the way authors market their books, especially, if they self-publish. Youtube has lots of channels created by authors where they give writing tips, share their opinions, etc. and in between it all, they mention their own books :) unfortunately, one can write a masterpiece, and due to lack of self-confidence, keep quiet about it, and with numerous new books, it may never be discovered.
Oh yes, lack of self-confidence can be quite a deterrent!
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Post by Anngladys »

JordanKSmith wrote: 24 Dec 2018, 11:31 I think that there is an element of chance. However, the odds can be changed by making smart and persistent moves. You can keep changing the odds until your goal is nearly a sure thing.

Someone that puts a hundred hours per week into an adapting and concerted effort will be much more likely to achieve goals over the masses that put 20 hours into a half-hearted effort with a YouTube page opened up on the side.
Oh yes!
Smart and persistent moves are key!
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Post by aruntr2001 »

Sometimes the great works of authors are simply being ignored because of not focussing properly towards to publicising the works.
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Post by ratow »

If the marketing strategy is poor, a good book will never get the attention it deserves. The author has to let the potential customers know why they must read his/her book.
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Post by Lilyflower-x2 »

ratow wrote: 16 Aug 2020, 11:47 If the marketing strategy is poor, a good book will never get the attention it deserves. The author has to let the potential customers know why they must read his/her book.
You right. An author should not disregard the power of good marketing.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R.R. Martin
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