Don't Believe The Novel Hype!

Don't believe the hype!

Below is part of a review I wrote about a novel I read recently. I won't name it here but it is real and you can see it on Goodreads if you have a mind to. I post it now as a blog because it contains some truths which the reader of fiction novels might find interesting. ...

"I didn't finish this novel (the paperback edition) because I couldn't even get half way through it. I found it mediocre at best and full of clichés concerning the therapist/patient relationship. Please don't believe the blurb on the covers of novels as they are full of praise from critics who are usually in the pay of the publishing houses. The object is to sell the novel at all costs because if they did put any negative comments on the back of the cover or in any review at the launch of the book, it simply would not sell."

Just imagine the first part of my review on the back of the cover; would it entice you to buy and read it? Have you ever read anything approaching a negative comment on any novel printed by a publishing house? I would guess it's a 'no', because I've never seen one. The blurb on the back is so overly hyped in order to entice the reader to buy that it often bares little resemblance to the novel's literary content and can be said therefore to delve into the realm of fiction itself. It is so expensive to print and distribute a traditional novel, that these publishing houses need to build the reputation of their writers and recoup their money. Therefore, any negative comments, reviews or articles written by a journalist or reviewer would not be published because they would lose their job. The media are all linked together in order to serve a common purpose and that is to create interest in the market and sell.

I had to have a rant about this because I know how the publishing world works. I hope that some of the unsuspecting readers who swallow the hype will wake up to this and not lose their hard earned cash on believing the blurb on the back of novels and being disappointed. Also, they may feel that their disappointment is not valid when compared to these comments by so called "respected" journalists and reviewers. But if they knew the reasons why this might be, they may well be angry too.

I don't know the answer to this, because how is anyone to know what is good to read if not by the so called "respected" critics. Maybe the answer might be to know your critics better and find an independent that has some integrity. Good luck with that these days. Choose wisely!



The picture above is thought to be a portrait of Jane Austin.