Tell Me Something Tuesday is hosted by Rainy Day Ramblings and discusses a wide range of topics from books to blogging.
Question: If a book disappoints you by an author you read for the first time, how likely are you to try that author again?
Answer: It really depends on why I didn’t like it.
If I enjoyed the overall writing style but something about the book just wasn’t for me – like the setting or maybe the genre wasn’t my jam – then yes, I’ll give them another shot if they write a book more in line with what I like.
There are so many authors that write in multiple genres and for different age groups so I wouldn’t judge all future books with what I just read.
If there was something specific to the writing (purple prose or just bad) , the characters (they have a type I don't like - like alpha males), or they don’t stick the ending – a big deal for me, I’ll have trust issues and nope.
Unless someone I trust tells me that this book is different, I’ll take a pass.
Do you give new authors another chance, even if you didn’t like the first book you read by them?
Well said, yes it does depend on that
ReplyDeleteI'll be cautious but I would give another chance.
DeleteI usually do not give authors a second chance, unless a later book is recommended by someone I trust A LOT. I feel bad about that, but there are so many books to get to!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! Too little time vs too many books. It really depends for me but I'm not going to keep trying, say a romance, if I hate the way they write romamces and yes, I would need someone I trust to have read and recommend it first.
DeleteBut if the next book is different enough or rec's I would give it a go.
I realize that my decision to give an author a chance or not is not consistent at all. I think if I like the writing I may try again, but if I don't like the characters I'm kind of put off.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course if friends are gushing about a book, I'll be tempted.
I was going to use Real Men Knit as an example. One thing I didn't like was the slow burn - so if her next book wasn't that I would give it a go BUT I did not like her writing. So unless you told me it was good, I won't bother.
DeleteI am not so big on second chances. Though, I have been known to give them another try, if a lot of people I trust think I should.
ReplyDeleteIt really does have a lot to do with recommendations or my reading tastes.
DeleteIf an author writes widely, there could be something they write that works for me while I avoid everything else by them.
Hmm...honestly, I don't think about it too much. Sometimes I read books by the same author without even realizing it! LOL I think if it's a book that sounds good to me, I'm likely to want to read it even if I didn't enjoy the author's first novel or whatever...unless, like you said, there's a really big reason for me not liking the book (such as the way the author writes or something).
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
I kind of do that too. I may not have like done book but if another pops up that sounds interesting, I'll probably give it a go. I might check in with a freind who read it first though.
DeleteNormally I will give an author a second chance unless its something I can't stand reading (like a love triangle, too overdone with politics or a character with no backbone) because just because one book didn't work for me doesn't mean another won't.
ReplyDeleteYeah - romance is one of those genres that's tricky. Just because one couple/trope didn't work for me, doesn't mean a different one won't. Unless it was specifically the writing, I'll give them another try of it sounds interesting.
DeleteIt depends--but I usually will. Prime example: I did not like The Friend Zone. But I still read The Happy Ever After Playlist and LOVED IT. So glad I still decided to read it!
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting because I didn't like The Friend Zone either but wasn't willing to give her a second chance because I just didn't like the way she did that trope and didn't trust her to handle others.
DeleteNow I'll have to check lol
but that's what I mean about needed a rec if I take another chance. You not liking the first but liking the second makes me more willing to try as well.
It really depends, but pretty often I do try their other books. Marie Lu is one other that's hit or miss for me, some of her books I really liked and others...not really at all!
ReplyDeleteChristine Lauren would be one that is really hit or miss for me. I LOVE Josh & Hazel but not a fan of their alpha guy books.
DeleteI'm the same as you, it really depends on a couple of things. Why did I want to read the book by a new author in the first place? Is it because a bunch of other people I know read and enjoyed it? If so, unless there is something glaringly bad in there, I'm likely to try another book from them because maybe that book didn't work for me. Or maybe I discovered the book on my own and it just had a trope in there I don't enjoy so DNF-ed, I'd give the author another chance. To be honest, I am the most forgiving reader, I will give most authors a second chance.
ReplyDeleteExactly. Tropes are a good example. One might not work for me but switch to a different one with different characters and I'll give it a go.
DeleteI'm pretty much the same. I mean, I'll try 'em again, like you said, if the next one looks like something I'd like. It does just depend on the circumstances really. It's weird how sometimes an author can write something I'm not really into but then they write something else that I love! It doesn't happen a lot but it does happen.
ReplyDeleteYeah, one bad book doesn't mean a different topic or characters won't appeal to me but if it was the writing itself - then I'd probably pass.
DeleteFor me it depends as well! Oftentimes I'm not 100% sure what it is, so a second chance is a way for me to confirm that it's the style, pacing, etc. and if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. (Style doesn't change
ReplyDeleteall that much in my opinion.) issues like characters, it also depends for me as well and what their new book is; sometimes a cast off characters just doesn't work for me in one book but it's right up my alley in another.
Especially in romance, there can be a couple/trope you can't connect o but is totally fine in the next book so tings like that won't put me off.
DeleteYep, I don't let one bad experience put me off if I like the sound of another book. That said, it really does depend on how much of a hot mess the first book is!
ReplyDeleteIf I have a really bad experience then I need a solid rec from someone I trust to give the author another go but if it' just wasn't my thing - trope or whatever - I'll give the author another go.
DeleteIt depends on the blurb and writing style really. If I disliked the first one because of the author's style, it's likely I won't like any others. If it was a plot or character thing and I see a blurb that sounds interesting, I'll maybe give the author another try.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty much my thoughts.
DeleteSame. If I like the writing style I will give second chances. Even if there are a few things that tripped me up with the writing if they are a debut author I will usually give them a second chance. However, outright bad writing, no. 😛
ReplyDeleteExactly. If one or two things just aren't my jam and they change for the next books why not try?
DeleteBut bad writing is a no go.
Yep, yep... it totally depends. I usually will give an author a second chance, especially if it's more the genre that I don't like.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many authors writing in different genres now so it's worth a shot.
DeleteI just read Maurene Goo (YA) and I hated her first book, the second was eh - and I read the 3rd only because it was sent to me but loved it! So there you go lol Same series and everything but this one clicked.
This is tough! So I think I DO give them another chance, but with lowered expectations? Like- I swore E. Lockhart's books maybe just weren't for me after I tried her twice, but third time was a charm, so I am just a strange person. Same thing with an adult author I just read recently and LOVED her sophomore book after hating her debut, both of the same genre. So I like to give at least a second chance, even a third if the premise REALLY strikes me. And then I throw in the towel!
ReplyDeleteI can agree with all of that. E. Lockhart is a good example too. I liked, but didn't love, We Were Liars but the writing was clearly good. So I would totally give her another chance because unreliable narrators aren't my thing - but if she were to write something different from that I'm in!
DeleteI agree, it really does depend on what it was about an author that I didn't like. I don't usually like to say I'll never say never, but when it comes to classics authors I am a lot less likely to give them a second chance if their book was boring or problematic as it tends to be that they write all their stories in the same way while contemporary authors are more flexible. I also have a rule for three strikes and you're out - so authors actually get three chances from me before I cut off their books completely.
ReplyDelete3 strikes would be a rule for me too. I mean...after 3 books you should know they aren't your jam I would think.
DeleteAnd the classics - yeah...there's so much problematic stuff it's hard to parse through and ignore *just because* it's a classic.
I was just thinking about this and how wild it is that being burned by an author even just once can really destroy your trust for them. But it does depend on exactly what it was that didn't work about the book.
ReplyDelete